Paul Holmes interviewed John Milius for Holmes' 1999 Longboard feature In Trim: Lance Carson. This version has been slight edited. * * * It's no secret that the Warner Bros surf epic Big Wednesday, cowritten by Denny Aaberg with screenwriter-director John Milius, was inspired by the Malibu scene both men experienced growing up as teenagers in the late '50s and early '60s. But just how much of...
Paul Holmes' profile on Lance Carton ran in the January 1999 issue of Longboard magazine. This version has been slightly edited. * * * It's not easy being Lance Carson. At 55 years of age and one of the undisputed all-time greats in surfing's pantheon, he is genuinely stoked to be still involved in the sport through his board and T-shirt business, trading on a much-deserved reputation he earn...
Bob Ottum's report on the 1966 World Surfing Championships ran in the October 10 issue of Sports Illustrated. This version has been slightly edited. * * * The object of surfing is to stand on your feet and stay calm while being chased by a wave that has every intention of eating you alive. There are certain refinements beyond this, such as hanging both feet, all your toes and as much of your ...
Mike Hynson is best remembered for his starring turn in Endless Summer, as the regularfooter with the self-satisfied grin, the glossy slicked-back blond hair, and the casual but flawless surf-forward wardrobe. The level of style that Hynson brought to Endless Summer was not a one-off. He would never again reach the kind of popularity he had during the mid-1960s, but that finely-tuned instinct for ...
Warren Bolster's profile on Alec Cooke, better known as Ace Cool, ran in the Winter 1992 issue of Surfer's Journal. This version has been slightly edited. * * * It was sometime in early 1983 when I first met Alec Cooke. I’d been living above Cafe Haleiwa, and Alec owned the surf shop next door. He was part of radio personality “Surfer Joe” Teipel’s surf report team that included, among others...
Matt Warshaw's profile on Christian Fletcher ran in the April 1990 issue of SURFER. This version has been slightly edited. * * * What’s important to you? Having fun. Having fun every day. Those guys on the World Tour don’t have fun. I know that for a fact. I did it in ’87—it was hell. You spend 60 hours traveling from one place to another, live out of a duffel bag and never get to eat home-c...
This letter ran in the April 1990 issue SURFER. It was written by world tour pro Jeff Booth, and cosigned by over two-dozen other CT pros. The "guy who spent his summer at Trestles," as mentioned by Booth, below, is Christian Fletcher. * * * As editors of one of the most prestigious surfing magazines in the world, we ask for your help and support. Today it seems your magazine is running on a ...
This unattributed article ran in the January 8, 1974, edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, just one month after big-wave surfer Jim Neece told the Star-Bulletin that his plan to ride a monster wave at Kaena Point, for a $12,500 payday, was a virtual certainty. * * * Jim “Wildman” Neece, the North Shore surfer who announced he was planning to ride a 40-foot Kaena Point wave, left for Los ...
Ken Kobayashi's article ran in the December 9, 1973, edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. This version has been slightly edited. * * * A 21-year-old surfer plans to become the first person to ride the monster winter waves at Kaena Point next month, and get paid for it. Jim Neece, also known as “Wildman” in surfing circles, has signed a contract with a California film company to ride a wave ...
Malcolm Gault-Williams' feature on Gene "Tarzan" Smith ran in the Spring 2004 issue of the Surfer's Journal. This version has been slightly edited. * * * He was one of the great ocean paddlers of all time—some say the greatest. An early California surfer, he was also a lifeguard, Waikiki haole beachboy, fighter, and—later—a Honolulu cop. He’s credited with helping rediscover the North Shore o...