Instant Coffee, a wrap-up.

[mical]

I'm trying to imagine the Messiah as the audience.

You teasing cnut.

[mical]

As for the North Shore.....well, stranger things have happened.

Like I said Steve, never be afraid to ask.

[jimmy]

As for the North Shore.....well, stranger things have happened.

Like I said Steve, never be afraid to ask.

I had some words with Ben from Swellnet the other day.. And the general vibe there is that they want to send Shearer to as many events as possible cause they genuinely love his writing... Funds are an issue however and one of the big 3 are reluctant to give them any marketing bongs I mean bucks...

The hippy cnut has to be on the North Shore because I would like to see his perspective on that whole circus...

BTW Steve.. I bet you didn't get that hat back through customs pal?

[Dingus]

Oh man, how much could we all chip in to get Steve to paddle around out the back at Waimea with an instamatic during the Eddie?

[jimmy]

Steve. Do you feel guilty in any way about writing this?


"The offending paragraph was discreetly removed in the wee hours of the morning and JJ apparently stayed well hidden behind locked doors through the morning as a succession of livid judges and industry honchos took turns flaying the ex-journo back into a state of supine contrition."

Not having a dig but gee whizz the poor fella probably cant even get a job washing windows right now......

[Nappy]

Had abit of the channon hippy feel to it, you know like when they think a tiny thing makes a difference in how the world is going to turn when its really irelivant (lol I cant spell).

Well I sorta of got that feeling from the Cambo interview but im probably a narcistist. Personally I like abit more of an o'ker no bullchit cut to the chase style . I still read every blog couple seemed abit contrived "am I reading about the tour jocks or am I reading a philsophy of life"

Still im sure swellnet had increased traffic and alot of ppl like that style of writing, im probably not intelectual enough for it

[mustkillmulloway]

really enjoyed it, mostly the insight into local life

who won the contest ...yawnnnnnn

yep...value for money and i'd put my hand up help with hawaii

i just find your writting refreshing , given it's all been reported on so many times b4 from the coporate tow the line to the sponser surf mag sector

p.s wouldn't mind knowing who " the judges " are and why there indentitys are so well hidden by all concerned

[steve shearer]

Personally I like abit more of an o'ker no bullchit cut to the chase style .

Right there with ya on that.
I actually submitted a different version but they cut out all the fcuks and put in big words.
Fuggen editors.

[steve shearer]

Steve. Do you feel guilty in any way about writing this?


"The offending paragraph was discreetly removed in the wee hours of the morning and JJ apparently stayed well hidden behind locked doors through the morning as a succession of livid judges and industry honchos took turns flaying the ex-journo back into a state of supine contrition."

Not having a dig but gee whizz the poor fella probably cant even get a job washing windows right now......

Umm...no.
Media Manager of the event moonlighting for STAB and taking aim at the judges........I'd consider that a newsworthy conflict of intrest and maybe emblematic of a deeper malaise.
JJ's a cool dude......no-one worthy of his employ would change their mind based on that blog.....the pen is weaker than people think.

[Nick Carroll]

^^^ I think Shearer is naive on this point. The people who work in the mid ranks of these events ... well, you know how a lot of you guys affect to despise everything about the surf industry and the contests, etc etc? Well, surprise surprise, surf industry middle management, especially those involved with the top end events, similarly despise and resent pretty much anyone who says anything publicly sceptical of any aspect whatsoever of said events. On the way home from Chopes, for instance, several ASP employees wouldn't even look at me, as a result of my casting aspersions on how the injury wildcards were selected for the next phase of the tour ... this despite the fact that I asked for clarity on the subject prior to publication, and nobody would address it. They won't actually abuse me to my face -- I think they know it wouldn't do any good -- but the resentment is tangible. It wears off over time, because I'm not on some sort of destroy-the-ASP mission, and the pluses of having me around in a free-range sort of way must outweigh the minuses. But if you were part of the team and made a negative public call on the judges' performance ... well, Hell hath no fury, etc. JJ was almost invisible on finals day -- I didn't actually see him anywhere -- and I reckon there'll be a bit of grovelling to be done if he wants that business, "going forward" as they say.

ps shearer's comment wouldn't have had any effect on that situation and he need feel no guilt on it in any case.

pps mustkill, go back to the answer thread for a full list of the judging staff.

[steve shearer]

^^^ I think Shearer is naive on this point.
Not sure what I was being naive about. My point was that any damage accruing to JJ was well and truly done by his own hand by the time my missive went to air. My take on it was as a slightly absurdist piece of theatre, probably not the POV of the main protaganists I'll grant you.

because I'm not on some sort of destroy-the-ASP mission,

With all due respect Nick, this is a comment which comes across as slightly naive.
The day the ASP declares NIck Carroll an "enemy of the state" is the day they install Steve Shearer as the Media Manager.
For good or ill, and whether it's an accurate perception or not is arguable, you are the Establishment.
The benefits and credibility you confer on these events are inarguable......mine: far, far easier to dismiss.

[Nick Carroll]

Not sure what I was being naive about.

Just on the theme of JJ being unlikely to suffer as a result of his bloggery. It may be silly but he'll almost certainly pay a price.

[TMC]

The minions used to come in on Mondays proudly displaying all the counterfeit stickers they'd ripped off cars, over the weekend. One bloke even bought a jacket off someone in the pub that was obviously a really bad fake. He went up to the bloke and offered him money for it. They hung it up in the office like a trophy...

This seems a bit like the Colton quote " imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". I.e. you know when you have made it because people are trying to rip your shit off.

[marcus]

i hadnt heard of gonzo journalism much before steve mentioned it in his "where did you surf today", so i typed it into wiki and am now waiting on Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs by hunter s thompson to arrive in my letterbox.
ive always wanted to read his stuff, heard his name mentioned, but not actually done anything about it till now.

I must have missed something, did people put a hat around and help pay for shearers trip? Besides swellnet?
if so, right on.

[alakaboo]

Marcus, yep. Check the original Instant Coffee thread.

Steve, for mine it was never going to be a question of a benefit-cost analysis post-trip. I derived as much utility from knowing I'd contributed to a man realising a long-held dream as I did from knowing I'd get some extra words to devour each day.
Plus, from my estimation you've got over 6 months of bush re-gen work to do!

I appreciated the fact that the report was filed quickly so that it was waiting to read when having morning coffee at work.

Recognising the extra time taken to edit etc., I would have liked to see more vids. I think your video skills are on par with your writing...
I thought that the video Outsider-Day 4 was one of the most beautiful things I've seen recently that relates to surfing, however loosely.

On the question of the writing:
To be frank, the prologue seemed a bit stilted. I don't know if you wrote some of it on the way or before you got there, but it seemed to me akin to a speech by a nervous best-man read from palmcards.

It certainly picked up from there, however!

I think your strength lies in describing the scene (and the crowd response) rather than the action, and the way in which you interact with the lanscape as well as the surfers. I don't know if it was a conscious choice, or a product of the Outsider being limited access to the upper echelon (which I don't think is the case given your interviews and conversations with Slater, Dane and Jordy etc.), but interviews with the journeymen hold much more interest for me and I suspect also for others.

I commented elsewhere that I'd prefer to see some of it in first-person as I think it suits the context better, rather than from the perspective of 'your correspondent"

Righto, feel like a goose critiquing so I'll leave you with the question: Did you get your money's worth?

[oldman]

Steve, for mine it was never going to be a question of a benefit-cost analysis post-trip. I derived as much utility from knowing I'd contributed to a man realising a long-held dream as I did from knowing I'd get some extra words to devour each day.

Same.

The cost was quantifiable and not substantial, but helping a man get on his way to a personal mecca, man, there was no way that I wasn't going to get my money's worth.

The writing was incidental to the personal benefit, more like the icing on the cake really. Vicarious living can get you through some of the slower times, you just don't want to take it up as a lifestyle.

But helping fulfill a heartfelt desire - priceless.

[mical]

Steve, for mine it was never going to be a question of a benefit-cost analysis post-trip. I derived as much utility from knowing I'd contributed to a man realising a long-held dream as I did from knowing I'd get some extra words to devour each day.

The writing was incidental to the personal benefit

Likewise Steve, it was never really about your output for me.

Just happy to have helped you realise a dream in some small way.

Now where's the fcuking Dane vid?