Surfing Magazine's ex-editor-in-chief surfs Alaska and does the Dew!

I was once an editor-at-living-large at Surfing Magazine. It was during the benevolent reign of editor-in-chief Taylor Paul. He was very kind, with an easy smile and wonderful gait. He walked on his toes, just a bit, like he was walking on air. Like he was better than everyone.

And he kind of was. We drove from San Clemente, one week, all the way to his home in Santa Cruz and beyond. We laughed. We stole wine. He surfed and I complained about the cold. It was magical and, if I recall, we wrote a story that won surfing’s version of the Pulitzer. The nothing.

Life moved along. He got married to a wonderful girl with an even easier smile. She walked on her toes too, like air, but actually is better than everyone because her life is dedicated to saving the hideously ugly elephant seal. She is a saint.

Life moved along even more and Taylor shifted as editor-in-chief to an at-large role and I heard he went to Alaska with his wife but I did not know what he was doing there and I did not care because it is cold.

And then, this morning on his Instagram account, I saw this.

That is Taylor Paul getting barreled. That is him on his toes, just a bit. That is him occupying the same piece of stratosphere that Li’l Wayne once did.

Did you know Li’l Wayne was a spokesman for Mountain Dew? They quickly dropped him for rapping something vulgar and racist/misogynistic (read here!)

Don’t worry, Mountain Dew. Taylor Paul will not let you down. You have chosen……wisely.