A union they never saw coming!
It is the end of the work day in Southern California, the sun golden and dappled. The Mexican gardeners blowing leaves from driveway to driveway then back to driveway. I am sitting with a cold Stolichnaya and coconut water. Refreshing my weary soul.
Would you like to pull up a chair and refresh your weary soul too? Great. There is more than enough for the both of us and I have something to tell you. A revelation. A love story.
And it features Todd Prodanovich. Surfer magazine’s editor-in-chief Todd Prodanovich. Do you remember when I wrote lots of mean things about him here? Do you remember when I wrote that he had red hair and called him Todd Marinovich and… ummm… etc?
Well I was wrong (about everything except his red hair). I was so very wrong.
I considered my one-sided war with Mr. Prodanovich whilst on the cobbled stone at Trestles. I thought, “I have never met Todd Prodanovich for myself and have thrown many invectives his way. Many rude invectives about his hair color and possibly once being the quarterback for the Oakland Raiders etc. This is not the way that the people behave. The people are generous of spirit. The people only judge after a full accounting.” And so I invited Surfer’s dear leader to a drink.
He accepted.
Can you even believe?
I couldn’t to be quite honest. It is rare for for a man who has been ruthlessly and uninvitedly dragged through digital mud to respond. Zach Weisberg wouldn’t even take a picture next to me.
But Todd showed up at a very dark bar and drank gin and tonics. I drank unfortunate beer. We talked. We talked and talked and talked about surf, about love, about relationships, about his iconic family, about the future.
We had so much fun that we drank again one week later downtown San Diego, this time both of us on choice mescals and we talked some more and do you know what happened?
Love.
Love that I haven’t felt since arm wrestling ex-ASP CEO Brodie Carr.
I asked Todd, “Should we run to Las Vegas?”
He had his eyes on the very cute waitress with a million dollar smile so said, “No.”
But the next best thing happened. The digital mud has given birth to digital flowers.
Read here a hot hot hot rumor about Kelly Slater!
And also toast me n Todd. And that cute waitress with a million dollar smile. Things are going to get very fun.
There it is. I got too excited about using the word ‘euphemism’ and lost the joke.
I tell ya what, I’ll guarantee Todd got one.
So this is just phase one of your hostile takeover, right?
It’s a Californian euphemism for Harvey Weinstein’s next conquest.
Did you drink at a piano bar?
Please PLEASE make them stop that “comedy” column thing they do. It’s so embarrassing.
Did you guys discuss the darker parts of humanity in the very dark bar?
Actually yes!
He would have loved her!
The guy in the dress looks SO happy…
Sideways career move for yourself? Surfer paying more for your pen?
Either way I can’t stand serious surf media so have never read Surfer. Nothing against them, just not my cup of blend 43.
Also, good on Todd for turning grenades into opportunity.
Chas, the new overlord of surf media. You’ve got The Grit! on Surf Splendor, now SURFER’s giving you The Weekly Grit. Your next move is to get Ashton to let you write True Grit! daily for Stab. Then, finally, you kidnap Ol’ Dirksie, compelling him to cede control of the WSL (thereby known as the Eat My Grits Surf League) to you. The most powerful man in surf, you will banish Slater from his wavepool, keeping it all to yourself. And you will enjoy it… you dirty hypocrite.
Then you kissed him gently,hit him in the head with a bottle and took off with his heart and his wallet and phone full of contacts…
Hatred and love are very close bedfellows.
Good on you Chas. I wish more people were involved in building bridges instead of walls.
I get the feeling this bridge is wired with C4
This union is akin to Donald Trump hosting a Mexican themed dinner party with flown in help from Guadalajara. Classy!