A lie but a beautiful lie!
I am very excited to watch the Momentum Generation, it’s true, though wasn’t always. When I very first heard of the concept I was dubious. It’s not like the stars of those Taylor Steele films, Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, Benji Weatherly, Ross Williams, Shane Dorian, Kalani Robb, etc. had disappeared without a trace. They had each been fixtures in the surf industry, their stories well-known and well understood. What could a modern film about them teach us?
David Lee Scales watched the film at the Florida Surf Film Festival, though, and told me it was great featuring introspection and moments of beautiful tenderness. It won the best documentary feature there, will certainly win many more awards and will also play on HBO on Dec. 11. An early Christmas treat for all.
In any case, I have read a quote from Kelly Slater taken from the film many times now, most recently this morning in a Washington Post story about Stephanie Gilmore and equal pay.
“Surfing was not a career path,” Slater recalled of his youth, in the HBO surf documentary “Momentum Generation.” ‘’It was just something you enjoyed doing.”
The first time stumbling across it I wrinkled my nose. The second time I scratched my head. The third time I said, “Really?” but quietly in my mind. The fourth time I said, “Did Kelly confusingly think he was part of the Bustin’ Down the Door generation?” out loud and thought it very clever but no was around to hear it so I’m typing it and still think it very clever.
Because what the hell?
Kelly was born in 1972, winning every amateur competition at 11, turned pro at 18 and directly won the Body Glove Surf Bout at Trestles which boasted a purse of $100,000 after which he signed a six-figure deal with Quiksilver. Not only was there big money in that early 90s surf industry, it had ballooned in the generation proceeding Kelly’s with Tom Curren, Tom Carroll, ’89 World Champ Martin Potter, etc. each making a good living out of nothing but surfing.
It certainly was a career path and a well-established one at that.
Kelly’s revisionist history makes me smile, though, because it proves the “surfing as rebellion” narrative is still tucked somewhere in the folds. I don’t doubt that he really believes it wasn’t a career path for him because that makes surfing like accounting, computer programming, dentistry or any other career path.
Something you have to do.
No, surfing is a passion, man, a feeling that moms and dads and the system just don’t understand and I am very much looking forward to The Brother Movie airing on HBO in 2030 where a grey Kolohe Andino looks at the camera and says, “Surfing was not a career path… it was just something you enjoyed doing.”
Viva the rebellion!
Following him on instagram liking tons of surf videos and painting waves without overdose, it certainly was a passion. But hey, you don’t know computer developpers, they are very passionate about it. I guess if you could see something on a computer screen when you are outside, you would find programmers in the water on a computer integrated to the board.
its the surfer’s cliche equivalent of a super-bowl winning football player saying “nobody ever gave us a chance! everyone counted us out, but we believed in ourselves!”
It’s not that odd. Surfing is a colonised culture and as such its collective memory is dull, scattered and empty. We don’t understand what we are doing at fucken all.
Or maybe you ve just held your breath a bit too long.
I’ve had hangovers like that.
Yeah but pammys hep c is a bit of a turn off.
Plus the Brazzos love it in any hole.
I’m rooting for the gizz
Multi-million dollar incestuous wave-pool deals aren’t the only things I surf
I surf the poverty line
I surf the self-made man spirit that never fades
I pull aerials over the homeless shelter
When I was watching the world masters championship the other day I legitimately thought “I can do this!”. Those geriatrics made winning a heat with an awkwardly stiff reentry look very attainable.
I don’t think I’ll have a go at the senior tour though because they’re bound to hold some heats during nap time.
Socks on feet = not living in unbearable subtropical beachfront poverty. Well done!
‘If you don’t shit, don’t start”
I’ll get you both on my team.
OATBRAN FOR THE WIN!!!
We are talking about the Lost Boys a la the original story template feat. Peter Pan, horrible adult Captain Hook and vaguely depressing mother figure Wendy. See transplanted into many a Hollywood spazfest.
You GO girl!
I’m determined to pull a few solidly landed airs before I’m 50. (2 years)
Not quite so confident about the late sponno bit.
The Prostate Ease pipeline masters.
In loving memory of an easy piss.
I think there is context to that quote and I believe Kelly meant that in a general sense. Surfing for 99.9% of surfers was not and is not a career path. That especially holds true along the Space Coast and especially in that era. In the 80’s and 90’s almost nobody could point out Cocoa Beach on a map. Surfing was very much West Coast-centric, specifically socal, and the East Coast was an afterthought in surfing. Hell, it arguably still is…
“History is written by the victors”
Victor Hugo?
Butch Vig?
Amongst others
An attempt to hijack the surfing equivalent of my grandfathers’ “I walked 50 miles to school every day in the snow, rain and hailing bullets and never complained once.” Yuck – and why am I the only one who winces when anyone mentions David Lee Scales. I’m truly shocked Bassie never beat the crap out of him for being a total kook – not even once.
That’s so barrel!
Mummy
I wanna be a surf journo.
OK but you still have to get a job.
I am of the opinion that alla you schlubs are missing the point: surfing is not a career path for 99.999 1/2 % of the surfing population, especially then but now, too. The number of athletes that make a living in any professional sport is lower than a snake’s belly. And surfing the least likely athletic career of all.
I am of the opinion that you are missing the point of us “missing the point,” and that we are completely aware of that narrow slice of the pie, but we choose to analyse the snake’s belly anyway.
#schlublife
#evenlesslikely
#don’tsnakemybelly
What point did I miss something
You shouldn’t point, it’s rude.
What’s your point?
The tippy-top of my baldy head?
Can imagine the interview down the dole office?
Maybe he meant that in those days there was no path for a surfer to win double digit world titles, own their own clothing label, surfboard company, artificial wave, date Pamela, appear on Baywatch and bang Tom Brady’s future wife. I’m not positive but I think that’s what he meant. And he wouldn’t be far off truth.
I wonder who bangs better
Pammy or giselle?
Don’t we all.
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies