No really, I'm curious!
We learned yesterday via Chas via Stab what surfing is. Here’s a quick excerpt:
Surfing ain’t long-hairs and doobie-suckers no more. Surfing is suited-and-booted stockbrokers. It’s university students who’ve smelt the roses and don’t swallow the evening news. It’s just-18-year-olds whose trunks end above the knee. Surfing is beavertails and logs and empowered women who ain’t adverse to a Brazilian cut, but it’s also 540s and double oops. Right now, surfing is goddamn hot and, most of all, inspired.
And Chas via Stab is not wrong. Surfing is all of those things and more but… how much more?
For instance, can we really be safe to assume that what Matt Meola’s dance constitutes as surfing? Sure he’s riding waves on a board, but other than that, can you pinpoint any semblance of our sport? Let’s watch his new video, Numb, to find out.
Five. Throughout the four minutes and thirty seconds of Numb I counted five (5) things that can be considered standard, somewhat-relatable surfing. The other 95% of the clip consists of flips, spins, overspins, air-backs, layback body varials, and a host of other insults to Joel Parkinson.
By 2050 these moves might be considered conventional, but in 2017 Meola is ahead of his time. I imagine people thought similarly of Christian Fletcher back in his heyday. Is this even surfing they wondered, as he popped little wheelies down the Lowers left.
At risk of agreeing with Morgan Dunce, I find Meola’s act a bit tiring. While I appreciate that he’s pushing the limits of aerial surfing, I can’t help but wonder why Matt chooses not to dabble in other facets of the sport.
Meola demonstrates only a few rail turns and exactly zero barrels throughout this clip. Airs are great, but when you expect one every section they shed weight like a bitch in summer. (The dog kind of bitch! You know like.. with their fur)
That’s why JJF is such a treasure. He’ll make the barrel of your life and follow it with a turn from hell OR a spic-and-span rotation. Spontaneity is the spice of life and Meola needs more seasoning!
…Plus maybe some ice for those knees. Jesus.
Is it just me or is JJF the most boring fuck ever. At this point his “what the fuck” moments are overly expected, in a way he reminds me of white wetsuit Slater. The guy is blander than a box of rocks I’d rather listen to 45 minute Occ-cast than a JJF post heat interview
Not trying to take anything away from the guy, he’s carved himself a wonderful niche and his air game is pushing the limits but he’s just unbelievably un-relatable to surfing at a personal standpoint. Which makes me wonder could he stick half of these things anywhere else than Maui? If so without that atrocious air wind would they look the slightest bit better?
Tks Trash!!!
Mike C, the godfather of regurgitated rhetoric, demands originality, variety, and spontaneity…
To a mind numbing extent, professional athletes practice their respective trades (i.e. Ray Allen’s storied pregame routine of 150 makes in 20 minutes). Meola is sharpening his blade, just like his compatriots across all sporting disciplines. Mike, you should take a page out of their book. Hone your skill, and possibly avoid getting ripped every time you write.
You currently hold the title for the most accounts and avatar name changes.
That shit is insane …. dude’s rippin….
There is no Kelly 2.0. Looking a LOT like 1.1, actually, no, 0.8. The ‘king’ is dead, he should fuck off with grace. He’s currently not, just not.
I don’t doubt that at all.. I just like surf edits to cover a bit of everything
well it’s only a video.
Understood but.. he is THE benchmark for most aspects of modern surfing. To compare to anyone else would be pointless. Why not just go all the way to the top?
About time old Velcro-Toes through out an edit bone.
To draw a parallel with skateboarding, this is like ‘tech’ skating and big wave is like big handrail and gaps. It’s all part of it. There was an ‘air tour’ at one time, right?
Joel Parkinson reference was fucking genius.
who cares how this guy surfs. He is doing what feels good to him at a spot that know one else is surfing. Who are we to judge his surfing? Thats like being bummed at Dane for not competing or hating loggers for hanging ten. What a giant waste of time. Go surf or don’t.
At least there’s no kickflips?
And those one-footed tail whip things are sooooo unappealing to me!
This is the same thing I witnessed at Barra da Tijuca, Brazil, during Alternativa Pro, 1989 17th event from ASP…
Final… Martin Potter “Pottz” x Dave Macaulay…
Potter on the way to his first and unique World Title, inovative, a killer machine, strong and power… vs the burocratic machine with the same maneuvers and completely boring surfing, Macaulay…
What Potter delivers to the crowd in this year, and at this moment at Barra, was the most mind blowing surf people can imagine: vertical rock’n’rollers, floaters with rock’n rollers, absurd tails slides, power and short cutbacks, aerials
Potter take the rights, short and more carver…
and Macaulay… take the lefts, more fats and long, fitting his surf of little and annoying cutbakcs, inconsequent hacks, from the outside to the inside, crashing fins at bottom sands… a machine of same movements, boring as hell.
And suddenly, in one right, Potter accelerates, and… take flight with an aerial that make the crowd screaming like goal in the final match of a World Cup Soccer. or a touchdown in a superbowl final…
To understand what Pottz did, you would need to be on the beach on this day… progressive and killer. Fast and furious.
On this day I could not understand what I had seen …
Shame! Shame Shame!
I cheered for Macaulay, understood that he had maneuvered more…
I never fall into this trick again! Never more!
All hails to Pottz and others guys that push the limits!
Is that a Derek Hynd-for-Surfer excerpt?
No no! It’s me my friend!
With both eyes!!!
You write beautifully! What else do you have?
Well I’d had 53 years old, starting surfing with 12 till today…and a lot of memories from surf, and competitions.
And from the first web transmission, I still watching the circuit from ASP to WSL, …
But I don’t have much time to write because my job, architecture…
I write the comment because the article from Michael made me traveling in time to this day at Barra da Tijuca, and the feeling I had this day and now, when I remember what I saw… maybe history
But most important, I saw, live, another type of surf, which I did not understand, and neither did the judges!
Pottz walked on the water with a skate! Macaulay with a cadillac tail fish…
Totally Dogtown and Z Boys!
Macaulay win, with a boo from many people on the crowd!!!
Dave Macaulay has always been and remains the most likeable person I think I’ve ever known [Don’t worry, I know you didn’t disrespect his personality]. Just thought I’d come to that part of his defence. Exactly your age, too. Surfs better now than he did then, also.
++and also “ouch my back” [hips/ knees/ ankles] to this clip++
For sure Harry!!!
It’s only the technical side, because what Pottz did in this year was what guys actually do (ok, taking in mind proportions). The boo in case, was not for Dave, but to the judges and the result of the final.
And man… In the case of the knees, hips and ankles, everything is ok … except the soles of both feet, I got serious injuries with training, years and years running in the support of surfing and swimming competions (morton neuroma, plantar fasciitis, and calcaneus spur)… My friend, hurts a lot! Flat feet is a shit!
Not affect or stop me from surfing, but to go to the spots around, bike and rack … and sandals!
“…take the rights, short and more carver……take the lefts, more fats and long”
Is this where it comes full circle? Second language comes out better than Chas’s deliberate post-grammatical style? Me like!
*innovative
*bureaucratic
*manoeuvres
*cutbacks
tks!
This is Matt’s favorite air wave, aided by wind direction he can experiment at will and even occasionally land some of these moves. Of course he can get barreled and put it on rail but this day didnt call for it. Those fin blow outs are pretty cool too, him and Clay Marzo have them mastered
I have to agree and, if I’m going to be honest, I just don’t know what’s happened to my little pal Mike C. We’re fast friends and I love the sensuous iridescent sheen of his hair but Isn’t it only men, forty-plus,who complain there wasn’t enough “rail work” or barrels?
I just don’t like one-or-two-trick ponies.
How amazing is it that Filipe has become a master of the rail? How much better will it be when he starts getting tubed?
Oh Filipe knows how to get tubed. Fifty bucks says he gets ninths or better at Teahupoo and Fiji.
Bet-feud?
something tells me you have insider info re: waiting period flat spells but fuck it, you’re on!
….better check that forecast Bitch(y)…. my Queen wants receipts for expenditures over 40$…… does Ricardo reimburse???
You do realise old “one trick pony” Meola also doesn’t mind the odd paddle sesh at jaws and such? And maybe check out his winning innersection piece from a few years ago to see some grown up turns and time in the shade…….
agreed but I don’t think he surfs jaws anymore (which I totally respect) and where’s all the rest of that stuff in this clip? Something tells me he wouldn’t have won Innersection with Numb, despite the aerial genius.
Am I truly alone in wanting variety?
I’m all for variety, and I have not even watched numb, however, one edit featuring a specific style doesn’t not a one trick pony make. Not a great edit maybe, but should every release show everything’s you can do?
One of your dumbest comments
Actually, that’s incorrect.
He hate jaws, just had to do it a few times because he lives there and everyone else was.
Nearly died both times
Never said he loved it, said he did it, along with surfing on rail and getting barrelled. Nor am I proposing him as our greatest shining light, just thought one trick pony was a bit harsh
Agreed, his air game at home is revolutionary. I wonder if he can pull those moves away from home
rail master? pssssh, he’s riding a 5’6″. zoom in close enough (which the cameraman does) and anybody’s spray goes out the top of the frame.
This was filmed over an extended period. Why not go surf “Clay’s wave” (which I assume is somewhere in the vicinity) for a session or two? Perfect for late drops, big pits, hacks etc.
Clay’s wave is westside, this is eastside
the dreaded hour(ish?) drive!
Depending on traffic
This is Northshore, Clay’s wave is way west. Two hours down very windy road. Check closing wave of his Home edit, that’s Clay’s wave.