Gary Propper

So I find myself saddled with the unenviable task of defining Gary Propper – a man who defies all attempts at concise classification.

The more I dig deeper into his complex history, the more I feel like Martin Sheen’s Captain Willard in “Apocalypse Now” and the more Propper begins to resemble Brando’s Major Kurtz.
While Kurtz was a far more foreboding quarry, Propper is shrouded in mists of similar mystery, and initial inquiries into his character only thicken them. Nonetheless, I set off up river intrigued, yet apprehensive.

Picture me sweating in a dimly lit, bottle-strewn hotel room flipping through his cryptic dossier, reading the facts in a hushed and suitably gravelly voice-over:

"Born in the Bronx, NY in 1946 and raised in Miami Beach. Begins surfing at age 13 after moving with his mother to Cocoa Beach. Wins the Junior Division of the 1964 East Coast Surfing Championships. Puts down 'Professional Surfer/Athlete' on his ’64 tax returns. Wins the 1966 East Coast Surfing Championships on the strength of a then unheard-of 360 degree turn, beating West Coasters Dewey Weber and Tom Leonardo at the game they thought they owned, and becomes the first international-caliber surfer from the eastern seaboard. Is the East Coast vote-getter in International Surfing Magazine’s 1967 Hall of Fame Awards. First East Coast surfer to have a surfboard model produced in his name. The Gary Propper Noserider Model Surfboard, made by Hobie, goes on to become one of the world’s best-selling models. The ensuing 1967 East Coast Surfing Championships marked the first and only time in surfing history that a model surfboard was ridden by the winner of every division. Propper is inducted into the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 1996.

"As a maverick promoter light years ahead of his time, he creates the first prototype mini surf expo, featuring surf films, his own line of clothing, merchandise and surf products. Becomes an entertainment promoter in the early ‘70s under the tutelage of impresario Bill Graham. As Director of Booking and Productions for Fantasma Productions, Propper goes on to work with some of the biggest acts in the business, including Rush, The Police, Bob Seger, Blondie, The Pretenders, Hank Williams Jr., Bob Marley, The Kinks, The Allman Brothers, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"In the mid '80s, Propper purchases rights to an independently-produced comic book called 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' injects the stories with surf terms, and turns them into a generational touchstone. Under the banner of Propper Entertainment, he manages comedy acts like Cheech & Chong, Carrot Top, Jon Lovitz, and turns Gallagher into another generational touchstone. Currently at work building a chain of music-themed restaurants bearing B.B. King's august moniker and is the brains behind an Action Sports Park attraction in Vegas which aims to blend Lollapalooza with the X-Games. Working to produce several scripts including one based on the Highwaymen artists. Now grooming local beachside band Dub City Tribe for the big time.

"'Groundbreaking.' 'Innovative.' 'Unorthodox.' 'Round the damn bend.' "
I take a deep breath and a swig of Mekong whiskey, and ring Propper up at his Las Vegas home to fill in the gaps.

The fictional Kurtz was either a madman or a godlike genius, depending on who you ask. It turns out Propper is a little bit of both. If you couple the languorous “I’ve been to the other side” calm of Brando’s Buddha-like renegade with the manic, mile-a-minute free association of Dennis Hopper’s loopy photojournalist, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what Propper is like in conversation. "You sometimes pay a price for being kooky," he tells me, and stories about his early successes bear this theory out.

In another of the "firsts" which pepper his sprawling resume, Propper brazenly used his "bro" ties in the surfing world and bypassed all the musty channels to make some rather un-surfy things happen in the entertainment business back in the '60s, earning him the ire of a conservative and somewhat fearful group of Luddite water babies. But if this suggests some ulterior, "bread heady'" motive of a cigar chomping fat cat, it’s well off the mark, because Propper’s only ever been driven by a youthful, fresh-out-of-the-egg stoke about everything he tackles. He's an unrepentant sensualist – a man determined to replicate the rush he gets from riding waves, apply it to every aspect of his life, and draw it out well past the printed expiration date.

While Dick Branson is driving a hovercraft to his latest over-hyped press junket and Donnie Trump is trying to stamp his trademark on the English language, Gary Propper is out there in the jungle he cleared years ago with a rusty machete, listening to the natives’ ideas, nurturing them, taking them further, and making them realities for the sheer love of it. Propper's influence of the surfing industry and business in general can't be underestimated, and everyone you talk to will attribute his success to his lunatic tendencies and the boundless, inspiring energy that oozes from his every pore.

The quotes fire through the receiver at dizzying speed:

"Friends are important. I couldn't do all I've done without them," he says, breathlessly, referring to his old Cocoa Beach crew. "The guys that you hang out, especially for me coming from a broken home, you really need them. Wayne Coombs, Jack Link, Henry Lund – these are the guys who are my roots. They guide you. They give you grounding."

"My attention span is really, really short – scripts, book deals, TV specials -- nothing is sacred. I can jump from producing a comedy show to developing a movie script without missing a beat."

"Of 100 projects, may 90 won’t go through, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t have life."

"I don’t like being told what to do – especially after being poor for so long."

"I just get turned on by taking an idea and making it something real. for instance, I like taking an artist and seeing their raw talent and making them happen and become something big."

More than anything, I’m beginning to identify with this man who is always racing after his own thoughts. Where the average business man would always be stopping for a breather at some exclusive tropical resort, Propper’s still running like a champion – and leaving all the Kenyans in the dust. And if art sometimes offers a glimpse into its creator’s brain, then Propper’s collage/paintings provide a scenic vista of one of the most productive and multi-skilled minds in the entertainment industry.

Dipping into his vast collection of magazines, comics, ticket stubs, flyers, postcards, stickers, and photos, Propper roots the ephemeral on thousands of cardboard canvases. Everything old and new that’s related to music, sex, humor, celebrities, icons, and dead objects finds it's way into his art. He works with animal heads, flying fish, sea horses, paw prints, and scraps of unique paper -- it's all fodder for some breathtaking, Rauschenberg-influenced creations.

“My collages are a natural flow from what I do," Propper says. "And my artwork is like my surfing."

So the journey comes full circle, then. This maddening trip down a murky river leads to a clear, bubbling source, and my wild-eyed guide has lowered me right into its serene center.

Despite all his accomplishments and titles, when Propper wakes up each morning and fumbles for his beloved coffee, he's still the 13-year-old towhead paddling out toward an open horizon. And he's going all the way.

Visit Gary Propper's multi-faceted nexus at: www.proppercollection.com. And look for his return to Cocoa Beach, when he partners with Rockledge-based Jack Link & Associates for a variety of projects. The old friends will be working on “Bob Marley & Friends," a rockumentary to be shown on Mobilevision’s large screen technology. The film contains original footage of Bob Marley and other superstars like Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Peter Tosh and The Fugees. They'll also be working with own Dub City Tribe, and up-and-coming modern reggae band who’ve' often graced these pages. For more information, contact Propper Entertainment and Jack Link & Associates at 1729 Cogswell Street, Rockledge, FL 32955. Phone (321) 636-7231 or email jacklink@bellsouth.net