***Official Surf Podcast Thread***

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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Maybe we have different filters. Everything he said was a reflection on how great he is and how important he should be. No humility, just bragging basically. Get the same vibes from his brother...
I just listened to the first half of the podcast.

He's an emotional and passionate observer. He loves surfing. He loves analyzing every nuance ever it. He's obsessed with the masters of the art, and he views them as superhuman.

Can't wait to read his book.

I agree Sam George is pretty crap.

You know who comes off as arrogant to me? Bill Finnegan.

How Barb's Days won a Pulitzer I will never understand.

There's plenty of guys like him who have taken similar paths in every lineup around the planet.

Somehow he thought so much of himself to turn his life into a book.

It had to be one of the most boring long-winded books ever written. Any average person (and he is average) who writes a book about himself with so much attention to detail makes me wonder how long he spends looking in the mirror every morning.
 
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Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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I just listened to the first half of the podcast.

He's an emotional and passionate observer. He loves surfing. He loves analyzing every nuance ever it. He's obsessed with the masters of the art, and he views them as superhuman.

Can't wait to read his book.

I agree Sam George is pretty crap.

You know who comes off as arrogant to me? Bill Finnegan.

How Barb's Days won a Pulitzer I will never understand.

There's plenty of guys like him who have taken similar paths in every lineup around the planet.

Somehow he thought so much of himself to turn his life into a book.

It had to be one of the most boring long-winded books ever written. Any average person (and he is average) who writes a book about himself with so much attention to detail makes me wonder how long he spends looking in the mirror every morning.
Nah, opposite. Barbarian Days is story first, prose second. He writes in a way that draws attention to the story instead of who wrote the story. This puts the story in the prominent position instead of who actually wrote it. It's not 'look at me', it's enjoy the story. With Matt George, it's all about him.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,878
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113
Petak Island
Nah, opposite. Barbarian Days is story first, prose second. He writes in a way that draws attention to the story instead of who wrote the story. This puts the story in the prominent position instead of who actually wrote it. It's not 'look at me', it's enjoy the story. With Matt George, it's all about him.
Interesting that's your takeaway since 99% of his writing is about other people.

What year did you start surfing and where?
 
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casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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1804, Mississippi. I'm a time traveller.
That made me chuckle...

But seriously when/where did you start. You're in Taiwan right?

There's a good reason I'm asking...

Did you graduate from elementary school and did your teachers say you read good?
Yes, and yes, was way ahead of game when in came to reading and writing. Was regional spelling bee champ sometime in the early/mid 90s. lol.

Math was def not my forte.

My errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation here are mostly the result of using text dictation and NGAF.

This brings to mind, when I was completing my first degree we were not allowed to graduate without passing an English grammar and punctuation test. The test was very difficult. In fact the chair of the department at my Uni was known throughout the industry for mandating this test. Editors knew that if you were able to pass they would have a lot less BS to deal with as in order to pass you had to score perfect.

Around test time I met my wife in the class, and I ended up shrugging off any study time with my classmates to study for the grammar test with her exclusively. This meant giving up the opportunity to bang Maria, who was a communist from Jujuy. Commie chicks love me.

It was a real blessing; not only did she have perfect grammar - I would not have passed without her - but apparently the answers to the test were leaked and most of our classmates cheated on the test. Somehow the chair was able to sniff out the cheaters. It was quite a scandal and nearly the entire class had to go to the judicial board. Ultimately I don't know what happened to them but I am glad I emerged honest and unscathed.
 
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menobrah

Gerry Lopez status
Feb 28, 2021
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you were doing spelling bees in the mid 90's...oh sh!t you are a lot younger than I thought lol ...crotchety young man instead of crotchety old man.

I think that both Matt George and William Finnegan are blowhards...George likes attention.. a lot. And Finnegan's book was ok, but he is a yuppie of the highest order..and I find a lot of his writing - including large parts of BD really tiresome...
 
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Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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That made me chuckle...

But seriously when/where did you start. You're in Taiwan right?

There's a good reason I'm asking...



Yes, and yes, was way ahead of game when in came to reading and writing. Was regional spelling bee champ sometime in the early/mid 90s. lol.

Math was def not my forte.

My errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation here are mostly the result of using text dictation and NGAF.

This brings to mind, when I was completing my first degree we were not allowed to graduate without passing an English grammar and punctuation test. The test was very difficult. In fact the chair of the department at my Uni was known throughout the industry for mandating this test. Editors knew that if you were able to pass they would have a lot less BS to deal with as in order to pass you had to score perfect.

Around test time I met my wife in the class, and I ended up shrugging off any study time with my classmates to study for the grammar test with her exclusively. This meant giving up the opportunity to bang Maria, who was a communist from Jujuy. Commie chicks love me.

It was a real blessing; not only did she have perfect grammar - I would not have passed without her - but apparently the answers to the test were leaked and most of our classmates cheated on the test. Somehow the chair was able to sniff out the cheaters. It was quite a scandal and nearly the entire class had to go to the judicial board. Ultimately I don't know what happened to them but I am glad I emerged honest and unscathed.
Well done, lad. You did good.

Early 90s, brah. South of the Tamar where the south westerlies blow.

It really doesn't have any relation to my opinion on Matt George though. The guy's a blowhard cringe machine. Everything he writes is about himself ultimately. Either the prose is intentionally attention-seeking, or he's telling everyone about how good friends he is with so and so...
 
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casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,878
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Petak Island
Well done, lad. You did good.

Early 90s, brah. South of the Tamar where the south westerlies blow.

It really doesn't have any relation to my opinion on Matt George though. The guy's a blowhard cringe machine. Everything he writes is about himself ultimately. Either the prose is intentionally attention-seeking, or he's telling everyone about how good friends he is with so and so...
I'm asking because it doesn't sound like you're very familiar with his work.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,878
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Petak Island
I am, and that's how I formed my opinion; the podcast just reminded me of it.
Maybe we're not talking about the same person.

I'm talking about the guy who wrote profile pieces for surf magazines in the 1980s and early 90s. Would go and live with the people he profiled. Wrote Tom Curren's and Kelly Slater's profile piece for Surfer among many others, wrote about the Allentown contest, the Santa Cruz harbormaster saga, etc. Basically some of surfing's most well known writing,

I just perused about 10 of his most recent pieces, he doesn't mention or allude to himself in any of them.

What writing of his are you familiar with?
 
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menobrah

Gerry Lopez status
Feb 28, 2021
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His slater profile is famous for his creepy opener...and his generally blowhard tone... are we talking about the same guy? Tried to join the navy seals - got bounced out and generally turned it into a publicity stunt? Including writing bloviating explanations of the event? The same guy that was on the Soundings podcast with Jamie Brisick claiming he invented a time machine with his most recent book - claiming that it is some radical new structure - when all he is describing are written histories? The guy is constantly looking to create controversy at the expense of his readers and subjects- ie cheynes profile...which seems to have been pretty wrong looking back now. George wrote a shitty profile full of innuendo and suggestion just for the lols..kind of fucked Cheynes career at the time fyi.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,878
18,458
113
Petak Island
His slater profile is famous for his creepy opener...and his generally blowhard tone... are we talking about the same guy? Tried to join the navy seals - got bounced out and generally turned it into a publicity stunt? Including writing bloviating explanations of the event? The same guy that was on the Soundings podcast with Jamie Brisick claiming he invented a time machine with his most recent book - claiming that it is some radical new structure - when all he is describing are written histories? The guy is constantly looking to create controversy at the expense of his readers and subjects- ie cheynes profile...which seems to have been pretty wrong looking back now. George wrote a shitty profile full of innuendo and suggestion just for the lols..kind of fucked Cheynes career at the time fyi.
Agree 100% he's a weird dude, but you're also being over the top judgmental ("George wrote a shitty profile full of innuendo and suggestion just for the lols")

Pro surfing's biggest fanboi, clearly in love with his pal Kelly Slater, wears his heart on his sleeve, stoked on life, etc.

Arrogant? Nah.

If you want to look at arrogance in the surf world look at Dave Parmenter. That's arrogance. Of course Dave would claim he's not part of the surf world....:rolleyes:
 
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Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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Agree 100% he's a weird dude, but you're also being over the top judgmental ("George wrote a shitty profile full of innuendo and suggestion just for the lols")

Pro surfing's biggest fanboi, clearly in love with his pal Kelly Slater, wears his heart on his sleeve, stoked on life, etc.

Arrogant? Nah.

If you want to look at arrogance in the surf world look at Dave Parmenter. That's arrogance. Of course Dave would claim he's not part of the surf world....:rolleyes:
Parmenter is arrogant, but has substance to back it up. Matt George just blows a lot of wind.

It's cool if you have a different opinion, I don't mind. As I said at the start, maybe you just have a different filter...or maybe you are Matt George...
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,878
18,458
113
Petak Island
Parmenter is arrogant, but has substance to back it up. Matt George just blows a lot of wind.

It's cool if you have a different opinion, I don't mind. As I said at the start, maybe you just have a different filter...or maybe you are Matt George...
I think childish fanboi zeal coming from an adult is sometimes mistaken for arrogance.

A key character trait of an arrogant person is they put other people down.

Matt George is the polar opposite of that.

Contrast with Parmenter (he's the standard).

Really, WTF is with that whole Central Coast crew from that era? Sam, Dave, George. What a trio.

I guess the wind and lack of consistently good surf (apologies to the Duffman) gets to a young person.