SUPPORT THE REAL COOL SURF RETRO KULTURE & CLASSIC ROCK AND ROLL... JUST FOR FUN!!! by a Fuckin' Greasy Logger
domingo, 30 de agosto de 2015
lunes, 24 de agosto de 2015
The Summer of Alex Knost 2008 By Surfline
Part 1: The Wedge
I get a call on my cell from Alex Knost and his friend Tanner Prairie, who are in Alex's windowless, silver '70s Dodge van directly in front of me on Newport Boulevard.
The parking situation has prompted a change of plans. "We don't have any fins, but let's go bodysurf The Wedge," Tanner laughs. He turns around in the passenger's seat with a boyish smile on his face and waves to me. He is 18, shirtless, and sporting a blond mustache. He reminds me of the likeable-but-naive kid in the movies who goes off to war and never returns, prompting a touching eulogy scene in a graveyard featuring the hunky, anti-authoritarian leading man (presumably Paul Newman) who dodged the draft. Tanner is Alex's good friend, a prominent member of the Newport longboarding community, and a budding shaper with an exclusive clientele, the most prominent of which is sitting next to him.
If you're a surf media consumer, you know Alex. In recent years he's become the poster boy for the modern longboard movement. "He has such amazing board control," said Thomas Campbell, the painter turned surf cinematographer who can list amongst his many credits first exposing Alex's talent to the larger surf community in his 2004 film Sprout. "He's chosen to ride narrower-nosed longboards, and they force you to ride a wave exactly how it wants to be ridden. You can't noseride on a narrow-nose longboard when it's not time to noseride, because it just won't do it. You turn, trim, and boogie through sections when you need to, and then when it's time to noseride, you noseride. So it's refreshing to watch him, because he's surfing the wave how it should be surfed."
This explains Alex's highly unpredictable style, which comes across as a blend of the classic postures and maneuvers of '60s log-riding with the exaggerated recovery techniques of '70s experimental surfing and the attack-minded nature of modern shortboarding. But his surfing is only half the equation that's led to his recent notoriety.
Campbell makes an attempt at qualifying the other, less tangible half. "In relation to other surfers and entertainers, he...has...IT," Campbell says, slowing his speech to a crawl on the last three words for emphasis. "He has that unquantifiable thing. He has a crazy amount of confidence and focus, and he has star power. It's that simple. He's an amazing surfer, a great performer with his band, and a confident artist. Whether it's taking pictures, painting pictures, or designing clothes, he's just not afraid."
That "it" has made him a mainstay in the advertising campaign of RVCA Clothing, which has differentiated itself from other brands by teaming up with artists from the surf and skateboard communities on everything from print advertising to clothing design to gallery shows to an art magazine called ANP Quarterly. A sort of surf-ghetto Renaissance man, Alex's approach has fit well into RVCA's Artist Network Program, and with a major brand behind him, it's no wonder he's drawing attention.
At The Wedge, we park and change into our bodysurfing regalia. Alex looks like a beat poet. At 23, he is taller than average, and he sports a hipster haircut and a tan so true one suspects foul play. He smiles easily and contagiously, though his default facial expression seems to be that of someone listening with purpose to a conversation he's eavesdropping on: head slightly cocked, eyes narrowed, focus shifting. His wrists are ringed with distressed wristbands from parties and shows long over.
We head down to the beach, where the surf is powerful and head high. Unlike most experienced surfers--who tend to act contemplative at the sight of serious-ish waves--Alex and Tanner's approach is reminiscent of the pool-invasion scene from Caddyshack. They run screaming for the surf.
Though Alex has long since forsaken competitive surfing, he's the opposite of a beach bum. His band, The Japanese Motors, just finished recording their first full-length album for Vice Records, and with an October release date for the 12-song, self-titled CD, they have been playing any gig they're offered in preparation for upcoming tours. This means lots of late nights amongst the drunken.
Alex also wrote and starred in a 30-minute film called Beach Blanket Burnout: The Hangover of a Pop Culture, which was released in late July of this year on DVD. In the film, he plays the protagonist, surfer Buster Olson, who travels to Australia to escape a bad relationship...I think. Abroad, he reunites with a beautiful foreigner, drinks coffee, modifies his pants, surfs a bit, and has a nervous breakdown (in that order). Shot completely in black and white, subtitled (though it's in English), and with artsy framing and pans in the style of French Nouvelle Vague film master Jean-Luc Godard, stating that it's not a traditional surf movie is an understatement of biblical proportions. Alex's performance in the film is so personal, one can't help but guess that it's bound to draw criticism from an audience conditioned to expect exaggerated color, high action, and choreographed music--a fact not lost on Tyler Manson, who did the filming and editing.
"He does whatever feels [is] natural, whatever's fun," said Manson in a 2007 episode of his popular VBS.TV show, "Hi Shredability." "He doesn't give a shit. When people don't understand it, they immediately want to criticize him, and because it's different, he definitely gets a lot of grief for it."
But getting grief isn't a new sensation for Alex, who has, wittingly or not, positioned himself as the primary target for haters of longboarding, tight jeans, homemade haircuts, fashion-forward people, Mollusk Surf Shop, surfers who start bands, artists, stuff that's new and unfamiliar, or any combination thereof. This is the downside of putting yourself out there in a world of square-shoulderedness.
On the beach, an overweight man in his early 50s with a flattop haircut is watching Alex and Tanner take turns using each other as a human bodyboard. He turns to a similarly seal-like youth 30 or so years his junior and flatly says, "Look at those faggots."
Part 2: 34th Street
Three days after our Wedge session I get a call from Alex, who invites me to go surfing at 34th Street in Newport Beach. I arrive late, and with the south swell still pumping and drawing a big summertime crowd, I'm stressing I might not find him. But all worry instantly evaporates seconds after I arrive on the beach, where Alex's presence in the lineup is undeniable.
Thomas was right: There's an unpredictable, freeform quality to Alex's surfing, but when you see it live, there's no question he knows what he's trying to achieve. If Joel Tudor's noseriding is comparable to the sound that comes out of a 500-year-old Stradivarius in the hands of a master, Alex's full-body attack is the swan song of a 1984 Fender Stratocaster about to be beaten against a Marshall stack. In a good way. In the way that makes girls lust and makes guys buy Stratocasters and start bands. Constantly on the brink of losing control, he never does.
After surfing, we go for lunch at Alta Coffee in Newport's Lido Village, where hip shops and live-work lofts have replaced the boat-repair and sail-making industries that thrived there for decades. All the attractive 20-something waitresses call Alex by his first name and touch him lightly on the shoulder when they take his order or quickly visit.
He was born in the spring of 1985 and raised in the same Costa Mesa neighborhood as his dad, Jim, a lifelong local at Blackies, the beachbreak north of the Newport Pier known for year-round longboardable surf. Jim introduced his son to surfing around age 10, steering him heavily to the form of a generation past.
"Most kids my age were watching Taylor Steele's movies," Alex laughs, "but I was watching the 1960s stuff my dad was into--Barefoot Adventure, Five Summer Stories, Water-Logged--all the old Bud and Bruce Brown movies of the '60s, and the MacGillivray Freeman films... That was the shit I was watching. That or 'Happy Days.'"
Alex was a natural, though he never felt simpatico with his peer group. "Surfers were the jocks of my generation," he laments. "In high school I hung out with them a little bit, but I didn't really like their agenda, which was basically to elevate themselves by being rude to girls, being rude to Mexican kids, being rude to homosexual kids, being rude to dirtbags--the kind of stuff that's usually done by the football team."
Unable to connect with other surfers his age, he looked to the older crew of Blackies locals for guidance. "Because I was hanging out with some radical guys who were older than me, I grew up pretty fast," Alex remembers. "Some of them were skaters and musicians. They weren't really too interested in nine-to-five jobs or going to college, so at a young age I saw some things that most kids my age probably didn't see--girls, drugs, partying. But I learned a shitload through it all by listening to the conversations those types of people had, and seeing what their outlook was on the general public. I looked up to them because they were older, and they would tell me all these things that would make so much sense. They would say, 'Don't worry about high school. That shit doesn't mean shit.'"
"In relation to other surfers and entertainers, he...has...IT,"
- Thomas Campbell
Alex took advantage of opportunities to
expand his horizons, traveling widely before he even had a driver's
license. Surfing Noosa in tropical Queensland, Australia, at 16, he met
Thomas Campbell, a longboarding aficionado, who invited him to Ceylon in
the Indian Ocean. The resulting 16 mm footage made its way into
Campbell's tectonic Sprout, which instantly elevated Alex into the upper
echelon of what at the time was being referred to as the "retro"
movement, placing him in the company of icons such as Rob Machado, Dave
Rastovich, Joel Tudor, and Skip Frye, who were rediscovering the
surfboards of the '60s and '70s.
Suddenly appreciated for the things his critics had previously used as kindling, Alex has embraced the creative opportunities being handed to him. You only have to spend a couple of hours in his company to understand the entrepreneurial drive and motivation under the rock 'n' roll haircut.
"He's motivated as f--k!" says Campbell, who helped produce The Japanese Motors' forthcoming album. "He's at the zenith of motivation right now. This is it for him. This is when the energy in his body and his mental capacity are connecting, and he's really able to focus. And he's doing it. It's fun to be able to work with people like that."
We finish lunch and start to think about our next moves. Alex has a busy week coming up, full of gigs, movie premieres, obligations to RVCA, and summer south swells at San Onofre. I ask one last time about his critics and if he sees them multiplying or disappearing as he experiences success, and his answer is as unorthodox coming from the mouth of a pro surfer as is the arc of his career. "I gravitate to people who inspire me. People with ideas," Alex says. "Someone once told me that ignorant minds discuss people, average minds discuss places, and genius minds discuss ideas."
That quote's most commonly attributed to Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who modernized the United States Navy after World War II and was known for his ability to organize and lead vast numbers of people toward the future. On the surface, the Admiral and Alex don't have much in common, though I did run into another Rickover quote that could apply just as easily to a 20-something surfer in Costa Mesa as it could to the future of war: "Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience."
Suddenly appreciated for the things his critics had previously used as kindling, Alex has embraced the creative opportunities being handed to him. You only have to spend a couple of hours in his company to understand the entrepreneurial drive and motivation under the rock 'n' roll haircut.
"He's motivated as f--k!" says Campbell, who helped produce The Japanese Motors' forthcoming album. "He's at the zenith of motivation right now. This is it for him. This is when the energy in his body and his mental capacity are connecting, and he's really able to focus. And he's doing it. It's fun to be able to work with people like that."
We finish lunch and start to think about our next moves. Alex has a busy week coming up, full of gigs, movie premieres, obligations to RVCA, and summer south swells at San Onofre. I ask one last time about his critics and if he sees them multiplying or disappearing as he experiences success, and his answer is as unorthodox coming from the mouth of a pro surfer as is the arc of his career. "I gravitate to people who inspire me. People with ideas," Alex says. "Someone once told me that ignorant minds discuss people, average minds discuss places, and genius minds discuss ideas."
That quote's most commonly attributed to Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who modernized the United States Navy after World War II and was known for his ability to organize and lead vast numbers of people toward the future. On the surface, the Admiral and Alex don't have much in common, though I did run into another Rickover quote that could apply just as easily to a 20-something surfer in Costa Mesa as it could to the future of war: "Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience."
sábado, 22 de agosto de 2015
RIGHT ON THE NOSE Joel Tudor
RIGHT ON THE NOSE
Joel Tudor on why competitive longboarding is in danger of being irrelevant
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Longboarding isn't dead, it's just gone underground.
Or so says nine-time US Open champ and arguably the best surfer to ever set foot on a log, Joel Tudor.
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SURFLINE: HAS COMPETITIVE LONGBOARDING LOST ITS WAY? JOEL TUDOR: I don't know if it's lost its way. It's more that the competitive aspect has become pretty one-sided. The bad emulation of shortboarding gives us no identity. A lot of guys are just trying to do what the shortboarders are doing, which is kind of ridiculous. HOW HAS THAT DAMAGED LONGBOARDING'S IMAGE? Well, it's kind of gotten to the point where no one really cares. All of the stuff that's cool in longboarding -- and where the bar's really being raised with the kids and the next generation -- is kind of underground now. It's hard for those really good kids to want to compete now. They have very little support, barely any sponsors...
"It's what separates us from
everyone else: the principle of riding the front half of the board.
That's where the real level of difficulty comes in."
-- Joel Tudor
WHAT IS THE "COOL STUFF" IN LONGBOARDING? It's what separates us from everyone else: the principle of riding the front half of the board. That's where the real level of difficulty comes in. It's everything. ARE YOU SEEING PRO LONGBOARDERS COMPLETELY ABANDONING THAT NOSERIDING APPROACH? Completely abandoning? I think the guy who won the US Open last year was doing aerials. I'm not going to name names, but guys were trying to do Christ airs on nine-foot longboards in one-foot Huntington. You do the math. IS THAT WHAT'S KEPT YOU AWAY FROM THE EVENT? I've just been bored with it. I mean, I've been there the last couple years. But I think it was last year when I was standing there, watching one of the longboard heats. The waves were super bad and guys were trying to do airs. I looked over at the guy running the contest, looked over at my friend who was first alternate and said, "You can have it. Take my name off." BUT WHAT ABOUT GROWING UP? SURELY YOU TRIED "RIPPING" ON A LONGBOARD. Sure, when I was a kid, I tried all that. Hit the lip and shit. But I was just going through the paces of learning how to surf. That's what you do. But when I was 18 or 19, coming into my own, that was when I really started riding logs full time. You know, the 25-pound, 9'8" single fins with no leash. And from 1995 on, that was what I used to beat everybody in contests. The way those logs forced me to surf was just so different from everyone else that it kicked their asses. It was easy. Like a formula. I knew exactly what I had to do to get the score every time. Because those guys were all lip bashers. It was, like, "Guys, you're making it too easy for me to look different." SO, TELL US ABOUT THE CORONA NOSERIDING INVITATIONAL AT HUNTINGTON. I'm just so stoked they're finally allowing us to show longboarding what it really can be. Noseriding events exist -- they have one at Noosa every year, and I think it was Tom Morey who put together the first one back in 1965 in Ventura. But there's a whole crew of kids who've been given the right lineage to draw from, and they do some amazing stuff. They might not be able to do Christ airs, but they'll do stuff on the nose that'll blow your mind. And so that's what this event is about. I handpicked these guys because they're the best in the world at riding the nose. I invited Herbie Fletcher as well because he's such a legend and still rips. This event revolves around the principle we're all dedicated to: maximum tip time using the most subtle, graceful movements possible. For us, to win a big noseriding event is like winning the Pipe Masters. It's the end all be all. Cause, man, to do it right, it's f--king hard. WHO'S THE FAVORITE GOING INTO IT? Well, some of the technical stuff these guys are doing, with switchstance noseriding, is really gnarly. CJ Nelson's raised the bar pretty high in that category. Christian Wach is incredible. Harrison Roach from Australia is amazing. But what's cool is that no matter how far we push it, a lot of what we're doing is on par with what David Nuuhiwa did 40 years ago. You put him back then in a heat today, and he'd give any one of us a run for our money. Hopefully he'll be there to watch. WHO'S SHAPING YOUR LOG THIS YEAR? That's another cool thing about this event -- it forces people to really think about design and what will work best. Stu Kenson will be making my board, and it's pretty much what I always ride. More than anything, I'm just stoked that good longboarding will have its day. It's not about me; I've had my day. It's more about the next kid who will hopefully have the same opportunities. *** The Corona Noseriding Invitational will be held next weekend during the Hurley US Open at Huntington Beach Pier. A field of eight invited noseriding specialists will be competing for $10,000 in prize money and major bragging rights. The field includes: 1. Joel Tudor 2. CJ Nelson 3. Christian Wach 4. Tyler Warren 5. Alex Knost 6. Kevin Connelly 7. Harrison Roach 8. Herbie Fletcher Two semis will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and the final will be on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. Come check it out or watch it live on www.usopenofsurfing.com or www.hurley.com. MORE SURF NEWS SURFLINE HOME PAGE http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/right-on-the-nose-joel-tudor-on-why-competitive-longboarding-is-in-danger-of-being-irrelevant_28801/ |
Toes on the Nose with Mickey Muñoz
Toes on the Nose with Mickey Muñoz
Noseriding tips from one of the all time greats!
By Bob Howard
If you're talking great noseriding, and how it's done, there's
no way you can leave Mickey Muñoz out of the equation.
Muñoz had the following to say when noseriding.com sat
down with him at his home in California.How can someone learn to noseride better?
To learn to noseride, repetition is probably the number one thing you need. Lots of time in the water. Obviously equipment has a lot to do with it, but it is so individualized and particular to a given break that it is difficult to make general statements about equipment. But there are some specific things you can do. Surf with people who are better noseriders than you are, and glean as much information as you can from them. Discuss the break and how they noseride it. Find out what they like about the board they ride there. Try their board and lots of others, and see what works best for you. Just get out there and noseride. Practice, over and over, the same maneuver until you learn that it is just plain impossible -- or until you figure it out. Repetition--it's getting out and trying. If you haven't fallen off or wiped out you haven't learned anything. Mistakes are part of learning. Repetition allows you to practice at a maneuver till you master it.
What kind of wave works best?
Beach breaks are harder to noseride than point breaks like Malibu
where the waves set up and just
keep going around a nice point. That is the ideal for a sustained
noseride. You want a point break that has a nice constant wave
of moderate speed--this is probably the easiest and best to noseride.San Onofre is a difficult place to noseride because the waves have more slope to the face and are peaky. A wave with a more vertical face is better to ride. Doheny is a much easier place to noseride than San O.
What is noseriding?
Noseriding means different things to different people, and it is all noseriding. A cheater-five is noseriding to some people. Riding the upper third of the board is noseriding to others. I happen to have come from the old school and was brought up on Malibu. So I'm pretty spoiled when it comes to noseriding, as opposed to a peaky beach break where everything happens quickly and is over so fast. To me, Hanging Ten is noseriding and the stance is more parallel than perpendicular to the board. The advantage in being more parallel is you can control the rail to rail maneuvering to gain or lose altitude on the wave and then you can steer the board around and under sections and sustain a longer noseride, generally. You want to use a fore and aft stance, if you are in the tube. Then you can crouch down and duck through sections or accelerate and decelerate with more stability. Most things in surfing are a compromise. So you compromise or adjust your stance to best fit the situation and conditions.
Is knowing how to cross-step crucial to learning how to ride the nose?
No. But if you have learned to cross step you probably have learned to noseride by that time. If you are cross stepping, you are probably already sure of position and ability. Cross stepping commits you to an almost imbalanced situation where you are almost toying with disaster. That is part of the adrenaline rush, though--even though it is such a seemingly relaxed maneuver. It has advantages in that you can advance and retreat quicker than shuffling back and fourth Sure, shuffling is OK. You get up there, and that's what counts.. But there are times when shuffling your feet is the only thing that works, like in a more difficult and radical wave.
What about equipment?
Some boards are easier to noseride than others. Like, a single fin board is easier to noseride than a tri-fin board. Now, if you are Joel Tudor, or one of the other genius noseriders, you can noseride anything. Try all kinds. We only limit ourselves by limited thinking. But a single fin is easier to noseride than a tri-fin, which is kind of trackey. They don't allow you to steer the board from the forward part as easily. And, you want to use enough fin to keep the board in the wave. So the tail is not washing out.
What about concaves?
I have seen situations where concave noses worked best and others where a convex nose worked the best. Again, talk to good noseriders where you surf as I mentioned.
What else is really important?
The other number one thing is learning how to read the waves. When is it optimum to attempt noseriding? Again repetition is the key, and after a while reading the waves becomes second nature. You don't have to think. Picking a wave in advance, and picking a place and a time in the wave, all become more natural and easier. Malibu makes noseriding about as easy as you're going to get it. But what if you can't get to Malibu--or can't stand the crowds there? Reading the waves is looking for a part of the wave that is like Malibu, with a more vertical face, and then using that part to noseride.
You also need velocity to develop lift on the nose. Velocity and length of the wave balanced together allows longer, sustained noseriding. You want to be where the velocity of the wave matches the velocity of the board to get enough lift for noseriding.
Why noseride in the first place?
Noseriding is all about what gets you off or turns you on.
You repeatedly try for that situation and that feeling! Hanging Ten is thrilling. With toes over the end of the board--and there's nothing in front of you?!!!--it heightens the feeling of speed. I love that feeling! I think it's a wonderful feeling. And, so is doing a cheater-five inside of a barrel.
Even getting half way to the nose can be fun. It's all about what does it for you. Is it a turn on? And the closer you get, the bigger the feeling. You want more. It's like a drug. You want more of it.
What else really helps?
You have to learn how to visualize it happening, in your own mind. And of course it takes time in the water. Again, there is no substitute for time in the water. Time in the water gives you conditioning for your body, mind and reflexes. By mind I mean knowledge of when to try, and when not to try, a noseride. You can go to the gym, use a balance board, watch videos, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as pulling some warm sand up under your chin and just lying there on the beach watching a David Nuuhiwa or a Joel Tudor noseride. Visualize yourself doing those same maneuvers. See it in your mind. Then go out there and try to emulate them! And again, talking with people who are better than you really helps. Surf with people who are better noseriders
It all gets back to water time. The more time you can spend, and the closer you can get to the nose, the better you will get at doing it.
A Brief Biography of Mickey Muñoz
-- First stand-up surfing 1947.
-- Glued fin to paddleboard 1948.
-- Started surfing Malibu in winter of 1950, on an 8'10 balsa, a Joe Quigg personal board he bought.
-- AAU competitive swimmer.
-- Surfed Malibu through the 50s and into early 60s.
-- One of a handful of surfers to ride Waimea Bay the first time in 1957.
-- Winner of first Tom Morey Noseriding Contest, 1965. (Mike Hynson placed second and Skip Frye placed third.)
-- Designer/shaper noseriding boards for Hobie.
-- Contributor to Hobie Cat sailboat design.
-- Sailboat designer.
http://www.noseriding.com/pages/munozQA.htm
viernes, 21 de agosto de 2015
jueves, 20 de agosto de 2015
miércoles, 19 de agosto de 2015
JOEL TUDOR JUICED MAGAZINE
JOEL TUDOR
INTRODUCTION BY BRIAN LENTINI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN LENTINI AND ART BREWER
I’ll never forget the morning of this interview. Joel paddled over to me at Cardiff to tell me the guy sitting across from us was big wave pioneer L.J. Richards, sixty some years old and still surfing with more style than 99 percent of the lineup. You could just tell by the tone of Joel’s voice that he was stoked. You’d think that after all his trips and run-ins with surf legends, over the years would leave him jaded, but it hasn’t in the slightest. Most surfers get more excited over a grande latte at Starbucks (although I hear that is one of Joel’s commercial weaknesses) than a cab ride with Miki Dora. Joel’s respect for the past is obvious in his style. He is an amazing surfer on long, short and all that between, Joel Tudor, a legend before the age of thirty.
What’s up with your surfboard company?
It’s my second year of doing it. I never thought it would take off like it did. I never thought major companies like Al Merrick would jump on the bandwagon.
It’s my second year of doing it. I never thought it would take off like it did. I never thought major companies like Al Merrick would jump on the bandwagon.
Al Merrick jumped on the bandwagon?
If you look in the new “Surfer,” there’s an article on new boards coming out.
If you look in the new “Surfer,” there’s an article on new boards coming out.
Boards that are like eggs and single fins?
Yeah, not that it’s anything new. There’s been a small group of people riding them for a few years. Machado rides one in that movie “Shelter.” Once one of the ‘magnificent seven’ made a genre of it, everyone said, ‘Yeah, maybe the single fin does work.’ Other guys like Rastovich and Donovan were riding them; just not the ‘magnificent seven’. I can’t really complain, because it’s creating more of a demand, but sometimes the things you guard the most and feel like are the most pure get bought out by The Gap overnight. Then you’re like, “What am I gonna do?” I’m just finding different stuff to work on.
Yeah, not that it’s anything new. There’s been a small group of people riding them for a few years. Machado rides one in that movie “Shelter.” Once one of the ‘magnificent seven’ made a genre of it, everyone said, ‘Yeah, maybe the single fin does work.’ Other guys like Rastovich and Donovan were riding them; just not the ‘magnificent seven’. I can’t really complain, because it’s creating more of a demand, but sometimes the things you guard the most and feel like are the most pure get bought out by The Gap overnight. Then you’re like, “What am I gonna do?” I’m just finding different stuff to work on.
“I’M LIKE THE BEARDED LADY OF THE CIRCUS.”
Do you ever shape your own boards?
Yeah, I shape my own boards. It’s a trip. I definitely appreciate the amount of time that people put into making surfboards. If you do it yourself, it takes nine hours. It’s a damn hard thing to do. It makes you see what’s so special about surfboards.
Yeah, I shape my own boards. It’s a trip. I definitely appreciate the amount of time that people put into making surfboards. If you do it yourself, it takes nine hours. It’s a damn hard thing to do. It makes you see what’s so special about surfboards.
Who are the guys that are shaping for you now?
Stu Kenson and Bill Shrosbee shape for me. I grew up competing against Stu.
Stu Kenson and Bill Shrosbee shape for me. I grew up competing against Stu.
He was around the same age as you?
He was older. He’s 42. It’s weird competing against a guy who makes all of his own stuff. Not too many people shate their own boards. Then one day he said, “Can I make you a board?”
He was older. He’s 42. It’s weird competing against a guy who makes all of his own stuff. Not too many people shate their own boards. Then one day he said, “Can I make you a board?”
He just asked you out of the blue?
Well, he was a friend of the family so I’ve known him since I was a kid. He made me a bonzer and that inspired me to try different stuff. Donald Takayama was making me twin fins but I wasn’t getting what I really wanted. With Donald, you leave it all up to him. He’s getting you what he wants to make you rather than making what you want to ride. I had to go through so much bullshit to get a surfboard. It was just not worth it.
Well, he was a friend of the family so I’ve known him since I was a kid. He made me a bonzer and that inspired me to try different stuff. Donald Takayama was making me twin fins but I wasn’t getting what I really wanted. With Donald, you leave it all up to him. He’s getting you what he wants to make you rather than making what you want to ride. I had to go through so much bullshit to get a surfboard. It was just not worth it.
Has your relationship fallen off with him?
It wasn’t that it was falling off. I was at a point where I’d ridden for him for ten years. I wanted to try Dick Brewer’s and Rusty’s, not just longboards. That’s the thing. Nobody can touch Donald with longboards and I’ve ridden everything. I knew he was one of the best surfers in the day. He was as good as David, but Donald was a shaper so he wasn’t able to be in the limelight. He was awesome. It was just very difficult to get things out of him. There’s ego involved. It’s like, “You make amazing longboards. You are making the best boards that I could be riding at this moment but I want to try something different.” Then Stu was giving me boards and Donald’s feelings were getting hurt. Finally, he just got to the point where he couldn’t take it anymore. His ego got in the way. He said, “I can’t make your boards anymore. I’m over it.”
It wasn’t that it was falling off. I was at a point where I’d ridden for him for ten years. I wanted to try Dick Brewer’s and Rusty’s, not just longboards. That’s the thing. Nobody can touch Donald with longboards and I’ve ridden everything. I knew he was one of the best surfers in the day. He was as good as David, but Donald was a shaper so he wasn’t able to be in the limelight. He was awesome. It was just very difficult to get things out of him. There’s ego involved. It’s like, “You make amazing longboards. You are making the best boards that I could be riding at this moment but I want to try something different.” Then Stu was giving me boards and Donald’s feelings were getting hurt. Finally, he just got to the point where he couldn’t take it anymore. His ego got in the way. He said, “I can’t make your boards anymore. I’m over it.”
How long ago was that?
That was two-and-a-half years ago. Actually, it’s for the best. Now, I can make whatever I want. It’s a lot quicker and less stressful. I can have the guy glass it and get it to me, rather than going and kissing the laminator’s ass and the sander’s ass and spending all day getting a board.
That was two-and-a-half years ago. Actually, it’s for the best. Now, I can make whatever I want. It’s a lot quicker and less stressful. I can have the guy glass it and get it to me, rather than going and kissing the laminator’s ass and the sander’s ass and spending all day getting a board.
What about Shrosbee?
Shrosbee made my dad’s boards growing up. He shaped for Con and Bing back in the day. He was the only other person that I thought of using when Donald quit making my boards. He has all of the same knowledge.
Shrosbee made my dad’s boards growing up. He shaped for Con and Bing back in the day. He was the only other person that I thought of using when Donald quit making my boards. He has all of the same knowledge.
What about the Amsterdam wetsuit company?
We just do that in Japan because of the quality of rubber.
We just do that in Japan because of the quality of rubber.
You can’t get good quality rubber in America?
It’s just cooler to do stuff that you can’t get everywhere. It’s not like we are doing all of this stuff to make money. That’s not our deal. We’re creating stuff that’s fun. There is some profit in it, but we’re not going to be RipCurl. We’re trying to backlash on shit. You can spend $200 on a wetsuit and look like a fucking billboard but when you buy high end designer clothing it’s very discreet. It has its own unique style. That’s what we are trying to do for wetsuits. When someone takes a picture of you, you’re not identified by what’s on your suit. It’s more about riding the wave.
It’s just cooler to do stuff that you can’t get everywhere. It’s not like we are doing all of this stuff to make money. That’s not our deal. We’re creating stuff that’s fun. There is some profit in it, but we’re not going to be RipCurl. We’re trying to backlash on shit. You can spend $200 on a wetsuit and look like a fucking billboard but when you buy high end designer clothing it’s very discreet. It has its own unique style. That’s what we are trying to do for wetsuits. When someone takes a picture of you, you’re not identified by what’s on your suit. It’s more about riding the wave.
It’s like looking at the images of the ’60s
You want the images that are taken of you to be timeless. When you have logos on your wetsuit people can tell automatically when the photo was taken. It’s in contrast to being sponsored but we’re sponsored through image. Just because I’m wearing a logo when I’m surfing doesn’t mean someone is going to go out and buy something with that logo. They’re looking at how I’m riding, not what I’m wearing. I just like to keep my shit clean. Don’t brand me, you know?
You want the images that are taken of you to be timeless. When you have logos on your wetsuit people can tell automatically when the photo was taken. It’s in contrast to being sponsored but we’re sponsored through image. Just because I’m wearing a logo when I’m surfing doesn’t mean someone is going to go out and buy something with that logo. They’re looking at how I’m riding, not what I’m wearing. I just like to keep my shit clean. Don’t brand me, you know?
What is your training schedule like?
My training schedule is surfing and skating. There are other surfers who lift weights and try and bulk up. That’s not my goal at all. It’s just a matter of staying fit and not getting lazy. I’m not trying to bulk up like a football player. I like being 145 pounds.
My training schedule is surfing and skating. There are other surfers who lift weights and try and bulk up. That’s not my goal at all. It’s just a matter of staying fit and not getting lazy. I’m not trying to bulk up like a football player. I like being 145 pounds.
Do you consider yourself an advocate of the legalization of marijuana?
I’m not an advocate, but I’m definitely am a firm believer. How many trees do we cut down in a year to make paper? Hemp yields so much. You can even make gas out of it, but they refuse to allow it to be used because they’re not gonna backlash the oil industry or the cotton industry when all of these people are making a living off of it. I like to smoke pot but my belief in legalizing it is 100% environmental. It has nothing to do with wanting to get stoned. But the branding of being associated with it is what sucks. Once you say, ‘Let’s legalize hemp.’ Usually, the reaction is, ‘Oh, another stoner.’ But it’s just a fact. The government is too right-wing to even hear it. Marijuana is natural herb that can take pain away, but they don’t want to hear that, either. Sometimes it seems like a losing battle. ‘Surfer’ asked about that in that interview, “Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll”. Personally, I don’t appreciate the way they singled me out. When they called, I said, “Am I the only one that is saying anything?” They said, “No. You’re on a long list.” They named off all of these people like Nat, and said that they gave total consent. So I just fired off and then it came out, and the whole article was about what I said.
I’m not an advocate, but I’m definitely am a firm believer. How many trees do we cut down in a year to make paper? Hemp yields so much. You can even make gas out of it, but they refuse to allow it to be used because they’re not gonna backlash the oil industry or the cotton industry when all of these people are making a living off of it. I like to smoke pot but my belief in legalizing it is 100% environmental. It has nothing to do with wanting to get stoned. But the branding of being associated with it is what sucks. Once you say, ‘Let’s legalize hemp.’ Usually, the reaction is, ‘Oh, another stoner.’ But it’s just a fact. The government is too right-wing to even hear it. Marijuana is natural herb that can take pain away, but they don’t want to hear that, either. Sometimes it seems like a losing battle. ‘Surfer’ asked about that in that interview, “Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll”. Personally, I don’t appreciate the way they singled me out. When they called, I said, “Am I the only one that is saying anything?” They said, “No. You’re on a long list.” They named off all of these people like Nat, and said that they gave total consent. So I just fired off and then it came out, and the whole article was about what I said.
What was it you said?
All I said was, that 80-90% of everybody that surfs gets stoned. What are you gonna do? No one wants to talk about it. My use is recreational. I like to smoke and go surf, so crucify me. They didn’t even print half of the shit I said. I also said, “What’s better? Smoking a joint recreationally or drinking a beer in the parking lot, and drinking ten more beers, losing your health, getting out of shape, and drinking around your kids, and then your kids start drinking? The way they put it was, ‘Yeah, I smoke pot.’ It just didn’t come across the way I was explaining it. It’s more of a spiritual thing. It’s a lifestyle as much as you might want to bash it. It’s one of the first communicating things you see if you run into a surfer in a foreign country. He’s making hand gestures to roll a joint. It’s the passing of the peace pipe. I grew up around Nat and those guys, and Nat would say, “Take a hit. Shit. I won a world title. I won five. You think this is gonna hurt you? It’s not going to hurt at all. There are guys surfing on heroin and you’re smoking weed. Who cares? You aren’t doing anything else.” That’s how it always weighed out around those guys. They were really proud of me being stoned instead of boozing it up. If anything, it’s going to motivate you to go out even when the waves are small. Or say you’re in a contest and the waves look like shit and everyone is complaining. You can go to your car, turn on some jazz, take a hit and get amped up. You go out and have a blast. When you lose you’re like, “Who cares? I’m still surfing.” I can’t tell you how many contests I’ve been to where someone makes an ass of themselves because they lost when they could’ve just walked away and taken a puff instead of making a scene and embarrassing themselves.
All I said was, that 80-90% of everybody that surfs gets stoned. What are you gonna do? No one wants to talk about it. My use is recreational. I like to smoke and go surf, so crucify me. They didn’t even print half of the shit I said. I also said, “What’s better? Smoking a joint recreationally or drinking a beer in the parking lot, and drinking ten more beers, losing your health, getting out of shape, and drinking around your kids, and then your kids start drinking? The way they put it was, ‘Yeah, I smoke pot.’ It just didn’t come across the way I was explaining it. It’s more of a spiritual thing. It’s a lifestyle as much as you might want to bash it. It’s one of the first communicating things you see if you run into a surfer in a foreign country. He’s making hand gestures to roll a joint. It’s the passing of the peace pipe. I grew up around Nat and those guys, and Nat would say, “Take a hit. Shit. I won a world title. I won five. You think this is gonna hurt you? It’s not going to hurt at all. There are guys surfing on heroin and you’re smoking weed. Who cares? You aren’t doing anything else.” That’s how it always weighed out around those guys. They were really proud of me being stoned instead of boozing it up. If anything, it’s going to motivate you to go out even when the waves are small. Or say you’re in a contest and the waves look like shit and everyone is complaining. You can go to your car, turn on some jazz, take a hit and get amped up. You go out and have a blast. When you lose you’re like, “Who cares? I’m still surfing.” I can’t tell you how many contests I’ve been to where someone makes an ass of themselves because they lost when they could’ve just walked away and taken a puff instead of making a scene and embarrassing themselves.
Are you bored with competitions now?
I’m not bored. I think it’s different for me. People get sick of seeing you and after a while you realize it. When you’re standing on stage and you hear the monotone slow golf clap, you feel it. After a while you’re entering contests to please your sponsors. If you’re not doing it for yourself, you tend to lose motivation. Then when my thing with Donald ended, I was just becoming bitter towards longboarding. It was like a sign that I needed to expand my surfing. Why not expand? I’ve beaten everybody on short boards. I beat Bruce Irons but that’s not legitimate because it’s a tube-riding contest. Nat went from longboards to short boards. The mentality is that I’m just a longboarder, and I want to be everything.
I’m not bored. I think it’s different for me. People get sick of seeing you and after a while you realize it. When you’re standing on stage and you hear the monotone slow golf clap, you feel it. After a while you’re entering contests to please your sponsors. If you’re not doing it for yourself, you tend to lose motivation. Then when my thing with Donald ended, I was just becoming bitter towards longboarding. It was like a sign that I needed to expand my surfing. Why not expand? I’ve beaten everybody on short boards. I beat Bruce Irons but that’s not legitimate because it’s a tube-riding contest. Nat went from longboards to short boards. The mentality is that I’m just a longboarder, and I want to be everything.
Do you think that the mentality will ever change?
No, because there is just too much of an inferiority complex between the two. I just hate the holding people on a pedestal because certain guys are thought to be so much better. Kelly [Slater] is great at what he does, but that’s all he does. There is so much more to surfing than just that.
No, because there is just too much of an inferiority complex between the two. I just hate the holding people on a pedestal because certain guys are thought to be so much better. Kelly [Slater] is great at what he does, but that’s all he does. There is so much more to surfing than just that.
Have you been doing more photo trips?
I’ve been working on film stuff. If you stay in Hawaii for a winter, you get enough work done that you don’t have to do much after that. A few good days at Pipe and you’ve got people taking your picture. If you do a few contests, it evens out. I’m like the bearded lady of the circus.
I’ve been working on film stuff. If you stay in Hawaii for a winter, you get enough work done that you don’t have to do much after that. A few good days at Pipe and you’ve got people taking your picture. If you do a few contests, it evens out. I’m like the bearded lady of the circus.
Why?
You have surfing, then you have me. I am the token photo. I can’t get bummed. I just have to appreciate it for what it is. It’s interesting because I never thought I’d see a picture of myself. A lot of the guys grew up in environments like the NSSA that had this whole structure in surfing. I didn’t get that growing up. I never went to one NSSA contest. I am so proud of that. I think I’m the only one that can say that I never competed as an amateur. When I was a kid, there was no amateur division. I started pro. I had to surf against Nuuhiwa and those guys. It was a trip. Talk about shock. Imagine that you’re 13 and you’re in a nose-riding event with David Nuuhiwa. It gave me more appreciation of style. They all had unique signature styles. You could just tap into it and pull your own individual approach. Longboarding is such a breeding ground for something unique. I was really lucky to even be there at the time. It wasn’t what it is now.
You have surfing, then you have me. I am the token photo. I can’t get bummed. I just have to appreciate it for what it is. It’s interesting because I never thought I’d see a picture of myself. A lot of the guys grew up in environments like the NSSA that had this whole structure in surfing. I didn’t get that growing up. I never went to one NSSA contest. I am so proud of that. I think I’m the only one that can say that I never competed as an amateur. When I was a kid, there was no amateur division. I started pro. I had to surf against Nuuhiwa and those guys. It was a trip. Talk about shock. Imagine that you’re 13 and you’re in a nose-riding event with David Nuuhiwa. It gave me more appreciation of style. They all had unique signature styles. You could just tap into it and pull your own individual approach. Longboarding is such a breeding ground for something unique. I was really lucky to even be there at the time. It wasn’t what it is now.
What is it now?
It has lost all touch with those guys. It has moved away from that whole mentality.
It has lost all touch with those guys. It has moved away from that whole mentality.
How do you feel about that?
It’s sad. It’s depressing. I did my first event in ’90 and then I did the whole ASP tour of ’91. I finished third when I was 15. That was rad. Damien Hardman, Barton Lynch and all of those guys looked out for me because I was just a little kid traveling around with them.
It’s sad. It’s depressing. I did my first event in ’90 and then I did the whole ASP tour of ’91. I finished third when I was 15. That was rad. Damien Hardman, Barton Lynch and all of those guys looked out for me because I was just a little kid traveling around with them.
They were all twice as old as you were?
Beschen and those guys were a lot older than I was and they were just coming on the scene, too. I used to compete with Nat. Mark Warren competed in longboarding and so did Wayne. They were really good. They longboarded properly, stylishly. Then to see Joey Hawkins come on the scene and the whole aerial movement started. Then the modern air thing came in and it was cool, but it was still longboarding. Nose riding was still a major principle. Then it went through this major modern fad and it died. Then our whole movement of old boards came in the mid-’90s and it was going good. Nat was right in there judging. And then Nat quit in ’96. When he quit, it just went to shit.
Beschen and those guys were a lot older than I was and they were just coming on the scene, too. I used to compete with Nat. Mark Warren competed in longboarding and so did Wayne. They were really good. They longboarded properly, stylishly. Then to see Joey Hawkins come on the scene and the whole aerial movement started. Then the modern air thing came in and it was cool, but it was still longboarding. Nose riding was still a major principle. Then it went through this major modern fad and it died. Then our whole movement of old boards came in the mid-’90s and it was going good. Nat was right in there judging. And then Nat quit in ’96. When he quit, it just went to shit.
Was that when you thought that the world title was bunk?
I didn’t care. I was over it. I didn’t think it was possible.
I didn’t care. I was over it. I didn’t think it was possible.
Did you think you were shunned by the judges?
To this day, I still think it’s a conspiracy. Longboarding was already bigger than shortboarding. Look at the foam distribution. If you ask what’s made they’ll tell you it’s 60/40. That’s a big difference but they keep it under the rug. Then it got to the point where I was going to quit and they said, “Alright. We’ll let him win one.” That was it.
To this day, I still think it’s a conspiracy. Longboarding was already bigger than shortboarding. Look at the foam distribution. If you ask what’s made they’ll tell you it’s 60/40. That’s a big difference but they keep it under the rug. Then it got to the point where I was going to quit and they said, “Alright. We’ll let him win one.” That was it.
It blows my mind when I read about some of the people you have lost to.
Yeah, there’s no way in hell. I look at the judges and say, “You mean to tell me that I was hanging ten and that guy is not even hanging five and he had a higher score?” I’m not one to argue. I know better. You don’t argue with judges. For anyone coming up that’s competing, don’t ever argue with a judge because you will regret it. Don’t think they won’t remember the time that you questioned their ability or called them an idiot. When you need that .5, they’ll remember that time you called them an idiot. I’ve had it happen.
Yeah, there’s no way in hell. I look at the judges and say, “You mean to tell me that I was hanging ten and that guy is not even hanging five and he had a higher score?” I’m not one to argue. I know better. You don’t argue with judges. For anyone coming up that’s competing, don’t ever argue with a judge because you will regret it. Don’t think they won’t remember the time that you questioned their ability or called them an idiot. When you need that .5, they’ll remember that time you called them an idiot. I’ve had it happen.
You’ve bad-mouthed judges?
No, but I’ve needed a .5 difference and been shunned out. It’s frustrating. I go for the pure enjoyment. The competing part is just to please my sponsors. I could care less about hanging out with a bunch of ex-Australian surfers killing whatever art form that’s left. They’re just butchering it until you almost want to puke. I hate to be so judgmental, but I know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’m not saying that kind of surfing is wrong, but in a competitive arena where you are trying to give something an identity, it just doesn’t work. How are you giving longboarding an identity if you’re just mimicking shortboarding and not surfing nearly as well as shortboarders? You can’t make it seem interesting for TV doing the same thing that somebody like Kelly, who is ten times more exciting to watch, can do ten times better.
No, but I’ve needed a .5 difference and been shunned out. It’s frustrating. I go for the pure enjoyment. The competing part is just to please my sponsors. I could care less about hanging out with a bunch of ex-Australian surfers killing whatever art form that’s left. They’re just butchering it until you almost want to puke. I hate to be so judgmental, but I know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’m not saying that kind of surfing is wrong, but in a competitive arena where you are trying to give something an identity, it just doesn’t work. How are you giving longboarding an identity if you’re just mimicking shortboarding and not surfing nearly as well as shortboarders? You can’t make it seem interesting for TV doing the same thing that somebody like Kelly, who is ten times more exciting to watch, can do ten times better.
It’s like watching pro ball or little league?
That’s how far off it is between the two. If you make it more of an art form and concentrate on style and all the things that longboarding was founded on: footwork, nose riding, trim, and less is more then it becomes easier for people to watch. Longboarding is grounded in a certain way and when surfers wanted to go to a different level, they cut the boards down. The surfing in ’66 when Nat Young won the world title was longboarding’s peak. They should model the judging now around the criteria of that era. The waves they held contests on were different. Everything was on point breaks.
That’s how far off it is between the two. If you make it more of an art form and concentrate on style and all the things that longboarding was founded on: footwork, nose riding, trim, and less is more then it becomes easier for people to watch. Longboarding is grounded in a certain way and when surfers wanted to go to a different level, they cut the boards down. The surfing in ’66 when Nat Young won the world title was longboarding’s peak. They should model the judging now around the criteria of that era. The waves they held contests on were different. Everything was on point breaks.
In junior high school, you were getting out of school to travel the world with Nat Young.
I didn’t even realize it then. When you’re 15, you don’t really realize how important things are.
I didn’t even realize it then. When you’re 15, you don’t really realize how important things are.
Do you think you weren’t appreciative then?
I was appreciative, but I was a young skateboarding punk. I had a different mentality. I definitely felt really blessed. I met Nat when I was 12 at the parking lot at Cardiff. Donald called and said, “Nat Young is gonna be at Cardiff. Be there in 15 minutes.” My dad drove me there so fast. He wanted to see him surf, too. We drove up and Nat did the gnarliest fishtail into the parking lot. He’s ruthless with cars. He drives like a maniac. He floored it, fishtailed in, got out and said, “Fucking shithouse American cars. These things suck.”
I was appreciative, but I was a young skateboarding punk. I had a different mentality. I definitely felt really blessed. I met Nat when I was 12 at the parking lot at Cardiff. Donald called and said, “Nat Young is gonna be at Cardiff. Be there in 15 minutes.” My dad drove me there so fast. He wanted to see him surf, too. We drove up and Nat did the gnarliest fishtail into the parking lot. He’s ruthless with cars. He drives like a maniac. He floored it, fishtailed in, got out and said, “Fucking shithouse American cars. These things suck.”
What kind of car was it?
It was a station wagon. He’s got such an intense presence. Then we went surfing and he killed it. He told my dad, “Your kid’s got a good style.” I was stoked. Two years later, I competed against him at the Life’s a Beach contest. It was in the finals of my first pro event. I was winning for twenty minutes then he put an ass whipping on us. He called me six months later and said, “I’m gonna put you in contact with these French guys. They want to meet you.” They [Oxbow] offered me such a good deal that I couldn’t say no.
It was a station wagon. He’s got such an intense presence. Then we went surfing and he killed it. He told my dad, “Your kid’s got a good style.” I was stoked. Two years later, I competed against him at the Life’s a Beach contest. It was in the finals of my first pro event. I was winning for twenty minutes then he put an ass whipping on us. He called me six months later and said, “I’m gonna put you in contact with these French guys. They want to meet you.” They [Oxbow] offered me such a good deal that I couldn’t say no.
What were your teachers saying about you when left school to surf?
None of them really understood at first. I had one teacher that was really cool. He was a bodyboarder I had gotten into a conflict with at Windansea. I lost my board and tagged him pretty bad. He had to get stitches, and because he was a bodyboarder, I had said some shit to him because he was in the way. I didn’t know who he was. My first day in high school, my first period class was history. He was my teacher, Mr. Brickett. He had taught my brother, too. Normally, they go in alphabetical order but he started with me. He says, “Mr. Tudor, please stand up. Do you remember me?” I didn’t even recognize him. He explained it, and I was like, “Oh, shit.” He ended up being the most understanding teacher of all.
None of them really understood at first. I had one teacher that was really cool. He was a bodyboarder I had gotten into a conflict with at Windansea. I lost my board and tagged him pretty bad. He had to get stitches, and because he was a bodyboarder, I had said some shit to him because he was in the way. I didn’t know who he was. My first day in high school, my first period class was history. He was my teacher, Mr. Brickett. He had taught my brother, too. Normally, they go in alphabetical order but he started with me. He says, “Mr. Tudor, please stand up. Do you remember me?” I didn’t even recognize him. He explained it, and I was like, “Oh, shit.” He ended up being the most understanding teacher of all.
How did your dad play into all of this?
My dad’s been surfing since 1959. In the ’60s, he had a chance to ride for Hansen. He turned it down because he didn’t want to be a professional surfer. He surfs pretty damn good so I had a good example. My brother was super good growing up.
My dad’s been surfing since 1959. In the ’60s, he had a chance to ride for Hansen. He turned it down because he didn’t want to be a professional surfer. He surfs pretty damn good so I had a good example. My brother was super good growing up.
He’s still super good.Did you finish high school?
No. I’ve been out of school since 1991. I learned way more travelling. I feel really fortunate that I got to do all this shit. My brother and my dad didn’t finish school and they’re both successful. If you believe in what you do, it will happen.
No. I’ve been out of school since 1991. I learned way more travelling. I feel really fortunate that I got to do all this shit. My brother and my dad didn’t finish school and they’re both successful. If you believe in what you do, it will happen.
You spent eleven winters in Hawaii?
Yeah, and the localism there goes beyond anything you could fathom. It’s such a small island. Everyone knows everyone. The nearest police station is 20 minutes away. When there’s a fight, the cops don’t get there for 30 minutes. By the time they get there, its over. There’s just one beat-up person. In America, it’s like, “I’m suing you!” In Hawaii, if you’ve got a problem, fight. They solve everything with their fists. It’s like the Wild West for surfing. Any day it’s crowded, chances are you’re gonna see a fight or something that you would see on “Hard Copy.” You just get used to it after a while. I hate to say it, but in a lot of ways it’s good because it keeps things in check. People lose sight of where they’re from. There’s a reason for localism. There are a lot of dangerous people that don’t know what they’re doing and they need reprimanded. Over there, they have a real sense of structure and it works. ‘You’re not from here, you come here on vacation and think you’re gonna take over in two days, take a bunch of pictures and make your money and split? Fuck that. We’re here all year and we’re bigger than you are and you’re gonna abide by the way things work.’
Yeah, and the localism there goes beyond anything you could fathom. It’s such a small island. Everyone knows everyone. The nearest police station is 20 minutes away. When there’s a fight, the cops don’t get there for 30 minutes. By the time they get there, its over. There’s just one beat-up person. In America, it’s like, “I’m suing you!” In Hawaii, if you’ve got a problem, fight. They solve everything with their fists. It’s like the Wild West for surfing. Any day it’s crowded, chances are you’re gonna see a fight or something that you would see on “Hard Copy.” You just get used to it after a while. I hate to say it, but in a lot of ways it’s good because it keeps things in check. People lose sight of where they’re from. There’s a reason for localism. There are a lot of dangerous people that don’t know what they’re doing and they need reprimanded. Over there, they have a real sense of structure and it works. ‘You’re not from here, you come here on vacation and think you’re gonna take over in two days, take a bunch of pictures and make your money and split? Fuck that. We’re here all year and we’re bigger than you are and you’re gonna abide by the way things work.’
Do you surf Waimaea Bay?
Yeah, but it’s too crowded. It’s a joke. It’s like watching a football game. You get your moments but it’s hard because you’ve got a lot of people just trying to make a name for themselves. They’re out there trying to kill themselves for that little picture. It’s not worth it. You can go other places that are just as fun. When I see Waimaea breaking big, I go straight to Maui. You wouldn’t believe how many people do that. Everybody bails out and catches flights to Maui.
Yeah, but it’s too crowded. It’s a joke. It’s like watching a football game. You get your moments but it’s hard because you’ve got a lot of people just trying to make a name for themselves. They’re out there trying to kill themselves for that little picture. It’s not worth it. You can go other places that are just as fun. When I see Waimaea breaking big, I go straight to Maui. You wouldn’t believe how many people do that. Everybody bails out and catches flights to Maui.
Do you see surfing in Hawaii changing a lot?
I think that the hardcore mentality is dying out. A lot of the hardcore localism is dying with the current generation. The majority of the kids there now are second-generation transplants. Their parents moved there in the ’70s and had a kid. Surfing is not their only way out. They have other options. The other guys were kind of brutal. They were street kids that found surfing and they carried that into the water. It’s just not the same. There are still some tough kids, don’t get me wrong. There’s just not as many. It’s still intense. Some guys train all summer just waiting to surf and beat people up. They train all summer, pumping iron, doing jujitsu to be able to protect their spot. It’s pretty wild.
I think that the hardcore mentality is dying out. A lot of the hardcore localism is dying with the current generation. The majority of the kids there now are second-generation transplants. Their parents moved there in the ’70s and had a kid. Surfing is not their only way out. They have other options. The other guys were kind of brutal. They were street kids that found surfing and they carried that into the water. It’s just not the same. There are still some tough kids, don’t get me wrong. There’s just not as many. It’s still intense. Some guys train all summer just waiting to surf and beat people up. They train all summer, pumping iron, doing jujitsu to be able to protect their spot. It’s pretty wild.
What was the story you were telling me about the first time you went surfing on the North Shore?
I got hassled because I was on a longboard. There were no longboarders then and I was just goofing around. I had long hair and looked about as white as you could get. All the locals were giving me shit saying, “Fucking haole, beat it!” It didn’t even phase me. Then out of the blue, this crazy tattooed guy with a zipper on his head said, “Hey, shut up!” He turned out to be Jay Adams. He just stood up for me.
I got hassled because I was on a longboard. There were no longboarders then and I was just goofing around. I had long hair and looked about as white as you could get. All the locals were giving me shit saying, “Fucking haole, beat it!” It didn’t even phase me. Then out of the blue, this crazy tattooed guy with a zipper on his head said, “Hey, shut up!” He turned out to be Jay Adams. He just stood up for me.
Is that when you became friends with Jay?
Yeah, Jay came to my rescue because Stecyk and Skip Engblom were sponsoring me. Since I was part of the SMA [Santa Monica Airlines], he felt it was his job to look out for me. He saved me from getting sent in. I never got hassled again. Ever since, I created a friendship with Jay and paid my respects. I knew who he was. I saw him in all the old Hal Jepsen films. Jay had respect for me because his dad was an old Malibu guy, and he grew up in the longboard culture like Takayama. He got to see them surf growing up. He had an appreciation of the fact that I was surfing in a traditional manner. He gave me credit where most people wouldn’t.
Yeah, Jay came to my rescue because Stecyk and Skip Engblom were sponsoring me. Since I was part of the SMA [Santa Monica Airlines], he felt it was his job to look out for me. He saved me from getting sent in. I never got hassled again. Ever since, I created a friendship with Jay and paid my respects. I knew who he was. I saw him in all the old Hal Jepsen films. Jay had respect for me because his dad was an old Malibu guy, and he grew up in the longboard culture like Takayama. He got to see them surf growing up. He had an appreciation of the fact that I was surfing in a traditional manner. He gave me credit where most people wouldn’t.
SMA sponsored you for skateboarding?
Yeah. It was in Malibu, when I was 12, for surfing but then I also got sponsored for skating. I had a membership to Del Mar when I was in the first grade. I got to watch Steve Steadham skate. When I was nine years old, I got to spend Halloween with Gator at Marina Skatepark. There were only eight people there and Gator was one of them. I watched him skate the keyhole by himself. He had an argyle sweater with the sleeves torn out. He had such good style. That was a good period, but I got burnt out on it because skating died out. Skip was surfing at Malibu one day and I cut him off. I didn’t realize he could surf. He ended up getting up behind me, and caught up with me the whole way. I was like, “Whoa.” I kicked out and he paddled up to me and said, “What’s your name?” I told him my name and he said, “I make skateboards.” I was like, “Really?” He said, “I own SMA.” I knew what that was, so I said, “No way.” He says, “Give me your address. I’ll send you some stuff.” A week later I got a box with a DogTown longboard. Over the years, he was really supportive. He was always calling and checking up on me. One year, I went to Santa Cruz and this was when SCS owned SMA. He introduced me to all the guys at Independent. He introduced me to Novak and then those guys started sending me stuff. They let me skate the cannery. I had a lot of access to skate stuff. This was in the eighth grade. I was skating all the time, so I just got better and better. Then Stecyk told me I needed to go to Think. He said, “It’s a smart move. SMA is dwindling out. It’s all the same association, so make the jump.” He took me to Think, and Think was like, “Yeah. We’ll take care of you.” Then Fausto said, “Let’s do a longboard skate. There’s a good market. We’ll just do it in Japan.” Think was cool. They gave me skate ads. I’m the only surfer to ever have an Independent ad in ‘Thrasher.’ I’m skating in the ad. It was in San Francisco and I’m bombing a hill. The ad had a photo of my dad getting arrested in Malibu after the fight. It said, “Like father, like son”. It was really cool. They did a lot for me.
Yeah. It was in Malibu, when I was 12, for surfing but then I also got sponsored for skating. I had a membership to Del Mar when I was in the first grade. I got to watch Steve Steadham skate. When I was nine years old, I got to spend Halloween with Gator at Marina Skatepark. There were only eight people there and Gator was one of them. I watched him skate the keyhole by himself. He had an argyle sweater with the sleeves torn out. He had such good style. That was a good period, but I got burnt out on it because skating died out. Skip was surfing at Malibu one day and I cut him off. I didn’t realize he could surf. He ended up getting up behind me, and caught up with me the whole way. I was like, “Whoa.” I kicked out and he paddled up to me and said, “What’s your name?” I told him my name and he said, “I make skateboards.” I was like, “Really?” He said, “I own SMA.” I knew what that was, so I said, “No way.” He says, “Give me your address. I’ll send you some stuff.” A week later I got a box with a DogTown longboard. Over the years, he was really supportive. He was always calling and checking up on me. One year, I went to Santa Cruz and this was when SCS owned SMA. He introduced me to all the guys at Independent. He introduced me to Novak and then those guys started sending me stuff. They let me skate the cannery. I had a lot of access to skate stuff. This was in the eighth grade. I was skating all the time, so I just got better and better. Then Stecyk told me I needed to go to Think. He said, “It’s a smart move. SMA is dwindling out. It’s all the same association, so make the jump.” He took me to Think, and Think was like, “Yeah. We’ll take care of you.” Then Fausto said, “Let’s do a longboard skate. There’s a good market. We’ll just do it in Japan.” Think was cool. They gave me skate ads. I’m the only surfer to ever have an Independent ad in ‘Thrasher.’ I’m skating in the ad. It was in San Francisco and I’m bombing a hill. The ad had a photo of my dad getting arrested in Malibu after the fight. It said, “Like father, like son”. It was really cool. They did a lot for me.
How did that fight go down with your dad?
One person disagreed with clearing the water for a contest, and felt they needed to make a point of interrupting the event that would have been over in three hours. The guy wanted to make a statement. He paddled out and started cutting people off during the heat. When my dad went out to confront him about it, he got real lippy. Then they started fighting. That’s pretty much exactly what happened.
One person disagreed with clearing the water for a contest, and felt they needed to make a point of interrupting the event that would have been over in three hours. The guy wanted to make a statement. He paddled out and started cutting people off during the heat. When my dad went out to confront him about it, he got real lippy. Then they started fighting. That’s pretty much exactly what happened.
Did this happen in the water?
Yeah, and the guy just refused to not fight back. He was a kneeboarder. He took his swim fin off and was hitting my dad with the fin like it was a knife. I rode a wave in and then he paddled back out with me. It was like walking into a human blender. He’s not giant. He’s just tough. Tough is not even the term for it. You could just look at his face and know that he’s been through some heavy shit and you’d better know how to fight. Lance paddled out with me and he took one side of the guy because he was trying to go back out. The guy kind of made the mistake of lunging at Lance, and that was all it took. He made one wrong move, and Lance just pounded him. And because fights never get videotaped from the beginning to see who initiated it, we only have video from the halfway point where there’s two guys pounding on one guy. My dad was pissed, but the guy was hitting him, too. Then they came out of the water. The guy set his kneeboard down, walked back down to the water, washed his face off, and then walked back and waited for the ambulance. Then he went into convulsions and the whole deal. He already had it planned out.
Yeah, and the guy just refused to not fight back. He was a kneeboarder. He took his swim fin off and was hitting my dad with the fin like it was a knife. I rode a wave in and then he paddled back out with me. It was like walking into a human blender. He’s not giant. He’s just tough. Tough is not even the term for it. You could just look at his face and know that he’s been through some heavy shit and you’d better know how to fight. Lance paddled out with me and he took one side of the guy because he was trying to go back out. The guy kind of made the mistake of lunging at Lance, and that was all it took. He made one wrong move, and Lance just pounded him. And because fights never get videotaped from the beginning to see who initiated it, we only have video from the halfway point where there’s two guys pounding on one guy. My dad was pissed, but the guy was hitting him, too. Then they came out of the water. The guy set his kneeboard down, walked back down to the water, washed his face off, and then walked back and waited for the ambulance. Then he went into convulsions and the whole deal. He already had it planned out.
It was a fake?
Yeah, he knew what he was doing. He just waited for the ambulance. Because of that fight we lost our house and all the credit cards. It’s a pretty heavy thing when your dad goes through shit like that. His hair went from gray to white in six months. I was only 18 when it all went down.
Yeah, he knew what he was doing. He just waited for the ambulance. Because of that fight we lost our house and all the credit cards. It’s a pretty heavy thing when your dad goes through shit like that. His hair went from gray to white in six months. I was only 18 when it all went down.
What happened to Lance?
Lance was on welfare. There was nothing they could take from him. They had to make an example out of somebody, so they chose the working class, white suburban male. The person it hits the hardest makes the biggest impact and that’s what people want to read about. ‘Family man loses home.’ Luckily, the judges were cool enough not to sentence them. They each got three years for two felony counts. They called it two separate fights. The judge said, “I’m suspending the sentence because this is just a bar room brawl that just happened to be videotaped.” He said, “Had this been anywhere else and there were no tape, it would’ve had no relevance.” But they had video proof. It was on ‘Court TV’. Our trial was on afterward the O.J. trial every day. It was on ‘Hard Copy’. The video is a joke. I don’t get it. Luckily, it’s all over now. Everything worked out for the better. I had to pay a lot of lawyer bills, but that’s the least I can do. I definitely have a different take on violence in the water. Be discreet about it. Don’t let anyone tape it.
Lance was on welfare. There was nothing they could take from him. They had to make an example out of somebody, so they chose the working class, white suburban male. The person it hits the hardest makes the biggest impact and that’s what people want to read about. ‘Family man loses home.’ Luckily, the judges were cool enough not to sentence them. They each got three years for two felony counts. They called it two separate fights. The judge said, “I’m suspending the sentence because this is just a bar room brawl that just happened to be videotaped.” He said, “Had this been anywhere else and there were no tape, it would’ve had no relevance.” But they had video proof. It was on ‘Court TV’. Our trial was on afterward the O.J. trial every day. It was on ‘Hard Copy’. The video is a joke. I don’t get it. Luckily, it’s all over now. Everything worked out for the better. I had to pay a lot of lawyer bills, but that’s the least I can do. I definitely have a different take on violence in the water. Be discreet about it. Don’t let anyone tape it.
What do you feel about the injustice of it?
It’s hard when your dad loses his house. I can understand where the guy is coming from trying to make his statement. I’ve been in Hawaii and seen contest after contest at Pipeline. I know what it’s like wanting to surf and not being able to go out because of a women’s bodyboarding contest. I’m paying to live here, and I want to be able to surf. I know what it’s like, but at the same time, if you’re gonna start a fight, then you bring it upon yourself. I just don’t think the guy deserved anything. We lost the court case, and the civil suit. We had to pay the guy $26,000 in punitive damages on top of everything else. The lawyer’s cut was like $100,000. Then we got hit with a civil suit. We had to pay for a lawyer again at $150 an hour. We lost the house.My dad was like, “Pack your shit.”
It’s hard when your dad loses his house. I can understand where the guy is coming from trying to make his statement. I’ve been in Hawaii and seen contest after contest at Pipeline. I know what it’s like wanting to surf and not being able to go out because of a women’s bodyboarding contest. I’m paying to live here, and I want to be able to surf. I know what it’s like, but at the same time, if you’re gonna start a fight, then you bring it upon yourself. I just don’t think the guy deserved anything. We lost the court case, and the civil suit. We had to pay the guy $26,000 in punitive damages on top of everything else. The lawyer’s cut was like $100,000. Then we got hit with a civil suit. We had to pay for a lawyer again at $150 an hour. We lost the house.My dad was like, “Pack your shit.”
You were there during the fight with Nat in Australia, too?
Yeah, I feel like I’m getting the kiss of death sometimes. I’ve been around for the worst stuff ever. I was there. I was visiting him with John Peck. They hadn’t seen each other in 25 years. John Peck came to Australia and was staying with Bob Cooper. Peck and I are really close. He never had kids, so I kind of feel in a lot of ways he considers me his son. He’s crazy. He’s got long hair and a beard and looks like Jesus. He meditates and they all think he’s out there but he is totally there. So he calls and says, “I’m coming to Australia. Let’s go to Noosa and go the contests.” Then, Nat came down there to meet us but he left early. He wanted us to come up and visit the farm so we loaded up the car. It was John, my Japanese distributor and me, and the guy that does my boards. We drove up the coast and surfed Snapper rocks. We got to Nat’s and ate dinner with him that night. That day, Nat had cut his fingertips off with a grinder. One of the chairs in the house broke and he was fixing it. The phone rang and he went to answer the phone, and WHAM! It took his fingertips off on his right hand. His hand was bandaged up at dinner. Then he said, “If I don’t come out in the morning, it’s because of this fucking guy I got into a fight with. This guy’s had a thing with me for five years.” The guy is super jealous of Nat. He’s fifty years old and owns all these things. He never works and he surfs every day. This guy is on the dole. He’s actually a good surfer but he brutally pounded a few people, in the town of Angourie. Nat was saying, “If I’m not out, it’s because of this guy. I’m not in the mood to get in a hassle.” So I wake up in the morning. It’s perfect Angourie. I’m like, “John. Get up. The sun’s rising. It’s insane.” This photographer, Mark Thompson was there, so I have footage of that day. It’s really cool stuff. It’s interesting how things unfold. All morning, we were having the best time ever. It was blue skies and sunny waves. It got to be 11 o’clock, and the sun was getting to be too much. I had to go put sunscreen on, so I come in. I start to walk around the point to go to Nat’s house and get my shit. Then I see Nat coming around the point from his house. He was just looking at the waves. He was pissed because he hadn’t been out all morning. He was antsy. He was with Beau. He said, “What’s up, Morris?” He always calls me ‘Morris.’ I said, “Where have you been? It’s been going off all morning and you’re just now getting here? Did you sleep in a little bit?” He said, “Fuck you.” He goes out, gets the first wave, catches it, kills it, paddles back out and swings wide over in the bay. He spins around and gets another one. As he was spinning around to go, this guy leans over his shoulder, and yells, “Get fucked!” The guy was younger than I was. He was only 19. Then Nat paddles back out. I’m right there. Mitch is right there. Mitch says, “I’m gonna go surf.” Nat said, “I’m over it. I can get this any day.” He lives in Australia. He packs all of his stuff and he goes up the point. I go the long way, so I heard the kid yell. Mitch and I both kind of looked at each other. We were like, “Oh, this is gonna be good.” Nat doesn’t put up with any shit. I said, “I don’t want to see this.” I’ve seen this a million times. He’s going to verbally reprimand the kid. The kid is gonna shy down and not say anything. Nat paddled back out and the kid got right in his face. The bay is like an amphitheater. You can hear conversations in the water. The kid started going off yelling, “Get fucked!” He was going off, and Nat was like, “Huh? Huh?” BAM! He tagged the kid, because if the kid was gonna bring it on, then he better be ready. Nat hit him and his nose starts bleeding. The kid is the son of the guy Nat had been having problems with. Nat said, “Wise up little punk. I’ve been here since 1967. Don’t talk shit to me.” He had every right. He’s the oldest elder. It’s like mouthing off to the oldest Indian in your tribe. So, Nat popped him. The kid kept lipping off and then he started saying he was gonna call the cops. Nat said, “You want to call the cops? I’ll take you to the police station. Let’s go right now you little punk. I’ll drive you there and I’ll tell them every word you said to me and they’re gonna tell you that you deserved it.” British colonial rule is different than American law. There’s no ‘I’m gonna sue you.’ They just decide right there in the police station. Nat’s goes in with the kid and the kid’s dad is coming in behind them on his longboard.
Yeah, I feel like I’m getting the kiss of death sometimes. I’ve been around for the worst stuff ever. I was there. I was visiting him with John Peck. They hadn’t seen each other in 25 years. John Peck came to Australia and was staying with Bob Cooper. Peck and I are really close. He never had kids, so I kind of feel in a lot of ways he considers me his son. He’s crazy. He’s got long hair and a beard and looks like Jesus. He meditates and they all think he’s out there but he is totally there. So he calls and says, “I’m coming to Australia. Let’s go to Noosa and go the contests.” Then, Nat came down there to meet us but he left early. He wanted us to come up and visit the farm so we loaded up the car. It was John, my Japanese distributor and me, and the guy that does my boards. We drove up the coast and surfed Snapper rocks. We got to Nat’s and ate dinner with him that night. That day, Nat had cut his fingertips off with a grinder. One of the chairs in the house broke and he was fixing it. The phone rang and he went to answer the phone, and WHAM! It took his fingertips off on his right hand. His hand was bandaged up at dinner. Then he said, “If I don’t come out in the morning, it’s because of this fucking guy I got into a fight with. This guy’s had a thing with me for five years.” The guy is super jealous of Nat. He’s fifty years old and owns all these things. He never works and he surfs every day. This guy is on the dole. He’s actually a good surfer but he brutally pounded a few people, in the town of Angourie. Nat was saying, “If I’m not out, it’s because of this guy. I’m not in the mood to get in a hassle.” So I wake up in the morning. It’s perfect Angourie. I’m like, “John. Get up. The sun’s rising. It’s insane.” This photographer, Mark Thompson was there, so I have footage of that day. It’s really cool stuff. It’s interesting how things unfold. All morning, we were having the best time ever. It was blue skies and sunny waves. It got to be 11 o’clock, and the sun was getting to be too much. I had to go put sunscreen on, so I come in. I start to walk around the point to go to Nat’s house and get my shit. Then I see Nat coming around the point from his house. He was just looking at the waves. He was pissed because he hadn’t been out all morning. He was antsy. He was with Beau. He said, “What’s up, Morris?” He always calls me ‘Morris.’ I said, “Where have you been? It’s been going off all morning and you’re just now getting here? Did you sleep in a little bit?” He said, “Fuck you.” He goes out, gets the first wave, catches it, kills it, paddles back out and swings wide over in the bay. He spins around and gets another one. As he was spinning around to go, this guy leans over his shoulder, and yells, “Get fucked!” The guy was younger than I was. He was only 19. Then Nat paddles back out. I’m right there. Mitch is right there. Mitch says, “I’m gonna go surf.” Nat said, “I’m over it. I can get this any day.” He lives in Australia. He packs all of his stuff and he goes up the point. I go the long way, so I heard the kid yell. Mitch and I both kind of looked at each other. We were like, “Oh, this is gonna be good.” Nat doesn’t put up with any shit. I said, “I don’t want to see this.” I’ve seen this a million times. He’s going to verbally reprimand the kid. The kid is gonna shy down and not say anything. Nat paddled back out and the kid got right in his face. The bay is like an amphitheater. You can hear conversations in the water. The kid started going off yelling, “Get fucked!” He was going off, and Nat was like, “Huh? Huh?” BAM! He tagged the kid, because if the kid was gonna bring it on, then he better be ready. Nat hit him and his nose starts bleeding. The kid is the son of the guy Nat had been having problems with. Nat said, “Wise up little punk. I’ve been here since 1967. Don’t talk shit to me.” He had every right. He’s the oldest elder. It’s like mouthing off to the oldest Indian in your tribe. So, Nat popped him. The kid kept lipping off and then he started saying he was gonna call the cops. Nat said, “You want to call the cops? I’ll take you to the police station. Let’s go right now you little punk. I’ll drive you there and I’ll tell them every word you said to me and they’re gonna tell you that you deserved it.” British colonial rule is different than American law. There’s no ‘I’m gonna sue you.’ They just decide right there in the police station. Nat’s goes in with the kid and the kid’s dad is coming in behind them on his longboard.
He’s a big guy?
He’s not a big guy; he just likes to fight. It was pretty heavy.
He’s not a big guy; he just likes to fight. It was pretty heavy.
You saw this?
No, dude, I missed it by two seconds. If I saw it, I would have run in with a rock or something. I wouldn’t have just stood there like Beau did. Anyway, they’re on the beach, and the kid and Nat are exchanging words, and the guy comes in and starts provoking Nat right away. He starts slapping him and trying to get him to fight. Nat’s got his whole hand taped up. It looks like a claw. He’s got all his fingers taped together in a rubber glove with a surf glove over it. His right hand is worthless. All he’s got is a left. He said, “Look I’m over it. I’m not fighting. This has nothing to do with you.” The guy says, “That’s my kid! Fuck you!” Nat said, “I’m not fighting with you. I’m done.” He turned his back to walk away, and the guy came from the side, and knocked him out. He broke Nat’s jaw and knocked him out cold on his back. Then the guy climbed on Nat’s chest and started beating him. He was saying, “Do you think you’re God? I’m God!” Beau said it was gnarly. Beau’s such a peaceful gentle kid. It happened so quickly that it wasn’t something that he had any control over. John wasn’t gonna go in because John is like a yogi and he’s not gonna get into a violent confrontation. Mitch, my Japanese guy is star-struck and couldn’t believe what was going on. This goes on and the guy kicks the shit out of him….
No, dude, I missed it by two seconds. If I saw it, I would have run in with a rock or something. I wouldn’t have just stood there like Beau did. Anyway, they’re on the beach, and the kid and Nat are exchanging words, and the guy comes in and starts provoking Nat right away. He starts slapping him and trying to get him to fight. Nat’s got his whole hand taped up. It looks like a claw. He’s got all his fingers taped together in a rubber glove with a surf glove over it. His right hand is worthless. All he’s got is a left. He said, “Look I’m over it. I’m not fighting. This has nothing to do with you.” The guy says, “That’s my kid! Fuck you!” Nat said, “I’m not fighting with you. I’m done.” He turned his back to walk away, and the guy came from the side, and knocked him out. He broke Nat’s jaw and knocked him out cold on his back. Then the guy climbed on Nat’s chest and started beating him. He was saying, “Do you think you’re God? I’m God!” Beau said it was gnarly. Beau’s such a peaceful gentle kid. It happened so quickly that it wasn’t something that he had any control over. John wasn’t gonna go in because John is like a yogi and he’s not gonna get into a violent confrontation. Mitch, my Japanese guy is star-struck and couldn’t believe what was going on. This goes on and the guy kicks the shit out of him….
martes, 18 de agosto de 2015
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martes, 11 de agosto de 2015
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FISH FRY 2015
FISH FRY 2015 from Deus ex Machina on Vimeo.
The Deus Fish Fry in Bali: a day for the young, the old and every age in between. The event is all about appreciating and riding a vast array of different surfboards. With an eclectic array of wave riding craft planted on the grassy knoll down at Tugu Beach, board enthusiasts admired and rode through the morning.
The girls and guys alike cross-stepped, trimmed and cut back on short, long, thick and thin surfboards. Once again, we were gifted with perfect surf and weather. The clean and open-faced Tugu walls were wonderful blank canvases for the various styles of riding. Along with the boards we condone sharing waves, stories and laughs.
Over the years we’ve experienced a range of conditions for our event. Whether it’s lake-like, bombing or anywhere in between, the one thing that stays the same is the vibe. And if this video is anything to go by, the vibe was damn good.
sábado, 1 de agosto de 2015
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