Fall in love (or asleep) with Cori Schumacher!
Full disclosure: Derek hates this podcast. With a passion. Didn’t want to run it. Here’s the review he sent to Rory:
I find Cori’s opinions soft, predictable, conformist, complainist, her life story dull and her stories anything but spectacular enough to warrant asking our readers to give it an hour of their lives. I know you dig her stuff, and that’s cool, but I couldn’t find one moment that might lift the interview from complaint-fest to…
how to change the world.
If that’s what she’s trying to.
I felt like I was stuck at a party in Portland listening to the same old tired tropes, getting drunker and drunker trying to drown out this grim women burning my ears.
But, above all, it has zero relevance to our readers.
Pretty harsh.
So I gave it a listen. Holy fuck, I could not disagree with Derek more. I found Cori to be intelligent, articulate, and downright inspiring. We all bitch and moan about shit that goes down in our respective communities. Cori not only successfully defeated a giant shoreline development, she one up’d herself and ran for local office.
An LGBT environmental activist winning in a Republican town, in the same election that gave us Trump? That’s pretty badass. Never one to keep my mouth shut, even when I should, especially when I should, I hit up Derek. Wrote what I knew was sure to rile him:
Rory said you don’t want to use the podcast with Cori. I knew when I listened to it you’d hate it. Progressive female LGBT activists don’t generally appeal to middle aged straight white guys. You’re either board or threatened by them. I get it. I assume you’re in the board/can’t relate category. No judgment whatsoever. Taste is just that.
Worked like a charm. Anytime you mention to a straight white guy that they are a straight white guy, they get defensive. After all, they are the most oppressed people on the planet, right? Throw in the “oh are you threatened by women” insinuation and you’re sure to get a reaction. No harm in some occasional trolling.
I’m pretty sure Derek’s right though. He knows what he’s doing in the surf world. He created Stab. No magazine was more inclusive to women. Well, if they were willing to get naked and pose for faux artistic erotica.
Interesting that Derek was thrilled with the Anastasia Ashley podcast (Editor’s note: wasn’t. Didn’t want to hurt Rory’s feelings.). Pointed that out to him:
Fuck, you obviously felt that other woman, the butt model, I don’t recall her name, was interesting enough to post. And I thought she was terrible. I wasn’t the only one. The comments were brutal about her lack of substance and irritating affected accent. When Rory tried to get her talking about life all she could come up with was something along the lines of “I want to do good things, like help people and stuff.” From what I can tell, the only thing she’s ever done, is have a nice ass and post pictures of it to instagram. She’s interesting to you, but not me, and apparently not to BeachGrit readers either. And please don’t try to claim I’m somehow engaging in “slut shaming” like you insinuated Cori & Co. did. I’m as sex positive as it comes.
Cori on the other hand, is a woman raised as a conservative Christian, comes out as gay, quits her athletic career to get an education, helps defeat a giant development project, then inspired by that experience, successfully runs for local government in a Republican area, that interests me. That inspires me. There are other people who will feel like me, people who read BeachGrit.
I’m willing to bet you have a lot more “intellectually muted left-wingers” that read BeachGrit than you think. Not everybody feels like you do and not everyone feels like I do. Isn’t a diversity of viewpoints awesome?
After my incessant nagging, Derek caved. Probably just to shut me up:
I couldn’t agree less but I love the fire!
I’ll post when I get home….
Here’s Rory’s take:
I think you’re wrong about the podcast. I don’t think her story is dull. I think it’s uncommon and would speak to a lot of people who don’t feel represented in the surf world. And I think that’s a good thing. Sexuality and women’s surfing is worth discussing, whichever side of the coin you fall on.
As far as the readers, I think they’d listen, some would get angry about it. That’s fine, it’s still engagement. And we do have female readers.
So, long story long, I harassed Derek into posting this. Sorry Derek. Now you know why Rory wants to strangle me.
I’m sure most of you will agree with him and hate it. Don’t blame Derek, blame me. But fuck, some of you might not hate it.
As Rory always says “leave your mean comments below.”
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i have to admit i really enjoyed it and even liked cori’s page after it. i thought she had some interesting ideas on approaching conflict. maybe not a sparkling wit, but that’s not what always gest the job done; (semi-colon, sign of geekdom) and for me it was inspiring to see someone tackling massive problems at a grass roots level.
semis aren’t used in conjunction with conjunctions (geek war!)
Keep fighting the good fight, Ms. Albatross.
I refuse to believe that Mrs Rory can’t spell ‘bored’. Surely it’s a pun? A subtle slight at Derek’s cushy life in the Bored Room?
i would much rather listen to cori than another BG commentor
are you whinging about whinging?
This was fuckin great. Good job Rory – and Rory’s Wife!
Cori puts up a good fight, has conviction in what she does, and has style for days on a surfboard (oh, and world titles!).
Best podcast yet, can’t believe it brought so much drama. Yins and Yangs…I gather that most of us wouldn’t be here if it was all yin or all yang…
Then she runs for city council, wins against overwhelming odds, and actually brings forth positive change.
I haven’t given it listen yet, surf splendour had a really good one with her, changed my opinion on women’s surfing a little – just a little!
Derek is a straight white man (supposedly) and he still mixes up woman/women?
how do you speed it up? I can’t listen that slow
I don’t always agree with Cori Schumacher and I’ve definitely considered her to be a whiney cliche in the past, but this was an interesting listen for sure. It was also one of Rory’s strongest pods.
fucking lol at Derek. a ‘fashion’-disaster bro-down hanger-on who just recently learned to open his shoulders through a turn who has never had to actually do anything worthwhile because of his innumerable cushy surfy surfy little white boy privileges. no complaints, I guess.
Cori fights, and fights hard (and for more than her own interests). It was great to hear her opinions.
As for when I see Derek’s name on a post … you just know you ain’t clickin’ on that post. boring AF.
bait … what bait!? gulp.
More egregious than barrel dodging, to insult someone by insinuating that they don’t open their shoulders is downright brutal.
Consider yourself on notice for irrevocable hostility in the comments section…we can’t have this open forum for intellectual expression devolving into assessments of people’s hideous waveriding mechanics… the site would implode under the weight of our bruised egos!
OK that WAS a harsh call. I am just such a Cori fanboy. I love her. Don’t ban me. My love can grow!
Actually I been a drinking you fuckers. Ban me if you like. Thank you Rory’s wife. I think you are wonderful. I think Rory is wonderful too. I thinks his tubby belly needs a pat. Open relationships are great. You would love me. I am sensual. Like melted chocolate in a winter’s night dropped onto a hairless armpit. Oh the dreams we could make under a poster of Cori being the queen of surf queens.
SCREW YOU DeEREK. OPEN YOUR SHOULDERS.
I feel sick.
Shout out to alcohol for enabling the grandeur of the Grit Empire and enriching the lives of its merry collaborators.
Was a good podcast, I would say it is time to stop mentioning your open relationship for a bit or just bring your damn wife on. Maybe I will start a podcast to talk about the podcast you put out…just to annoy you
The very last thing I want to hear right now is an Australian bitching about an American who took it upon herself to act and not just complain. Are politics boring? Sure. Hell of a lot more important than Gabby Medina’s bathroom selfies though.
That’s near blasphemy TomHouse. Take it back. Take it back right now.
to be honest, i didn’t actually look at the selfies.
For the past year or so I’ve enjoyed watching Cori berate the greedy and out-of-touch Carlsbad mayor and city council of shills in the most factual, informed, calm and polite manner. Congrats Councilwoman Cori!
Rory’s wife should do a podcast titled “Everything is Passive Aggressive!”
I love Cory, but I’ll say it again……who the fuck has an hour and half to listen to someone talk?
C’mon Rory, give us the 20 min version for under-employed layabouts who have nothing better to do with their time.
f’chrissakes, just gave it a go, almost 6mins in and Rory is still on the intro……trial aborted
You’re doing it wrong.
Podcasts aren’t television. They don’t mesh well with undivided attention. They’re essentially ultra low budget talk radio. I listen to them in the background while I cook or clean or write. I used to listen to them at the gym, but I broke my contract there when I noticed the locker room clean up sheet hadn’t been signed in months. Also, I fucking hate working out.
A super tight twenty minute cut would be rad. But that’ll have to wait until I get better at editing (it’s torture for me) or someone volunteers to do it for me.
yeah, maybe.
anyhow, hella enjoyed your Mrs very artful trolling of DR.
Absolutely. I happened to listen to it while stuck in traffic on my way home to Carlsbad. Passed the lagoon/farm 5 minutes too early, before it came on as a topic of the podcast. Would have been perfect. An hour podcast is barely more then half of my commute time. Just keep it going.
North County to LA? Brutal…might I suggest Chris Roberts’ “The Nine Club” skate podcast, if that’s your style.
SD to North County, so not that bad, but yes, I will check it out, need all the good stuff I can get. I would never leave the house if i had to rely just on Rory for drive-time podcasts.
man, I’ll listen to anything for an hour and a half if it means I don’t have to do any work.
Amen, Saint Nick!
we know what counts don’t we Mariano Landa.
I’m surprised at you. Longtom. My internet and print voyeurism always led me to believe you were a thoughtful chap.
Rory is bang on. The beauty of a podcast is the long form. Everything else is distilled into 2 min web edits, 7 minute reads, or fucking gifs and memes. No-one has any focus. It’s exhausting. And it’s nigh on impossible to illicit any depth or worthy comments from someone in 20 mins.
Keep doing what you’re doing, Rory.
people who drive in cars all day has many hours to listen to podcast and breaks up music nicely.
she on the gotdamn takayama with a nose-scoop in one of those pictures, she got a long-ass encyclopedia of surfing entry, she rightfully complained about that dumbass roxy commercial, and rory’s wife likes her so i gotta give it a listen
Well I liked it. Cori is a very intelligent and articulate person and I feel she brought the best out in Rory as well. By far the best podcast he’s done.