Vanity Fair calls it "a surprising moment of political self-awareness!"
Have you seen Taylor Steele’s latest, and maybe last, surf film Proximity? I have not and would have continued to not if I hadn’t read a little nugget in the most recent Vanity Fair. Steele along with Rob Machado were in Montauk at the famous Surf Lodge screening the film and mingling with Rose McGowan who screened a short film too.
Do you remember Rose McGowan? She was in Scream and married, briefly, to Marilyn Manson. Or maybe they just dated. Whichever the case she is now a filmmaker and Vanity Fair described her short as, “Confident, poetic, and bathed in saturated reds and greens…”
Nice, no?
Even nicer, though, was the review given to Taylor Steele’s offering. Let’s read…
McGowan’s film screened directly before Proximity, a 55-minute cinematic surf-dream directed by Taylor Steele, featuring a seasoned, Buddha-like Kelly Slater and the ultra-slick Rob Machado. In one particular scene, pro surfers Dave Rastovich and Stephanie Gilmore—a female surfer who, earlier in the film, compliments Rastovich on his occasionally feminine surfing sensibilities, effectively reversing gender norms in a surprising moment of political self-awareness—catch a seemingly perfect wave together. In one long, glorious shot, the pair dance, carve, and intertwine like two exotic birds in a wild double-helix courting ritual. It was pure instinctual magic.
Buddha-like Kelly Slater? Ultra-slick Rob Machado? Gender bending Steph and Rasta surprising in a moment of political self-awareness?
Yes, I think I will see Proximity and I think you will too.
Or do you hate the idea of genderless bathrooms? Or does this sort of Libtard talk fill you with uncontrollable rage?
Did the Lima premiere high as a kite the day before a friend’s double ACL surgery (not Mickey C, he’s a tutee). Left underwhelmed and amazed by how much meaning people derive from meaninglessness.
Is reality taking a permanent holiday in America? Or at some point will this seemingly ceaseless stream of bullshit come to a very prosaic end?
Help it along to its cold death if you can, please.
in LA the expression is “fake it until you make it”. and no, I see no signs of reality making a comeback.
Too polished and highly refined. I prefer the more raw approach of Lost… or Herbie Fetcher. Thomas Campbell made some beautiful films too which I crave for more.
I will watch it though because I love surf films.
It does! So handy.
taylor steele is the inertia of surf videos. he’s a poor storyteller, his wave-dancing subjects are boring and contribute nothing. I rate this video 1.5 Fedoras
Chuy Reyna approved!
Man, the bar for political self-awareness is hella low these days.
When Monster Children did their issue on Steph, the editor guy wrote in the intro that she surfs like a man and I started shouting. NO SHE DOES NOT SURF LIKE A MAN SHE SURFS LIKE STEPH ARE YOU STUPID. Fortunately, my neighbors already know I’m crazy so this was like a totally normal day. (Also, I love MC, but that was a misstep.)
Hey! Maybe using gender as a category of analysis for this stuff isn’t all that useful! Maybe people surf like themselves! Maybe sometimes that’s beautiful and awesome! Maybe sometimes it’s not.
Proximity is a movie I wanted to love. I tried so hard to love it. But I struggled mightily with the editing. Mightily. Interviews need space and sometimes, silence. And the jumpy, This Is An Action Film, editing didn’t allow for that. I wanted to love it.
You mean girls can rip better than men? Sorry, that’s not a politically correct opinion. Girls gotta love sharing waves, and smooth turns. No savagery allowed. I am shocked, shocked, I tell you when Bethany Hamilton late drops into a bomb. She should know her place and only surf soft beach breaks with a high-performance longboard.
Alternatively, gender politics, GTFO!!
Or different! I mean, it doesn’t have to always be a comparison!
It doesn’t.
Exactly, surfing is (or can be) the essence of freedom and self-expression. Surf how ya wanna. If you wanna rip, do so, if you wanna cruise, do so. But just don’t SUP, regardless of your gender.
these seem like good rules dude
I so agree with you and I’m totally sick of this crap being repeatedly dragged up by both genders. By people in influential positions who should know better. It serves us no good. When my non surfing friends ask me if women can surf as well as men, my stock answer is “Can female artists paint as well as male artists?” I also feel like Bohdi when I drop this one 🙂
Ooooooh i going to steal this one! Thanks bohdi
Jen see knows. I heart jen see! Jen see surfs like jen see!
is she mocking me? i think she might be mocking me 👀
Never!
Clear attempt to infect surfing with the gender politics of the left.
Who was the brainchild behind this one? “I know, we’ve got a tiny percentage of the population interested in surfing, so we’ll appeal to a smaller percentage within that number.”
Strategy didn’t work for ESPN, the NFL, the NBA, or the Democrats. Won’t work to increase surfing’s share of the sports viewing pie.
They’ll try to fuck everything up anyway and introduce “pride” rainbow jerseys, encourage Mick Fanning to finally come out, and, erm, have Gabby appear in body-shaving commercials. Oh wait, how did that last one play, was he celebrated or mocked?
Most people don’t care if Rasta can surf like he’s a chick (and by the way, isn’t this a very politically incorrect view on how women surf or *should* surf?). I know girls that freaking rip, and, in fact, dominate some lineups. Most people in the lineup surf to get away from this political shit.
Is BG fishing for a banner ad from Massengil?
here’s the issue with the “grow the sport” faction: they truly believe they can take surfing to a place where even non-participants will watch, much like pro-football (ask Speaker). they know the learning curve is nearly vertical and “core” surfers don’t actually consume that much stuff because they’re getting hookups by that point.
they see that they need people to look at surfing as a lifestyle and not a contest. something where its just as cool to be a little interested and wear “beachy” clothes as it is to be actually proficient. they think that women are intimidated and don’t want to start (Roxy and Zumies couldn’t solve that) so they figure we’ll move the needle towards “hey, there’s no ‘wrong’ way to surf, grab the alaia and meet us at the Inertia.” sure, it sucks for those of us that actually care about this garbage, but they aren’t talking to/at us.
Personally, I don’t care if someone wants to surf with an alaia, which, I imagine, requires a hell of a lot of skill, and I don’t care if someone just wants to cruise. I don’t happen to enjoy that type of surfing, but whatever floats your boat.
I am awed by performance surfing far more than cruising, but hey if you don’t like it, no skin off my back. If on the other hand, someone demands that I enjoy watching an alaia surfer, well, fuck off.
I don’t think cruising will grow the sport, because it is pretty boring to watch. What is going to grow the sport is critical surfing in dramatic conditions. Judging that rewards risk would, I think, go a long way to increasing spectators, or at the very least, convince a lot of people more interested in free-surfing to take a second look at the tour. Low-hanging fruit, I think, and a good way to shore up a declining (?) base.
One thing I have never heard anyone say in the lineup (or indeed on these comment boards) is that pro surfing needs to be gayer and more gender fluid to increase its viewers.
Alaias are hard to ride, yes, also they break a lot.
Cruising is fun!
Sure can be! (but not thrilling to watch)
But if it was gayer it would increase viewers and revenue. FACT!
Maybe. I have only ever once seen a transsexual surfer, but hey, there’s always France, and I hear Wiggoly likes beads.
Rose McGowan is such a RIG though, I’d go over the falls at big pipe just to give her mine 😉
https://jimvid.smugmug.com/…
Speaking of gender norms: is it bad that I scoffed when my female coworker claimed that it was 6 foot the other day, when it was in reality waist to shoulder high at best? She got all huffy and left, so I’m thinking it is.
I think just nod and smile is the better approach to this situation. Just nod and smile.
How bad is the soundtrack to this “film?” Pretty bad, I’m willing to bet.
Not memorable, but not offensive.
I find it offensive that it’s not memorable.
It’s not really a normal surf vid, so I don’t fault it too much. They can’t all be Psychic Migrations.
Although they all SHOULD be Psychic Migrations.
If only…
I remember none of the music at all. None. I don’t know if this is good or bad.
I don’t mind libtard but what I do mind is hippy blathering like this: “like two exotic birds in a wild double-helix courting ritual”
what would Stephen King / Maya Angelou / Margaret Atwood / Primo Levi / Haruki Murakami / George Orwell / Steve Shearer say? I’ll tell you what they would say
“this is this shit!”
Much like the same old same old second rate old person surf porn Taylor “Vanilla” Steele keeps serving up
How does stinkin Maya Angelou get a pass through?
Writes clean as a mountain creek ya libtard
*cleaner than a mountain creek.
how da fuck you mention murakami and orwell in the same sentence as steven king and margaret atwood??