"Think about what you are doing. The surfing industry rests on the shoulders of a couple of thousand craftsmen worldwide. A lot of these guys have spent years grinding out miserable existences just so they can surf. Beware of embracing anything that threatens the livelihood of dedicated individuals like these. They are the sport. Don't f--k with them."
...a few paragraphs later there was this one by Tom Blake:
"Ignore all of it and just go bodysurfing."
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2NITE!
ROOTSCULTUREDUBWISEANDOTHERWISE
2NITE!
Saturday September 1, 2007
Good Vibes Promotions presents.
IMPERIAL ROOTS & STEPPERS
The best in Roots Reggae & Dubwise with no compromise.
featuring BLACK REDEMPTION SOUNDS OF PRAISES + special guests singers and players.
10 pm @
the Lucky Cat-
245 Grand street bet. Driggs & Roebling (Williamsburg) Brooklyn, NY
Big fan of that Tom Blake quote.
ReplyDeleteIN THE BEGINNING...
ReplyDelete... it was all about the surfboard. The only thing that mattered. From ancient Polynesia to the ASP World Championship Tour; from Waikiki to Maverick's; from The Endless Summer to Surfline; as the eras passed what we've worn or said or listened to or traveled to or read or watched are just sidebars on surfing's timeline. Because the history of our sport is the history of the surfboard. Nothing has defined the surfing experience more than that on which we ride the waves. Nothing defines the surfer more than his (or her) surfboard. So much more than a tool, the surfboard has become a philosophical icon, a sacred craft, a culturally pervasive symbol of freedom, adventure and enduring youth...
SURFBOARDSHOW.COM
Eh.
ReplyDeleteI love the surfboard. I love the surfing of the surfboard. I love the camaraderie of surfing with other surfboard riders.
But the surfboard itself is not the end of it all.
It is what the surfboard allows one to tap into that matters.
It is about the ocean and it is about waves and it is about surfing.
The surfboard is a beautiful and often enough necessary part of that matrix, but it is only a part.
It is that wonderful icon and fetish that you say, but it isn't everything.
Shoot, maybe you're right.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is all about the surfboard. I have been thinking about it all day. Shapers are our shaman. Sure. But still, I don't know, it doesn't sit quite right. . .