some thoughts on revivalism..

i made the mistake of googling alex knost just a bit too much and as i feared, the personality is pretty obnoxious and reminiscent of people i try to avoid in oakland. i still love his surfing but it seems he's the poster child for some kind of retro hipster movement going on in surfing that seemed to be based out of brooklyn? i certainly don't see it here.

my tastes have long skewed towards a 60s/70s sensibility so it seems fitting i would be drawn towards an era of surfing rooted in that time period where feel and natural style were emphasized over athletic prowess.

i have to admit, i cringed just a bit at watching surf edit movies that were exactly trying to replicate surf videos of that era through vintage effect (or vintage) film.  i really could barely get through one video sponsored by mollusk. i also fucking hate burger records music! i don't know AK or his friends, obviously, but i still believe there is a way to achieve authenticity in spirit without exactly replicating the past. even moreso, i question a true "soul surfer" who has a line of clothing, fins, boards, sponsorship by RVCA and a band to promote.. i read an interview with ford archbold in which he primarily talked about beer, drugs and hot chicks. how exactly are these bleach streaked long hairs really so different as their jocked out enemies? different look, same shit. much as the current trend of psychedelic-hippie-garage-freako revivalism in music, it tends to fall in an ego-shaped pile when i start poking holes at it.

that said, i think his talent speaks for itself and i still get excited to see this type of stylish single fin riding get some attention. it also speaks to what you can accomplish on a shorter board when you are already an accomplished longboarder in terms of style and relying on the wave.

i think my true surfing heroes are not the guys you'll see in any sponsored fancy pants edit.. who's got room or time for a fancy camera in the water, just go surf! groovy long hair may be lacking but someone like dane reynolds, even if he does sick airs or whatever, provides a more intriguing persona over all..