Watch Connor Lee In Pressed
Intro by Sam Hetherington. Interview by James Royce.
I met Connor Lee a couple of years ago at a surf comp in Newwy.
My dear friend Stacey Galbraith introduced me, and said ‘Sammy, this guy is one to watch.’ I regard Stace’s opinion very highly so on Connor went to the list of people to keep a tab on. The first thing I noticed about Connor was his style, his extreme friendliness and his extreme sunburn. I didn’t get to see him surf that day because it was blown out to the nines already but after a quick internet search, I learnt very quickly why Stace was telling me to keep an eye out. Then the Ballet film came out and Connor’s part stole the show. Krupsy told me again to watch out for Connor, as he knew the pile of clips he was sitting on that weren’t a part of the Ballet cut. That’s two people who know their shit in the silly surf world saying this guy is something special. At the premiere of the Ballet film, I ran into Connor again where he went out of his way to come up and say hey. A lot of people in the surf industry are usually too fucking cool to do that so up Connor went of the refined list of surfers I actually like. Connor premiered his surf film ‘Pressed’ in his local town of Newcastle last Friday among friends and family. The same day I started a five leg journey to an island in Indonesia so I left this interview in the capable hands of our beloved surf writer James Royce. Take it away Roycey and well done Connor, we look forward to you gracing Monster Children many more times in the future.
Connor! We got the FaceTime audio up and running. How goes it?
God, it’s such a little, hidden button, hey?
I mean, it's great. It’s how we can exploit these international calls without all the pesky charges. T-Mobile absolutely despises me.
Oh yeah, for sure.
So, what's up, man? How is everything with the premiere for the new vid? Looked like a wild one.
Yeah, it was a pretty crazy turn out actually, it was fucking huge.
Was it down in Sydney or was it closer your way somewhere around Newcastle?
At the Prince of Mereweather, yeah.
How is good ol’ Newy doing these days?
You know, it's good! It's like, not as crazy as Sydney but it’s still kind of hectic (laughs).
Not as hectic isn’t the worst thing, though. And you’re off to Bali tomorrow?
Yeah! I head to Bali for like six days to pick up some boards and then I’m off to Roti for the month.
Oh, okay. Well that’s not the worst. It sounds like you’re going for quite a kick… I’m guessing you’re bagging clips then? Or are you just going full pleasure and making the most of surfing your brains out?
I'm going to try and stuff a couple of clips and I might try to work on another something else. I don't really know yet, but I think when I get there there’s a really big swell, so I might go chase that and really just go from there. The Padang comp’s on as well, so hopefully that runs through and maybe takes some of the crowds away.
So how'd this new film come about? Was it, like, sort of leftovers from the Ballet flick that came out, like, a little while back now? Or was it something that was entirely new?
I guess it all started like a year ago? I haven't put out a film of my own. Like, something of just me. So, we just did a bunch of trips to the desert down south and we started to get a couple of things and then we're like, fuck, should we just work on something? So, we just started working on my own clip and then I started working on the Ballet part and all the boys really wanted all my footage and I was like, “Nah! I can’t give this up, sorry.” I felt like I needed to do something because I hadn’t done something like that in a little while. But to be honest, I don't even really think my clip, the new one, is really all that good. It’s just getting barreled the whole time (laughs).
And… and that’s a bad thing?
I mean I feel like it’s sick getting barrels when you’re surfing. But when you’re watching it it’s a little boring, sometimes. Maybe.
It’s certainly subjective. There are definitely people I’d rather watch get barreled than others. But at the same time, at the end of the day, that’s the reason why we’re all here, right?
For sure. But, yeah, I had a plan to work on my own part and then I've got enough footage from that last year here and there with a few strikes down south. Tries to stay away from Newy a bit. It’s easy to get stuck at home and chase waves around here, so it was good to get out a bit.
So the whole clip was filmed within Aus then?
There is a Bali section but it’s only a handful of waves. Those ones are a little bit easier to watch though, I reckon.
Everything’s just a little better in trunks and warm water.
Yeah, definitely.
There're waves your way right now? Or is it, fuck, you’re in the middle of winter, aren’t you? It should be pumping right? At least better than here. It’s depressingly bad in California… still.
Nah, it’s actually pretty shit at the moment. I mean it’s the middle of winter but I’m in boardies and a shirt right now and it’s hot.
Yeah, I don’t think it should be like that around this time of year. That’s a touch scary to think about for too long. So, any plans for after you get back from Bali or is it sticking out home for a bit and doing Spring things?
I have a few plans… There are some ideas for the next film. I'm also just, like, trying to sort my shit out a bit. I'm pretty lucky, I feel like I've never got a plan and I’m always just all over the shop but nothing ever really fully works. So I'm trying to get my shit together and go to Indo, film a bit, hang out with my girlfriend, and do some trips somewhere and maybe sneak some sessions. And then come home and try to move out as well. I’m still with my parents but I'm 21 so I might try and move into a house and then, well, I don’t know? I don’t what I want to do. Maybe pick up a trade or something (laughs).
I mean, like you said, you're only 21. You’re in a good spot and there’s a lot of life ahead. It’s good to get life sorted out but you’re also chilling.
Yeah, I hope so.
So for this next film that you’re going for, do you have it officially planned out? Like, have you done something where you’re sort of storyboarding it section by section or place by place? Or is it just general, basic thoughts and ideas at the moment?
I don't know, actually. I'm writing stuff down but I really want to organise them into something in the next year where I’m like, “Yeah, I’m going here.” And I have money aside to do it. I’m going to chase a swell over here and then disappear but then come home. It’d be good to be a little bit more organised. I see these older guys and they seem, like, fucked up but they put together incredible clips and they just seem more organised and they’ve got their stuff sorted. But, yeah, that’s just my year’s resolution, just to be a bit more organised.
I mean, that's certainly a good thing to strive for. And definitely attainable.
I’m lacking! I’m lacking! Little kids do it, and I still feel like a grom.
There’s nothing wrong with that, though. It's good to stay excited about things and have a stoked-out mentality. So, all that goes to plan then what's like your ideal clip looking like? What is the dream, award-winning Connor film?
Something that people watch and they go like, “Hey, that’s a nice kid and he rips.” Or people get excited and it makes them to go surf. You know how it is when you watch something and you go, “Ah, I just want to go out there and do something sick. Like watching old Dane clips or Craig or Noa where you watch it and say, “Holy shit, I want to go do that now. I want to go and surf and do something crazy.” Just make something that people get hyped on.
That's pretty much the recipe for the perfect clip, it sounds like.
And I don't think many people can do that. I don't really think I could do that. But, I’d like to put something out that people like and want to watch. That would be nice (laughs).
So what are the dream destinations for your perfect surf film, then? The massive, winning, ideal dream setups. Do you keep it around home or go somewhere crazy you haven't been to before?
Try and hang around home a couple of sessions and then maybe go somewhere weird, like, Ireland or something like that. Somewhere cool. There’re just so many places out there, you have to hunt around. You see these places and you’re just, like, “Where the hell is this?” And it's just some random spot but people are standing there in six-foot pits and you’re like, “Wait, when did this become a wave? I just want to look at the things that haven't been done. But it's pretty hard to do that. So I guess I'm going to try and make sure that everyone else isn’t doing it and look good, which is pretty hard.
I mean you could really go weird and keep zooming and zooming in on Google Maps at random points in the middle of nowhere while thinking, “…Maybe?” That’s a favourite late-night activity for me at least.
I've been doing that with Indo at the moment, looking at the most random of setups and thinking: do I go check that out? Do I have money to go over there? Is that even a wave? I was looking at this one and it's in this river mouth so all I was thinking are if there are fuckin’ crocodiles there what’s going on but it’s going off and maybe there’s tiger sharks but also there’s a wave.
You have to go check it out! Either it’s the best wave ever or the most hectic wave ever and only one way to find out.
Oh, for sure.
So what have you been up to at home other than filming?
It’s so funny, we kind of wrapped up like a month before we started editing it, and then the last week before Harry Dott was finished editing it, like only a few days before it was finished, this sick swell came and we got really cooking waves. And then we had to re-edit a bunch of the movie. But I’ve been roofing with all this corrugated sheet iron and stripping tiles and doing crazy stuff like that. But it’s been super sick because my boss is a legend and lets me take a couple of days off when the swell’s sick. He’s a surfer as well so he fully understands.
Surf whenever you want and chill boss? That's a setup and a half. That’s the sort of job people spent their whole careers looking for!
I’m pretty lucky at the moment. I hope I come back to Newy and that job is still there.
I hope so too, that’s dialled. Anything else you want to add in?
I’d love to give the boys a big shout-out. Like Harry, who edited it. Oh, and Lucas. Lucas' my best mate and is a school teacher, and he used to not really know how to use a camera. But he ordered one and has been filming for the past year and he’s kind of nailing it. He’s always had a good eye, but he just bought a Super 8, and Harry filmed a lot of it obviously, but we just couldn’t link up over many sessions so Soarzy and I are one phone call away so I’d ring him and say, “Let’s just go.” And there were so many fuck-ups but it also somehow ended up working as well.
And he’s a teacher?
Yeah he’s a woodworking teacher and on his off days he’ll go a film. He’s the biggest legend.
How good is that? Well, thanks for chatting Connor! I’m sure we’ll talk again here soon.
Cheers!