Slow Baja - Michael Squier On The Premiere Of The Baja Bug Movie

Episode Date: October 14, 2022

Michael Squier returns to Slow Baja to give us an update on the premiere of The Baja Bug Movie. The film has three screenings at the 2022 Newport Beach Film Festival. October 15th and 18th are sold out, but tickets (as of this posting) are still available for the closing night on October 20th. “When the Volkswagen Beetle was first brought into the United States in 1949, only two vehicles were sold. In the early 1950s, the “Bug” established itself as America’s budget car and was so adaptable, it could be turned into a dune buggy, which is exactly what Bruce Meyers did, creating the “Meyers Manx”. By 1967 Bruce Meyers, Vic Wilson, and Ed Pearlman had created the Mexican 1000, a race from the top of Baja to the bottom. Every type of vehicle imaginable, from big 4x4 trucks, stock Volkswagen bugs, motorcycles to home built creations was entered into the race; Bruce and his crew were laughed at when they showed up to the starting line with their little buggies. But to everyone’s surprise, when the first vehicle crossed the finish line 27 hours later, it was the Meyers Manx, paving the way for Volkswagens to take over off-road racing. Celebrities like Steve McQueen and James Garner helped catapult the sport and inspire weekend warriors seeking adventure. This is the story of the humble little car that conquered the desert.” -The Baja Bug Movie Watch The Baja Bug Movie trailer here Check out The Baja Bug Movie website here Follow The Baja Bug Movie on Instagram here Follow The Baja Bug Movie on Facebook here Buy tickets to the Newport Beach Film Festival here

Hello, hello, Ola, Como Estos, Slow Baja Amigos. My heaping dose of gratitude goes out to Edward Emery, my son. About a month ago, folks, I had a crazy accident here in San Francisco and fell, and I broke both elbows and cracked a rib and cracked my scapula, and Edward had to take care of this decrepit old dad for about three weeks straight until he had had enough and I had enough, and it was the Nora 500, so I loaded up my 1971 FJ40, no way. power steering, crunchy old, non-synchronized three-speed transmission. I drove it 600 miles down

to Ensignada for that event. The Slow Baja Safari class was a great group. The Baywatch Chenwith, the S-14. We had Jay and Blass in the Bronco. We really had a great turnout, and I want to say another super thanks to Dave Watts, who led the group through all the off-road stages. I took the ceremonial start in the morning. Met everybody for lunch in the afternoon. And thank you to Jeff Hill at Baja Baja Bound for tacos on day one out at Valley T. Tee.

We had fabulous case of tacos at Asados Moreno. So thank you, Baja Bound for that. And again, when we got in at the evening, after the checkered flag dropped, out came the Fortaleza. You know, Nora has a great formula. They have a really rugged off-road day. And then you come in and there's a terrific party every night. Great food, great entertainment.

And I made the rounds and poured, using my little Tyrannosaurus Rex arms, poured tequila fortaleza for the folks in their souvenir slow Baja shot glasses. So it was a great, great fun time. We had a couple nights after in the Valley de Guadalupe. The Baja visitor, Ted Donovan, and I had two days to unwind down there and see some new spots and record some podcasts. So it was a really a terrific trip. Got a bunch of recordings to share.

And without further ado, I'm going to tell you about today's show, Michael Squire, the Baja Bug movie. It's making its premiere. I'll be there. Newport Beach Film Festival, October 15th. Keep an eye on Slow Baja for more information and more showings. I believe this one is sold out now. Three showings is sold out.

But anyways, check it out. Port Beach Film Festival, the Baja Bug movie. Without further ado, Michael Squire. Hey, this is Michael Emery. Thanks for tuning into the Slow Baja. This podcast is powered by Tequila Fortaleza, handmade in small batches, and hands down my favorite tequila. Hey, I want to tell you about your new must-have accessory for your next Baja trip. Benchmark Maps has released a beautiful, beautiful Baja California Road and Recreation Atlas. It's a 72-page large format book of detailed maps and recreation. guides that makes the perfect planning tool for exploring Baja.

Pick yours up at Benchmarkmaps.com. It's Slow Baja, and I am in the beautiful Via Marina Hotel. The timeless. The timeless, yes. Meaning it hasn't updated since it was built. Exactly. The beautiful, timeless Via Marina Hotel for the Nora 500, and I got to see my good friend, Michael Squire, and we are sitting down here and doing a podcast to catch up on the Baja

bug movie. So Michael, hey, how are you? I'm doing great. Film is done. The film is done. I have tickets to the premiere. Can't wait. Newport Film Festival.

It's premiering. Yep. Yeah. So it's been a two-year process. Almost died quite a few times along the way, but finished the thing. And it's been an amazing process. And, you know, I started this out to make a film that ultimately I wanted to watch. It didn't exist.

And I wanted to watch a film that didn't exist. So I made one. There's been so much support from the whole community that has made this possible. And it's really that that's gotten it to the finish line. It's been crazy, you know, and for it to be now completely finished and in the Newport Beach Film Festival. And now, not only one, but three screenings because the first one sold out within a week. And then the second one sold out and, or he's almost sold. dogs. They increased the theater size so they could hold more and now they added a third on

closing night and per the festival they told me that it's actually the most popular film in the entire Newport Beach Film Festival. It's the film that they're all talking about. So it's, it's pretty crazy for something that was a solo project that started with an idea that I got inspired by, you know, a Baja bug that my friends and I brought back to life to now see it where it's, you know, more popular than the things that, you know, have had big studio funding and, you know, tens of millions of dollars put into it. And this is something that I funded myself with and then, you know, ultimately got the support of sponsors to help me get it across the line. And it's, you know, those companies that have done that have been huge. And those are the

companies that are in it for the right reasons. You know, I didn't partner with companies that were just in it to make a quick buck. And there's a lot of those in this industry. So let's roll through those real quick. Let's give us a couple quick shoutouts to your sponsor role on still Baja supportive. Exactly. It's, you know, it's very apropos that, you know, we're here at Nora. And the very first Mexico 1,000 was won by Vic Wilson in Myers-Manks. And Myers-Manks has been a huge supporter, and they step forward as the title sponsor of the film.

And really helped me get it across the finish line. And, you know, companies like rugged radios have helped keep me going the whole time. and Baja bound insurance and MPE and mobile wagon and even new companies that are just kind of starting out like slow ride garage. And then there's companies that have been in it since the 60s like Buggie Whip that have that history and really want to support it. And it's really cool to have a lot of that support. And then some of the newer guys like Blake and his company Shreddy have been very supportive

and helped getting everything across the finish line. And it's really been instrumental. And those partnerships have allowed me to do a lot more than, you know, I would have otherwise. Well, let's talk about some nuts and bolts about a passion project, a film that you've made. Can you even calculate the hours you shot? Hours I've shot, total that I've shot is well over, I think, 200 at this point. I can tell you that it's, what was it? I think it was like 173 terabytes.

It was stuff that I shot. I saw most of it in 6K raw, two cameras. Yikes. And that's just what I've shot. That's not including all the archive stuff. Right. Which is in the hundreds, if not thousands of hours. I mean, I have stacks and stacks of VHSs from the 80s and 90s and, you know,

thousands and thousands of feet of film, you know, Super 8. from the earlier days, you know, from the 70s. And even from the original Mexico 1000, Mike Perlman was able to find the original 16mm film from that first Mexican 1,000. And as part of their sponsorship and their support, they are actually, we were able to rescind that at 4K. And so the stuff that you'll be able to see through this

is stuff that you've never seen. Like I never saw these details. Like I didn't realize, you know, at the start line, Ted Mangels was smoking a cigarette when they left the line. Or like, when they pull across the finish line, Vic Wilson was halfway through smoking his cigar riding shotgun. And when I had talked to him, he had told me that as soon as they hit the pavement, he pulled over and told Ted to get in, you're driving the rest of the way.

So I know that as soon as he pulled over, he got in that passenger seat and lit up that cigar. And so the length of that cigar was how long it took them to get from the pavement to the finish line. It's little things like that that you don't see anywhere. And like even just tonight when before we went to dinner, uh, you introduced me to Cole. Right. Who's father drove the Billstein bug in the 70s. And I just happened to have footage, a ton of footage of his dad driving that he didn't even know existed. And it's like I was able to show that to him tonight. And like, it's those things like his father had passed away. His father just passed. Yeah. And so, you know, I could see it when I'm showing him this footage of his dad driving.

that it's this car that kind of is that fabric that keeps them together. And that was kind of the inspiration of why I started it. You know, I saw that connection that a son had to his father through a car. And so it's just one of those things that through this story, this film, it's really just about telling the story of these people that have created something from something that never should have been able to do what it did. And ultimately, it's a great collection of stories that gives you kind of the idea of what a bug and Baja bug and what it really is more than just a car.

You know, it's about the community. It's about thinking differently and pushing yourself. And, you know, it's really something that, regardless of whether you're a car person, a race person, a bug person, it doesn't matter. You know, the things that the guys that race them now go through is, you know, they're still racing on the same course as these, you know, half a million million dollar trophy trucks, but they're doing it in a 60s bug,

and they're taking 48, 50 hours to do it, and these guys are doing it in eight, but those guys are doing it the way that it was started. They're doing it with that heart and that passion, and they're doing it to prove to themselves, not just to go as fast as possible. It's something different. You know, it's those, ultimately,

it's those guys that never got the attention they should have now. I mean, look at it. Like, it's kind of f***ed up that it took this long for a documentary about Baja Bugs to be made. I mean. Well, true, but here's an opportunity, right? Yeah, and I mean, that's ultimately why I made it was because I wanted to watch it.

Yeah. And it didn't exist. and it was something that it needed to exist. That story needed to be told. And so it was one of those things that I felt a need to do. You know, I felt an obligation almost. Once I kind of realized that that story had never been told, I kind of felt that obligation that I needed to do it.

And then I finished it. And I edited the whole thing. I sat and I locked myself away. I actually hurt myself and broke my face right before and literally locked myself away for a month and a half. and sat down and it did the whole thing. And then when I was done, went and skated, took a day off, didn't think about it. And then I went and sat on my couch and I smoked the joint.

And I watched the movie that I had waited, you know, at that point five years to watch that I had to make myself because I wanted to watch it. And it was, I enjoyed it, you know, trying to take a step back. It was, it's something that's fun for anyone. people that have seen it enjoy it. And it's, I mean, the reaction that it's had in the Newport Beach Film Festival from those that have seen it there and they like it. It's, it's something that you wouldn't expect looking at a film about a bug. Well, let's talk about some of the people that, that you interviewed.

How many interviews did you do? Well, I interviewed a lot of people and not everybody made it. Of course not. And that's not to say that anything is better than the other. It's just the way. that it flows, you know, it's not the entire story. It's different stories that help

tell the story. And I don't think that there's any way you could ever tell the whole story, but through this and through, you know, other projects going on and no, I'm not doing a Baja Bug movie too. But yeah, there are other stories that need to be told, along with this, you know.

And so there are things that didn't make it in, but honestly off the top of my head I couldn't tell you how many interviews there are in there but there's quite a few it's I'd say in the 15 to 20 interview range but it's not nothing feels rust or short you know it's pacing and timing is something that is very important to me you know that that flow from one scene to the next and how it shouldn't ever feel forced you know every single frame of a film should have a reason for being there. It should push the story forward. So I had to make those hard decisions in the editing room of, yes, I love this, but it doesn't do

what it needs to do to tell the story. And so those are the decisions. And I had to make them without any personal judgment or personal feelings with that in mind. So I'm sure there's some people that didn't make it in there that won't be happy. And I'm sorry, but it's just the way it goes. And it's one of those things that I tried to do right by the story. You know, the story of the Baja bug, the best I could. And let's talk about when was that first Baja bug approximately? Was it Gary Emory who had the first, he was among the first for sure? Yeah.

I'm not sure that he was the first, but my sense is he was among the first, and he was certainly one of the first to have it popularized or publicized. Yes. Do I have that right? You can feel free to correct me. Yes. Okay, that's... Yes.

So Gary created the first, quote, unquote, Baja book. You know, pretty much the first finished Baja book. There had been other things before that where it's pretty much chopped and cut to give you that same clearance. And even the first Mexican 1,000, you have stock beetles racing. But what he and his brother and his dad did was different. You know, they create a finished car. You know, his dad was a hot rod guy. He had Valley Customs.

He made these amazing cars. And so with what Gary's idea and the help from his family, they were able to create something that was not just chopped and ugly, like what you'd seen before, where it was, you know, something that had gotten in a wreck and it's like, okay, you cut off the front, the back, and you can lose some vendors and you can raise it up a little. But this was something that was thought through, complete, you know, painted.

It had that, it was that first thing that sparked that, I mean, I don't know. I had presence. Yeah, it did. It was a complete concept, thought from beginning to end and executed beautifully. Exactly. And then, so there was, ultimately, a kit was made from that. So you have Drino Miller and Sanford Havens who worked at Myers-Manks at that time, building bodies for Bruce Myers. And they would get parts from Gary Emery, who worked in the parts department at Chick-Irison, VW, and Newport Beach,

which is why I wanted to make sure that the premiere was in Newport Beach, because so much of the history came from there. You know, the meeting to start the first Mexican 1,000 was there. Myers-Manks started in Coast Mesa right there, and you have all that history right there. So to have the film premiere in Newport was just kind of it had to happen there. and so Gary working there they started to build it in the VW dealership in the back and so as they would come to get parts for the Myers-Minks they would come and check out what he was doing back there and when he had it complete they came to him and asked him if he was going to make a kit and sell it said no I don't I just wanted one I just wanted to

go be able to take my family out where all my friends were with their minks is but I needed he had two kids at that point and so he needed to be able to take a family And so they ended up making a kit. So they took that and made a kit from that, and that was the first Baja bug kit that you have. And then there were others from there, and you have different variations from that, like Birli Birlow took it to another level,

and you have all these kind of branches that go off from there. But it was really that was that start of it. And it took off from there. And then, you know, in the 70s and 80s, it was mostly Volkswagen-based, you know, the majority of what's out there. I mean, I have the footage to show it. It's great. You know, it's so cool to see all those cars racing. And then it's, you know, it's still going today.

So it's, I don't remember what the original question you asked me was. I know, it's late. It's late. We've both had a couple long days here, and it's great to see you here in Ensenada. and Ensenada, this community must figure somewhat prominently into the film because this is, this is the epicenter of the seemingly the Class 11 builds in racing. It's, yeah, I mean, it's the epicenter of racing in Mexico for sure, and so much of it happens here. And, oh, yeah, there's a lot of it that takes place here and, you know, in the shops, and there's,

Encinata is a huge part of it. You know, it's where a lot of it really generate, you know, started from and still today and so i mean i have a studio down here i come down here all the time it's it's funny the all my friends down here they call me the the local gringo because i tend to know the back roads and everything better than they do so they're like oh no no no you go this way and this way and then they're like oh shit local gringo knows where you can go white boy knows man there's some rough streets in this town i was driving all over this town in february and april there's some big potholes there are some big potholes i think they're more like you have a little bit

a road left. Right. Exactly. It's good suspension testing for when I got the ARB. Hey, thanks cruiser outfitters for that ARB suspension. Well, we're going to take a quick break here, folks. We'll be right back with Michael Squire, so sit tight. Here at Slow Baja, we can't wait to drive our old land cruiser south of the border. When we go, we'll be going with Baja Bound insurance. If their website's fast and easy to use, check them out at Baja bound.com. That's Bajaubound.com serving Mexico traveler since 1994. Hey, we're back with Michael Squire. We're talking the Baja

Bug movie, which is premiering at the Newport Film Festival. This podcast will be out just minutes before that premiere. So I hope you folks get the message and get a chance to see it or see the links and follow the film and hopefully get a chance to watch it when it appears at a film festival near you or on what platform. Where are these things go from this. What happens in the film business, Michael? Well, you go to a big show. They devote three screenings to your first film. Then what happens?

Actually, it's my fourth film, but definitely the first in this kind of world. It's ultimately going through the film festivals is the best way to get it sold through screening. This has been, I mean, this is exactly, I mean, the definition of an independent film. You know, I pretty much financed it myself for the majority of it and then was able to get that support going, but it's going through those film festivals is how I can get it out there and get it the right eyes to get that distribution going. I mean, ultimately, worst case scenario, it goes on Amazon Prime. I plan to keep the physical and theatrical rights so that I can do distribution of DVDs, which most DVDs aren't, you know, in Blu-rays, there's not much out there.

But with the amount of people that I've had asking for it, I can see that there's a large demand for it. So what I plan to do with sponsors is sell it through them. So through, you know, MP and Rugged and MobileWagon companies like that, pretty much all of our sponsors, you'd be able to go through them to get it. And that way it kind of keeps it all connected and allows it to go through a different kind of stream, a little different than normal. And then after I'm done with the film festivals, then I'll take it to theaters, you know, so that, but in an independent fashion, you know.

Of course, I'll do some down here in Ensonata. That's definitely a given, we were talking about doing one at, Surveceria Trans-Peninsula. Exactly. You know, Colin's great, and I love it over there, and I think that would be a perfect place to do it down here. Yeah, I think that back parking lot could be a cool driving. You might have the whole thing filled with bugs. Yeah, there's definitely a few.

Might be a bug-only event. Yeah, I think down there would just automatically be a bug-only event. But we were talking about. You get the VOTO roll right to the screening. Get oldies buggy and get everybody out there. And, no, I mean, that would be a lot of fun. And I definitely plan to do a few drive-ins. We've been talking about doing long with Baja Bound in San Diego and even possibly one with rugged up Northern California or middle of California,

Royal Grande, kind of around there. And then so those are definitely in there. And there's definitely going to be at least one or two where it's bugs only drive in because. You have to. Have to. You have to. How can I let it like. You have to.

The visual that would just be too good. I mean, give me this hypothetical. You have a drive-in theater. It's all bugs, and there's like one forerunner. You know, I mean her a highlander, right in the middle, or, you know, in a minivan. It's like, okay, come on. Get it out. Yeah.

1979 and older, please. If you have to smog it, leave it home. Exactly. Exactly. All right. Well, you probably haven't had much of a regular life since then. Shooting, shooting, shooting. And then you locked yourself in the editing suite.

And now you've got Newport Committed to... Yeah, you've got the Newport Beach Film Festival. They've got the premiere. I'm going to the 15th there at October. And they've added another showing on closing night. Actually, they added two more. So they added one on Tuesday, the 18th,

and then they added another one on Thursday of the 20th. I was trying to do the BBC recap of what we just listened to. Just recap it all and then wrap it all up with the bow here. But I'd slam those events together. So that's pretty impressive. Is there an interview? I don't want to ask if there's a favorite interview, but give me one that stands out

and tell me about a connection you've made with somebody along the way that just maybe surprised you a little bit. Oh, man. I mean, I've met so many amazing people along the journey, you know, people that are in the film and people that aren't. And I couldn't really pick one.

And I would be, because, you know, as I think about one, then one leads to the next. And it's, you know, You know, there's one nice, there's one section of Vic Wilson's interview that I like where, you know, he's talking about, you know, his backup plan in the first Mexico 1,000 was a bottle of scotch. You know, he didn't have a radio. He didn't have any GPS. He didn't have anything yet.

So if he broke down, he's got a bottle of scotch and drink. Well, there you go. And that was, you know, and so, you know, it was, it just shows. Are you available for a podcast? I think we might have something to talk about. Right. Now he's ready. Gotta bring the tequila

Furtoliza in and just have that as your first go-to. There we go. But there's, it's, I couldn't pick one. You know, it all goes together and it's hard to take them out.

And that's why, like, you'll see the trailers and stuff that have come out since. I can't cut them. Dave, from finishing school posts, has been cutting those.

He did a great job doing all the sound mixing on the film. And he really, made it come to life with that. And so without his help, it wouldn't have been anywhere near what it is. And so a huge shout out to Dave. Dave Becker.

Thank you, buddy. Hey, have you spent, you know, it's a goal of mine to race a leg of a distance Baja race and a class 11. Have you spent any time at race speed in one of those things? Yeah, yeah.

For sure. Like, I've raced with Eric Solisano and the 500. and I've definitely, yeah, and have some plans on building a car with MP in December, actually, that I don't want to say too much, but it's going to be something special. Okay, that we'll keep, it'll be something that we'll, as the build will be going, we'll do a web series, Lana, and include some of the people from the film, and it'll be a nice surprise when everybody sees what it is.

Awesome. Well, I saw you at Hector Sarabia's Ranch. I think that was in February or something where we cross paths out there. I had my boys on their vintage British bikes, and we were doing our slow Baja winter expedition. Yep. And you showed up, and Hector took me for a ride, and I tried to film it, you know, one hand with the phone

and one hand holding on, but I really quickly had to put the phone away because it was just a lot faster than I thought it was going to be. Oh, yeah, you didn't expect it to be. Yeah, they're whole ass. Yeah, this was just his little home, you know, ranch loop that he does. Well, you do realize that his home ranch loop is also the score racetrack.

Okay, well, there you go. Hector does have some connection. He lives right on that. He does have some connection to that, yeah. Yeah, so his ranch is right on the racetrack. But they're fast. I mean, class 11s are fast, and then when you get, you know, 516s are fast as well. And, you know, when you get in like the 5 Unlimiteds, those are really fast, you know.

For, you know, a bug, you're doing, you know, 100 plus off road. And that's really fast, folks. At Slow Baja, I'm just not sure about that, but I need to get in on. And if somebody's got a trophy truck out there and wants to do some testing and throw me in for a couple of minutes, I do need to get that done too. Well, so the other thing is you got Blake Wilkie who built a trophy truck Baja bug. Crazy. So it's got all the attributes of a trophy truck, but a bug. So he took three bug bodies and made one and ultimately made that evolution of the Baja bug.

so that he can keep that bug alive, but in a place where it'll get a little more media coverage, because, let's be honest, when you watch a lot of the live streams, you know, from the big races, the bugs don't give this much love. Nora, they get more love. You know, Nora gives a lot of love to that, and it's really cool. But when you watch a lot of them, it's, you know,

it's about the trophy jugs, and I get it, you know. That's what sells. It's marketing dollars hard at work, but that's not the story I'm telling. I'm telling the story about the guys with heart that do it for the right reasons that are in it for their passion and their love and not just to make a quick buck or, you know, to build a billion dollar industry even bigger from, you know, just trying to make money off of it. And the guys that are in it and the companies that I work with are that, you know, I've had, that's one of the things that I had the fortunate, the fortune of being able to choose who I work with, you know, being able to fund this myself. the companies I work with are good companies that I'm proud to call, you know, friends and sponsors and partners going forward.

I know a little bit about that in my tiny world of slow Baja here. So, Michael, I think we're going to leave it right there. I just want to say, hey, thanks for making a few minutes for me here. We just had a lovely dinner, and we're both exhausted. We've got early call for the Nora 500 tomorrow morning. I'll be out there at 6.30 in the morning. So thanks for making a little time. Where's the best place for folks to find out about the Baja bug?

movie. So the Bajabugmovie.com. The Bajabugmovie.com. On Instagram, Facebook, you type that in anywhere and it'll pop up. All right. The Baja Bug movie folks. Michael Squire, hey, thanks, man. Appreciate you making some time. Thank you so much, buddy. Have I told you about my friend True Miller? You've probably heard the podcast, but let me tell you, her vineyard, Adobe Guadalupe winery is spectacular. From the breakfast. at her communal table, bookended to an intimate dinner at night. Their house bred Azteca horses, Solomon, the horseman will get you on a ride that'll just change your life, the food, the setting, the pool, it's all spectacular.

Adobe Guadalupe.com. For appearing on Slow Baja today, our guests will receive the beautiful benchmark map 72-page Baja Road and Recreation Atlas. Do not go to Baja without this, folks. You never know when your GPS is going to crap out, and you're going to want to great map in your lap. Trust me. Well, what a delight it was to get Michael Squire back on Slow Baja. He was a terrific nursemate. He'd been out and about and picked up some Tylenol for me. Just a great guy. He's made a beautiful film. He's got everything. Every ounce of his being is in this

thing, and I can't wait to see it on the big screen. The Baja Bug Movie. You can find that anywhere, social media at Baja Bugmovie.com. Newport Beach Film Festival. Three sold out screenings. Can't wait to see it in person. And if you like what I'm doing here, Well, you've got to drop a taco in the tank. It's time. Do it, please. Joe Dean, hey, thanks for your support, Amigo. It's great to see you in Baja. Thanks for the night at Hussongs.

That was a lot of fun. Your Baywatch Tennis is a terrific vehicle, and I hope that comes back out for some Slow Baja safari fun in the future. All right, I'll see you down the road. You can always reach out to me. Slowbaha.com. Hit the contact button, Slow Baja, on Instagram, or Facebook. Send me a message.

Tell me what you like. you don't like, who you'd like to hear. And until then, to paraphrased, Baja Lovin' Steve McQueen, Baja's life. Everything that comes before or after is just waiting.