A NIGHT ON THE GOON

Oska on the mic.

Hey guys,

So … I know that if your friend plays in a band then you are particularly biased. Even if they play crap and you would normally think a couple of nails running down a chalkboard sound better, you still think they are the greatest …

Well, I thought the Goons Of Doom rocked from day one. They have been playing for a couple of years now and the band is growing up. Kids are owned by half the members, so yes there are a couple of fathers now but the beers still flow and the ego is still high.

Only thing is, now these guys deserve an ego. They are good; a full house at the Beach Rd at Bondi, girls running around lip syncing to the words, a following that would make any band member proud and give the confidence to play at peak levels.

Cowboy on the pigskins

Now, I know what you are thinking: "Yer but how many beers did you have?"
The answer is zero, I drove, and I’m off to Bali in the morning to get some game time in at the event site which I’m not allowed to disclose. I signed a huge contract and if I tell then they will fine me $5000 … Heavy, huh?

Anyway, just wanted you all to know that if you see the Goons up in headlights playing at a venue near you, then go and see them. You don’t need to be drunk to see them anymore.

Steds

THE TAHITIAN DRILL

Stiff offshores during Rnd3 heat with Bottle. © Joli

Tahiti was shaping up to be a mirror image of last year, which was really not that cool. If you remember last year, the event had to go over the waiting period as it physically could not be run as the surf was so tiny.

This year, fortunately, we saw that late in the waiting period there was a three-day window, it was the only possible time to run the event. Big Louie Egan made the call and pretty much called the event off for five days straight. I have never seen anyone ever do that before.

It was awesome. We had a full five days to do whatever in Tahiti. So we pretty much became football wannabes. It is about 35 degrees in the shade around midday but we were out there doing drills. I thought I was in the Swans and Otto pretty much sent in his resume after the week.

When the drills stopped, the swell came, and it was perfect timing. I was over it and wanted to get the show on the road. Five-foot crisp barrels were floating around by the afternoon of the first day and it stayed like this for a good couple of days.

Contest Director Luke Egan … nailed it. © Joli

The comp was over in three days and it normally takes four to run a contest. The judges worked like maniacs and squeezed the whole event out while the swell was on. Awesome job, boys.

I’m off to Fiji today and the swell looks like it’s going to be pumping. Check the report here - http://www.worldprosurfers.com/surf-world-tour/fiji-surf-report.asp

Can’t wait.

LS

THE BALI RECOVERY PLAN

What’s not to love about this island?

I love Bali! Bali, Bali, Bali.
Especially when I have had three of the biggest nights of the year in a row.

It’s been a super fun few weeks. I spent three weeks in Bells this year and had my most fun time in the Victorian state ever. TB, his trainer Johnny Cannon, High Nevel and I; surfed, trained, listened to filthy beats and watched many clips for the whole time and to tell you the truth I could do it forever.

High Nevel, hard at work.

We scored really fun waves and hot weather, which was cool for that time of year. TB knocked me in the 4th round of the event which was a bummer but he surfed really well and I was happy to lose to someone in form.

I then started my party planning. A big night at the Event party was really fun but it was hard driving to Mel airport at 7am. It was all good though because that night I went to watch Queens Of The Stone Age with a pass that allowed me to basically go and sit on Joey Castillo’s lap while he played the drums.

I was there with Kai Otton and we got to take Josh Homme and the band out on the town and I was pretty much like a little kid in a candy store. Otto could not string two words together because he was so excited and he was not even drunk; at 3am, when we walked out of the bar, I can tell you one thing, I was. Hahahaha.

I then had to get over a hangover and get ready for the V Festival where I watched the Queens again and also Smashing Pumpkins, Air and the Presets. All were amazing but I was starting to hit a serious wall.

Here’s hoping the Bukit gets some of this on the horizon before too long.

I’m now kicking it in Bali and the surf is dead flat so I’m really getting to know the massages and I’m pretty much the most rested kid on the island.

Awesome.

LS

GYPSY LIVIN’

To the kids of the web world who’re bored so they are reading my blog. Hahaha, hope you’re all not too bored.

I’m finally going to be in a place for more than 10 days so I have been able to unpack my bag and put away the suitcase … deep, deep, deep under the stairs. It feels good.

I have been the full travelling gypsy of late. Ill start you from the top;
France
Spain
Aus
Bali
Aus
Brazil
Hawaii
… All in the space of six weeks: All has been fricking amazing. I have had the best six weeks of my career, which has been rad.

I came 9th in Spain and 9th in Brazil and now I’m at a PB of 17th, which I’m really proud of. Now I just want to keep nailing it and make the top 16. Anyhow enough of crap comp talk lets get to the fun photo stuff …

This is Kai. And this was on our Insight shoot. He thinks he looks really good when he struck this pose. We were getting up at 4am every morning to get good light and it was good to have Kai as he has too much energy to begin with, so he kept us awake. I actually would spike his coffee with Valium every now and then to calm him down. It did not work.

Brazil was so fun. I stayed with tom, kai, occy, bruce, parko, troy, bede, cambo, macca, and tb. We all had the raddest time and stayed in a crypt spot. It actually hailed while we were there and Occy called it 30 min prior and we all told him he was crazy. Well I still think he is a little crazy but he knew what he was talking about. Boom that’s a keeper.

This photo should come first as it was in France, but I skipped past it. It’s at a place called “100 Marches”. It’s the best place on earth says Tom. It’s on the cliff that looks over the water and this little outside beer shack sits on the hill and you can play Bocce ball and get chesse platters all day long. (I think Tom invested in one down at Bondi the other day.)

This is the view you get while sipping on a bier … Bloody beautiful …

HOLIDAY AT HOME

Yer Boyzzzz and Ladyies,
South Africa was my last event and since then I’ve come home to Sydney and have been hiding out lately in bars watching some crazy bands. I saw my sister play in her first ever live gig in Manly. I’m sure I’m biased but she was super dope.

My sis Bonnie on guitar and her friend Sam on their first gig. So cool.

I’ve also been watching all the Members from the Goons Of Doom play in some side projects. Last night I went and saw Vaughn Dead and Cut Throat Cowboy play in their new band The Yellow Belly Black Snakes. It was unreal. Playing some old hits like Girls Who Like Boys and some of their own songs. They’ve only been together for a few days and already sounding like they have been together for years. Love those guys.

Home time is awesome for the soul. When you’re away for so many months of the year and then you get some time off, you make the most of it. I have been so pumped to do some things that stimulate me. After a while you just need to take a break from what you do every day. I mean I’ve still been surfing almost every day but I have been surfing with Dads and school friends and best mates and it’s a different sort of surfing. You dont care if you fall off or drop in. You just surf and laugh at each other.

Have also been working for a long time on some signature thongs for Havaianas. It’s taken some serious time to get the things but it’s been worth the wait. I got the samples the other day and I’m super pumped on them. It’s been fun working on them and now I finally get to throw them on my feet.

Me and my new thongs. You know what? I’m going to start my own competition. The person who first can tell me what it says in my thong I’ll send some to. Seriously.

I have about two weeks before Lowers starts and I’m pretty frothing now. Like Bede says in his column, being at home is like recharging the batteries. Mine are nearly fully charged. I feel like that silly bunny who bangs the drum. Boom boom boom boom!!!

I AINT LION

Baywatch is pretty funny at 4am when you’re jet lagged. Really good time to punch on a couple of keys though.

J-Bay was rad although it really kind of dragged on in the end with the lack of waves so Lion parks were a good option. Mitch nearly got his faced scratched off by this 10-month-old cub. As you can see by Mitch’s face this was a close call for the commentator of the contest.

I have actually done some boxing training with Mitch and he has never moved like this before.

‘m Size 11. Do you think Mr Lion would like a pair like mine.

It was small for a while so I even went for a game of golf? I hate Golf!

I like J Bay though. Do I have to explain why???

J-BAY BLOG HUI

OK, so I got a couple of comments off my last blog about Otto’s sack, and how it’s pretty much ruining a good sunset. Well, I think he has some weird feelings for them as he cant keep them is his pants. He now thinks he has to get them as close to my face as possible. Does anyone think this is weird? Can I get a vote? Thanks

 

There are so many things wrong with this picture.

The dude who wrote “are you kidding there are no women in Chile” … First lesson in travelling on the tour; tell your girl, wife or lover that there are never any women anywhere. Trust me you will be allowed away more often.

When I got back from Chile I got to surf the craziest waves at ‘Ours’ I have ever surfed. The Wed when we flew in you could see the lines and the waves from the plane so you know it is big. It was by far the biggest waves ever surfed at Ours.

Koby, Mark Mathews and Richie were by far the stand outs. If you want to see the shots go to any newsagency and by a mag in a week or so. One of the shots will be on a cover for sure.

I’m in J-Bay right now. It’s my fav stop on tour for sure. The swell is supposed to pump so it’s all looking good, Oh yeah, and there are heaps of amazing women everywhere.

Chile Photo Show

Guys I’m in Chile and it is cold and beautiful. I have about two minutes on this computer so it’s going to be really quick. I think these photos will tell my story better than my rank typing. All I can say is the waves are powerful, the water freezing and there is not a good looking girl for a thousand miles.

The Andes is two hours from the ocean. You can surf then snowboard. That will give you an indication of how cold it is.

Me and the Johnny Hoopers

This is Kai Otton enjoying a beautiful sunset.

THE RETURN OF RIK LOVE

The boys on an Indo break, Ottz, Steds, Rik, DJ Teeth, Teebs, Ron, Snake

Today is the first day I have been able to get pen to pad, actually its finger to key. Anyway it’s been a bullshit few weeks. I was in Tahiti for the Billabong Pro at Teauhpoo. I got the best result I have had this year so, naturally, was frothing-out and I was probably testing some other people’s patience with my abnormal level of energy. Sorry guys, but it was worth it.

I snapped my fin out of one of my boards and I was freaking out as I did not have a back up in that size. Young Tommy was cool enough to let me use his shooter. It was kind of heavy as I don’t think Tom had ever surfed his board this good before. Hahahaha. Kidding around kids, I could only hope to surf as powerful as Tom.

Anyway I rode his board all the way to the 1/4s and was eventually beaten by Mick Fanning. I was really stoked to make the 1/4s at Teauhpoo and I’m much more confident now going into Chile.

As soon as the contest finished I flew directly home for a few hours to change boards and clothes and flew straight to Indo where I was doing a boat trip with Rik Love, Jake Patterson, Tom Whitaker, Jarred Howse, Taj Burrow, Nathan Smith and Ron Blakey. It was the first trip Rik has done since his injury to waves that are solid, powerful and a shape that can make dreams come true or turn them into nightmares.

It was so awesome to be on a boat with all my best friends. It’s been a long time since we were all able to surf together and for Rik I would think it has felt like a lifetime. Rik has been doing a lot of stand-up paddle boarding back home so he brought his along with him and you could see how good he was at it when he stroked into 4 foot peaks at Playgrounds and could throw his 9′0 around like it was on top of hot butter.

Nothing could really stoke me out more than this one session out at HT’s, when Rik pulled off a wave and hooted himself. I was like, ‘What has he done?’ The next wave I caught I spoke to Nathan who was shooting from the water about what Rik had done. Nate showed me the photo that he had just taken through his water housing and I was shocked. A full-on two-fins-out hard-core mother-fucking hack. It looked like Rik had never had a disabling injury and that he was still competing on the WCT. Speaking to Rik out the back he was so over the moon. It was like he had just done a full-rotation upside-down mctwist on a 10 foot wave: he was just so excited and I got chills in my skin and the water was 30 degrees.

That little experience made my trip as well as a few barrels of my own. I just had the best time ever and I’ll never forget it and I know that Rik won’t either. His life has just taken a turn for the best and I’m sure that there will be many more to come for him now.

Hope you like.
ls

ILL COMMUNICATION

Wicked Web kids, Had the worst electronic experience ever. Had my computer stolen on a flight, then my phone blew up. Anyway I’m back now and better than ever with my new black lappy. Dynamite.

Kicking it in Tahiti and if we were in Sydney with all this rain we are having here our dams would be at 99%. The rain here is fucked up.

You can still get around in the rain, especially if you hitch a ride on this boat with it’s own bark roof. The mobile anti-rain party pontoon. © Joli

Went for an early in the dark this morning only to be greeted by an onshore and brown water from all the rain that has fallen over the past 24 hours. It was still fun though and we had it to ourselves though it was nothing like we have been seeing on the news and stuff while we have been in Sydney. We really want to get it good but the outlook is not looking so Bueno.

Heavy. If someone could send me sleeping pills (a week’s worth) that would be cool. Kidding, its all fun and games and with Whits, Otto and Dayyan, I know it will be good times no matter what. I might end up killing Dayyan in his sleep though.

Talk soon kids.

LS