QUICK CLIPS: Five <5 Minute Surf Clips to Froth Over (Throwbacks)

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Sometimes the waves look terrible. But sometimes you also could just be itching so hard to surf, you just need that little extra nudge to get out there and tackle the high tide or wind chop. There are a couple surefire ways to speed up the process. One of the easiest? Slam a cup of coffee and get your froth on. Sometimes you might have already had a cup or two and don’t want to push it. Sometimes all it takes is the buddy system. Phoning a friend and hoping they can also look past the meager conditions or less than favorable factors. Once there is someone with you, they can either bath in the misery of bad surf with you or share in the score. Because you need someone else to back you up that the session was fun when the cams are blue.

If you are out of joe and all your friends are occupied or MIA, then there is only one last hope to get your energy levels up and take a dip. This is the surf clip. A surefire way to get you off your ass and in boardies or a wetty. Sometimes, it is matching a clip to the waves you are going to surf. Others, it is seeing your favorite surfer blitz waves to a classic tune. The frothiest of them all however is the vintage clips you grew up on. Seeing the nostalgia and also ripping from the past makes itch to surf to make the inner kid in you happy. While it is easy to get sucked into a time warp of vintage sessions, I like to keep it quick and get out of there after 1 or 2 clips. Here are 5 vintage videos to get the gears in motion. I will describe why I like them in a single sentence.

Taj Burrow in Stranger than Fiction = Future forward style over a song from Metric in pristine pumping surf, opening with a crazy alley oop lien grab.
Bobby Martinez in Mixtape = A fellow goofy foot blitzing sections and blasting airs to hip-hop.
Andy Irons in Campaign 2 = Charging backhand turns as hard as your backhand tubes, to a song everyone knows was in your section.
Dane Reynolds in Stranger Than Fiction = Absolutely ripping in mostly beach break conditions, making it relatable and not relatable at the same time.
Parko from Free as a Dog = Scoring offshore tubes with just your mates to a song you might have been dancing to at the local watering hole the night before the score.
 Bonus: Andy Irons in Campaign = Because every Andy video section is gold.

Texas 1st Timers

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Wednesday afternoon through Friday afternoon, I found myself in a completely foreign state in both a literal and figurative sense. The literal? I was spending my first visit to Texas. After hearing so much about it and having plenty of pals that hail from the Lone Star state, I was eager to see what the deal fully was. I was lucky to travel here for work, but more on that later. We would arrive and just from the airport drive alone, it was pretty much everything I had imagined. It loosely reminded me of a town close to home, but an even more to the extreme of rural. Tons of flat land, excruciating heat, and strange smells were aplenty.

We would be staying in Austin, in two super luxe houses that always had the AC cranking. From the grocery stores to the streets, there were a large amount of characters very different than our group of ~10 Californians. Wednesday night I reached Texas nirvana, indulging in by far the best BBQ food I’ve ever eaten. We arrived to Terry Blacks BBQ in Austin and hit dinner line ASAP, as all of us hadn’t eaten much since our 7 o clock LAX flight. The only thing holding our stomachs over was Chick-fil-a nuggets and waffle fries. I would select some green beans and corn bread, for my sides, along with a whole avocado showing my true inner Californian. When we got the the main meats, I had to have a sample platter. I was dead set on brisket, and got some jalapeno cheese sausage and a pork ribs to switch it up. The brisket required no knife, and was so juicy and smooth. I hadn’t ever tasted meat like that.

Fast forward after some Chappelle stand up post BBQ pig out, and we find the sun barely rising over the horizon as we drove in our sprinter van. We were making the commute from the city of Austin to the rural town of Waco, which happened to house one of the latest and greatest wave pools in America. To say I was stoked would be an understatement. The commute was pretty desolate and lacked any real beauty aside from a blood orange sunrise. We did happen to stop at this place Buc-ees, which had every weird nic-nac, texas gear (I think they even sold guns?), and some gas station breakfast burritos plus coffee. The coffee was so bad we chucked 5 full cups into the garbage and drove through the nearest Starbucks. In a mere 45 minutes we would arrive at our destination.

It’s a little tough to put words to what was going on all Thursday. This is where the figurative foreign state of mind comes into play mentioned earlier. Never would I think of going on a trip to Texas to surf, and not only surf but also surf fun waves with a full BYOB set up in piss warm water and one hundred degree weather. What the hell? We would have the pool from eight to eight, and had some stoked surf shop workers who sold Hurley product all summer to reap the benefits of this trip. Everyone had a smile on his or her face. From the beginner surfers learning their way around the waves, to Yadin Nichol and Brett Simpson tearing the place to bits. When it was all said and done, no one really had any words left to describe the day. If anyone wasn’t stoked, it was on him or her. I surfed through lunchtime and survived off half of a Bucceys breakfast burrito and some fruit and trail mix. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. No bad days out here in Waco. I hope to return soon.

While we didn’t get to really see Austin, I was unbothered. We had both Wednesday and Thursday night to explore the town and nightlife, but neither night materialized. Wednesday we had all woken up at 4AM and were beyond cooked after running errands all day. Thursday, after again having an early morning and at least 5 hours of surfing under our belts, no one had the excess energy to burn. Don’t worry, plenty of Lone Stars, Modelos, and White Claws were crushed from sun up to sun down. And then some. While I’ve heard so many good things about the Austin nightlife and the scene in the city of Music, I will have to wait until next time. If there is one (which I think there will be).

Friday we would wrap up the trip. After checking out of both places of stay and having a mellow morning with coffees and classic breaky foods, we would make our way to the airport. Austin has a really nice airport, complete with nice water refill stations, decent food and coffees, and even bathrooms strictly for pups. I walked past those and was kind of tripping. Texas now has a strange place in my heart after this trip. To think within 12 hours I went from eating some of the country’s best-prepared BBQ to getting tubes and a perfect punt section in the middle of nowhere. Talk about a trip. Thanks Terry Blacks, BSR, and Hurley for a couple fun days in the office.

East Meets West: Weekend Breakfast Fixes

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I swear I don’t mean to make this topic strictly based around food, but it just seems like there are so many battles between the two coasts on certain food genres or what you’d get in a certain situation. Here’s the scenario: you find yourself both coast in the same month. It’s a Friday night and all cylinders are firing. For the west coast Friday, the Newport peninsula or Wayfarer for 90s night is calling your name. Back east, you might be hitting seaside or heading north. Either way, you time travel through the night and to the next morning. Things are groggy and you find yourself with a headache and a craving for greasy breakfast foods. Here is where the clash comes into play. Granted, I’ve had the east coast special on the west coast and vice versa, these are the two guaranteed hangover cures, both meant to be accompanied by a cup of joe.

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EAST: The BEC, PEC, & SEC Bacon, Pork Roll, or Sausage Egg and Cheese (EC) tends to be the immediate call for a Saturday or Sunday morning hangover when back on the east side. If I have the liberty and it’s a banger of a hangover, I will hop in my car and drive all the way up to Point Pleasant for a BEC from Barons Bagel. The best BEC in my opinion on a super egg everything or oatmeal wheat bagel and if needed I can add a hash brown. They also have delicious coffee, and would typically be my stop after a pre-high school surf to walk into my first class with. If I’m stranded in Lavallette, there are plenty of ideal spots for one. No matter where I get the breakfast sandwich from, the coffee is always from Lava Java.

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WEST: The Breakfast Burrito The breakfast burrito honestly is one of my burritos of choice for any time. Lunch, a late night snack if served all day long, or the morning after a big one, this can really help ease the pain and get your Saturday or Sunday going. While I attended Chapman and found myself in rough shape a lot more often than recently, the Cali Tacos Breakfast B would surely cure my hangover. It would also couch-lock me shortly after and throw me into a food coma, but it was all worth it in the moment. Down in Newport, there are a handful of good spots for a killer BB. I feel like of recent I haven’t eaten one simply because I run around a lot on the weekend and typically eat some yogurt instead. When in need though, there are at least 5 spots I can count on to give me my fix.

Surfing but not in the ocean?

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(This is an old piece from my minor in writing and rhetoric at Chapman University. Since most of my writing is pretty loose on here, I figured it would be cool to post something that had more structure. I wish I could find the prompt, alas I cannot. I also could not find the grade.)

With the 2019 Freshwater Pro approaching, I thought this piece was fitting.

Surfing to me is one of the things that can get you closest to mother nature. Already surfing at a base level, you feel very one with nature. As you excel and gain more and more confidence when standing on a surfboard, the experience turns up a notch and becomes a whole new beast. The barrel (when the wave covers you up and then you get spit out of the tunnel of water that was just around you) is the apex of this feeling. Literally the only thing around you is nature. It is an experience that is tough to explain, because words don’t do it justice. What happens when nature is replaced? Technology these days has been constantly making nature substitutes, and one recently was made that could totally change surfing.

When I was growing up as a young surfer, something like this was fairy tale talk. Never had anyone given a thought to the perfect wave, let alone it being a manmade one. Wave pools starting gaining popularity when I was in high school, so the magnitude they are being created at today is a fairly recent feat. Sure, there have been plenty of wave pools, and some really good ones at that. The wave garden, another wave pool, makes a wave any surfer would love to surf. It’s a performance wave that has lots of variety in the types of waves and sections that present themselves. The thing that sets the Kelly’s (Kelly Slater, the most accomplished surfer in the history of the sport) wave pool apart is that Kelly’s pool is actually the closest thing on earth to a perfect wave. Some waves in nature can be considered “perfect”, but Kelly’s is literal perfection, even to the point where he can alter the wave at his wish, making it perfect for everyone. Below is a video that breaks down what’s going on under the hood of this milestone for surfing.

Like stated in the video, does the search for the perfect wave end here? Just for the case of argument, here is the closest thing we have found to a perfect wave. Its in Africa, and requires a whole lot of prep work to get there. From flights to driving on dunes, all to arrive and potentially see the wrong tide or swell angle. This wave is as perfect as it is finicky. Even when it looks perfect, pros often admit its a lot harder, with underwater currents moving super fast, and the unpredictability of the wave breaking over sand.

This wave is the closest thing to perfection, and like stated above, hardly is ever perfect. This is also leaving out the fact it is only a left, where a regular footed surfer would maybe enjoy it less since he has to surf it backside. Kelly’s pool can go both ways (left and right), and literally comes down to a science.

Contrary to what you would believe, not everyone is stoked on the wave pool. Is it the perfect wave? Is it even a wave since it is not in the ocean? Lots of people are up in arms about the debate. Personally, I think anyone who is against it just is jealous they can’t surf it (like in the video earlier, it is a private property/prototype, and not open to the public). But, I have to say I somewhat agree. Since surfing at its finest is bonding with nature, would feel the same way coming out of an artificial barrel as we would a real one mother nature sent us? Only the people who have surfed it know the answer to this one, and most of them say it feels just as good. One thing that also had the surfing purists infuriated was that Kelly’s pool has replaced the Lower trestles contest in September on the 2018 WCT (World Championship Tour) present by the WSL (World Surf League.). Never should a wave pool replace the only surf contest surfed in America (it’s a world tour; Lower Trestles is located in San Clemente, CA; no other wave in the United States can support a world tour event).

This made many people angry, and many people began to say this:

(The person who said this, Noa Deane, faced heavy scrutiny and ended up apologizing for the statement.)

Kelly ran a test even earlier in 2017, and I would say the surf enthusiasts were split. Some thought it was an awesome event. Some thought it was boring, watching everybody surf the same wave. Nonetheless, the surfers in the event were stoked, and whether the public like the idea or not, everyone is going to be watching in September to see what unfolds on the artificial wave. It is such a perfect wave, it will be similar to slope style snowboarding, in which surfers can plan their run out ahead of time. This hyper reality is uncharted territory in the sport of surfing, so it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

Post Malone is Pop (but I’m not complaining)

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Rewind a couple years ago to White Iverson ringing on the radio, inside our house at pregames, and pretty much all over the place. In the era of Internet raps, this was Post’s song that would change his life. Now fast forward to 2019, and White Iverson is almost completely irrelevant in posts discography. Running 3 albums deep and plenty of singles and features in between, post has become a household name.

Much like the evolution of Post’s sound, his appearance and mannerism has matured and changed liked the songs. From slightly tattooed and a little reckless to fully face tatted and soft-spoken, Post has flipped the script on his career and his life since his Soundcloud-White-Iverson days. Highlights include playing Coachella, having chart topping singles, and his sophomore album Beerbongs and Bentleys consistently slapping in my friend circle as well as in my headphones.

Last week, we would receive posts 3rd album, dubbed Hollywood’s Bleeding, a 17 song album that boasts features like Meek Mill, Future, Travis Scott, and Ozzy Osborne just to name a few. The tracks we were teased with leading up to this feature could have maybe given us a clue as to the sound and scheme of his Junior album. The chart-topping track Sunflower had Swae Lee on the first verse and chorus, with Post following up with a sing-songy half rap but not really rap cadence. This song would crush the Hot 100, and probably will turn Hollywood’s Bleeding platinum after the first week. Next, we had Circles, another sing-songy track with Post belting his vocals rather than flexing his rap chops. The third singles is Goodbyes, which again features Post singing but is donned with a classic Thugger feature. With these three tracks, you could have predicted into the future what this album would sound like.

At it’s core, Post Malone’s 3rd album would be deemed pop. In the above photo thanks to @hiphopnumbers , we can clearly see Post has changed his direction and has taken on more of a pop approach to his sound. One of the best arguments against this theory, however, is the illustrious list of A-list rap features that are sprinkled on the album. Rap game veterans like Meek Mill and Future surely certify the tracks as rap/hip-hop, correct?

While Post collects features from raps elitist, he still continues his pop sound. Post maybe spits bars on a handful of tracks, and there are plenty with just him singing to a rap-sounding beat. On top of the pop sound and delivery, this album also sees Post in the middle of a major heartbreak. Most of the lyrics inside curse a woman or muse, and often talk about his heart scarring over from a girl only looking at him for his success and status.

With all this said, I still am really enjoying Hollywood’s Breathing as a breath of fresh air from an artist I have enjoyed listening to for quite some time. Definitely an album that would help someone get through a rough patch of their love life, there are plenty of fun tracks in between with a little bit more upbeat sound and vibe. Standout tracks that I find myself running back the replay button on are Hollywood’s Bleeding, Saint Tropez, Die For Me, Take What You Want, and Goodbyes. With a nice sound to accompany the end of summer and beginning of fall, going all the way into cuffing season and the cold drowsy months of winter. What’s your opinion on the new post project? Yay or nay? Drop a comment or hit my DM with your view!