Surf Fridays!

Ryan Burch stoked and sliding

Cyrus Sutton and his leading lady, Anastasia Van Windergen

Jay and I are happy to finally meet Ryan Tatar!
Photo taken by Joanie Celi

When I saw that Stoked and Broke was coming to San Francisco, of course I bought tickets right away. Jay and I had so much fun watching the movie, if you haven't seen it yet, it's the kind of surf movie that makes you smile the whole time. I love what Cyrus does, creatively. - and he's a fabulous surfer, too! Just an A+ guy in all that he does. Great film shorts shown ahead of the main attraction, too - including the now famous tarp surfing film.

Cyrus was a gracious host and showered the audience with t-shirts, and we were treated to music by Anastasia and then The Blank Tapes, both of whose music appears in the film. We ran into Thomas Campbell and got to meet Ryan Tatar for the first time. Nice to have you in Northern California, Ryan!

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We also recently saw Patrick Trefz's film, Idiosyncrasies, at the Pedro Point Firehouse in Pacifica. They were serving tamales and beer there, yum! While the crowd was noshing, they showed some footage from the 40s and 50s of surfing all along the California coast. That was super cool to see. They showed scenes of people surfing Linda Mar with no wetsuits. I don't think they stayed out as long in those days.

Bill Mulcoy somewhere in Mexico
shot by Patrick Trefz

Idiosyncrasies is a cool film. I liked learning more about Andrew Kidman but my favorite part of the movie was about Harbor Bill and his son Josh Mulcoy. Josh was there as a special guest, along with Patrick to answer questions once the movie ended. If you haven't seen the film and would like a better description, Rebecca Godson does a great job reviewing it.

Surf Fridays!

Cy's Sunrise Lefts

Happy Surf Fridays to one and all. Cy sent over this beautiful video of he made while surfing with his girlfriend in Chile. It's so beautiful, isn't it? There's more great stuff at Korduroy, so please check it out.

My Favorite GoPro Videos

Cyrus filming for "Stoked and Broke" from Korduroy.

That little video was too short! What a tease. I can't wait to see that movie. Stoked and Broke. I love that title.

Here's my other favorite GoPro vid, by Christian Wach. I love how it starts underwater in some sea grass and the whole thing reminds me of a sweet summer love story.

Christian & Cyrus not only have mad surf and film skills, they're also fantastic at picking out a sublime tune.

GOLD from Christian Wach.

Surf Fridays!

Cyrus holding handplanes that he made
Photo by Scott Sullivan

After meeting him and seeing his film, Under the Sun, I have come to admire Cyrus Sutton. Especially after learning of his newest project, Korduroy.tv. You've probably seen the trailer.

And I bet you heard about (or attended) the alaia shaping workshop at Patagonia in Cardiff last month. But did you know about the new film, Tom's Creation Plantation?


I watched Tom's Creation Plantation last night (trailer here). I wondered if I'd be bored during the "Alaia Creation Tutorial", as Tom Wegener shows us precisely how we can make our own alaia. But as it turns out, I was really into it. I truly appreciated the slow paced nature of the visuals and the wholesome subject matter.

The gentleman sitting next to me said, "I could do that". And I think that is the highest compliment, because it means that Tom and the filmmaker did an excellent job of showing us that if we wanted to, we could make our own surfcraft.

There is another portion of the film, the "Alaia Creation Surf Film", that shows all sorts of surfers riding alaias and having a great time. This was my favorite part of the movie. There are great bonus features, too, such as "Ding Repair".

Well, I had some burning questions on my mind, and I thought it would be fun to check in with Mr. Sutton...turns out it was enlightening as well.

Cyrus, what are you doing today?

Just got done hiking in the mountains after visiting with family. It was a great hike, no one around for miles.

What did you have for breakfast?

A can of beans and an apple on the trail.

At what moment did you realize you wanted to create Korduroy?

I woke in the middle of the night a couple of years ago and realized all I knew how to do was buy and sell things. Making films and ads, all you're really doing is selling stuff, you know? Being a child of the 80's I didn't know how to make anything myself. I think there's a lot of us out there who are in the same boat. Korduroy is my attempt to change that in its own little way.

Can you briefly describe your vision of Korduroy?

We are in a culture that associates happiness with owning new things. Surfing has taught me that that's bullshit. Happiness comes from enjoying what you have and connecting with something greater than yourself. Korduroy is just a place where surfers can watch others attempt to create things and hopefully be inspired to make something themselves.

In the surf film on the Tom's Creation Plantation DVD, I saw you riding an alaia really well! How often now are you grabbing an alaia to ride, vs. other surfboards in your quiver?

I'd say probably 40% of the time when I'm not logging at Cardiff or riding a shortboard at a local beachbreak.

You have been figuring out ways to do things naturally that are good for us and our environment. Can you tell us about a few of your discoveries - I believe you make your own sunscreen, your own wax for your board...OH and your own packaging for the DVD! Awesome.

I'm not trying to make some green statement. I just don't like making things out of toxic materials that make your skin itch and your lungs hurt, you know?

The sunscreen is one part zinc oxide, one part bee's wax and one part coconut oil. The most expensive organic sunblock at Whole Foods is basically oxidized metal like zinc or titanium dioxide and natural oils. The bee's wax makes it waterproof and there's nothing better for your skin or your body than coconut oil. So in the end you get a sunblock that's every bit as good as the expensive stuff for pennies on the dollar.

The surf wax is more of a novelty. It's two part bee's wax, one part pine resin and half part coconut oil, depending on the water temp you use it in. It smells great and works but it costs as much if not more to make than normal wax, so I'm not making a ton of it.

The packaging from our new DVD was made from cardboard boxes we found in dumpsters. We then stamped the cover from a block print, and bought these two centimeter diameter, self-adhering foam dots that you can get for like $30 for 1,000. The result is something that looks unique, is cheap to make and doesn't add any more needless plastic into the world.



How did you figure these things out?

Just through a few google clicks for the sun block and surf wax and I just came up with the DVD packaging.

Is Korduroy your main focus right now or do you also have another feature film on your horizon?

Right now just Korduroy thankfully.

What are you most excited about for this Fall?

I'm excited about sticking close to home, just hanging with my girl and my friends and making things.

I really liked a quote in Tom's Creation Plantation from Tom Wegener where he says, "Surfers have been missing out on so much by focusing on the 'perfect waves' instead of focusing on what's right here - because what's right here is what you have. And you're wealthy because you have it."

Do you resonate with that?

Oh yeah, there's so much we don't have and we're reminded of that every day. But it changes everything when you turn the tables on the mentality of scarcity and start focusing on the abundance all around us.

What is your favorite surf movie of all time?

I saw Surfing 50 States lately and I really liked where that was coming from.

In the Korduroy trailer, I got a kick out of the deep, booming voice and the line that mimics the commercial movie trailers..."In a World"... Whose voice is that!?

Voice 123...google it. It's this kickass website with thousands of voiceover artists. I had like 50 Don LaFontaine impersonators to choose from.

Thanks Cyrus, you rock. For more on Cyrus (and Ryan Tatar), check out this new interview on Drift.

Happy Surf Fridays!!!

Sole Surfing in Venice!

I am so stoked to be a part of this art show, alongside these skilled artists and photographers. It opens on Thursday, Nov. 6, with a reception that evening and runs until Nov. 20. Please stop by if you are in the area.

TOMS Pop Up Store
1617 Abbot Kinney
Venice, CA 90291

Plus TOMS is only the coolest shoe company ever...for each pair of shoes purchased they donate a pair to a child in need. One for One. Check out their cause here.

If you aren't near Venice, you probably want to take a look at the list of the talented artists whose work will be exhibited.

* Corey Brindley
* Ryan Tatar...the one, the only, of Shakas and Singlefins
* Keiron 'Seamouse' Lewis...of Pinniped
* Liz Cockrum...check out her recent work 'Sirens'
* Cyrus Sutton...filmmaker and photographer extraordinaire
* Meegan Feori...enjoy a cool article about her on COTW
* Ty Williams...with a groovy video about one of his shows


Thank you Ryan and Garett.

Shakas and Seppos this Saturday!

Saturday, Sept. 13, 7:00pm
Surfindian ~ 4658 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach, CA

I really wish I could go to Cyrus and Ryan's show this Saturday. If you're local, hook it up and enjoy for all of us who will be there in spirit!

I asked Ryan a few questions to get a better idea of the show...

How did the collaboration with you and Cyrus come together for this show?

Cyrus approached me with the idea. He wanted to have a local artist contribute at the show and we had already been talking about some future projects together. His photographs were taken on location in Australia, while the ones I'm exhibiting were taken in Southern California. The idea would be, to somewhat parallel the film, which is about two different cultures within the surfing community. Also, the Surfindian space has a lot of wall to fill.

How did you choose which prints to show at Surfindian?

I'm trying to paint a picture with the collective of photographs on display. I'm just an average guy who likes to travel and surf more than anything. I find it very spiritual. I like to surf alone and take a break from society and immerse myself in the ocean. I've lived and traveled all over the world, and I've always found it difficult to put into words my experiences when talking to non-surfers. The photography is a way of showing people what it's like to be a surfer... the beautiful and majestic things you see, on just any given day, on your way to the ocean.

I have also been preparing for many months for a solo show in Long Beach at Shelter Surf Shop which is coming up on the 27th. I had too much work for that one show, and it works out perfectly that I can split it up and have a different exhibit at each venue. Both exhibits tell the same story, but are different chapters.

How long will your show be up?

About 3 weeks.

What are you going to wear to the show?

Whatever t-shirt is on top in my drawer.



Under the Sun trailer
Reception at 7:00pm, Film begins at 8:00pm

UPDATE: Ryan's photos from the show available here. I already picked out my favorites.