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Stoked and Broke – Blog, Interview +VIDEO
Author: Tracks Magazine
With my love for the sport of kings at an all time low – I turned to my putes and got on with my day. By chance the thing I did was open an email titled ‘Stoked And Broke’ from a Cyrus Sutten. Around two minutes and one second later I was back in the ocean (figuratively speaking) and up to my neck in stoke.
The trailer I’d just watched was a “Staycation Surfari Epic on Zero Dollars...” to quote their media release. Basically, with handmade bamboo rickshaws stacked with handmade freaky quivers, meager supplies and cooking utensils, the films director Cyrus, and his mate Ryan Burch, set of on a surfing adventure around their hometown of Encinitas. What started of as a micro mission became a thirty mile, eight day walk through San Diego, CA.
Taking time out can be on the nose, but it's still cool for many. Pic: Bruce Jamieson
With a welcome chuckle in my throat I grabbed on the Al Capone and tracked down a contagiously optimistic Cyruss hoeing down some, “awesome grits”, at his local café and asked him what it was that inspired him to not only make such a movie, but undertake the mission as a whole?
“This was the under achiever surf trip…" He told me. "I’ve done so many crazy trips to places like Indonesia with the best guys and all that, but with this one I just wanted to something completely opposite and just hang out. I wasn’t out to make a movie initially – It was going to be purely for an online series initially.”
Hearing cutlery placed down on the table I sense Cyruss shift in his booth as he prepared to answer my next question. What was it that changed his plans?
“I figured the 'How to' webisodes (we planned to do for online) would finish on this classic acid-casualty kneeboarder that lives around my way in a VW bus. You know, the kind? They're either a yelling and kicking trashcans kind of a guy, or all sunshine and rainbow?”
Assuring him I knew what he was talking about, he continued. Satisfied I was on the same page.
“Well, this guys all sunshine and rainbows. I wanted to interview him saying how every bodies blowing it and how you don’t have to have the perfect house and the perfect car and all this shit, and how he’s living the blessed life… cause I really like him.”
Thinking I knew exactly what was coming next, he continued.
“But when I eventually interviewed him I was shocked to find he was really sad. Like, a really sad guy. He hadn’t talked to his daughter for a long time, he has to move his car, like three times a night, because the cops are always on him, and it shattered me. It shattered the dream I held of living the simple life. And that made me question, what checking out of society really costs? It served as a cautionary thing for me that, you know what? You don’t need all that crap! But it’s also good to get your act together and pay your bills and have a roof over your head too. That interview alone changed the tone of the trip from this tongue-in-cheek micro vacation, to having this thread to freedom and responsibility.”
Cyrus bending time in the water – as well as onland. Pic: Bruce Jamieson
I wasn’t expecting that, I told him. Worried that my blissful notion of this domestic adventure had faded – he assured me not to worry.
“Our eyes were still opened. Things like how cool the bums treated us and how the, you know, rich people coming to the beach in the Merc’s looked down upon us was an adventure… bums straight away seeing us with our rickshaws and stuff would tell us where we could get free food and coffee if we needed any. It was a real eye opener… those kinds of people would take time to talk with us while many people just shunned us.
I was curious; did he and Ryan sleep out at night too? If so was there any problems?
“We know the area well so we’d find places to camp that were cool and away from the cops and the car parks, the only bummer would be late night walkers and their loud scary dogs stumbling across us and freaking us right out at weird hours… you know business people that work all day in the city and only have time to get out with their psycho dogs after hours.”
"If we both go out who's going to watch our stuff?" Pic: Kevin Roche
With that I said good bye and Cyruss promised me he’d email a code to see the whole film (which he did), and we made a deal to surf together when he’s in Australia next. I left him to finish his breakfast and no doubt a top up of black American coffee.
The following day I watched the film in its entirety and enjoyed not only the pace, but the rolling nature of the waves as well. Nothing real heavy about the reefs in San Diego but the fun factor (especially on the right board), can be mondo.
The description of the film being a surfing movie that began as a guide on, 'How to take a minimalist surf journey', yet quickly became an examination of freedom vs alienation – an apt one.
Stoked and Broke is deeper than your average barrel – and a film with more shelf life than your average air-fest flick.
Great stuff.
Movie: Stoked And Broke
Starring: San Diego, Ryan Burch, Cyrus Sutton, Richard Kenvin, Lucas Dirkse, Eric Snortum, Glen Horn, Roberta Horn and Kneeboard Steve
Soundtrack by The Blank Tapes and Mike McCarthy
All info on korduroy.tv
Stoked & Broke Teaser from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.