Upon hearing about the stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression, Spira decided to traverse the mighty Pacific Ocean to the United States of America. He fashioned a sail boat from bamboo and Bondo and set out for the New World. Along the way, Spira made landfall on Guam, where he taught the locals the art of the drum solo. The first known historical proof of Spira is a liquor license he obtained in 1933, at the age of nine, in San Francisco, CA. He opened The Basement Lounge on the corner of Haight and Ashbury, serving up martinis, High Life and cheap, backwoods whiskey. Spira amassed a small fortune despite the difficult times, but lost much of it at the track. Many years later, after the Lounge shut it doors, an organic juice bar with free WiFi opened in it’s place, much to Spira’s chagrin.