John John Florence shares pearls of wisdom!
I just received the most wonderful gift in the mail from my dear friends at Hurley. It is a small, neatly bound book titled A Field Guide to Waterman Things by John John Florence. First, I am overjoyed that John John has moved into adulthood keeping that second John. I recall a few years back he toyed publicly with the idea of dropping it and being John Florence. I wrote an article for Surfing where I upbraided him for even thinking such things and that it is very important he remain John John not John for reasons I can no longer remember. He, anyhow, listened and is now a published author like me.
The field guide has three main sections, Land, Sea, Surf and Next. Each one is a valuable glimpse into John John’s thinking about this or that. You can purchase at select surf shops and all proceeds go to Kokua Hawaii Foundation and Sunset Beach Elementary. A perfect stocking stuffer and let me share a bit of wisdom John John gives us for how to surf waves we have never before surfed.
He says:
-Watch from the beach for longer than you normally would.
-Paddle out and let a few sets go by while observing.
-Surround yourself with friends who will push you. Self-motivation is overrated.
-Have someone video that first session.
-Walk away if you are just not feeling it.
All good advice except the video part but the most valuable is “Self-motivation is overrated.” I think this is completely true in all areas of life and not just surfing. How many times do we lazily fail in our quests because no one is there to say, “Don’t be a pussy, bro.”? How many times do we pull our punch because no one we know will see? I think “Self-motivation is overrated” is my mantra for the new year and it should be yours too.
Let’s group-motivate each other instead! And what should be our first mission?
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Been here 5 minutes. Nailed it.
Isn’t group motivation how you published Welcome to Paradise? Or was Kickstarter not around back then?
ouch…
I far too often fall back on the old stand by “… “when I need of a semi-dramatic pause for affect…or is it effect. Just kidding I know it is affect, just wanted to use the … again.
FUND EOS!
If he can… I would too
Grab a beer. Drink. Get drunk. And don’t think to much. Get another beer.
Happy to report that mine got hit by a car on the way to the TAB to collect.
Not so happy to report my sketchy uncle proved the ‘only the good die young’ adage true. He habitually watched Young Talent Time which meant we never went to his place on Sunday afternoons so we could watch Countdown like cool kids. Saw a research/study into pedophilia report which said “the only trait which is common to all paedophiles in NSW jails is that they habitually watch YTT”.
He once tried to convince me Dennis Lillee was not a great fast bowler. That is un-Australian. Lived to 98.
Screams Wes Anderson. That flag icon? Fuck the surf industry is full of idiots.
Perhaps it’s a wizard’s hat, lying on its side…?
because penant flags didn’t exist pre- Wes Anderson?
More the way in which the words read. The overall feel screams Wes, not just the flag. Have you not seen a Wez film?
So, JJF advocates circle jerking?
what’s the narrative?
I got my new Pyzel Ghost wet in perfect OH point surf today. Didn’t need much self motivation at all.
Before I paddled out 2 cute gals on the headland, one with a Sergeant Pepper hippy vibe , the other cute as a button Laurel Canyon 1969 flowing locks and not much tying down a pair of freely swinging breasts.
Laurel Canyon approaches with phone and asks if I can take a couple of shots of “me and my girlfriend”.
Sure.
“Just hold the button down and keep shooting”.
Before I know it was getting x rated in front of the camera.
It was a fine way to group motivate for the surf.
Put that in your next book John John.
How’d the board go? 😉
First couple of waves felt a little fickle, it’s a finely foiled board. Then it felt like a machete hacking away at Lantana.
It’s tough surfing with a laurel’s boner.
Gives new meaning to “back-paddle”
From fickle to a sickle. Good stuff.
very very good
My experience exactly. I call mine Dai Katana.
Is it a daily driver sort of machine, or is it the upper end of wave quality? Ever since you cunts started talking about them I’m fixated on getting one.
In my very limited experience I’d say it’s deffo a board for good waves. And it needs to be surfed hard. Said the nun to the vicar.
So kind of a step-up to a step-up? Ideal.
Did you get Miss Canyon’s number? Buying a pyzel Ghost writer immediately.
“I never thought it would happen to me…”
This isn’t that sort of magazine bro.
Walking away if you are just not feeling it got me exactly where I am today. Nowhere.
Walking away from a surf is a luxury I cannot afford.
Some marketing intern at Hurley signed up hoping to get assigned to “teach John John how to sail” but got stuck with “sit at your desk and write a poorly punctuated hand-out”.
Yeah, but a bit more rapey.
The em-dash is my nemesis. I have to go back and remove them from copy every fucking time.
What’s an em-dash?
The long hyphen thing — they’re like this lazy ass sentence breaker that typically should be replaced with a comma, parens, or the start of a new sentence. The dumb things show up all over my drafts. Nearly always cut to one before filing.
I love those things!
Ha ha me too. My editors, not so much. Editors on the whole are not that fun really.
I use the ellipses like a druggie…
I was a semicolon addict for awhile. Fortunately, I got over it. My current thing is mispelling brand names which is not that great actually.
My .. not that cool then
How did you get over it?
I’m so addicted; younger people sometimes think it’s a creepy wink!
Total ban, cold turkey. It’s the only way.
Jen lovely to see it was not cancer of the colon . A real pain in the arse in comparison to semi colon addiction and misspelling the brand Catshit surf like my grandmother
honestly, what the fuck do they know?
idk but they sign the checks so i play along 👀
You have improved my lazy game with this knowledge —
thank you. And “parens” is so great. The linger longer version has been cast to the wilderness for my next forty years. I truly improve my comrades in arms–that sounds too commie; I meant something better — I know I did.
I love em dashes and sprinkle them liberally throughout my work
my people!
Oh but they look so pretty in-text (used sparingly). So fun to get so many special characters in. Makes the words on a page look like a party!
So the chin hair came off after an intervention then?
This is all sage Beach Grit commentariat advice.
I like it when Nick Carroll calls him “Johnny”, like a creepy old uncle who enjoys a bit of roughhousing at Christmas when he’s had too much to drink.
I can totally see Nick Carroll on chrissy day dick flicking JJF after 8 cans of XXXX as he says “How’s your Johnny Johnny?” then laughing hysterically. John John walking off holding his groin muttering “Fuck I hate Uncle Nick”
Wonder who got the ghost writing gig for that?
I would not turn it down. Which, I’m not sure what that says about me really.
Cut n paste from Inertia. Let’s not be fooled into thinking Billa is the only surf firm having a little trouble in the financials.
Paul Manafort?
By the sound of the advice, most semi-literate 12 year olds could have pulled it off.
Maybe we should all group-motivate and pay no attention to anything pro surfers have to say?
Didn’t much of Hollywood get fired or sent to rehab for leading poor innocent girls into group motivation? I think it best to stay away.