KLUNKERZ

[scant]

Thanks for your info & views CK
I've heard of mixed reviews of the pro cruiser, "the mert, hurt" as the toptube is sooo long, with slack seat angle gives a killer back ache!
I agree with your racing view, it still holds true & sells bikes. the power of marketing huh! ..even with small mishaps like tim rutherfords P23 robbing him of 3rd place at the 1990 worlds

I'm not sure if it was just me, but towards the end of the film I couldnt help but notice what looked like slight resentment from both tom ritchey & gary fisher against sinyard, basically copying & producing much cheaper versions of their originals... given the time period that has elapsed since it all started I wonder how annoyed they both were at the time?

Do you ever regret splitting from fisher? Or perhaps taking your own knowledge & experience & starting up on your own? I guess no one could ever have guessed how successful fisher would become later on, or indeed the entire mountain bike industry in general.

 

[Repack Rider]

I'm not sure if it was just me, but towards the end of the film I couldnt help but notice what looked like slight resentment from both tom ritchey & gary fisher against sinyard, basically copying & producing much cheaper versions of their originals... given the time period that has elapsed since it all started I wonder how annoyed they both were at the time?

I can't speak for either of them. At the time it was perceived as an insult, and it certainly saved Specialized all the R&D it would have taken had they chosen to design their own bike from scratch. From my current perspective, it validated our work absolutely, since EVERYBODY copied the Ritchey bike eventually.

Do you ever regret splitting from fisher? Or perhaps taking your own knowledge & experience & starting up on your own? I guess no one could ever have guessed how successful fisher would become later on, or indeed the entire mountain bike industry in general.

I can't complain about how my life turned out after that. Gary and I had differences for a while, but we are long over them, and we hang out together whenever he alights anywhere near where he claims to live. Tom and I don't run into each other very often, but we remain good friends. The bike business is brutally competitive; my analogy is that once you took part in the gold rush, becoming a miner has little attraction.

In the end, no one knows whether I made or lost money in the bike biz, but my influence will last a lot longer than any money would have, and my mom gets to see my name in books and my photo in magazines. I don't know what more anyone could ask out of life.

 

[scant]

thanks for your honesty & being so approachable

 

[klunkerbill]

CK is THE MAN...and he plays a mean guitar, too. Thanks CK.

 

[klunkerbill]

P.S. Thanks for keeping an eye out for the broadcasts. I was told by my US distributor that they had advised the foreign guys against making the deal for the EU broadcasts. They said the license fee was so low it wasn't really worth it. I think that was meant to keep my expectations low. They succeeded. While I am thrilled that KLUNKERZ was deemed worthy of broadcast, it is a bit disheartening. The number they kicked around was roughly what it cost me to cut this new trailer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h19n-5qIp78
Two days after my conversation with them, with a simple Google search, I saw that the film is being broadcast in...

United Kingdom
Greece
Romaina
Norway
Czech Republic
Hungary
Netherlands
Russia
Finland
Croatia

I'm suppose to get 25% of whatever that low fee actually is. But hey, it least it got a decent time slot

Please keep posting if you see it listed again. I'd like to have some idea how many times they play it over there. The bike business may be brutal, but as you might imagine, the indy film world ain't no picnic. Thanks again for all the support.

 

[Dr S]

Problem is that thousands of people will now have recorded it on their Sky+ boxes which will cause the sales of the DVD to plummet further. Great for getting the story out there Bill but your Bank Manager ain't gonna be pleased. Good to see that a few DVD's were sold on Friday night at the Newcastle Cycle Festival screening. A decent round of applause at the end too which doesn't happen often in UK cinemas.

Si

 

[mrkawasaki]

.

P.S. Thanks for keeping an eye out for the broadcasts. I was told by my US distributor that they had advised the foreign guys against making the deal for the EU broadcasts. They said the license fee was so low it wasn't really worth it. I think that was meant to keep my expectations low. They succeeded. While I am thrilled that KLUNKERZ was deemed worthy of broadcast, it is a bit disheartening. The number they kicked around was roughly what it cost me to cut this new trailer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h19n-5qIp78
Two days after my conversation with them, with a simple Google search, I saw that the film is being broadcast in...

United Kingdom
Greece
Romaina
Norway
Czech Republic
Hungary
Netherlands
Russia
Finland
Croatia

I'm suppose to get 25% of whatever that low fee actually is. But hey, it least it got a decent time slot

Please keep posting if you see it listed again. I'd like to have some idea how many times they play it over there. The bike business may be brutal, but as you might imagine, the indy film world ain't no picnic. Thanks again for all the support.

Although I've seen the film, I still want to own a copy. IMHO you're not a retrobiker unless you have one stashed away somewhere... ;-)

Is there any way we can 'buy direct' to ensure the right people benefit??

Mr K

 

[longun]

yup.id buy one now if i could

 

[klunkerbill]

Klunkerz on the Television Around the World.

Hey RBers and Dr. S,

I guess KLUNKERZ aired again there on Sunday night at a pretty good timeslot, 9:00pm. It's the third time it's been broadcast in the U.K. that I know of. Unfortunately, due to lawsuits between my foreign and domestic distributors, I will never be getting paid a dime for any of the foreign broadcasts. Here's a quote from the email I just received regarding the matter...

"We do not know how or when (if ever) things are going to get resolved."

It's like a bad dream I can't wake up from. Like you said, Dr. S, everyone records it, so I'm out of luck on selling DVDs, too. It's a shame, cuz the artwork and DVD extras are WAY cool.

If I had a legal fund as large as the budget of the film, or perhaps larger, I might be able to collect on some of the monies owed, but that's not going to happen. The party line from both distributors is "it's an unfortunate situation". That's pretty funny coming from them, since I put up all the money and worked on the project for 4+ years. I just found out about this, and it's quite disappointing, especially when you consider that it's being broadcast in these markets...

Pan European and Asia Markets: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldava, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Turkic Republics (including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City; and

Middle Eastern Markets: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen; and

African markets: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa, formerly Zaire), Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), Reunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe.

Some people have asked if there will ever be a KLUNKERZ 2, and I can say with absolute certainty now, that will never happen. I thought the T.V. broadcasts were going to help me pay down the loans and I was going to use some of the money to start another project, but it's off the table now. Bummer.

I want to thank you for the support you RBers have given me over the years. If your work doesn't get you paid, being appreciated is the next best thing. It really does mean alot, guys. Thanks. Money aside, the film's been a tremendous success, and I'm really grateful for the chance to tell this amazing story. It's been the kind words from folks like yourselves, and riding my bike and skateboard, that keep me from blowing my brains out, especially on days like today.

Ride on,
Billy
writer/producer/director (and now possibly dish washer)
KLUNKERZ

P.S. If anyone knows a lawyer who specializes in international contract law and new media and will work on contingency, send 'em my way, will ya?

 

[kaiser]

I shall now buy a copy loved it. I had said to repack rider about a coffee table book, some of the pics are awesome.