Surfer Mag to Eddie: “We made a mistake!”

Surfer magazine politely requests forgiveness from king of the North Shore!

Last week, we reported that Da Hui Eddie Rothman had chased Surfer mag photo editor Grant Ellis off the beach. It was one of those rumours that we superficially laugh at while being acutely aware that but for the grace of God, go we.

I remember, many years ago, when Fast Eddie brought me under his wing. I’d written a small piece in an Australian surfing magazine on Reno Abillera after the North Shore icon had disappeared while facing cocaine distribution charges.

“If you see Reno,” I wrote. “Give him a change of clothes, maps, food, and a place to stay.”

Other magazines had sternly warned about helping the alleged felon and suggested a call to the police. Eddie preferred my approach.

That winter, after enjoying the hospitality of Eddie and his wife, marvelling at their gorgeous Sunset Beach home with well-equipped gym and giant stuffed turtle on the wall, and meeting his delightful young son Makua, I wrote a long piece on Eddie that included the suggestion that if I misplaced a word I’d be “pushing up pinepples in a lonely field somewhere.”

“Funny guy,” said Eddie, reading the story before it went to press. “You go to school to write like this?”

Yeah, ok, I know. Rule #1 in journalism, don’t show the story to the subject before it goes to press. But, as I figured at the time, I wasn’t exactly writing for The Washington Post. Would it hurt to have the story analysed in this one instance? Would it hurt if I didn’t?

Eddie politely read the story then asked that I delete the paragraph that suggested he murdered writers.

I said, yes, thank you, sir.

Earlier today, BeachGrit received a text message from Fast Eddie that read,

“We sent u the short film called Ulu Aloha check it out. Tell us it was worthy of a nomination. Tony Perez said they made a mistake and were going to do something in their mag. Have a good day yo lets go.”

And so the mystery is revealed!

Fast Eddie was made sad that Ulu Aloha wasn’t nominated for a Surfer Poll award and the Tony Perez mentioned is the group publisher of Surfer and Surfing.

Do you think Ulu Aloha should’ve been nominated? Do you believe, like the Group Publisher himself, that Surfer had “made a mistake” and are therefore now compelled to right this wrong by “doing something in their mag?”

Watch below!