David Rastovich on a life very well
examined…
David “Rasta” Rastovich is the just-turned 35-year-old
surfer famous for his environmental activism (Dolphins!)
and endowed with a level of surfing that is as immaculate as
his coca butter skin and glowing smile. What may not be so
well-known is David doesn’t give a damn about what he says and is,
therefore, a rare and intelligent interview.
Let’s learn more…
Nickname: Doc (his initials are DR), DR, Rasta,
Ronavitch.
Music: I was in a collaboration project with
(Cronulla surfer) Terapai Richmond, Ash Grunwald, the lead singer
from King Tide and others. I played whatever I could,
mainly percussion, to fit in. I’m into every kind of music except
pop which I think is more about making money and fostering image. A
favorite track is Golden Brown by the Stranglers. I like Ernest
Ranglin and Loose Jam.
Romance: It’s about diversity on all levels.
Being open-minded, creative, going interesting places and not doing
clichéd, stereotypical things. It can be as simple as the way you
talk and communicate with each other to sexual things.
Diet: Vegan. I eat organic and go to the local
farmers markets every Tuesday. For 35 dollars I can eat for a week.
I don’t drink or eat chocolate and I don’t support massive food
chains that use pesticides and who unnecessarily ship foods to
places that don’t need them.
Grooming: As long as my hairy ass is warm
I’m good. I don’t want logos all over my threads. Obviously, no
leather or animal fibres. Billabong have organic cotton products
which I get around in. I dress practically as opposed to image
based.
Haircare: I haven’t washed my hair in 10 years.
Once, I got lice sleeping on a dank mattress in Mexico. I had to
shave my head and use anti-lice shampoo. There was another time
when I was in India with Taylor Steele and Dustin Humphrey. We were
on a river ferry and my hair was long and seedy and we were bored
so we washed it.
Weapon shape: Gary McNeill 5’10”, stringerless
board with carbon rails, a pulled-in tail and a deep concave. It’s
made out of a sugar cane substitute instead of polyurethane. It’s
strong, fast and light.
Car: Toyota Troopie, which is insane for
camping and tripping. And a beaten up Holden Rodeo for around
home.
Movies: The Cove (a documentary about
the wrangling and killing of dolphins in Japan) is amazing. I
worked closely with that. I like films from Asia and the Middle
East. Fantastic Planet is amazing and left field. You
don’t know who the actors are, what’s gonna happen, it’s so new and
fresh.
Fun: Mountain biking in the hills behind
my house.
Liquor: Coopers Green pale ale. No
preservatives, thick, lagery and smooth. There is a brand of
Vejo-flavoured vodka made by 42 degree below. It’s a New Zealand
fruit that I’m in love with.
Payment: Credit card so I can keep a
record for tax purposes.
Confrontation: Not into it. I’ve been in
the middle of it a few times. When someone is drunk or high on
something I get rattled. But, being involved in conflicts in an
environmental protest I love. I was in a Sea Shepherd confrontation
in Ecuador and the one with fisherman in Japan. In those scenarios
I can’t have any form of aggression. If you sit there peacefully it
highlights their insanity.
Computer: Weathered old MacBook Pro. The
CD doesn’t work and the keys are tweaked.
Indulgence: A few beers and sleep deprivation.
It’s my fetish. I love how twisted and creative my mind gets after
being awake for a couple of days. I don’t necessarily have alcohol
or anything in my system but I enjoy that delirium you get into and
how quirky and creative you get.
Surfing: I’m not in that world. I don’t see
anyone surf anymore. Uncontrived, someone who lets it come out
whether they’re on a bodyboard, goat-boat, shortboard, grandpa,
little girl. Someone who lets it come out of them without
controlling it or concocting their style and plan. Same with
music.
Contraception: Meditation.
Training: One hour of yoga a day. And an
hour-and-a-half paddleboard session. And bike riding in the
hills.
Spending: I don’t have any luxuries. I don’t
buy CD’s cause I play music and I don’t buy shampoo cause I don’t
wash my hair. Just chip away at a home loan.
TV: Don’t have one.
Airline: No preference. I don’t always pay
for the carbon-offset program. It’s a bit funky, that, large offset
programs where companies are selling old-growth forests to set up
new ones. And this is supposed to give companies a good name for
offsetting their carbon?
Pets: Brush turkeys and ibis birds and
pelicans that roam around my house, but no pets.
Surf Psyche: Waves. I saw a video that got
me more psyched to surf than any other – Searching For Michael
Peterson. I’m from Burleigh where all those guys are from, and
they use to be out there when I was a grommet.
Backside tube: No hands.
Education: I finished high school, but the
things I value the most I have learned through travel. The
essentials of learning to write, talk and communicate are the base.
But, in terms of treating people, experience in life and
appreciation of things, travel is the best education.
Wave: Anything empty really. I’m not a
human’s human. I would rather surf waves that are less perfect with
no one out there.