Bunker Spreckels: Surfing's Divine Prince of Decadence (Hardcover)

by Art Brewer (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The libertine: The wild, brief life of a surfing legend and international playboy

The tale of Bunker Spreckels (1949-1977) reads like a pitch for a movie to rival Boogie Nights: The stepson of Clark Gable is a privileged Los Angeles party boy who is heir to a multimillion dollar fortune; passionate about surfing, martial arts, guns, and women, he lives the life of a debauched international jet-setter before succumbing to his excesses at the tender age of 27.

Born Adolph B. Spreckels III, heir to the Spreckels sugar fortune, Bunker became a famous surfer as a teenager, but after his inheritance came along, he began to slip into a life of pomp and excess where surfing took a back seat to drugs, sex, and wild road trips. So remarkable was his lifestyle that he created an alter-ego who invited photographers and documentarians to trail him, piecing together a tell-all epic of his own rise to fame and fortune. Before the project, known as "The Player", could be completed, Spreckels suddenly died.

From the Publisher
Thirty years later, photographer Art Brewer and writer/photojournalist C. R. Stecyk III (of Dogtown and Z-Boys fame) have come together to make this book, which traces the meteoric rise and dramatic fall of Bunker Spreckels. Brewer was a close friend of Spreckels and his personal photographer throughout the last decade of his life, traveling with him from Hawaii to Los Angeles to South Africa. His images of Spreckels, both on the waves and on land, chronicle Spreckels's metamorphosis from hippie surfer to international playboy, while Stecyk's extensive taped interview of Spreckels, completed just three months before his death, provides a rare first-person perspective on his decadent life.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Taschen
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822853380
• ISBN-13: 978-3822853382
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,126 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big waves, beautiful girls, drugs and money., November 27, 2007

By	R. Anson (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Big waves, beautiful girls, drugs and money. A fascinating glimpse into the insane life of Bunker Spreckels. At 21, he inherits fifty-million dollars, so like any other reasonable person, he arrives at the bank with an armored car and takes it in cash. This is just one episode in the short life of Bunker Spreckels. Art Brewer's photos perfectly capture the essence of Bunker's wild ride. I would be surprised if Hollywood isn't already in production.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bunker Spreckles Devine Prince of Decadance, December 20, 2007

By	Anthony G. Cutugno - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was very interested in the person Bunker Spreckles. Here was a person who, before he had any money, dropped everything and lived on the North Shore, to just surf. He was said to surf as well an any touring pro, but did so only for passon. He rode and made his own boards and had his own style. To me, he represented what surfing should be, to a committed person, and not what it is, and has become. I was thrilled to see a book about him coming, but when I got it and read it, I was very disappointed. I would like to have seen it focus more on his surfing in California and in Hawaii in 69, and also, his lifestyle while in Kuai, and more pictures from the South Africa trip. All it was was a recap of the Surfer's journal article from 93, with a few more photos from when he was spinning out from all the money.

1.0 out of 5 stars WHERE'S MY BOOK AMAZON??, January 27, 2009

By	Jonathan Dobson "JLD" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beware of this book. It's probably good material. However, I ordered it from Amazon over a month ago and still don't have the merchandise. Make sure Amazon has the book in stock before you order it from them...or look for a another vender...maybe EBAY.