thanks to Doc for the new logo
So I Lied, A Little
OK, I know I said the previous post was my last but something came up, so this will be the last. Really. I promise.
I’m not sure why but Mick over at Safe To Sea sent me a rather long preview DVD of Musica Surfica - the whole film. Needless to say Airmail from Australia couldn’t get here fast enough and I plugged it in upon arrival*. If you’re a fan of Thomas Campbell and Andrew Kidman you’re going to love this film. Even if you’re not a fan of their films you’re probably going to like it. If your idea of a good surf film is garage band music and choppy editing of close-out wave maneuvers, you’ll probably still like it a little. It’s… pretty damn good.
First of all it works as a music documentary, and rarely do you get to hear the ideas of a groundbreaking musician like Richard Tongetti, and see his performance up close. Yes, I meant to say see the performances because to hear it is one thing, but to see the mechanics in close-up footage is awe inspiring. It also works as a surf film showcasing boards you’ve likely never seen in action (or seen at all), and wave riding that you surely have not seen. Putting these two subjects together might at first seem odd, but the end result is much more than the sum of its parts. What do you get when people at the top of their respective professions decide to put aside the rules and try something new? Is it new? Some of the boards are ancient designs, and a violin is certainly not a recent addition to the music world. No, what is new and inspiring is seeing several modern masters taking traditional “equipment” to new heights.
The surfing goes beyond what you might expect. If you’ve seen previews or maybe read about the project you probably thought what a nuts idea, no way will I surf a board without fins. After watching it, I went to the garage and removed the fins on what I figured would be my best board to handle going fins free. The only concern I have with the film becoming a big hit is every one else will do the same thing. It will be worse than your scariest SUP nightmare a year from now. It’s one thing for Derek Hynd and his cohorts to surf without fins, but wait till Barney gives it a try. Please have mercy and wear a leash the first time.
Thanks Mick, like I said in the e-mail, it’s a home run.
Oh yeah, King Island, I want to go live there.
Update: This afternoon I took out my “fins free” board, a 6’10” Linden mush wave thruster with your basic single to double concave bottom, single wing, swallow tail, FCS fins removed. The waves were super glassy which I think made it even more difficult – a little surface texture might have slowed things down a bit.
Everything about surfing without fins is weird. Set your board down on the sand, it slides. Paddle out and it fishtails a bit. Duck diving seems odd. Spinning for a wave feels weird. Catching and “riding” the wave? You’ll have to try it yourself. I caught a few and had fun, but a different board might be in order, maybe Tom Wegener will send me an alaia. It also would have been better if I hadn’t forgotten my contacts, I could have better judged which waves to go on. Yeah, that’s it, I didn’t have my contacts. If I had, I woulda killed it.
* The DVD is in an Australian format so it won’t play on a U.S. DVD player for a television. Hence the poor PC screengrabs.
thanks to Doc for the new logo
thanks to Doc for the new logo
That’s About It
Well, this is going to be the last post for Six Foot & Perfect. I’ve been thinking about how and when to wrap things up with the old surf blog, and was ready to pull the plug some time ago. But I had a few more things to show and tell, so I waited. February 11 seems as good of a day as any. I’ll keep Clay Fins and Shaped In The Garage active, but posts will be minimal, and just to show new projects. I’ll still be around the surfwebs though, lurking on your blogs with the occasional comment.
As a parting shot, here is the latest clay fin I completed. It will be a while before any new ones are done since I don’t have easy access to a studio right now.
Splat, stoneware clay with colored slips and posterboard resist, approximately ten inches square.
