Filipe Toledo winning the US Open of Surfing at HB is
pretty much a given after last year. Ain't nobody able to connect
the languorous dots of that beach like the world number four. So
when he lost his semi-final against Maui's Tanner Hendrickson he,
to quote the photographer, "Killed his board. Dead. This shot
reminds me of The Clash's London Calling cover shot by Pennie
Smith," says Sherm. "In that shot, Paul Simenon smashed his prize
Fender bass when he wasn't getting the sound he wanted." | Photo:
Steve Sherman/IG @TSherms
Gallery: Backstage at the US Open of
Surfing
By Derek Rielly
…with the one, the only, the incredible Steve
Sherman…
It’s abundantly clear that without the photographer
Steve Sherman backstage at a surfing event, the results
will be vulgar, anarchic, hopeless. We might sentimentalise the
low-fi photo but the results, on close inspection, are often clumsy
and ignorant.
What could be more depressing than having such a tight
collection of surfing greats and none of those wonderful
behind-the-scenes moments are stolen?
At the recent Vans US Open of Surfing, the San Diego
photographer Steve Sherman penetrated everything, and
everywhere.
His photos, I believe, have a commercial, contemporary
theatre.
Ain’t it just sweet how Johanne Defay won the US
Open of Surfing against super talents like Carissa Moore? A lil gal
from Reunion Island (now overrun with sharks thereby making surfing
an act of faith) swinging her jams in front of the biggest surf
audience on earth.Filipe’s dad, Ricardo, a three-time Brazil surf
champ and king of Instagram! Who can forget his online feud with
Californian twink Alex Gray. “hei alex gay…sorry, gray, I think you
this wanting suck my dick! sorry but will not give, I am well
settled sexually, and besides, my wife will kill you!!! Fuck
yourself…” BeachGrit adores the spirit of Ricardo for without
Ricardo, or his little panther of a son, surfing would dissolve
into a world of beige.Who doesn’t love mounted police, a world away
from their belligerent, suspicious and brutal car-bound colleagues?
Is it their love of horses that, ironically, humanises these
men?It always feels, in least in my opinion, that
proselytisers for Christianity in this part of southern California
are preaching to the converted. Think of all those beautiful
coffee-coloured Catholic Mexicans who see these sorts of signs and
think, yeah, is true. And as a base rule, most Californians do seem
at least mildly Christian. So why bother beating the
drum?Why glorify youth? Because Japanese teen Hiroto
Ohhara is representative of the Glorious Youth legend. Such
splendour! He wins contest and says, oh man, now I buy cars! What a
cool wave of sanity he is.Catholic Filipe Toledo with his hyper colour
surfboard featuring the Blessed Virgin Mary, the semi-deity who
miraculously conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit and without
her husband’s seed. Apparently, she was at Jesus’ crucifixion too.
So, quite the historical artefact.
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Nature at best: Alligator goes
surfing!
By Ashton Goggans
And is trapped, fate unknown, thereby raising
profound question: whose domain is it?
Yesterday on idyllic Pawley Island, in beautifully
progressive South Carolina, a seven-foot alligator was
seen casually riding waves, frolicking in the water’s
balmy August warmth.
According to The Daily Mail, “Police officers who were
called to the scene followed the amateur four-legged surfer for two
hours as it unhurriedly made its way a mile up the shore.”
(Most likely) the gator took a few lefts on the inside sandbar,
favoring his left hand approach in the small, glassy peelers. Then
he took a look at a couple corners outside, made his way up the
coast slowly, patiently waiting for sets.
Basically, enjoying a Monday afternoon bodywomp!
And fuck if South Carolinians aren’t harsh on outsiders picking
off peaks! A pack of “professional gator trappers” (imagine! The
life!) eventually got close enough to lasso it and drag it from the
water. Like fucking coastal cowboys!
And fuck if South Carolinians aren’t harsh on
outsiders picking off peaks! A pack of “professional gator
trappers” (imagine! The life!) eventually got close enough to lasso
it and drag it from the water. Like fucking coastal
cowboys!
Now, alligators are for me perhaps the only animals scarier than
sharks. Being from Florida, I’ve witnessed attacks from both.
Sharks are quick, their attacks chaotic bursts from below. But
alligators are monsters. They are scrappier, uglier, and just as
fast on land as in the water. They can torque off an appendage with
one dramatic twist.
But part of me thinks, That poor reptilian man-eater! Literally
dragged from the water! The fucker commenced “about 20 Death
Rolls” before trappers got a good handle on him, taped his
trapped-door of a chomper shut, and dragged him away.
What do you think? Should the beast have been allowed to cruise
the coast, sliding summer shorepound as he made his way north?
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It seems like Kelly's been this grizzled old vet for
ages. With his peanut-brown dome and weathered good looks, he's an
elder gladiator, older but no slower, more cunning, maybe slightly
less motivated. But he was a young man once. Not too long ago he
was a Baywatch starring ground breaker who was plastered on my
walls. | Photo: Miles Pitt/casteyewear.com/IG:
casteyewear
“Screw you Robbie Maddison!” says
Slater
By Rory Parker
Actually no, he don't! Instead, twenty five years
of Slater… condensed!
The Kelly Kut, a “borrowed” footage edit of Mr Slater’s
decades-long run at the forefront of performance surfing is a trip
to watch if you were alive and cogent during the early years of his
reign.
It seems like Kelly’s been this grizzled old vet for ages. With
his peanut-brown dome and weathered good looks, he’s an elder
gladiator, older but no slower, more cunning, maybe slightly less
motivated.
But he was a young man once.
Not too long ago he was a Baywatch-starring ground
breaker who was plastered on my walls.
Watching the old footage, juxtaposed with the new, it’s striking
how little he’s improved over the years. His boards are different,
his style a little more perfect, but it’s unreal to ponder how far
ahead of the pack he was, and how long it took everyone to catch
up.
If anyone even has.
Some kids may come close in certain aspects. It’s hard to beat a
teenager’s air game, what with their bendy bones and hyper-flexible
ligaments.
But no one else is the total package, it’s doubtful anyone ever
will be.
This is a killer video, give it a watch. And soon.
‘Cuz there’s a whole lot of sampled content on there, I’ll be
surprised if it doesn’t get yanked from the web post-haste.
Even if Kelly is stoked on it and posted it to his instagram
page. What does he care? He don’t own the footage.
Excerpts Courtesy Of:
‘Flow – The True Story of a Surfing Revolution’
Director: Josh Landon
Koastal Media
‘Blue Horizon’
Director: Jack McCoy
A Coastrain Production
www.jackmccoy.com
‘Focus’
Director: Taylor Steele
Poor Specimen Productions
www.sippingjetstreams.com
‘Good Times’
Director: Taylor Steele
Poor Specimen Productions
www.sippingjetstreams.com
‘Cypher Vision’
Director: Jamie Tierney
Quiksilver Films
www.quiksilver.com
‘Kelly Slater: In Black and White’
Director: Richard R. Woolcott
A Pavillion Film
www.quiksilver.com
‘The September Sessions’
Director: Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson Films
www.jackjohnsonmusic.com
‘Letting Go’
Director: George Opadchy & Jamie Tierney
A Pavillion Film
‘The Dream Tour 2005’
Director: Matt Gye & Shagga
ASP International/Mutiny Media
‘Young Guns 3’
Director: George Opadchy & Jamie Tierney
A Pavillion Film
www.quiksilver.com
‘Campaign’
Director: Taylor Steele
Poor Specimen Productions
www.sippingjetstreams.com
‘Campaign II’
Director: Taylor Steele
Poor Specimen Productions
www.sippingjetstreams.com
‘Days Of Strange’
Director: Ivan Tanjung & Kai Neville
Poor Specimen Productions
www.sippingjetstreams.com
‘What’s Really Goin’ On’
Director: Jason Kenworthy Ryan Ray
Mike Reola
Lost Enterprises/Snapping Turtle Productions
‘Tiny Birds’
Yo La Tengo
Summer Sun
Sire Records
www.yolatengo.com
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This is Outerknown's John Moore and the Japanese
photographer Akira Kobayashi whose photos of Venice in the sixties
are currently being exhibited within GA.
Wow: South African takes over Venice!
By Chas Smith
Damien Fahrenfort used to be a pro surfer. Now he
is rich.
If you know anything about anything, you know
Venice, California is the world’s hottest locale. Who doesn’t want?
There is very delicious food (hello, Flake!), the sun shines
constantly and the people get more beautiful each and every day.
Some try to complain. “Oh…” they moan “…Venice is soooo
over…” while glaring from the corner of their eyes at people more
beautiful than they. Jealousy is ugly!
As you can guess, it is hard to establish in Venice, California
and that is why South Africa’s Damien Fahrenfort becoming a
commercial kingpin is beyond amazing. Over the weekend he opened
the magnificent store General Admission. They sell exactly what you
want, publish a journal, curate your lifestyle and all on Brooks
Ave which, if you know anything about anything, turns into Abbot
Kinney.
Damien (tallest and best looking) stands in his
store.
Damien Fahrenfort used to be a pro surfer. Now is he is a
financial heavyweight and it is definitely worth going to his store
because, also, the t-shirts and pants are spot exactly right. Shawn
Stussy, Danny Fuller, John Moore and Rick Ross went to the opening
party. You should go too, but not to the opening party. It’s over.
Also order here.
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Robbie Maddison taking his moto to Tahiti isn't what
you'd call sublime or gentle or treading gently but it is beautiful
in its absurdity.
Revealed: Robbie Maddison’s Teahupoo
Moto!
By Derek Rielly
Did you wonder how a 100kg machine stayed afloat
long enough to conquer Teahupoo?
Yesterday morning, shortly after we posted
Robbie Maddison’s Teahupoo clip, I got a droll phone call from
the most practical man I know.
Miles Pitt builds movie sets for a living and is responsible for
a ton of similarly gimmicky surf shoots (flares on Bruce Irons and
Jordy Smith’s boards, laser lights in a wave pool). He also owns a
sunglass label that is stupidly successful (Rihanna and Lady GaGa wear ’em.)
Click here etc.
Anyway,
He said, “You know this is fake don’t you?”
I didn’t.
When he explained all the physics behind keeping a motorcycle
afloat, I felt quite dense that I hadn’t even questioned it. We
soon realised that the curtain was going to be lifted on this
elaborate prank at the world premiere, Wizard of Oz-like, that was
happening… now!
I immediately called Chas Smith who was at the premiere. Chas
spoke to his old friend Raimana Van Bastolaer, who was the Tahitian
fixer behind the shoot, inspected the motorcycle, and called
back.
“It’s real,” he said.
And so it was.
The bike is a KTM250 SX modified with skis that
have little fins at the bottom to act as rudders and a paddle
steamer-like back tyre. Maddison chose a two-stroke ’cause it was
less likely to freak out in the water as opposed to a
four-stroker.
The bike was first tested on an eight-mile ride in San Diego’s
Mission Bay. But San Deigo ain’t Tahiti and Mission Bay ain’t
Teahupoo.
At one point, Maddison hit a west bomb, one of those kinky
straight-into-the-barrel waves only the best surfers dare
challenge, and nearly died. Maddison told Rolling Stone,
“There I was on a motorcycle, with the worst thing that could
possibly happen… My friends and crew were completely rattled,
having thought that I had drowned in the wave. It’s the gnarliest
thing I have ever been through.”
Robbie’s modified KTM250, with skis and a
paddle-steamer back tyre.
