In a move rocking the publishing world, Surfer Magazine admits (basically) that it has run out of ideas.
8ish short months ago, Surfer Magazine took a cover concept from the defunct, but brilliant, Transworld Surf. It featured John John Florence with the words “Watch the Throne” written bold. As stated on this very website, the unattributed “borrowing” was, “Not a long enough time ago for Surfer’s issue to be homage. Not a short enough time ago to be ‘we thought of it first just printed late.’ Just the right amount of time ago to be uh oh!” (read whole story here!)
And they have done it again. Transworld‘s first cover under its brilliant, yet enigmatic, creative director Sam Allen, showed a young African boy bodyboarding a wave whilst sticking out his tongue in black and white. It was as bold as it was perfect and I asked Mr. Allen about it one day. How in the world did the magazine agree to such different cover? He told me that he had to swap everything out under cover of darkness and sneak it in. Have you ever heard of such a thing at a major publication? His instincts were, of course, right and today that cover is lauded as one of the best of all time.
Though it is very well known, Surfer apparently has no moral objection to borrowing the concept for their latest cover and feature the same boy (maybe) with his friends standing in the waves and smiling. In black and white.
Sources have confirmed that the Surfer staff is thinking about re-naming their website PeachGrit. We will, of course, keep you up to date.
Hi Boys stoked you took notice of the new Surfer cover! Take a look inside the issue too and I’m sure you’ll appreciate the photos and the history behind it. Truly some of the most inspiring surfers I have ever shot and some of my most loved work in 20 years of living in Indonesia! The simple love of surfing! Cheers from the photographer who took the SHOTS! Jason Childs in Bali
Indonesia ≠ Africa
tws cover much much better.
I spent a year as a junior for Vice in London way back when and plagiarism comes as part of the territory. I even caught my mum trying to rip us off. Unfortunately surfing ‘designers’ aren’t the brightest sparks.
Come on Badger!, VICE! tell us a story or two of the early days there…
Well I got paid nothing and then worked in their pub in the evenings to scrape a wage to live, whilst basically asking every Friday if I could come back on the Monday. For a year.
It was brutal, tiring and everything else you’d associate with a magazine obsessed with crack addicts, grime and gross stuff in jars but it was equally brilliant and inspiring.
I was in one meeting with a large technology brand and my senior told the client that he looked like a cunt and wasn’t aloud to speak for 27 minutes. He was Japanese and it needed to be translated from a very scared looking translator.
Sounds more exciting than my first job in London folding t-shirts with fresh immigrants from North Africa. Probably paid about the same though…
I don’t know when you were there but I worked in the Old Blue Last back when Shoreditch wasn’t shit and overrun with bastards working in Bank. Now I can stare at the sea, close my eyes and still remember the stench of London. Fuck I miss it.
I was there for 5 years before Y2K shut the world down.
Badger I dont think that was the type of story Negatron was referring to. Tell us one that involves going to Dance Tunnel and doing dr*gs out of who knows who’s you know what!!!
I don’t kiss and tell. Wait. No I do. I was also witness to the Strokes first UK gig pre signing with 50 record execs, general bastards, high end dealers and the odd hooker (well I say hooker, I really mean journalists. They’re the same thing right?). We all didn’t end up making cup cakes and drinking tea as their PR would no doubt say.
Fuck I’m old but this was pre Dance Tunnel. Efes and Bardens were a thing though. Now I’m staring out at Capbreton and all is much better with the world.
Was in Bardens last friday trying my fucking damnedest to get with one of those girls with the big ‘ol butts
I hate those exclusive record exec’s type PR nights, My girl was in the “business” of pushing LP’s.. free drinks yes, but people there just for the free drinks. Most not even listening to the poor bands.
But the Stroke’s pre-fame. Ace!!
C´est vrai?? Etes vous a Capbreton? Alors, est-ce que nous sommes freres des vagues landaises??
Alas James the only thing I got from my mum was a bourgeois attitude and a love of coffee and cigarettes. But yes, I am in Capbreton. And no. We’re not brothers. Weirdo.
papuan. not african
surfer>surfing
there is nothing new under the sun. not even Beach Grit, entertaining though it may be. more distressing is the $7.99 cover price, especially when a 12-month Surfer sub costs $10.
they’re both fucken creepy.
Stolen or not, it would be a beautiful cover if not for that retro-60’s fantasy jackoff typeface.
The horror.