>>> A POET ONCE DESCRIBED CYPRUS AS A GOLDEN GREEN LEAF THROWN INTO THE SEA. THE ISLAND, JUST 140 MILES LONG,
IS WRAPPED IN SANDY BEACHES AND RICH HISTORY. THESE TURQUOIS WATERS, ACCORDING TO LEGEND, WERE THE BIRTHPLACE
OF APHRODITE. BUT TODAY THE PLAYGROUND OF THE GODS HAS BECOME A PLACE FOR RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS WITH TIES TO
VLADIMIR PUTIN. >> ALREADY A BIG TARGET. THOSE ARE GOOD HANDS! >> THIS FOOTBALL PLAYER WASN'T
JUST DRAFTED INTO THE NFL. AT 6'11", HE'S THE TALLEST PLAYER AND ONLY AMERICAN CURRENTLY PLAYING AUSTRALIAN
RULES FOOTBALL. A FAST AND FIERCE GAME THAT MAKES OURS LOOK LIKE A QUILTING BEE.
WHO IS THIS TALL TEXAS TRANSPLANT? AND HOW DID HE BECOME A STAR DOWN UNDER?
THAT'S OUR STORY TONIGHT. >>> I BELIEVE THE FIRST PIECE WAS -- >> JEFF IS ONE OF THE PROMINENT
AND POLARIZING ART STARS IN THE WORLD. HIS CREATIONS MAY LOOK SIMPLE, BUT THEY CAN TAKE DECADES TO
MAKE AND PUSH TECHNOLOGY AND TASTE. CRITICS MAY SCOFF AT TIMES, BUT THAT'S NOTHING NEW.
HE HAS BEEN CONTROVERSIAL SINCE HE FIRST STARTED SHOWING HIS ART MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO. >> I'M LESLEY STAHL.
>> I'M BILL WHITAKER. >> I'M ANDERSON COOPER. >> I'M SHARYN ALFONSI. >> I'M JON WERTHEIM.
>> I'M SCOTT PELLEY. THOSE >>> AFTER RUSSIA LAUNCHED ITS INVASION OF UKRAINE, THE U.S.
AND ITS ALLIES RESPONDED WITH SANCTIONS TARGETING COMPANIES, OLIGARCHS AND OFFICIALS WITH TIES TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
VLADIMIR PUTIN. HEADLINES TRUMPETED THE TROPHIES OF RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS SEIZED THROUGHOUT EUROPE - YACHTS
IN ITALY, VILLAS IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE AND PRICELESS ART IN GERMANY - BUT THOSE FIXED ASSETS ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO LOCATE.
FINDING THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OLIGARCHS HAVE STASHED AROUND THE WORLD IS PROVING TO BE MORE DIFFICULT.
HOW DO YOU HIDE THAT MUCH MONEY FROM AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT SAYS IT'S DETERMINED TO FIND IT?
THE QUESTION LED US TO CYPRUS - A TINY MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND AT THE CROSSROADS OF EUROPE, ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST.
AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN JANUARY, THE ONCE BUSTLING VACATION SPOT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERNATIONAL GAME OF HIDE AND
SEEK. >>> A POET ONCE DESCRIBED CYPRUS AS A GOLDEN GREEN LEAF THROWN INTO THE SEA.
THE ISLAND, JUST 140 MILES LONG, IS WRAPPED IN SANDY BEACHES AND RICH HISTORY. THESE TURQUOIS WATERS, ACCORDING
TO LEGEND, WERE THE BIRTHPLACE OF APHRODITE. BUT TODAY THE PLAYGROUND OF THE GODS HAS BECOME A PLACE FOR
WEALTHY RUSSIANS. WE HEADED DOWN THE SOUTHERN COAST OF THE ISLAND. BEFORE THE WAR IT WAS A FAVORITE
SPOT FOR RUSSIANS TO FALL. A THREE-HOUR FLIGHT FROM MOSCOW, LIMASSOL'S MIX OF DESIGNER SHOPS, FUR STORES, CYRILLIC
SIGNS AND STORES SERVING CAVIAR EARNED IT THE NICKNAME - "MOSCOW ON THE MED." BUT ALEXANDRA ATTALIDES, A
MEMBER OF THE CYPRUS PARLIAMENT, SAYS AFTER THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION, THE OLIGARCHS WHO DESCENDED ON THE ISLAND WEREN'T
HERE FOR THE BEACHES. >> THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL BEACHES IN SPAIN, IN PORTUGAL, IN GREECE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL BEACHES. I THINK THAT THEY FOUND A FERTILE GROUND HERE THAT HELPED
THEM. >> HOW DID THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS USE CYPRUS? >> AFTER 1989 WHEN THEY STOLE
THE PROPERTY OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE AND THEY STARTED TO BUILD THEIR EMPIRES. AND THEN MAYBE THEY WERE AFRAID
THAT SOMEDAY SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN, SO THEY WANTED THEIR ASSETS TO BE SAFE OUTSIDE RUSSIA.
SO THEY WERE LOOKING FOR TAX HAVENS, AND WE HAD A VERY LOW TAX RATE AT THE TIME. >> THEY GOT A PLACE TO HIDE
THEIR ASSETS. >> YEAH. >> CYPRUS HISTORICALLY BUILT A FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO ATTRACT
OVERSEAS WEALTH. >> MAIRA MARTINI IS AN ANALYST FOR TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL, A NONPROFIT THAT TRACKS MONEY
LAUNDERING AROUND THE WORLD. SHE SAYS FOR DECADES, IF YOU WERE AN OLIGARCH, OR JUST A SHADY CHARACTER LOOKING TO HIDE
YOUR RUBLES, CYPRUS WAS HARD TO BEAT. >> IT OFFERS THE SECRECY AND STILL SECURITY, AND THAT'S WHAT
CRIMINALS AND CORRUPT INDIVIDUALS ARE USUALLY LOOKING FOR. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT OFFERS
SECRECY? >> SO, IN CYPRUS, FOR MANY YEARS YOU COULD OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT WITHOUT HAVING A LOT OF
QUESTIONS ASKED. YOU CAN OPEN A COMPANY WITHOUT HAVING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ASKED, MEANING YOU CAN PUT THE MONEY
THERE WITHOUT NEEDING TO TELL WHO YOU ARE, WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM. >> CYPRUS BECAME AS FAMOUS FOR
ITS OPAQUE BANKING AS ITS CLEAR WATER. SOON, LIKE SUN-STARVED TOURISTS, FOREIGN MONEY STARTED POURING
INTO THE ISLAND. >> BY 2012, THE COUNTRY OF ABOUT A MILLION RESIDENTS HAD AMASSED BANK DEPOSITS OF NEARLY 72
BILLION EUROS. ABOUT 30% OF THOSE BANK DEPOSITS CAME FROM RUSSIAN NATIONALS. BUT IN 2013, THE TIDE TURNED.
THE DEBT CRISIS IN NEIGHBORING GREECE THREATENED TO SINK THE CYPRUS ECONOMY. LAWMAKERS, FEARING THE COUNTRY
WOULD LOSE ALL THAT RUSSIAN CAPITAL, PUSHED A SCHEME OTHER COUNTRIES HAD USED TO ATTRACT WEALTH - A "CITIZENSHIP BY
INVESTMENT" PROGRAM. >> FROM THE BEGINNING, FOR ME, THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE. >> HERE'S HOW IT WORKED.
ANY FOREIGNER WHO INVESTED MORE THAN 2 MILLION EUROS IN THE COUNTRY, TYPICALLY, BUYING REAL ESTATE, COULD GET A CYPRIOT
PASSPORT...A COVETED POSSESSION BECAUSE CYPRUS IS PART OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. >> SO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BUYING
THE PASSPORT OF CYPRUS, THEY WERE BUYING THE EUROPEAN PASSPORT. THEY WERE BUYING AN OPEN DOOR TO
27 COUNTRIES. >> FROM 2013 TO 2020, CYPRUS ISSUED ALMOST 7,000 OF THOSE "GOLDEN PASSPORTS" - NEARLY HALF
TO RUSSIANS. SUDDENLY, THE SKYLINE OF LIMASSOL WAS INJECTED WITH HIGH-RISE LUXURY APARTMENTS AND
ITS PORT WITH MEGA YACHTS AND ITS STORES WITH WEALTHY RUSSIANS. >> YOU COULD SEE THEM WALKING
AROUND LIKE PRINCESSES, MOVING IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE SHOPS. THEY HAVE THEIR BUSINESS, THEY HAVE THEIR HOUSES, THEY HAVE
LUXURY HOUSES. >> BUT IN 2020, AN UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION BY AL JAZEERA REVEALED CORRUPTION IN THE
PASSPORT PROGRAM. >> NO PASSPORT CASE IS CLEAN... >> CYPRUS HAD ILLEGALLY ISSUED HUNDREDS OF "GOLDEN PASSPORTS" -
SOME, TO CRIMINALS AND FUGITIVES. AFTER PROTESTS AND UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE E.U., THE
CYPRUS GOVERNMENT SHUTTERED THE PROGRAM WEEKS LATER. BUT THE PASSPORTS WERE STILL OUT THERE.
>> WHEN YOU GIVE PASSPORTS TO PEOPLE THAT LATER WE REALIZE ARE CRIMINALS, THEN YOU OPEN THE DOOR OF EUROPE TO CRIMINALS.
>> THE GOLDEN PASSPORTS ALSO OPENED THE DOOR OF EUROPE TO RUSSIAN ELITES. "60 MINUTES" HAS LEARNED THAT AT
LEAST A DOZEN OF THESE NOW SANCTIONED RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS WERE ISSUED "GOLDEN PASSPORTS." AMONG THEM, IGOR KESAEV WHO
OWNED A RUSSIAN ARMS FACTORY. BILLIONAIRE ALEXANDER PONOMARENKO, WHO WAS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF
RUSSIA'S BIGGEST AIRPORT AND WHO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CALLS ONE OF PUTIN'S "ENABLERS." AND ALUMINUM TYCOON
OLEG DERIPASKA, A PART OF PUTIN'S INNER CIRCLE. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. TREASURY, HE'S BEEN INVESTIGATED
INTERNATIONALLY FOR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, MONEY LAUNDERING, ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING AND EXTORTION...ACCUSATIONS HE
DENIES. MAIRA MARTINI TOLD US A CYPRIOT PASSPORT COULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR THOSE SANCTIONED OLIGARCHS
TO BUY PROPERTY AND MOVE ASSETS AND THAT THE COZY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WEALTHY RUSSIANS AND CYPRUS IS RAISING CONCERN
INTERNATIONALLY. >> IF YOU'RE A SMALL COUNTRY THAT IS VERY DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN MONEY COMING FROM ONE
SINGLE COUNTRY, THIS ALSO EVEN MIGHT CREATE A CONFLICT, RIGHT? >> REALLY SANCTIONS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE WEAKEST LINK.
IS CYPRUS THE WEAKEST LINK HERE? >> I THINK CYPRUS IS ONE OF THE WEAKEST LINKS. >> THEN CYPRUS MINISTER OF
FINANCE CONSTANTINOS PETRIDES DISAGREES. WE FIRST SPOKE TO HIM IN FALL.
HIS OFFICE OVERSEES EFFORTS TO FREEZE THE CYPRUS ASSETS OF ANYONE SANCTIONED BY THE E.U. >> WHO HAS BEEN SANCTIONED,
SPECIFICALLY, INDIVIDUALS WITHIN CYPRUS? >> REGARDING THE CITIZENSHIP, I THINK ABOUT TEN PEOPLE WERE
FOUND UNDER RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS HAS INITIATED A PROCESS TO REVOKE
THEIR PASSPORTS. >> THE TEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN SANCTIONED, WHO ARE THEY? >> I DON'T HAVE ANY, ANY NAMES
NOW. >> BUT WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH THAT LIST OF NAMES IF WE ASKED FOR IT?
>> I'M NOT SURE. I WOULD HAVE TO -- I WOULD HAVE TO SEE. >> WE SENT MINISTER PETRIDES A
REQUEST FOR THOSE NAMES AND THE LIST OF ANY ASSETS OF SANCTIONED RUSSIANS THAT CYPRUS HAS SEIZED OR FROZEN.
IN A SERIES OF EMAILS, OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS, PETRIDES OFFICE RESPONDED THAT DUE TO EUROPEAN DATA PROTECTION RULES,
"NO DETAILED LIST CAN BE MADE PUBLIC." BUT OTHER E.U. COUNTRIES HAVE PUBLICIZED DETAILED LISTS OF
THEIR ACTIONS. >> SO IS THE EXPECTATION THAT EVERYONE SHOULD JUST TRUST THE CYPRUS GOVERNMENT THAT THEY'RE
IMPLEMENTING THE SANCTIONS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO ON RUSSIANS? >> I'M NOT SAYING THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD TRUST THE CYPRUS
GOVERNMENT. THE CYPRUS GOVERNMENT DOES NOT NEED SOMEBODY TO TRUST IT. WE HAVE THE REPORTS OF THE
MUTUAL ASSESSMENT FOR CYPRUS 2019 THAT SHOWS ALL THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE PAST YEARS. I THINK THAT WE HAVE PROVED AS
CYPRUS THAT WE ARE A RELIABLE MEMBER OF THE E.U. WE DO ADMIT THAT IN THE PAST THERE HAVE BEEN MISTAKES.
BUT CYPRUS HAS ALSO BEEN UNFAIRLY STIGMATIZED. >> PETRIDES TOLD US THE PASSPORTS OF SANCTIONED
OLIGARCHS ARE IN THE "PROCESS" OF BEING REVOKED AND SAID CYPRUS HAS SEIZED 105 MILLION EUROS OF RUSSIAN DEPOSITS...A BIG NUMBER,
BUT JUST A FRACTION OF THE ESTIMATED 5.6 BILLION EUROS OF RUSSIAN DEPOSITS MADE IN CYPRUS LAST YEAR.
WE ALSO ASKED MINISTER PETRIDES ABOUT THIS. THE DOZENS OF CYPRUS PROPERTIES AND ACTIVE SHELL COMPANIES WE
WERE ABLE TO TRACE BACK TO SANCTIONED RUSSIANS. HE TOLD US ANY CYPRIOT COMPANY WITH AN E.U. SANCTIONED OLIGARCH
LISTED AS THE OWNER HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER "INCREASED SCRUTINY." BUT OFTEN, RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS
DON'T LIST THEIR NAMES ANYWHERE NEAR THEIR ASSETS. TAKE THE CASE OF ROMAN ABRAMOVICH AND HIS PLANES.
ACCORDING TO U.S. INVESTIGATORS, THEY WERE HIDDEN UNDER FIVE SHELL COMPANIES, STACKED LIKE RUSSIAN NESTING DOLLS, WITH
ADDRESSES IN THE BVI, AND BRITISH ISLAND OF JERSEY...ALL LEADING TO AN ANONYMOUS TRUST IN CYPRUS.
BUT IT WASN'T CYPRUS AUTHORITIES WHO ULTIMATELY MOVED TO SEIZE THE PLANES. IT WAS PROSECUTORS FROM THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. >> THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN DARK CORNERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
AND KIND OF LIKE WATER FINDING A CRACK, THAT'S WHERE THE CRIMINAL NETWORKS WILL GO. >> U.S. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
LISA MONACO IS IN CHARGE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE'S "KLEPTOCAPTURE UNIT," TASKED WITH FINDING THE ASSETS OF
SANCTIONED OLIGARCHS HIDDEN AROUND THE WORLD. >> IT USED TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE GUY FLEEING WITH SUITCASES OF
MONEY. THAT'S NOT THE CASE ANYMORE. >> IT IS NOT. >> IT IS CRYPTO.
IT IS PLANES. IT IS YACHTS. IT IS LAYERED. AND SO HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH
IT? >> EVEN THE MOST NOTORIOUS ACTORS, WHETHER IT'S THE MAFIA, WHETHER IT'S ROGUE REGIMES, THE
BEST TOOL WE HAVE IS FOLLOWING THE MONEY >> THE MONEY HAS LED DOJ INVESTIGATORS AROUND THE WORLD
AND CLOSER TO HOME. IT TURNS OUT, LIKE THE TOURISTS WHO VISIT CYPRUS, DIRTY MONEY DOESN'T STAY ON THE ISLAND
FOREVER. TYPICALLY, IT'S "WASHED" AND INVESTED IN OTHER WESTERN ECONOMIES.
INVESTIGATORS SAY THAT'S ONE WAY OLEG DERIPASKA HAS BEEN ABLE TO SKIRT SANCTIONS. >> WHAT THE TASK FORCE EXPOSED
WAS THE NETWORK OF ENABLERS, AND MONEY LAUNDERERS, AND FACILITATORS WHO HELPED HIM HIDE HIS WEALTH IN REAL ESTATE HERE
IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND IN MANHATTAN. >> IN THE UNITED STATES? >> IN THE UNITED STATES, IN
ARTWORK, IN VANITY BUSINESSES, INCLUDING A MUSIC STUDIO IN BEVERLY HILLS. >> IN THEIR CASE, THE DOJ
ALLEGES THAT IN 2020, OLEG DERIPASKA ARRANGED FOR ONE OF HIS CHILDREN TO BE BORN IN THE UNITED STATES - EVEN THOUGH
HE WAS UNDER U.S. SANCTIONS. >> HE HAS A CHILD THAT'S A U.S. CITIZEN NOW? >> HE WAS ABLE TO DO THAT IN ONE
INSTANCE. AND THEN IN THE SECOND INSTANCE, THAT WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED. >> BECAUSE U.S. CUSTOMS STOPPED
IT. THE GOVERNMENT CASE DETAILS HOW, AS THE WAR IN UKRAINE INTENSIFIED, DERIPASKA USED A
"CYPRUS" COMPANY TO ARRANGE "TRAVEL ON A PRIVATE JET FROM RUSSIA TO LOS ANGELES" FOR HIS PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND, MOVING
MONEY TO RENT A HOME FOR HER IN BEVERLY HILLS. BUT WHEN SHE LANDED IN LOS ANGELES THIS SUMMER, SHE WAS
STOPPED BY CUSTOMS OFFICERS. >> DERIPASKA, HIS GIRLFRIEND, AND THE U.S. RESIDENT WHO HELPED HIM ARE NOW CHARGED WITH
SANCTIONS EVASION. THEY ARE NOT IN CUSTODY, BUT THE DOJ HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO SEIZE HIS U.S. PROPERTIES WORTH AN
ESTIMATED $70 MILLION. SINCE THE START OF THE WAR, THE U.S. HAS MOVED TO SEIZE MORE THAN A BILLION DOLLARS OF
SANCTIONED ASSETS AROUND THE WORLD. >> SO WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO THOSE ASSETS?
>> WE ARE SEEKING THE AUTHORITY FROM CONGRESS TO ALLOW US TO USE THE PROCEEDS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.
>> OLEG DERIPASKA HAS PUBLICLY CRITICIZED THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THE WAR IN UKRAINE COULD HAVE ON RUSSIA.
BUT U.S. INVESTIGATORS MAINTAIN HE IS A "PUTIN CRONIE" WHO IS "PROPPING UP RUSSIA'S WAR MACHINE."
BACK IN CYPRUS, "60 MINUTES" FOUND A VILLA IN THIS SEASIDE COMPLEX, OFFICES IN THIS BUILDING AND MORE THAN A DOZEN
ACTIVE SHELL COMPANIES LINKED TO OLEG DERIPASKA. THE CYPRUS GOVERNMENT WILL NOT SAY WHETHER IT HAS FROZEN ANY OF
THOSE ASSETS. >>> HOW U.S. PROSECUTORS SEIZE RUSSIAN ASSETS. >> WE'LL GO AS FAR AS FIJI IF WE
HAVE TO. >> AT 60MINUTESOVERTIME.COM, >>> DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE NAME. THEY CALL AUSTRALIAN RULES
FOOTBALL "FOOTY," WHICH SOUNDS CUTE AND PRECIOUS. BUT FOOTY IS A SPORT THAT MAKES AMERICAN FOOTBALL LOOK LIKE A
QUILTING BEE. IT'S A GAME OF ALMOST CARTOONISHLY VIOLENT COLLISIONS, WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF PADS.
IT FEATURES NONSTOP TRASH TALK AND IS PLAYED ON A FIELD PRACTICALLY THE SIZE OF A SPEEDWAY.
AS THE NAME DOES SUGGEST, AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IS THE NATIONAL SPORT DOWN UNDER, WITH GAMES THAT DRAW 100,000 FANS AND
TV AUDIENCES THAT, PER CAPITA, OFTEN OUTRATE THE NFL. SO WHY IN THE NAME OF WALTZING MATILDA DO CROWDS IN MELBOURNE
SOMETIMES BREAK INTO CHANTS OF "USA-USA"? THE ANSWER, AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN APRIL, THEY'RE CHEERING
MASON COX, A TEXAN WHO STANDS NEARLY 7 FEET TALL, RANKS AMONG THE BEST FOOTY PLAYERS OUT THERE, AND MIGHT BE THE MOST
UNLIKELY SUCCESS STORY IN GLOBAL SPORTS TODAY. >> SETS IT UP. COX AGAIN.
I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. >> AT FIRST GLANCE, ANYWAY, MASON COX COMES ACROSS AS THE QUINTESSENTIAL AUSSIE RULES, OR
AFL, PLAYER. AT AGE 32, HE'S LOGGED ALMOST 100 GAMES OVER EIGHT SEASONS FOR THE
STORIED COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES. THE AFL'S EQUIVALENT OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS. AND HE IS AN EVANGELIST FOR HIS
SPORT, ONE PLAYED ON AN OVAL SURFACE ALMOST DOUBLE THE SIZE OF AN NFL FIELD. FOOTY ENTAILS PLAYERS RUNNING
ABOUT 10 MILES A GAME, JUKING. >> A DOUBLE STEP FROM MASON. >> ZORKO -- >> TACKLING.
>> OHHHHH. >> PASSING BY PUNCHING THE BALL AND SCORING BY KICKING THE BALL THROUGH GOALPOSTS.
>> BANG. >> SIX POINTS FOR SPLITTING THE CENTER UPRIGHTS, ONE POINT FOR THE SIDE ONES.
>> ARMS IN THE AIR. CHEERS. THAT HAS GONE THROUGH. >> IT'S UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE
YOU'VE EVER SEEN. IT'S PROBABLY THE ROUGHEST SPORT IN THE WORLD I'D SAY. IT'S A MIX OF BASKETBALL,
FOOTBALL. IT'S A MIX OF SOCCER, CRICKET, EVEN. THERE'S REALLY NO RULES.
A FEW STICKS AT EACH END. JUST TRY TO KICK IT THROUGH THOSE, AND THEN WHOEVER DOES MORE THAN THE OTHER TEAM WINS.
>> SOUNDS LIKE FUN. >> YEP. [ LAUGHTER ] >> FOR THREE STRAIGHT GOALS,
MASON COX DELIVERS. >> COX PLAYS LIKE A HUMAN BLOWTORCH, NOT ONLY CATCHING AND KICKING, BUT MASTERING THE ART
OF THE SPECCY, A TACTIC THAT TRANSFORMS AN OPPONENT'S BACK INTO A STEP LADDER. YES, IT'S LEGAL.
>> IT IS ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS OF AFL THAT PEOPLE LOOK AT AND THEY GO, OH, MY, GOSH, THAT IS INSANITY.
TO STICK YOUR KNEES ON SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOULDER, LAUNCH YOURSELF UP TO 15 FEET IN THE AIR, TAKE A GRAB, COME DOWN AND THEN BE
LOOKING AT THIS GUY, GOING, YEP, I JUST LITERALLY JUMPED ON TOP OF YOU. [ LAUGHTER ]
>> IT'S LIKE GETTING DUNKED ON. >> YEAH, IT'S VERY SIMILAR. >> COX ALREADY A BIG TARGET AND THOSE ARE GOOD HANDS.
>> BUT MASON COX IS THE MOST UNLIKELY PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPORT. NEVER MIND THAT, AT 6'11", HE'S
THE TALLEST PLAYER EVER TO SUIT UP. OR THAT HE'S THE ONLY AMERICAN IN THE LEAGUE.
HE LIVED THE FIRST 23 YEARS OF HIS LIFE WITHOUT KNOWING THE SPORT OF FOOTY EVEN EXISTED. HE MAY BE AN AUSSIE CELEBRITY.
AND MAY RECENTLY HAVE STARRED IN THE AFL'S EQUIVALENT OF THE SUPER BOWL, BUT IS STILL MASTERING THE SPORT'S NUANCES.
AND HE'S STILL FUZZY ON BASIC FOOTY FACTS, AS WE OBSERVED AT PRACTICE. >> KANGAROO BRAND.
WHAT'S THIS MADE OUT OF? >> KANGAROO SKIN. >> NO, IT'S PIG SKIN. >> PIG SKIN.
>> OH, IS IT PIG SKIN? I SHOULD PROBABLY LEARN A FEW THINGS. >> STAY IN YOUR LANE, MATE.
STAY IN YOUR LANE. >> THINK THEY GIVE HIM GRIEF ABOUT THAT? YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM RIBBING HIM
ABOUT HIS ACCENT. HERE'S COLLINGWOOD CAPTAIN, DARCY MOORE. >> HE'S KIND OF THIS WEIRD
FUSION BETWEEN SOUTHERN DRAWL AND AUSSIE ACCENT. >> THAT'S AN INTERESTING MASHUP. [ LAUGHTER ]
>> HE DEFINITELY LOVES PUTTING IT ON IN THE LOCKER ROOM, THAT'S FOR SURE, THE TEXAS DRAWL. >> HE PUTS THE AUSSIE ON FOR US.
>> YOU THINK THE FOOTBALL - MADE OF COWHIDE BY THE WAY - TRAVELS IN STRANGE TRAJECTORIES? GET A LOAD OF COX'S STORY.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE SAID THE ODDS OF SUCCESS WERE GOING TO BE? >> OH, YOU COULD COMFORTABLY SAY
ONE IN A MILLION. >> ONE IN A MILLION? >> BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY TALENTED PLAYERS ALL AROUND THE
COUNTRY THAT JUST NEVER MAKE IT. AND THE ODDS OF SUCCEEDING ARE JUST SO -- IT'S SO DIFFICULT. LIKE ANY PROFESSIONAL SPORT,
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS SEEN AND UNSEEN THAT MAKE IT REALLY HARD TO SUCCEED. >> NO SKILLS, NO TRACK RECORD.
>> YEAH, NO KNOWLEDGE. >> NO KNOWLEDGE. >> LIVING, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HOME BY HIMSELF.
IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY THING. >> "HOME" FOR COX WAS SUBURBAN DALLAS, WHERE IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE HAD TO DUCK UNDER DOORWAYS BUT
PLAYED SOCCER, TO THE GREAT ANNOYANCE OF CLASSMATES WHO PLAYED HOOPS. >> THERE'S NO WAY THAT HE'S NOT
ON THE BASKETBALL TEAM AT 7-FOOT. WHAT ELSE COULD YOU POSSIBLY DO AT 7 FEET TALL OTHER THAN PLAY
BASKETBALL, RIGHT? AND MASON IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THAT THERE'S WHOLE POSSIBILITY OF THINGS YOU CAN DO AT 7-FOOT.
>> THAT'S MARCUS SMART, NOW A BOSTON CELTICS STAR, WHO WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH COX. >> YOU EVER HEAR HEIGHT IS
WASTED ON THE TALL? >> THAT'S THE OLD SAYING. YOU KNOW, ALL HIS HEIGHT IS WASTED ON THIS TALL DUDE FOR
NOTHING. BUT, AS WE'VE SEEN, IT'S NOT WASTED AT ALL. >> AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, COX WENT
TO OKLAHOMA STATE, MAJORING IN ENGINEERING. AS A SOPHOMORE, HE WAS APPROACHED ABOUT AN UNUSUAL
ON-CAMPUS JOB, PRACTICING WITH THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM AND SIMULATING TALL OPPOSING PLAYERS, INCLUDING BRITTNEY
GRINER. WHEN THE MEN'S TEAM WAS SHORT ON HEIGHT, THEY, TOO, CALLED ON COX, WHICH REUNITED HIM WITH
SMART, THEN THE TEAM STAR. >> MASON COX BACK INTO THE GAME. >> A WALK-ON, COX SPENT PART OF THREE SEASONS AS THE LAST OPTION
OFF THE BENCH FOR OSU. >> SAYS HE DID GUARD EMBIID FOR A LITTLE BIT. >> HE DID GUARD EMBIID FOR A
LITTLE BIT. >> YOU REMEMBER THAT. >> WHEN EMBIID WAS AT KU, HE DID GUARD EMBIID FOR A LITTLE BIT.
>> YES, WHEN OSU ONCE PLAYED KANSAS, COX MATCHED UP AGAINST JOEL EMBIID, NOW ONE OF THE NBA'S BEST PLAYERS.
AND COX HELD HIS OWN. >> HE'S ALWAYS HAD A LITTLE SPUNK, A LITTLE FIRE TO HIM. HE HAD MOMENTS WHERE, YOU KNOW,
YOU'D BE LIKE, MASON, LIKE, WOW, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD THAT IN YOU. LIKE, IS EVERYTHING OKAY?
>> YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BEING A PHYSICAL ATHLETE. >> JUST A LITTLE BIT. JUST A LITTLE BIT.
>> SHORTLY BEFORE GRADUATING IN 2014, COX LINED UP A SIX-FIGURE ENGINEERING JOB AT EXXONMOBIL. THEN CAME AN INTRIGUING
OPPORTUNITY. A SCOUT HUNTING FOR GRADUATING COLLEGE ATHLETES CONTACTED OSU TO SEE IF COX MIGHT WANT TO
ATTEND A COMBINE IN LOS ANGELES FOR THIS THING CALLED "AFL." >> YOU'D NEVER HEARD OF IT? >> OH, NO.
I'D NEVER HEARD OF IT. NEVER ONCE HAD I -- A WORD HAD BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT IT IN MY LIFE. SO WE GOOGLED IT, AS EVERYONE
DOES, AND THEN THIS THING COMES UP, AND IT'S LIKE, "AFL'S BIGGEST HITS." AND IT IS LITERALLY PEOPLE
GETTING KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS. >> AND YET YOU GO TO THIS COMBINE? >> I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M
GETTING MYSELF INTO. I LAND IN L.A. I GET PICKED UP IN AN UNMARKED WHITE VAN.
[ LAUGHTER ] THROWN IN THE BACK. AND HE GOES, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE HOTEL, AND WE'RE GOING TO
DO THREE DAYS OF TRAINING. >> HAND PASS IN LESTER-SMITH TO MATTHEWS WHO STEADIES, SHOOTS AT GOAL.
>> IF AMERICANS KNOW AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL AT ALL, IT'S LIKELY BECAUSE IN THE 1980s, BEFORE IT COULD AFFORD NBA OR
NFL RIGHTS, ESPN AIRED AFL GAMES. BUT THE SPORT WAS FOUNDED IN THE 1800s, AS A WAY FOR CRICKETERS
TO STAY IN SHAPE IN THE OFF-SEASON. IT'S ESPECIALLY POPULAR IN MELBOURNE, WHERE THE MCG -- AT
NEARLY 100,000 CAPACITY, THE LARGEST STADIUM IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE -- WILL ROUTINELY FILL FOR GAMES.
AFTER THE COMBINE, COX WAS SUMMONED TO MELBOURNE, WHERE HE IMPRESSED AUSTRALIAN COACHES WITH HIS HEIGHT AND HIS
SURPRISING AGILITY. SOON AFTER, HE DECLINED HIS JOB AT EXXON AND SIGNED WITH COLLINGWOOD.
>> WE GET THE INITIAL TASTE OF WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OF. CAN'T KICK, CAN'T HANDBALL, BUT 7-FOOT TALL.
>> CRAIG McRAE IS NOW THE TEAM'S HEAD COACH. IN 2014, HE WAS THE HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT AND ASSIGNED TO
TUTOR COX. >> HE'D FINISHED COLLEGE, HE WANTED TO TRAVEL EUROPE. BUT HE TOOK THE FOOTBALL WITH
HIM. I GET THIS VIDEO LATE AT NIGHT OF MASON KICKING THE BALL IN SOME FOREST IN SCANDINAVIA
SOMEWHERE. >> AND THERE'S MASON RUNNING REALLY AWKWARDLY CARRYING THE BALL LIKE THIS, AND THEN
DROPPING THE BALL ONTO HIS FOOT. THERE WAS PROGRESSION, BUT THERE WAS STILL A LONG WAY TO GO. >> COX APPROACHED HIS
DEVELOPMENT LIKE THE ENGINEER HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. >> AND THAT'S WHY THEY PAY HIM THE BIG BUCKS.
>> MAKING STEADY AND DELIBERATE PROGRESS, SOLVING THE PHYSICS OF USING HIS HEIGHT AS AN ADVANTAGE, NOT A LIABILITY.
>> AND HE'S DOING ALL OF THIS WITH GUYS THAT HAVE BEEN PLAYING THEIR WHOLE LIVES? >> YEAH, WELL, WE GREW UP, YOU
KNOW, SLEEPING WITH LITTLE FOOTBALLS. WE SLEPT AND BREATHED IT AND IDOLIZED THE GAME.
MASON HAD NONE OF THAT. >> WHAT MADE YOU THINK HE COULD PULL IT OFF? >> HE'S GOT THAT CHIP, THAT,
"HEY, I'M GOING TO PROVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WRONG." ♪ >> COX MADE HIS BIG-LEAGUE DEBUT
IN APRIL 2016 ON THE HALLOWED GROUND OF THE MCG, AN ANNUAL RIVALRY GAME HELD ON ANZAC DAY, A NATIONAL HOLIDAY.
>> I REMEMBER SITTING IN THIS LOCKER ROOM, JUST THINKING TO MYSELF, HOLY SMOKES, LIKE, THIS HAS HAPPENED PRETTY QUICKLY.
YOU'RE SITTING HERE ABOUT TO PLAY IN FRONT OF THE MOST PASSIONATE FANS PROBABLY IN THE WORLD, ON ONE OF THE BIGGEST
DAYS, AND YOU BARELY KNOW WHAT THIS SPORT IS. I STILL HAD QUESTIONS ON RULES AT THAT POINT.
LIKE, I DIDN'T 100% KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. ♪ >> HE WAS STANDING ARM IN ARM
WITH HIS TEAMMATES WHEN AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL ANTHEM STARTED. >> I THINK TO MYSELF, I GO, I
DON'T KNOW A WORD. AND EVERYONE ELSE IS BELTING 'EM OUT NEXT TO ME. SO I KIND OF JUST LAUGH TO
MYSELF AND JUST KIND OF HUM ALONG. [ HUMS ] IT WAS LIKE, I HAD NO IDEA.
AND THAT KIND OF TOOK THE NERVES AWAY. >> THAT SETTLED YOU. >> THAT SETTLED ME.
>> THE GAME STARTED AS IF SCRIPTED. CUE THE SPORTS MOVIE MUSIC. A BALL SPILLED OUT.
DARCY MOORE GOT THE BALL AND SAW COX IN THE DISTANCE AND PUNTED IT TO THE ROOKIE. >> OH, THIS COULD BE A
FAIRYTALE. >> WHO CAUGHT IT AND SCORED WITH HIS VERY FIRST KICK. >> HE RIDES IT HOME.
WHAT A BEAUTY. >> CAN YOU BELIEVE AN AMERICAN IN HIS FIRST GAME HAS JUST KICKED THE FIRST GOAL ON ANZAC
DAY? >> THAT DAY I THINK WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT SOLIDIFIED THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS MIGHT BE
SOMETHING I DO FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. >> COX WAS, LITERALLY, OFF AND RUNNING.
HIS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE TWO SEASONS LATER IN THE PRELIMINARY FINAL -- LIKE THE NFL'S CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME --
SUGGESTED HE COULD BE A STAR. HAVING CROSSED 15 TIME ZONES, COX'S PARENTS WERE IN THE STANDS THAT DAY AS HE SCORED THREE
TIMES. >> CAN HE GUIDE IT THROUGH? YES, HE CAN. THREE OF THE VERY BEST.
IT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST STORIES I RECKON IN AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL UNFOLDING BEFORE OUR VERY EYES. >> AS MASON COX BECAME A FAN
FAVORITE, HE ALSO DEVELOPED INTO WHAT LOCALS WOULD CALL A FAIR DINKUM AUSSIE. >> THIS COUNTRY HAS REALLY GOT
MY HEART, I THINK. >> I'M STILL MARVELING AT YOUR ACCENT. ARE YOU THE MOST AMERICAN
AUSTRALIAN OR THE MOST AUSTRALIAN AMERICAN? >> PROBABLY THE MOST AUSTRALIAN AMERICAN.
I STILL LOVE AMERICA, AND I'M STILL AMERICAN. BUT I'M -- I'M HALF-AND-HALF NOW.
>> FLANKED BY HIS CAPTAIN, HIS COACH AND HIS PARENTS, HE GOT HIS AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP TO PROVE IT.
AND HE'S SEEN MORE OF THE COUNTRY'S EXQUISITE LANDSCAPE THAN MOST NATIVES. BUT, AS IN ANY SPORTS MOVIE,
THERE WERE SETBACKS. IN THIS PLAY, HE RESEMBLED A BASKETBALL PLAYER, WHO HEADED DOWNCOURT, FORGETTING TO
DRIBBLE. >> HE'S GONE, HE'S GONE. OH, BOY. >> WHEN COX WAS A ROOKIE NEW TO
THE SPORT, THESE BLOOPERS WERE PART OF THE NOVELTY ACT. >> DROPS WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN.
>> WHEN COX WAS A VETERAN THE PASSIONATE COLLINGWOOD FANS WERE LESS FORGIVING. >> YOU'VE SEEN THAT?
>> YEAH, THE JUDGMENT, THE CRITICISM. >> ADDING INJURY TO INSULT, IN 2019, COX WAS RAKED ACROSS THE
EYE IN A GAME, AND DIAGNOSED WITH TWO TORN RETINAS, LEAVING HIM TEMPORARILY BLINDED. THAT, HE SAYS, WAS WHEN HE FELT
THE DISTANCE FROM HOME. >> I'D LOST ONE OF MY SENSES, ALL WITHIN 48 HOURS. AND HAD TO FIGURE OUT IF I EVER
WAS GOING TO PLAY AFL AGAIN, IF WAS EVER GOING TO SEE AGAIN. >> WHAT'S THAT INTERNAL CONVERSATION GOING LIKE?
>> YOU KNOW, DID I DO THE RIGHT TING, COMING HERE? NOW I HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S PROBABLY GOING TO AFFECT ME FOR
THE REST OF MY LIFE. WAS IT WORTH IT? UM, AND YOU FEEL QUITE ISOLATED AND ALONE.
>> MASON COX. >> SIX SURGERIES LATER, HE REGAINED MOST OF HIS VISION BUT WAS A DIMINISHED PLAYER AND THE
GREAT AMERICAN EXPERIMENT LOOKED TO BE FIZZLING. THEN, COX MADE AN EQUIPMENT CHANGE, ADDING ANOTHER
DISTINGUISHING FEATURE, BECOMING THE FIRST AFLer TO WEAR PRESCRIPTION GOGGLES. HE HAD ONE OF THE BEST YEARS.
THIS YEAR, COX'S COACHES SAY HE'S NEVER LOOKED BETTER. >> THAT'S PRETTY DAMN GOOD. >> I'M WATCHING YOUR PRACTICE
THINKING, AMERICANS WOULD LOVE THIS. >> OH, WOULD GO CRAZY FOR IT. >> SO, IN 20 YEARS, IF THERE ARE
A DOZEN AMERICANS PLAYING IN THE AFL, HOW DOES THAT GO OVER WITH YOU? >> I WOULD LOVE AN AMERICAN TO
BREAK EVERY SINGLE RECORD I'VE DONE BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I'VE LEFT A MARK, YOU KNOW? >> YOU KNOW HOW EXTRAORDINARY
AND UNLIKELY THIS STORY IS. >> I'M GOING TO LOOK BACK AND THINK, YOU HAD THE MOST RIDICULOUS LIFE YOU COULD
POSSIBLY THINK OF THAT MAKES NO SENSE. AND I TOOK IT BY THE HORNS AND I MADE THE MOST OF IT.
>>> JEFF KOONS IS ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT AND POLARIZING ART STARS IN THE WORLD. YOU'VE SEEN ONE OF HIS GIANT
BALLOON DOG SCULPTURES OR THE STAINLESS STEEL INFLATABLE RABBIT HE MADE THAT RESOLD FOR $91 MILLION A FEW YEARS AGO.
THE HIGHEST PRICE EVER PAID AT AUCTION FOR A WORK BY A LIVING ARTIST. I BOUGHT A MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE
WORK OF HIS AT A CHARITY AUCTION ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO. HIS CREATIONS MAY LOOK SIMPLE BUT THEY CAN TAKE DECADES TO
MAKE. OFTEN PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOMETIMES TASTE. CRITICS MAY SCOFF AT TIMES BUT
THAT'S NOTHING NEW. JEFF KOONS HAS BEEN CONTROVERSIAL SINCE HE FIRST STARTED SHOWING HIS ART MORE
THAN 40 YEARS AGO. YOU'LL FIND THE LARGEST COLLECTION IN JEFF KOONS' WORK AT THE BROAD MUSEUM IN LOS
ANGELES. VISITING IT IS LIKE SHOW UP AT A STRANGE CHILDREN'S PARTY LONG AFTER THE KIDS HAVE GONE TO BED.
THERE'S A GIANT PAINTING OF A PARTY HAT, A PORCELAIN MICHAEL JACKSON AND HIS CHIMP BUBBLES. A KIND OF POP CULTURE PIETA, THE
HULK EVEN MAKES AN APPEARANCE. THE STAR ATTRACTION, A TEN-FOOT TALL STAINLESS STEEL BALLOON DOG SCULPTURE.
HE SHOWED IT TO US AFTER HOURS. >> WE HAVE TO MAKE MACHINES TO MAKE THIS WORK. IT DIDN'T EXIST.
>> IT MAY LOOK LIKE IT IS FILLED WITH AIR, BUT THE BALLOON DOG WEIGHS A TON AND TOOK JEFF KOONS SIX YEARS TO MAKE.
>> I STARTED WITH A BALLOON. I BLEW IT UP, I TWISTED A BALLOON DOG. >> DID YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE A
BALLOON DOG? >> NO, I JUST GOT A LITTLE BOOK. I SAW HOW YOU DO IT. SO I TWISTED IT UP, I PROBABLY
MADE ABOUT 50 OF THEM. I MADE A MOLD OF IT AND THAN WAS USED TO MAKE THE STAINLESS STEEL PIECES.
ORIGINALLY, WHEN I MADE THIS PIECE I THOUGHT I COULD MAKE IT FOR $300,000. WHICH STILL THAT'S A LOT OF
MONEY, BUT IT ENDED UP JUST TO CREATE THE PIECE ENDED UP COSTING ME 1.6. >> WOW.
>> THAT IS MORE THAN WHAT I SOLD THE WORK FOR. >> THAT'S CLASSIC KOONS, HE'S FAMOUS FOR GOING OVERBUDGET AND
HIS OBSESSIVE ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS LEGENDARY. HE SPENT 20 YEARS FIGURING OUT HOW TO TURN THIS MASS OF
ALUMINUM INTO A TEN-FOOT TALL PILE OF PLAY-DOH. TO GET THESE BASKETBALLS TO APPEAR SUSPENDED IN AIR HE
ENLISTED THE HELP OF A NOBEL PRIZE WINNING PHYSICIST. AND HE USED MORE THAN 60,000 LIVING FLOWERS TO CREATE THIS.
40 FOOT SCULPTURE OF A PUPPY. KOONS OFTEN TAKES FAMOUS CHARACTERS AND MAKES THEM LARGER AND SHINIER.
HE ELEVATES EVERYDAY THINGS, MAKING THEM LARGER, SHINIER OR SURREAL VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES. >> LIKE THAT RABBIT RESOLD FOR A
FEW YEARS AGO FOR $91 MILLION. HE MADE FOUR THAT LOOK AT FIRST LIKE THEY'RE JUST PLASTIC INFLATABLES BUT THEY'RE HIGHLY
POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL AND WEIGH ABOUT 150 POUNDS. >> IT'S ICONIC, BECAUSE IT CAN REPRESENT SO MANY DIFFERENT
THINGS, I CAN THINK OF EASTER. I CAN THINK OF A POLITICIAN WITH A KIND OF MICROPHONE. SOMEBODY MAKING PROCLAMATIONS.
BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO ME. IT'S THE REASON IT'S REFLECTIVE, REFLECTING YOU, REFLECTING ME,
THE VIEWER FINISHES A WORK OF ART. IT'S ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS YOUR EXPERIENCES.
IT'S ABOUT YOUR POTENTIAL. >> MAYBE YOU'RE THINKING JEFF KOONS SOUNDS LIKE A PHONY SELF-HELP PROPHET.
PLENTY OF CRITICS DO BUT HE DOES SEE ART AS SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP PEOPLE HAVE A PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION.
>> ART CAN BE ANYTHING, I MEAN, IT REALLY CAN BE. MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF ART IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BRING
ANYTHING TO IT OTHER THAN YOURSELF. >> SO, YOUR MESSAGE TO PEOPLE IS YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE A THESIS
IN ART HISTORY TO INTERACT WITH ART AND WHAT YOU FEEL FROM IT IS VALID. >> IT'S AS VALID AS ANYBODY ELSE
COULD EXPERIENCE. >> WHY BALLOON DOGS? WHY GAZING BALLS? AN INFLATABLE RABBIT?
>> MEMORIES. YOU KNOW, AROUND EASTER TIME, I WOULD SEE A LOT OF INFLATABLE RABBITS IN THE YARDS.
I WOULD SEE GAZING BALLS IN PEOPLE'S YARDS, IN THEIR GARDENS. OUR NEIGHBORS WHO DO THAT, I
MEAN, HOW GENEROUS THEY ARE FOR US THAT WE'RE JUST DRIVING BY OR WALKING BY AND WE CAN LOOK. AND WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE AWE AND
WONDERMENT JUST FOR THAT SECOND. TO ME, THEY'RE SYMBOLS OF CULTURAL HISTORY. >> KOONS GREW UP OUTSIDE YORK,
PENNSYLVANIA, IN A RURAL COMMUNITY, WHERE YOU CAN STILL FIND GAZING BALLS IN PEOPLE'S YARDS.
HE HAS EIGHT CHILDREN, SIX WITH HIS SECOND WIFE JUSTINE, TO WHOM HE'S BEEN MARRIED FOR 21 YEARS THEY STILL LIVE PART TIME IN
PENNSYLVANIA, IN KOONS' GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE, PART OF AN 800-ACRE FARM WHERE THEY RAISE HORSES AND COWS.
>> I THINK MOST PEOPLE DON'T ENVISION THIS IS THE LIFE YOU HAVE AS A WORLD FAMOUS ARTIST. >> WELL, I'M VERY INVOLVED IN MY
WORK. BUT ON THE WEEKENDS AND SUMMERS AND HOLIDAYS, THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE.
>> KOONS HAS BEEN DRAWING AND PAINTING SINCE CHILDHOOD. IN 1974, WHILE STUDYING ART IN COLLEGE, HIS MOTHER HELPED HIM
MEET ONE OF HIS FAVORITE SURREALIST PAINTERS. >> MY MOTHER CALLED ME AND SAID I JUST SAW A MAGAZINE THAT
SALVADOR DALI SPENDS HALF HIS YEAR IN NEW YORK CITY AT THE ST. REGIS HOTEL. AND I THOUGHT, MAYBE I'LL CALL
HIM. >> YOU THOUGHT YOU'D CALL HIM? I CALLED THE ST. REGIS AND I ASKED FOR SALVADOR DALI'S ROOM
AND THEY PUT ME THROUGH. I WAS QUITE NERVOUS AND I TOLD HIM I WAS A FAN AND WOULD ENJOY VERY MUCH TO MEET HIM.
HE SAID CAN YOU COME TO NEW YORK THIS WEEKEND ON SATURDAY. I SAID YES. HE SAID BE IN THE LOBBY AT
12:00, AND I'LL MEET YOU THEN. AND HE WAS SPECTACULAR. >> IT WOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED TO ME TO JUST CALL SALVADOR
DALI. >> I HAD NOTHING TO LOSE. >> KOONS AND DALI SPENT THE AFTERNOON TOGETHER, AND AT THE
END, HE ASKED THE WORLD-RENOWNED ARTIST TO POSE FOR THIS PICTURE. >> I REMEMBER, HE PUT HIS MUSTACHE UP AND HE WAS TELLING
ME, YOU KNOW, KID, HURRY UP, I CAN'T HOLD THIS POSE ALL DAY. BUT I LEFT NEW YORK THAT EVENING FEELING LIKE I COULD DO THIS.
>> AFTER FINISHING SCHOOL, HE HITCHHIKED TO NEW YORK AND STARTED MAKING ART IN HIS LOWER EAST SIDE APARTMENT BUYING CHEAP
PLASTIC INFLATABLES. PUTTING THEM ON MIRRORS. HE HAD GRAND AMBITIONS BUT NEEDED CASH TO REALIZE THEM.
>> SO EVENTUALLY, I BECAME LICENSED AND REGISTERED TO SELL COMMODITIES AND MUTUAL FUNDS SO THAT'S WHAT I STARTED TO DO TO
MAKE MORE MONEY TO MAKE THE WORKS. >> THAT'S NOT A CAREER MOVE THAT A LOT OF ARTISTS MAKE.
>> I DID IT ONLY THAT I COULD ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE MY VACUUM CLEANER PIECES. >> THE VACUUM CLEANERS HE'S
TALKING ABOUT WERE FIRST GOT HIM NOTICED IN 1980. HE BOUGHT ABOUT 20 BRAND-NEW VACUUMS DISPLAYED THEM IN CASES
WITH FLUORESCENT LIGHTS. IT WAS PART OF A SERIES CALLED "THE NEW." >> I WAS SHOWING THEM FOR THEIR
NEWNESS. THIS WAS A BRAND-NEW OBJECT. IT WAS NEVER USED. YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S CLEAN.
IT'S PRISTINE, ITS LUNGS ARE PURE. AND THERE'S ALSO SOME SENSUAL ASPECTS TO IT TOO.
>> AND SENSUAL ASPECTS? >> SENSUAL, I MEAN, YOU HAVE THE HANDLE, AND YOU HAVE THE BAG RIGHT THERE.
AND IT COULD BE LOOK THE AT AS MASCULINE AND YOU COULD LOOK AT IT AND OH, THE BAG IS THE WOMB. >> ART DEFINITELY IS IN THE EYE
OF THE BEHOLDER. >> WHAT DID YOU THINK OF JEFF KOONS AS AN ARTIST AND FIRST SORT OF CAME ON THE SCENE.
>> I WAS INTERESTED IN HIM AND I WAS ALSO KIND OF REPULSED BY HIM. >> ROBERT STORR, FORMER DEAN OF
THE YALE SCHOOL OF ART, WAS A CURATOR AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK WHEN IT ACQUIRED SOME OF KOONS' VACUUMS IN 1986.
>> I THINK SOME OF WORK IS REALLY UNPLEASANT BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT SERIOUS. >> WHAT'S UNPLEASANT ABOUT IT?
>> THE IMAGERY IS VULGAR. VULGAR MEANS MANY THINGS. IT MEANS OF THE PEOPLE RATHER THAN OF THE ELITES.
>> SO IT'S TAKING AN OBJECT WHICH THE NEW YORK ELITES MIGHT LOOK AT AND THINK OH, THAT'S TACKY.
THAT'S TRASHY, SOMETHING YOU BUY IN A GIFT SHOP AND BLOWING IT UP AND MAKING IT PERFECT AND SAYING THAT THIS HAS VALUE?
>> IT HAS MEANING, NOT NECESSARILY VALUE, BUT IT HAS MEANING. >> WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF THAT?
>> THE MESSAGE IS THAT IT'S THERE TO BE EMBRACED THAT IT'S NOT TO BE MOCKED. THAT ONE SHOULD NOT BE SMUGLY
SURE OF ONE'S OWN TASTE TO THE POINT OF IT DENYING THE POSSIBILITY OF OTHER TASTES. >> AND IS HE BEING HONEST ABOUT
THAT? >> I THINK HE'S TOTALLY HONEST. I THINK THAT HE HAS MADE ALL OF THAT FAIR GAME IN A WAY THAT WE
HAVE NOT SEEN SINCE WARHOL. >> LIKE ANDY WARHOL, JEFF KOONS HAS A FACTORY OF SORTS WITH AN ASSEMBLY LINE OF PAINTERS
METICULOUSLY FOLLOWING HIS INSTRUCTIONS, AND DOZENS OF DIGITAL ASSISTANTS, SCULPTURES AND CRAFTSMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD
HELPING MAKE HIS COMPLEX PIECES WHICH ARE OFTEN INSPIRED BY VERY SIMPLE THINGS. THIS IS A VERY MODERN
GRANDMOTHER'S CLOSET. TURNS OUT KOONS WAS FASCINATED BY HIS GRANDPARENTS' PORCELAIN FIGURINES AS A CHILD AND HAS
COLLECTED HUNDREDS OF THEM. >> WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS? >> I FOUND IT ONLINE. >> HE DECIDED TO MAKE THIS $150
BALLERINA INTO A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR EIGHT-FOOT TALL MARBLE SCULPTURE BUT IT WOUND UP TAKING HIM 12 YEARS.
FIRST HE USED A C.A.T. SCAN MACHINE TO DIGITALLY MAP EVERY DETAIL OF THE FIGURINE INSIDE AND OUT.
THEN IT TOOK HIM FIVE YEARS AND THE HELP OF M.I.T. SCIENTISTS TO BEGIN TRANSLATING ALL OF THOSE DETAILS INTO INSTRUCTIONS.
CARVING TOOK ANOTHER SEVEN YEARS. >> NOW THE WORK WILL REALLY PROGRESS QUICKLY.
>> WE WENT WITH KOONS TO A WORKSHOP IN PENNSYLVANIA TO CHECK ON THE PROGRESS AND FOUND AYAMI AOYAMA AND HER TEAM
CAREFULLY POLISHING THE BALLERINA BY HAND. >> DO YOU HAVE SENSE OF HOW MANY HOURS OF WORK IS DONE ON A
PIECE? >> 33,000 HOURS. >> FOR JUST THE HANDWORK. >> IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING.
I MEAN, THE LEVEL OF DETAIL AND MONOTONY AND DETAIL OF IT IS INCREDIBLE. >> YEAH, IT'S A REALLY UNIQUE
JOB. >> THAT LOOKS LIKE A DENTAL TOOL? >> YEAH, THAT'S ALL IN POLISHER,
YOU KNOW, THE LADIES ACTUALLY USE. >> IS IT REALLY? >> YEAH.
>> YOU'LL NOTICE JEFF KOONS ISN'T DOING THE SCULPTING OR PAINTING. HE COMES UP WITH THE IDEAS AND SETS THE STANDARDS BUT
HIS ARTISANS DO THE LABOR WHICH HS LED TO CRITICISM INCLUDING OUR OWN MORLEY SAFER. >> 30 YEARS AGO MORLEY DID A
STORY CRITIQUING CONTEMPORARY ART AND LIKENED KOONS TO A P.T. BARNUM SELLING TO SUCKERS. >> HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY PAINT OR
SCULPT. HE COMMISSIONS CRAFTSMEN TO DO THAT AND HE GOES SHOPPING FOR BASKETBALLS OR VACUUM CLEANERS.
>> IS IT A LEGITIMATE CRITICISM? >> IT'S A LEGITIMATE CRITICISM IF YOU LOOK AT ART IN A WAY THAT YOU'RE KIND OF WANT EVERYTHING
TO BE DONE BY THE ARTIST THEMSELVES. IT BECOMES LIMITED WHAT YOU CAN DO WITHIN ONE LIFE IF YOU ARE
BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING. IT'S LIKE THE PRODUCTION OF THIS PROGRAM RIGHT NOW.
ANDERSON, IF YOU HAD TO BE THE LIGHTING AND FOR THE EDITING. >> IF I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIGHTING, WE WOULDN'T SEE YOU OR
MYSELF. >> BUT IF YOU HAD TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING, HOW MANY PROGRAMS WOULD BE YOU BE
ABLE TO CREATE? I'VE DESIGNED, WORKED ON THE SYSTEMS, SO THAT THE WHOLE PROCESS, AT THE END OF THE DAY,
IT'S AS IF EVERY MARK WAS MADE BY MYSELF. >> AT 68, KOONS HAS REACHED A LEVEL OF COMMERCIAL SUCCESS FEW
ARTISTS EVER IMAGINE. HE'S HELPED DESIGN CARS FOR BMW, AN ALBUM COVER FOR LADY GAGA, EVEN A SUPER YACHT.
AND LATER THIS YEAR, HE HOPES TO CREATE A PERMANENT ART EXHIBIT ON THE MOON. HE'S MADE 125 SMALL STAINLESS
STEEL MOON SCULPTURES AND LANDS THEM. >> IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE ON THE MOON THAT
WOULD AFFECT THE LIFESPAN OF A WORK? >> YES, ALMOST EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE THE TREMENDOUS
RADIATION, YOU HAVE THE TEMPERATURE CHANGE, AT LEAST 250 DEGREES DIFFERENCE FROM NIGHT TO DAY.
ONE OF THE MOST INHOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENTS THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE FOR A WORK OF ART. >> THE MOON SCULPTURES ARE FOR
SALE, OF COURSE, ALONG WITH AN NFT, A NON-FUNGIBLE TOKEN, WHICH SERVES AS DIGITAL PROOF THAT YOUR ARTWORK IS ACTUALLY UP
THERE. YOU'LL ALSO GET ONE OF THESE LARGER MOONS TO SHOW OFF HERE ON EARTH.
HE WON'T SAY HOW MUCH IT WILL COST YOU BUT WITH JEFF KOONS, IT'S A SAFE BET THE PRICE TAG WILL BE OUT OF THIS WORLD.
>>> WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK >>> WE GO TO STORIES. WE TRAVEL THERE BECAUSE WE CAN BRING SOMEONE TO THAT STORY.
WE CAN BE THEIR EYES. WE CAN BE THEIR EYES. >> THE AMOUNT OF DEVASTATION IS UNFATHOMABLE.
>> THE HOUSE WAS SHAKING SO BAD. AND THE ROOF JUST FLEW RIGHT PASSED. >> OH, SWEETHEART, I'M SO SORRY.
YOU LOST IT ALL. OH, MY GOD. I'M SO SORRY. >> WE LISTEN TO A DIVERSE GROUP
OF PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS. >> CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE?
>> THE COST OF FEEDING A FAMILY FROM LAST NOVEMBER TO THIS NOVEMBER. >> THAT HUMAN CONNECTION WE
CREATE ON THE BROADCAST EVERY NIGHT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. >> YOU HAVE SPINAL ISSUES AND YOU CAN HIT THE BALL THAT FAR?
>> FEELS SO GOOD. >> THAT'S SO INCREDIBLE. >> BECAUSE THE NEWS DOESN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE DEPRESSING.