Hey All, Yesterday’s COVID-related EOS post begins like this: “Let’s take the positive view and say that humans will not only survive another hundred years but that our future selves will have enough food, shelter and free time to continue sifting our collective historical past, and that one of these sifters will develop an interest in surfing.” And somehow ends up here: I will continue to pull...
Hey All, Rare is the offhand remark that can both affront and amuse. But people, it happened to me just two days ago. After posting Linda Benson’s long-lost 1971 GAF View-Master reel, I spread the word, as we must, on social media. Within minutes, up pops a comment from longtime EOS supporter Aviva Rosenthal: “WTF is she wearing? It’s like a Mormon’s idea of frivolous underwear.” That second bit ...
Hey All, Everything I learned about Ron Drummond last week bumped him further up the EOS Extravagant Surf Character Power Rankings, and at this point Drummond is a hard #2, just a few paces behind Mad Jack Churchill. My fellow American surf geezers recall Drummond as the original alternative-craft maestro whose canoe forays at Dana Point were both inspiring and terrifying. (Watch this new clip: ...
Hey All, The Duke Kanahamoku contest ran for 20 years, starting in 1965 and ending in 1984. During the ’80s it was sort of a B-grade event, and throughout the ’70s it was very hit or miss. But from ’65 to ’69, the Duke was competitive surfing’s big enchilada—or whatever sized enchilada is right below the World Championships. Or no, let’s say the Duke was the big enchilada and the World Championsh...
Hey All, The remarkable Jodie Cooper was on my mind as well as the EOS to-do list for the better part of last week, and here it is Sunday and I’m still riding that high. Cooper, from Albany, Western Australian, hit #2 on the pro ratings in 1985 and was the big-wave queen of her generation. She was (still is) tiny and good-humored and tough as a leather-wearing tardigrade, and the only person to s...
Hey All, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the hot pick for tonight’s Oscars, and no complaints from me if it sweeps, that thing took me on a wild ride and I loved every minute. But so did Jojo Rabbit, which I loved only a tiny bit less. Credit to the soundtrack: Beatles for the opening titles, Bowie for the finale, Love in the middle— Jojo director Taika Waititi is literally playing my song. And ...
Hey All, The Makaha International put up a good fight but I wrestled it down this morning into a leg-trap camel clutch and the month-long match was over, victory EOS. What this means is, for the first time anywhere, full results for each and every Makaha contest from 1953 to 1974 are now in one place—and that includes sundry video clips and pix, eyewitness accounts, etc. I won’t overwhelm our sha...
Hey All, It was my intention to spring a big one on you guys today in the form of a newly-posted and fully comprehensive set of EOS pages on every Makaha International every held. Video, pix, features, the whole nine; everything from 1953 (or 1954? unclear!) right through to whenever the thing ended, 1970 or ’71 or maybe later (unclear, again). And there you go. I failed spectacularly to meet th...
Hey All, I may not have this down word for word, but Greg Noll’s quote sticks with me, the one that goes, “You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Da Bull, which is mostly a true book, with some stretchers. That is nothing. I never seen anybody but lied one time or another.” Just kidding. That's me doing Greg Noll doing Mark Twain doing Huck Finn. B...
Hey All, At some point, as I tiptoe further into early adulthood, I will make a real effort to stop organizing my thoughts in the form of High Fidelity-style lists. Today is not that day. Today I announce that Joey Cabell is floating near the top of my Top 10 All-Time Coolest Surfers, and if you don’t share this opinion, then Robert Mitchum likely isn’t on your Top 10 All-Time Coolest Actors lis...