Listen: “The power of shame is a curious thing; makes one man weep, makes another man sing!”

Surf talk.

The Tahiti Pro Teahupoo presented by Hurley is still fresh on my lips, especially that penultimate day, and it saddens me greatly that it will be chased by hot action from a steamy pool in Lemoore, California. Oh, I know Freshwater Pro is still weeks away but the depression is already creeping. I love our times together during the contests. Love our “live chats” but truly don’t know if I’ll be able to muster the requisite oomph in order to turn that Freshwater Pro on to watch with you. The mechanical drone of the sled. The odd format. The cows grazing and gazing over the fence at sunburned sows throwing back Michelob Ultra Gold brewed with Zoe Kravitz.

Shame on the World Surf League for introducing that cursed tank to the tour.

Shame!

Speaking of, I drove to Album surfboards yesterday, there in San Clemente, and sat down with David Lee Scales to discuss all manner of this and that. We spent much time on shame and how sad that it has vanished, more or less, from our safespace snowflake surfing world. I got on, again, about how World Surf League commentators‘ refusal to say what we are all seeing, that the Panda and Yago Dora were too afraid to surf, was an insult to us.

Shame is a powerful tool and useful too. Every time I have been kicked into shame’s burning klieg light I’ve been thankful, later. Sure it stings, sure it burns, but hopefully it burns another little piece of weak will. Another little bit of lily-liver.

We need more shame.

David Lee and I also discussed style, the whole Big Wave thing and the greatest show that has ever appeared on television. Can you guess what it is? Shame is omnipresent!

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
52 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Subantarctic Communist Sealion
Subantarctic Communist Sealion
7 years ago

Triple overhead+. Aka at least 6m face.

YoU mEaN tW0 f0Ot hæWaiIan bRa?!!!

I don’t know. I can’t see the back of the wave and i’m too insecure to call it bigger than what someone else would incase someone thinks Im not casual enough about under calling wave size… plus, Who the fuck uses foot?

Willy
Willy
7 years ago

Yago confuses me. He’s known to charge Pipeline. Is Chopes that much scarier?

https://youtu.be/f3Py07Bhgbw

Party Pete
Party Pete
7 years ago

I listen to it later

Return of the Samsung Board
Return of the Samsung Board
7 years ago

You still surf that album asym chas?

Padre Fan81
Padre Fan81
7 years ago

I saw the headline and I thought,” Finally, an article about what a pussy and a huge liar Rob Machado is for quitting the tour to be with his wife and kids. In Rob’s spare time cheats on his wife and kids with a barely legal 18 year old (her dad is inthe fold by the way. He lives like he’s sponsored by Hurley). Unfortunately, Rob’s brainwashing ability is too strong for some. Any other sport, any other part of the country, Rob’s act wouldn’t last a week.He is afraid to set foot in 80% of San Diego County because he is obviously a huge wussy. He is afraid of Teahoopoo for the same reason.

DumbSurfer
DumbSurfer
7 years ago

On the affected style, Chas was onto something with the knocked knee. Looks amazing but functionally disastrous for the human knee. Cannot be natural. It is a style perversion. All the tuck knee guys paid the price at some point. Craig, Dane, John John, now Mick.

Jordy's pout
Jordy's pout
7 years ago

After the podcast I read the mentioned “style selfie rebuttal article” on the zigzag website. It warmed my cold hardened heart to read that fluffy feel-good magazine refer to the BG comments section as “the place where hope for humanity goes to die“.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  Jordy's pout

Hed fit in well here with comments like that

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago

I’m gonna listen the’nicht.
I’ll prepare appropriate notes for feedback.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago
Reply to  channelbottom

Listened.
The whole Cynicism / shame thing: v funny. v true.
More shame needed.

I’m ashamed right now.

I got angry at dinner (Fathers Day dinner no less) and stormed out and am now in office to work late and then will sneak home later. Fuck.
Shame. It’s complicated.

Now; don’t noone tell me I ain’t done nothin wrong, cuz I sure done it, and I am a grumpy asshole.
For shame.

But FUCK, PANDA, YAGO!!! WTF?!?!?

original haole
original haole
7 years ago

😂😂

Hippy
Hippy
7 years ago
Reply to  original haole

Mushles….

MaxNeoprene
MaxNeoprene
7 years ago

Query. Any other sport where shaming is needed / required / helpful ?

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago
Reply to  MaxNeoprene

The refs in rugby league apparently.

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
7 years ago
Reply to  MaxNeoprene

I’d say all!

Waterproof Polo
Waterproof Polo
7 years ago

Wanna know about shame…
being single, picking up at a pub.. spending Sunday morning washing the goddam sheets, airing out a mattress that I’m sure won’t ever recover and all the while coming down from a cap of fine mdma. The real indignity of it all is that I missed a surf this morning. No way in hell, I’m coming home to post squirt drenched bedding, post surf.
Now that my dear Grittian’s is real shame. Thank fuck for panadeine forte and McDonalds. I’m truly going to hell.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago

Nah dude. You’re living the dream. Enjoy it while it lasts.

I’m missing the surf too, and it’s Fathers’ Day, the one where all daddies get a free surf pass no matter what.

Kick back and enjoy your freedom. It’s only one day of surf and would meld into all the other one in a few months.

Waterproof Polo
Waterproof Polo
7 years ago
Reply to  channelbottom

Haha I swore off all those capers years ago but subsequently fell off the wagon. No groms and shift work generally allows me some make up time this week.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

I like your idea of shame

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

It depends on the quality of the achievement

Bubba Zanetti
Bubba Zanetti
7 years ago

I like how you worked in“post squirt drenched bedding”. A bit of a humble brag, no? A “no claim claim” if you will.

Waterproof Polo
Waterproof Polo
7 years ago
Reply to  Bubba Zanetti

It was a shock to me and I received no advanced warning! Slater nose wipe claim/no claim. Deeply pitted, out after the spray!

Chad Lebrone
Chad Lebrone
7 years ago

I’d rather that than the shame of having to change the sheets twice weekly with the wife even though they’ve never been properly used.

At least you can choose when, or when not, to change your sheets.

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

If you are going to shame Felipe at least also add in his previous heat at the Box against Jack. Twice this year he has failed. He sort of had a crack at Bells. But the reality is that his shame file is huge and growing year by year.

original haole
original haole
7 years ago
Reply to  John Wayne

its ridiculous the fact that felipe toledo holds the yellow jersey can’t surf real waves the box, teahupoo, pipeline or any wave of consequence instead of traveling to fiji, tahiti, WA for training he goes to el salvador with his all family and the rest of tge time he surfs mushy stuff like his home in trestles

Hippy
Hippy
7 years ago

I thought you were “over the contest” before it began Chas?

I love too, people who struggle in pedestrian surf, castigating shame relentlessly on elite tour competitors that “fail” at any tour stop. Like, no one can have any weaknesses surfing except the women’s tour which no one can bring up. Felipe was skewered for not being a Chopes surfer, but he’ll torch the rest of the venues. Parko looked like dog shit at the pool, yet same critics don’t say a word about his inability to connect the dots. ?

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
7 years ago
Reply to  Hippy

I hear you but that Teahupoo wasn’t overwhelming. To me, yes, but not to a world-level talent. They all shoulda gone!

Hippy
Hippy
7 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

So you don’t think Toledo belongs on tour because he’s not dominant at Chopes?

Chas, I’ve been touting a contraction of the elite tour for decades. 16 men runs so efficiently, this contest proves how you can finish an entire contest in a short amount of time if you have less baggage (women’s tour). Now halve the mens draw to 16?!

Why don’t you toss that around with David LS?

Have a good weekend, the fucking hordes have descended Hippy Beach and I’m in hiding.

keith usher
keith usher
7 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

I think the “fear” is set up by your brain (chemicals) worked out off the odds of making the drop. In that moment nature kick in and tells is a no go (stay away from that lion) I read a study that said there is more of a certain chemical in some peoples brains that allows them to be that “hellman” (and it’s also the chemical that murderers have similar levels of) You don’t automatically get a high dose of that chemical because you are highly skilled. So i feel shame would be shaming people who are just that way by birth?

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago

Get rid of Bells and Snapper?
Get fuked

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
7 years ago

You’ll thank me later!

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

More like thump you later

Hippy
Hippy
7 years ago

Should be QS venues….

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago

snapper is a bit boring of a kick off though. the chicks are hot on the beach? didn’t they try to kick off the tour with PIPE? that would have been sick, maybe finish the tour at … the duck pond? excitement abounds.

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  mine.mine.mine

Must we be fully entertained every second of every day?

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago

into our 40’s, yes.. after.. not so much.

Chad Lebrone
Chad Lebrone
7 years ago

Snapper is second fiddle to J-Bay when it comes to right hand point-breaks on tour. It doesn’t need to be there and I’d be happy to lose it in favour or somewhere better (Another Indo event? Mexico?)

Bells I feel is a healthy challenge, and a test of rail and ability to read waves. It separates the real surfers from the grovellers and that is a good thing.

Preston
Preston
7 years ago

On the WSL wall of positivity deal I think we all forget it’s really an entertainment vehicle and not a sports broadcast.

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
7 years ago
Reply to  Preston

Sure but since when has monosyllabic positivity been entertaining? Where is the WSL’s version of Simon Cowell?

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

Why you asking us?
You could have asked that endless bummer guy

astro
astro
7 years ago

Speaking of bummers, how about them Storm, pretty good ay ….

Chief Hot stuff
Chief Hot stuff
7 years ago
Reply to  astro

Injury asterisk.

astro
astro
7 years ago

TT ? A bummer for him for sure.

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago

you made me go back to look at the Cardosa Druru heat… Druru got a 6.2 and Barton says something to the effect “I’m laughing because these are the days that prosurfers dream about, that they are laughing that they get these waves by themselves”… and as I was typing this.. Cardosa got a .93 and the commentators didn’t say a word about it, they kept talking about the bleaching until Adriano got a bomb.. LOL. .they skipped it..

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
7 years ago
Reply to  mine.mine.mine

It was a wild run. A completely wild run of positivity.

Preston
Preston
7 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see some objectivity but I’m guessing it’s a survival thing. Simon Cowell can say what he wants. He’s the producer.

Chad Lebrone
Chad Lebrone
7 years ago
Reply to  Preston

I think that’s their his – that the producers/execs need to let the muzzle off their dogs.

If the higher-ups allow more opinions in the booth, the commentators will no doubt deliver.

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago
Reply to  Chas Smith

on a note of “packing bombs”, the new Koa Rothman edit/show is worth the watch.

James Bickerton
James Bickerton
7 years ago
Reply to  mine.mine.mine

If a Cardoso falls in a forest and no one talked about it did it really happen …. ?

https://youtu.be/i7OEvo-GjUg

Ashton's Yellow Hat
Ashton's Yellow Hat
7 years ago

Good episode. I commend you on Scales’ ailment diagnostics. The booze has kept me outta the Doc’s office for years.

Chas Smith
Chas Smith
7 years ago

It’s tried and true.

Otto
Otto
7 years ago

The thing about shame is if it’s not shameful it’s likely sham-wow!


52
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x