Wise words from the one, the only, Jamie Brisick!

Our surf world would be a bleak shadow if we didn’t have Jamie Brisick. The one-time professional surfer sees things and writes them so gorgeously, so uniquely, that his great body of work provides intelligence, humor, freshness but most importantly color.

Bright, vivid color from creamy pastel to loamy earth tones. Whether he is telling abstract stories on Instagram, award-winning, heart-breaking love stories on Facebook or Peter Drouyn’s transition to Westerly Windina in the epic book Becoming Westerly (buy here!).

Oh we don’t deserve the man. He was a Fulbright Scholar, you know, alongside Joseph Heller, Sylvia Plath and William Jefferson Clinton. The only one-time professional surfer Fulbright Scholar in history? I’d have to think so.

And it was my very great honor to sit across the zinc countertop from Jamie and David Lee on Friday. Jamie was in town to give the keynote address at the PHILOsurfer conference in Del Mar and swung by. David Lee had just returned from another jaunt to Florida’s Space Coast where he is heavily considering buying a vacation home.

We chatted about many things, about sexuality, cloistered-ness, smoking and short john wetsuits. I won’t spoil with my own ramblings. Our best show yet? I’d be lying if I said, “No.”

Listen here!

"I'm watching you violate what you allegedly stand for!"

I understand surf beef as natively and intuitively as I understand anything in this world. Limited resource meets grumpy local meets VAL and what’s not to get? Easy, peasy, Japanesey (or “lemon squeezey” if you happen to be a modern youth). High level celebrity feuds confound me though and especially when periphery folk come chiming in where there is no clear motivation for so doing.

Like all the celebrities who piled onto Tyson Beckford/Kim Kardashian for body shaming/being homophobic. It’s one thing for the principals to throw odd punches. Quite another for onlookers to weigh in heavily, opinionatedly, at scale and, speaking of Taylor Swift, our very own World Surf League President of Content, Media, Studios, Commentators, Buttered Popcorn, Etc. came swinging in on a dispute she has with a man named Scooter Braun.

Now, as far as I can tell Scooter Braun is a manager who represents or represented Kanye West, Justin Bieber etc. He somehow gained control of Taylor Swift’s back catalogue and she wrote an angry missive on Tumblr (the “lemon squeezey” Instagram) declaring, “I learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world. All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years.”

Well, the periphery folk came chiming in per the norm. Musicians Halsey, Katy Perry, Iggy Izalea, “actress” Heidi Montag and others formed up Team Taylor and filled Twitter etc. with many pro-Swift rants. Team Scooter includes Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and the World Surf League’s President of Content, Media, Studios, ’89 World Championship Trophies, Formaldehyde, Etc.

According to Elle Magazine… “Erik Logan, the former president of the Oprah Winfrey Network and a board member of Big Machine, wrote a scathing letter to Swift on Twitter that he has since deleted. In the message, he said, “For someone who draws such power from being the ‘voice’ and against all the things you talk about, I’m watching you violate what you allegedly stand for. You’re the real bully.”

Whoa.

Is Taylor Swift a “real bully?’

If you met her in a dark alley would you cower and cry?

Would she steal your lunch money then call you a triggering word (maybe Starbucks Lover)?

As you well know, I’m Team ELo so assume she is a “real bully” and am only struggling with what sort. Physical, emotional, monetary.

Which do you think?

More as this important story develops.

(Read deleted Tweets here!)

A war brews in Central California!

It’s Sunday morning in America, time to slowly peruse what’s happening in our world and take stock. India is playing England right now in the Cricket World Cup and up 71 runs. Europe is burning up with a massive fever. The Center for Disease Control has warned that a new fecal parasite can live in swimming pools and swimming pool-esque bodies of water for days and, speaking of, Ventura locals are enraged by the World Surf League for culturally appropriating the name “surf rodeo” for the upcoming Freshwater Pro.

Oh have you not been served the World Surf League’s Instagram advertisement multiple times? Well, it reads, “The rodeo is riding back into WSL Surf Ranch for the summer’s biggest showdown. Get stoked for the #FreshwaterPro brought to you by @outerknown. Get tickets through the link in our bio etc.

Nothing caught my eye, except that I imagine the brave World Surf League copywriters meant “summer’s biggest hoedown” instead of “summer’s biggest showdown” in keeping with the rodeo/ranch theme.

Ventura locals saw something else and jumped into the comments to let the World Surf League know that the Surf Rodeo™ is a local, longstanding tradition. Ventuckyco penned, “@kellyslater you participated in one of our @surfrodeo events in 2000 to help raise $ for charity as we do every year. We know you’re a competitor and like to be the best at everything you attempt. Now let’s see you be original and creative on your own event, name, format and theme.” Instadutchie added, “Uhhh nah… #Ventural #SurfRodeo is the biggest, but the 805 will let you roll second place if you’d like?”

Etc.

And let’s learn about the original Surf Rodeo™ quickly at surfrodeo.org.

Surf Rodeo started as a passion project for Ventura entrepreneur, John Drury, lovingly known as JD to most of the Ventura community. Drury’s mission for Surf Rodeo was to bring the highly competitive, cut-throat, serious atmosphere of today’s surf competitions back to its relaxed roots, where fun always comes first. “We try and remind ourselves we are all out for the same thing, to just have fun,” said John Drury, founder of Surf Rodeo. “Let’s laugh at ourselves a little and bring us together through music and surfing.”

Like the Surf Ranch event there is music, games, fun and country-western branding.

Unlike the Surf Ranch event it takes place at a saltwater ocean beach.