Dance parties in Los Angeles and Miami mixed with a
little surf fever? Who doesn't like?
Oliver Kurtz is a professional surfer of much talent
with the best dance party connections. When he is caught
in an elevator of a baroque hotel during Miami Music Week he tells
of experiences that would tease the reader in the most satisfying
way. But everything of note is rendered off the record when Kurtz
has a pang of regret at interview’s end. He says, “I have to be
super cautious ’cause I don’t wanna say too much but obviously I
don’t wanna say too little. I’m super worried about this stuff
revolving all around partying and that kinda scene. It’s a big part
of my life but I don’t wanna be known as the guy who surfs and
parties and no one can take serious.” We take you serious! All
drug-club-party references gone, mostly. Let’s get real!
BEACHGRIT: Have you seen drug use during Miami
Music Week?
OLIVER: Oh! yeah, of course! Are you kidding
me? I mean, the classic ones like coke and molly. But, you know,
for the record, we don’t do those…
BEACHGRIT: I heard you were the cleanest of
livers. Me too! Tell me, how did you get entwined in the club
scene?
OLIVER: My brother got me introduced into this
whole crazy lifestyle. And I love it. The lavish parties, all day
and all night, like here in Miami right now. My brother DJ’d a
party that started at eight in the morning.
BEACHGRIT: Where do you live?
OLIVER: As stupid and cliched as it
sounds, I don’t live anywhere at the moment. My brother puts me up
in LA where I have my car and where all the surf companies are. I’m
sleeping on the floor of his bedroom. I have a sleeping bag and a
pillow. I don’t have a cot. I don’t have anything. Him and his
roommates are rad. They runniest the biggest music blog in the
world (gottadance30.com) and run all these massive events.
BEACHGRIT: Tell me about this super
dance-y DJ apartment…
OLIVER: It’s right at LA airport, a
four-bedroom, two-bath penthouse. with two living rooms. They got
it for a steal because of the airplane noise all day. All the
time there’s one of those fucking airbuses flying to Oz or New
Zealand or Europe. There’s a recording studio in the apartment too.
It’s a fucking sick zone. It’s such a cool world and so different
to what most surfers are accustomed to.
BEACHGRIT: What’s your favourite club in
LA?
OLIVER: It comes down to what you want to
accomplish. You can go to a progressive club or you can go to a big
like Emerson that plays songs that girls know, those places where
the models get to party with celebrities and they get their little
Instagrams and their free bottles and their free drugs. I like good
music in down and city clubs like Sound. But LA compared to Miami?
It’s not even close.
BEACHGRIT: What’s been your most enjoyable
club experience?
OLIVER: When I was 16 my brother took me
out for the first time in Miami. I come from a tiny town in Florida
where the guys pulling the chicks are rednecks and so I don’t pull
chicks there, and I was rolling in this club with, and still to
this day, four of the most beautiful girls I’d seen in my life. We
were treated like royalty everywhere we went. Another time, me and
my friend were with TSO all night in LA. And when TSO is in a club,
the owner clears out the VIP section. So it was me, my friend, TSO
and three girls in our own VIP area. We’d stay 20 minutes and then
beat it. But last night was a wild night, too. There’s always
something.
BEACHGRIT: What’s been your longest
bender?
OLIVER: Oh god! These questions are
tearing me to pieces! Yeah, like any other20 year old I’ve had my
benders but I don’t think I’ll tell the truth on that one.
BEACHGRIT: How about the Nazi, World War
II chic you were into a few years back?
OLIVER: The World War II uniforms? My
grandparents fought in World War II and there was stuff lying
around the house and I tried wearing it and blew it out. I love the
colour black and I have an offset fashion sense. I’m sure not about
the Nazi life. I’m signed to a clothing company (the fabulous
Brixton) but I put my own twist on things.
BEACHGRIT: What’s the biggest lie you’ve
said to steal a gal…
OLIVER: I’m not that kinda guy. It more, pisses
me of more than anything to say something you’re not to try and
bang a chick. It’s the most pathetic thing in the world. if a girl
doesn’t like your personality and how you look and what comes out
of your damn mouth, saying something you’re not is the biggest
fucking lie in the world.
BEACHGRIT: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve
seen in Florida?
OLIVER: Dude, I’m from the south where
they still fly confederate flags on their trucks. It depends on
what you think is fucked up because I have a lot of friends who do
a lot of weird things.
BEACHGRIT: If we’re going to talk about
pals, let’s talk about your pal-ship with Taj Burrow. What do you
like about being his friend?
OLIVER: It’s rad because we always joke
about him being my babysitter. We met in Tahiti for the first time
and I was psyched we were able to hit it off. Friendship and why
people like each other is hard to explain. I have no idea why we’ve
become such good friends. Obviously we have the same interests. And
he surfs great, he’s super successful, interested in investments,
such an inspiring person to hang with day to day.
BEACHGRIT: What’s the most fucked-up
you’ve been on a flight?
OLIVER: I have my Xanax here and there but
I’m not like Wardo who has to be tied down to his seat. I like to
keep as private a profile as possible so I’m never super
flamboyant.
BEACHGRIT: Tell me your best celebrity
hookup?
OLIVER: That’s another one that I haven’t
been able to tell anyone, yeah… I’ve hooked up with a pretty
famous model but it’s not one that… I’m sorry, I
can’t… I’m sorry, I can’t it’s too personal. She has a
boyfriend so I’m not even going close to it.
BEACHGRIT: Is she American or
European?
OLIVER: She’s American.
BEACHGRIT: Under or over 30?
OLIVER: Under 30.
BEACHGRIT: Yellow or brown hair?
OLIVER: I’m not telling! It’s a secret.
You gotta have secrets!
BEACHGRIT: What are you serious about?
OLIVER: Surfing’s a respect thing and if
you don’t have respect you don’t have anything. Sponsors might pay
someone hundreds of thousands of dollars but if you don’t have
respect you’re a joke.
BEACHGRIT: So how do you get that
respect?
OLIVER: That’s why I’m working hard to
surf waves that are out of my comfort zone and that provoke, case
in point going to Hawaii or surfing Ours the other day. I don’t
wanna be known as a joke. I want to be taken seriously.
BEACHGRIT: Tell me how you live,
philosophically…
OLIVER: It’s all about having an open
outlook and being available and having fun. Keep your plans open,
don’t expect anything and be ready for anything. And don’t be a
little bitch.
(Editor’s note: this interview appears in issue 74 of Stab
magazine, a surf title with much sophistication and graphic
jazzmatazz…)
