Bruce Irons is, perhaps, one of surfing’s most important characters. He’s got something that only Bruce has, something impossible to put a finger on. Whatever it is, he shared it with his brother–it’s a certain unseeable spark, only visible in flashes of brilliance or moments of passion, both in the water and out. It’s as though there’s something simmering beneath the exterior, waiting to boil over, barely contained, and no one really knows what’s in the pot. That’s why Bruce is so interesting. He’s a man with a flame.
On going blonde:
Mid-life crisis. I dyed it for Halloween. I made it green–The Joker. It wasn’t worth it because it kind of fried it. Whatever. I’m back to my youth.
Triple Crown:
I haven’t done the triple crown in 8 years. In my mind, it was really good, but when I surfed those first two contests, I was not happy with how I did. It was nice to just be in it and be a part of it.
On competing against one of his heroes as a grom:
I was 14, and I was just trying to get my priority. I was all like, ‘Occy… woah, go Occy!’ Occy’s getting all the waves, it’s like that big, I’m like, ‘ok, it’s my turn.’ He says, ‘mate, what the (beep) are you doing out here? You wouldn’t even be out here if it was big!’
On being a father:
My kids are growing up. Camilla is seven and Koby is five. Time flies. Axel’s six… they were all just here; they just left today. It’s really nice having them here.
On his kids surfing:
They do a little bit when they come to Hawaii. My son… I want him to, but I don’t want to–you know when someone tells you over and over you don’t want to do it? It’s good when the uncles come by because if dad says it, they can be like ‘eeeh’.
On the upcoming documentary about Andy:
I don’t want it to be done unless it has you (Occy) and Koby. I speak throughout the whole thing. Lyndie was working with them a lot, and I was just kind of there with my two cents. It’s a real touchy one with feelings from everyone. My whole thing was I that I was trying to not be biased towards anyone because it’s a documentary about my brother. If it’s going to be a documentary, you can’t be biased–it’s hard not to be biased to people’s feeling who love, you know, parents, Lyndie, friends–so it’s a real touchy one. They did a good job. I’ll probably watch it one more time, then I won’t ever watch it again. It’s very tough. There could always be more and it could always be better, but that’s just my opinion because it’s my brother. It’s hard to explain someone’s life in an hour and a half. But it’s honest. That’s what people want to see. Other people have to look at it and give their opinion because mine’s very distorted with emotions and feelings.
