Watch: Motel Hell
Rather than running a daily Instagram diary, over the last few years Harry Bryant and filmer Dav Fox have been bagging the best waves from assorted missions to build a longer project.
The first version of that project premiered eighteen months ago in Thirroul, near where Big Dav lives and where Harry was living at the time. No title, no plot, and just fifteen minutes long, the film neverthless got a good response. The house lights went up far too soon.
Since then, the duo ramped up the miles, Haz travelling with raincoat-yellow Keogh gun, a pair of mud-brown dungarees, and a few pints of milk. They also gave 'emselves time to work on some kind of vision for the film, including aesthetics and a storyline...of sorts.
The end result is Bunyip Dreaming meets Wake In Fright. It may be the answer to vapid blogs and vanilla surf edits or it might not mean anything at all.
Comments
This had it all to me.
I know the free-surf guys have become a bit self referential but the Aussie-gothic style pioneered by Wade Goodall and copied by Noa etc etc is pretty sick.
Gritty, big pits, big chords, big turns, big airs- it's hard not to get stoked out by it.
And so, so good to see someone on a 7'1" quad ripping huge turns. That was both inspirational and aspirational.
Sorry Brendan Gibbens, this is how it's done bru.
totally agree its fukn sic
Couldn't agree more. But mostly aspirational, as most of the waves and surfing are beyond me, sadly.
Watched it over two sessions, as it's almost too much to take in in one go.
Apparently Wade G was stuck in a cave underwater and had to snap his board to get out. Heavy, as was the whole film.
I've been waiting so, so long to see what a proper step-up (6'9" +) would look like under the feet of a pro in solid surf.
No pumps or twitches at all- huge long bottom turns and massive sweeping full rail gaffs.
How long since we have seen that?
Apart from Jack Robbo's tube threading this shat all over what the pros were doing at Sunset.
I assume you've seen this, FR
It's a beautiful thing, and all but forgotten in modern surfing.
On a smaller scale, but shit hot too:
ill it needed more was 'ando'
I only had time to watch up to the 15 minute mark for the moment, though that 15 minutes showed more talent in the water and behind the camera and in the editsuit, not forgetting the sound design than all the rest of the mediocre logo placement advertishiting shit that we've grown to accept as normal. I can't wait to find the time to watch the rest...
Really enjoyed this and agree regarding the bigger board
Ohh I don't like vids like this they make beer evaporate while watching..
weekend viewing sorted yeeew
The orange and yellow board looked awesome at the start of the vid.
Reckon I'd prefer this to Torren's effort out there.
farkin hell david field?? awesome. bad taste meets mad wax,
picks up where Land Down Under film clip leaves off -
what variety of waves and rides, edge of your seat, 'think I've found the left' haha.
top-shelf schlock dierct/prod, grungy geetars for throaty beasts,
with come-down chillax intermissions.. this is an x-gen's wet dream
80s sensibilities for a sport and audience 40 yrs more mature. Shit hot!
(25:30 micro beachy cracked me up, with the green screen), churchy bit,
milk-eatin shit grin, so much tight humour WITH so many waves - kudos dav fox
Spoiler Alert: The bar isn't actually in a desert.
Look closely and you'll see a winner's board above the fridge, with the names of coal miners who swap black dust for white linen on the weekends.
DF lived around here for a long time. Would often bump into him in surprising places and always get the wicked grin. A brawny leading man he ain't, but the fella has an actor's face.
Heard he's now living at North Straddie. Always full of surprises.
haha, an 'I did it my way' guy, for sure. For my money, Silent Partner is an Aussie top 10:
(I haven't heard that line in Motel Hell: 'you been surfing lasseters reef?' before.. has 'wakey wakey, hands off snakey' razorback potential as a cheesy outback-noir quotable.)
Hey Stu,
Lovin' the look of the 7'1 pulled in swallow quad. Any chance you can reach out to Haz and get more details?
I'd love to know what he thinks of it, what works well and what doesn't...
If you can get your mitts on the latest Surfers Journal issue, there's both an excellent Harry interview and a deeper dive into the Haz Gun.
In the meantime, here's what I can tell you about my 8'0 version:
- low to mod nose rocker, and very generous but continuous tail rocker
- 4 toed-in channels
- tiny fins far up the board
- hard edge all the way to the nose
- Maurice Cole style reverse vee
- flat deck and low rails
- hint of a beak, and very foiled tail
- the most meticulously built board I've ever seen/ridden.
Board is very smooth and has a truckload of drive. Will hold speed and drive through a full roundhouse, even in smaller waves. Have had great fun on it in 4ft waves - and almost reached Nirvana in fast 10ft rights.
Cheers IB.
Who's the shaper?
.
Josh Keogh
https://www.instagram.com/joshua_keogh_/
Haz Gun from Josh Keogh
Looks amazing better than seeing pros surfing 6'1s
yeah I vlogged my log over Hardline Tasmania all last week. This is the perfect antidote.
That was epic . On the big screen please fellas .
Still wish he’d done all the surfing in the khaki one piece though.
Half way through and thoroughly enjoying it.
Agree looks great riding a bigger board.
Haven't seen someone surf Watu Karung like that ever before. Wildly reckless surfing that is so good to watch on film but would have been scary to watch in person. And totally agree, that first section on his 7'1" is excellent and just makes you want to surf. Best surf film in years for me!
Classic. Love the little bottle of milk transformation from micro shorey to donkey bay. Very Mad Wax
That Orange/Yellow and also the Green/White quad gun is a Haz Gun from Josh Keogh
Beautiful looking boards
Better than pros riding 6'1s
Sik Flik!
Sick! Steve's right- I'd take this over the pros at bumpy sunset any day.
The bowlooo! Yew! That hungry thirsty Oak add dude throws an awesome psycho vibe.
Walking into that pub reminds me of South Aus in the '90s. Every locals place you walked into was like that. Old man whale's in Penong was a classic- you had to stay in the session or time to go.
I remember going with a local mate round to another blokes pad to see if he was home. We get there and it's a shed, no lights, no car. I'm like 'he's not home' and mate was like nah he will be. He sings out to him and we hear a voice come from inside. We walk in and heres mate sitting in the dark by himself on a chair at a table with no other furniture but a mattress on the dirt floor. I was like fark me this is next level.
That last paragraph was pure gold Skeggs_ McFinn, Appreciate you sharing this with us.
Yes that was amazing hahaha. What’d you do when you got there?
We brang a carton and chairs. He turned on the geni for his distinguished guests.
haha! hope it was warm coopers sparkling
Classic
Gotta get some milk into me, even with the side effects........
looked too thick and gelatinous to be milk...those men looked exhausted too..
Nothing wrong with warm coopers sparkling.
Geez I'd love to give Riley's a craic.
Harry on a slab tour to rival Nate Florence. Unbelievable waves. Surprised he got away with getting cameras in and around some of the Oz spots.
I don’t know if it’s what I watch, my bias or what, but does Australia produce 10 elite free surfers to the rest of the world’s 1?
No wonder Brazil have dominated the tour for so long, ours are all off getting pitted in the desert!
Certainly seems that way.
HELL YEAH!!
HARRY FUCKING BRYANT!!
!!
best vid i've seen in a long time. mad energy from all angles!
Two pints please.
That was fucken epic! So good. Base_six on the money with Bad Taste reference. Peter Jackson’s early work crossed my mind in the first 5 mins. Classic
Great vid, great tunes, also some nice Sth Aus action in there towards end.
Two weeks old, 200k views.
YT metrics often wig me out but however you slice it that seems impressive.
I've watched it 4 or 5 times , guess that would count each as individual views?