SUNDAY JOINT, 11-3-2019: CHUBBY MITCHELL, RUSSELL HUGHES, MIMI MUNRO, LONG BEACH '38

Hey All,

I make no pretense to humility when it comes to musical selections for EOS videos. My ear is keen. My sticky fingers deft. But good is not infallible and having just rewatched this clip of EOS 2019 fundraiser coverboy and plus-sized marvel Chubby Mitchell, I realize it should be scored to Otis Redding’s deep-cut gem “Ton of Joy.” By the beard of Zeus, I will get in there someday and make the change! Meanwhile, for those of you who believe (as I do) that you can’t have enough Chubby in your day, I offer this wonderful 1975 SURFER profile, written by the great Kimo Hollinger—another surfer who has brought much joy and humor to the sport.

Speaking of great pairings, let’s talk for a moment about Nat Young and 1968 world titles finalist and master of smooth Russell Hughes. Through the decades, Nat has plucked from his manly breast a thousand arrows of criticism about his arrogance and self-centeredness, and I won’t lie, I’ve loosed off a few myself. But in person and in writing, Nat is remarkably generous, largely focusing his attention on others and doing so with great affection and warmth. Such is the case with his piece on Hughes (which includes a hilarious bonus section on Narrabeen fireplug Grant “Dappa” Oliver), taken from Nat’s fine new book Church of the Open Sky.

I tipped this last week, but it bears repeating. EOS has two new sections, Surfboards and Contests, and while it’ll take a good long while to build them out, we’re getting started. The 1938 National Surfing and Paddleboard Championships is the latest add to the Contests page, and who knows what kind of format or criteria we’re dealing with here, in terms of winners and losers, but here’s what the surfing part of the action looked like on finals day:

Last but not least, I’m flying East on Thursday for the Florida Surf Film Festival, in New Smyrna Beach, and if any of you guys are in the area, please come out to the show, watch some great flicks, say Hi, and possibly meet the amazing and unsinkable Mimi Munro, who is usually in attendance.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week—maybe in sunny Florida!

Matt