E's Surf Report

1st one on the scene.

What a beautiful line: "Wave and surfer push against each other in a momentary embrace." You have a way of describing my best moments, e.

Feels like mother ocean is about to clean up her act (Dr. Dawn says with his fingers crossed behind hes back).

embrace

I have been drawing since I was four years old. I
learned to draw from my father, who would entertain me
by inventing cartoon animals. Although he never
pursued an artistic career, he encouraged me to
continue drawing throughout my school years. Drawing
became a way of commanding respect and communicatiing
with people. When I was eighteen, my work, which had
been primarily cartoon-oriented, became increasingly
abstract and concerned with spontaneous action. I
became interested in Eastern Calligraphy and the art
of the Gesture. When I moved to New York City at the
age of twenty, I started to experiment with drawing on
paper that was so large that I had to stand inside the
drawing. Although my work was still "Abstract" at this
time, I became aware of the vast differences in
people's responses to the work.

Different people saw different things in the drawings.
I remember most clearly an afternoon of drawing ina
studio that large doors that opened onto Twenty-second
Street. All kinds of people would stop and look at the
huge drawing and many were eager to comment on their
feelings toward it. This was the first time I realized
how many people could enjoy art if they were given the
chance. These were not the people I saw in the museums
or in the galleries but a cross section of humanity
that cut across all boundaries. This group of
different people living and working together in
harmony has always been my prime attraction to New
York.

I arrived in New York at a time when the most
beautiful paintings being shown in the city were on
wheels - on trains - paintings that traveled to you
instead of vice versa. I was immediately attracted to
the subway graffiti on several levels: the obvious
mastery of drawing and color, the scale, the pop
imagery, the commitment to drawing worthy of risk and
the direct relationship between artist and audience. I
had no intention, however, of jumping on the bandwagon
and imitating their style.

For two years, I was an observer. During that time, my
art was going through several changes. I began making
videotapes and doing performances. I was introduced to
the work of William Burroughs and began experimenting
with words and meaning ina similar style. I studied
semiotics, the science of signs and symbols.

In 1980, I returned to drawing with a new commitment
to purpose and reality. If I was going to draw, there
had to be a reason. That reason, I decided, was for
people. The only way art lives is through the
experience of the observer. The reality of art begins
in the eyes of the beholder and gains power through
imagination, invention, and
confrontation.

Doing things in public was not a new idea. The climate
of art in New York at that time was certainly moving
in that direction. It seemed obvious to me when I saw
the first empty subway panel that this was the perfect
situation. The advertisements that fill every subway
panel that this was the perfect situation. The
advertisements that fill every subway platform are
changed periodically. When there aren't enough new
ads, a black paper panel is substituted. I remember
noticing a panel in the Times Square station and
immediately going aboveground and buying chalk. After
the first drawing, things just fell into place. I
began drawing in the subways as a hobby on my way to
work. I had to ride the subways often and would do a
drawing while waiting for a train. In a few weeks, I
started to get responses from people who say me doing
it.

After a while, my subway drawings became more of a
responsibility than a hobby. So many people wished me
luck and told me to "keep it up" that it became
difficult to stop. From the beginning, one of the main
incentives was this contact with people I It became a
rewarding experience to draw and to see the drawings
being appreciated. The number of people passing one of
these drawings in a week was phenomal. Even if the
drawing only remained up for only one day, enough
people saw it to make it easily worth my effort.

The panel remains from a few days to a few weeks
before a new advertisement is posted on tip of it.
This constant replenishment forces me to keep
inventing new images and ideas.

The images are part of the collective consciousness of
modern man. Sometimes they stem from world events,
sometimes from ideas about technology or people
changing roles in relation to God and evolution. All
of the drawings use images that universally
"readable". They are are often inspired by popular
culture.

The drawings are designed to provoke people to think
and use their own imagination. They don't have exact
definitions but challenge the viewer to assert his or
her own ideas and interpretation. Sometimes, people
find this uncomfortable, especially because the
drawings are ina space usually reserved for
advertisements which tell you exactly what to think.
Sometimes the advertisements on the side of the empty
panels provide inspiration for the drawings and often
create ironic associations.

When there are grafitti "tags" (signatures) on the
black panel before I arrive, I usually draw around and
in between the signatures. I would never draw over
other people's tags. This mutual respect among
graffiti writers, however, does not extend to other
people. Sometimes other people sign my drawings after
I've left. Sometimes they erase them, cross them out,
or even steal them. These are the only things that
inhibit my work in the subway.

The drawings are by necessity quick and simple. This
is not only for easy readability but also to avoid
getting arrested. Technically they are still graffiti.
Because they are only chalk and the black ads are only
temporary, it is hard to call them vandalism; however,
different policeman respond in different ways. I have
been caught many times. Some cops have given me a
$10.00 ticket, some have handcuffed me and taken me
in. By the time they let me go, most of them tell me
they like the drawing, but they're just doing their
job. More than once, I've been taken to a station
handcuffed by a cop who realized, much to his dismay,
that the other cops in the precinct are my fans and
were anxious to meet me and shake my hand.

I have been drawing in the subway for three years now,
and although my career aboveground has skyrocketed,
the subway is still my favorite place to draw. There
is something very "real" about the subway system and
the people who travel in it; perhaps there is not
another place in the world where people of such
diverse appearance, background, and life-style have
intermingled for a common purpose. In this underground
environment, one can often feel a sense of oppression
and struggle in the vast assortment of faces. It is in
this context that an expression of hope and beauty
carries the greatest rewards.

Hey there.

e-nice references this morning. Just read Gerry Lopez's references to mana in his tribute to Tiger Espere. I vaguely recall some photos of him ripped out of Surfer and hung on my bedroom wall in the early 70's.

Just about over a bout with vertigo. Freaky. Like being hungover and seasick at the same time.

Took a pass this a.m. but yesterday morning was really sweet.

Music segue:
Anyone interested in a beginner's bluegrass style jam? I've been learning banjo for about a month and wold live to get together with a guitar or bass.

Let me try that again:
Anyone interested in a beginner's bluegrass style jam? I've been learning banjo for about a month and would love to get together with a guitar or bass.

Damn dyslexic keyboard

this clip rules so much i had to post it again.

slates ripping hard

Sweet Kdalle,

I just got back from an epic little trip and the Old Crow Medicine Show provided the background noise, they rule. Banjo kicks ass

first one in the office kaiser?

nice one e. so you gonna do the new 21st
century instrumental, 'red onions'?

amazing morning. plate glass water...
some nugs to hug and play with, sweet.

where'd ya go mexi?

Mexi-where'd you go? Let's have a recap.

Thanks for the Old Crow Medicine Show reference. I'm listening to them now. I dug out my Old & In The Way LP. Just great fun music. Banjo is a little mindbending for an old guitar player. Very different and very fun.

C,D, and G is about all ya have to know for a lot of it. 3 chords, just like rock n roll.

agreed. I am a big fan of that clip.

hey kdalle :

jackstraw. check them out. groovy little bluegrass band
from portland, oregon. i have a few of their cd's.
they rip.

kdalle- are you taking banjo lessons? Any recs as to a good teacher? I have been trying to teach myself and have made no progress.

Bela Fleck shreds some banjo

speedracer-what's hanging you up? I'm mostly self-teaching but got a few pointers from a pro.

korewin-thanks for the tip.

And yeah, Fleck is amazing but Scruggs is da man.

I went north, a little rain everyday, some sun, but good glassy waves and no people...

now worries kdalle...i can burn you one if
you want....drop me an email : cscorwinatyahoo.com

bela cannot hold earl scruggs jock.
gimme that mountain music...

the banjo work in the theme for the Beverly Hillbillies ruled

bjork is awesome

blue grass and banjos....does anything suck more than bluegrass and banjos?

Yes, a few things, including your little sister last night

lots of stuff actually.

hot buttered rum string band...local bluegrass band that is making some waves. they are having a small festival in yosemite in a few weeks, on may 5th. will definately be a good time. surf this am was fun...i seem to be a narrel master, yet not even a barrel apprentice.

oh yeah, yonder mountain string band is another great bluegrass, jamgrass band. Catalyst in SC, on Friday

Im now on the super speed internet. getting the boards ready went out this morning not big at all but lots of fun.see yah next time SD SURFER

I dont know about the naked boardless slasher. But I do know about the paddling g-string girls.

Most banjo players can pick up a guitar very quickly and shred. ....can't say the same for guitar players picking up the banjo.

I'm a guitar player, and have no idea what to do with a banjo.

Who's gonna break out the banjo jokes...

well, the surf went to shit really fast. it looked real good this morning, by 12, damn.

Just so you know the fahsion show is TOMORROW NIGHT! See you all there.

Can you guarantee hot chicks?

i want to fuck that girl that is paddling out in the g-string. holy shit.

nice FUP on that last one in the bikini, Sactomexy.

good article re: CHINA and how they are DOMINATING us:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article358568.ece

Pray Hard, China is GNARLY!

That girl in the g-string-never thought about what we look like from behind. Come to think of it though, have enjoyed looking at my share of black neoprene clad bubble butts paddling out... :) Fun, fun fun!

Any predictions for the final today? Here's mine:

Taj vs. AI.

looks like the knob next to the g-string girl is wearing a wettie. either he's a lightweight or she is tough. there used to be a very hot girl in manhattan beach that would surf all winter in a bikini. not a ripper but competent on a log.

Anyone computer savy have another link to contest, maybe using Quiktime or something.

I do not have restricted i-net at work but still can't get access. Its just a black screen.

The Duke of Shazzard-

Rolled up to look at VF's, around 6:30am or so, stairway #19. Lo and behold, there is a guy, exactly halfway between the seawall and the water, with his blue/black wetsuit around his knees, squatting down and dropping a dugan right there in the sand!

My buddy and I howled derisively at him, and he looked around but did not seem abashed. He completed his outrageous shizzle and then - here's the most incredible part - reached over and, grabbing off of his board *a couple of wads of toilet paper he had brought down to the sand with him*, wiped his butt, of course leaving the entire steaming heap. He then pulled up his wetsuit and paddled out.

I thought I had seen some unique behavior at the beach, but this took the cake. The guy was off the charts in all categories - environmental, hygenic/public health, respect for da beach, general humanity, you name it, the guy was shitting squarely on the magna carta of guidelines for human conduct, written and unwritten. It was almost like some kind of performance art, an act of protest against...what - perhaps the misfortune of being born a human instead of a free-shitting beast of the wild?

Or am I overreacting?

Posted by: redworm on March 9, 2004 11:57 AM

Korewin, I had vertigo off and on for months, took me out of surfing for a bit too. Vertigo majorly sucks. If you need a specialist, shout out and I'll give you a name. It turns out I had a combo of migraines w/dizziness and otosclerosis, no problem now but it was a serious mess until this doc figured it out. Before that I saw a zillion befuddled ents.

Welle can't wait until you move back!

Can't wait til I get older...

Actually sharkbait, I was the one with vertigo. I think I've solved the riddle though. Hope it doesn't return, I could barely stand at all for about 36 hours. Took about 2 weeks to feel normal again (well, as normal as I get that is). I remember you asked me for an ENT reference a long time ago. Glad you sorted it out.

Whoop, excuse me kdalle, I can't read. Glad it's over. Don't know about you, but meclizine works for squat on me. I took some before going to a workish related minor public speaking thing and was faaaaaaarked up. Hooboy.

Just a reminder for those of you in the "know", tomorrow is 4/20.

Go Occy!

3to5! you totally abandonned your backside fanboy god occster and he wiped that little whipper snapper taj off. he looks just fine with his hair long and his beard scruffy. i should let him know as his fashion consultant.

all smiles out there in that ocean this morning.
i can't believe how bad i am at surfing after as long as i have been doing it. oh well. the ocean sure is lovely.

Welcome back from NJ, e.

Eric Drooker did a great book called "Illuminated Poems" with Alan Ginsberg (who I was lucky enough to meet in person when he visited my professor in class back at university in the 1990s). He has also done several covers for the New Yorker, one of my faves:

Cheers E
I was not a big fan of contests but now my attitude has changed.
So fun to lay around on my day off. Backyard puff ,pacifco ,sun and watch perfect Bells.
My wife is gonna be pissed off tonight.
She won't be able to drag me away from the moniter.

Steamwand, I would NEVER abandon Occy, never. Goofy footers stand united. I just used a little reverse psychology hoping that Occy would read my post and be pissed and kick some Taj ass.

The Duke of Shazzard-
A premeditated dump in the middle of OB takes the cake.
I've dumped in the park recently when a sudden urge hit me on a run but to plan it ahead of time by taking the TP with you is insane.
Why would you shit where you surf?

ahh, reverse psychology. well, the question now is can he beat AI? i kinda doubt it, but big upps to him if he can.

toneman, i would not want to surf in a contest (because i would lose) and, i guess, in some ways contests are antithetical to my vision of what surfing is all about. and i LOVE watching really good surfers rip really good waves. the two oppositional beliefs sit side by side.

46006 1:50 pm 16.1ft 14sec

steamwad,
Big smiles at my favorite beach this morning.
And the sandbars are real nice.
My only contest is with the motion of the ocean. I just like getting my ass kicked by the wave.
This ASP Webcast the best use for the internet.
Show us more surfing.
It would be real nice to have a jet ski back to the lineup.

that new yorker cover is a massively superior work of art compared to the woodcuts e posted, like it's not even the same artist

happy 4:20 4/19

I saw a flyer for a skate demo/event this Sunday at Whole Foods in San Mateo. Ray Barbee, Tommy Guererereruouo and some others will be there putting out some chill music. It's put on by a lot of the SUPER SPONSORS (vol.com, real, blah blah), so there will probably be some pretty good skating going on. Sorry, I'm not sure what time it starts. I tried hacking into the details but can't find anything online. My buddy has the flyer, so I'll get some more info by tomorrow. Loving the weather!

Shazzard,

I shit you not...

Saw the same thing happen IN THE PARKING LOT at Sloat. Bathrooms weren't open yet. Guy drops one on the pathway seaside from the front row of cars.

It was daylight. It looked like a case of gotta-go-gotta-go-gotta-go-right-now.

He did clean it up... but c'mon It was a short scramble to at least be out of sight.

I wish I could find some higher res pics of his, but I'm loving his art.

Tomas Sanchez

Meditador, 2003

El norte y el sur, 2003

Slates barrelled!

9.73 for slater's wave?
nice shack, but come on.

Awesome pics, Ian.

I instantly recognized that "beach shitter" post from way back on e's - it is about 2 years old and I'm wondering why it returned?

haha occys got AI combo'd. go occy!

Occ totally hammers AI i love it when that happens

great. the interenet broke..

Service Unavailable

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goodnight mick!

Bells, that is such a friggin beautiful wave

if flava flav dug surfing, would he be a fanboyeee?

I am in love with the Bells wave. Big, fat and slow for my out of shape ass. Actually, it looks pretty fast right now.

Looks like a drop at Sloat on mid tide about 7 ft @ 15 seconds.

clear the way for the S, the S 1 W

Flavor-Flav on a hype tip
Um ya hype drink, come take a big sip
Um in position, you can't play me out da pocket
I'll take da dopest wave you got and I'll rock-it

all those beautiful, unridden waves.

the g-string paddler is so hot I'd have sex with her surfboard if she'd let me. you guys ever think about that, having sex with your surfboard because you love it so much? I do.

hee hee, have you ever got a boner in your wetsuit? exactly.

this is weirding me out. yesterday they had some kind of malfunction of the results window, and it showed a FINAL heat with slater beating occy.

looks like it will be a parko/slater final...

dont count occy out yet

how bout now?

close though

the bells locals must love seeing all these empty waves

did he just say he took a break for 4and 20 pies

pass that pie this way

it is thursday there after all.

Kelly just won Bells!

on a 6' 1"

have you become a fan, fanboy critic?

I'm not ashamed to admit I have a man crush on Kelly Slater. The guy is my hero.

then post your name anon crush boi

yawn

man crush on slater = most of you.

yawn is right.

Ace just got kicked off American Idol, I'm gonna kill myself.

Late on the banjo tip but I have been really digging on, as Korewin would say, the old "mountain music". There is something about that distant yet so soothing sound.

Always been searching for a cheap banjo. Fuck all of those dudes can pick the banjo so fast. Damn.

Check out an ollld school guy named Dock Boggs who lived back in the early 1900's. Only have three of his songs but he used that clawhammer stylee and his singing was so consuming.

SOA stands for Services Oriented Architecture, which allows programs, services, applications running on heterogeneous systems, across a distributed infrastructure, over different protocals and interfaces, to communicate with each other in a seamless, loosely coupled fashion. In other words, SOA allows for integration, re-use, and agility.

Ok I guess we are going to the fashion show, been a great spring break, just wish we could stay out here longer