Ask Carroll

[Beanpole]

Yeah, nick. Were you moonlighting at Bondi in the eighties?
I mean editing surfing mags in the US would be tame compared to the internal politics of Bondi 80s surf culture.

[Nick Carroll]

Fcuken hell are you kidding

You didn't have to be at Bondage to be tangled up in the hectic tribal behaviour of Australia's board riding club culture of the 1980s

All the gnarly clubs were pretty closely associated with each other, all the Newport crew knew all the Bondi crew, the Maroubra crew, etc etc, we would all get stuck in at any opportunity basically. A lot of laughs, juvenile behaviour and recklessness entirely suited to our ages and the times.

I knew Ellksy also through being on the Hot Buttered team with him and travelled with him here and there, Bells, Hawaii etc. V energetic and enthusiastic guy. I think his book is a bit un-formed, not so much fiction as a thinly disguised memoir, and could have done with a tough editor, but there's some funny shit in there and he's got it some valuable publicity via that Gynge thing in the paper. I would reckon Gynge would not be super stoked with how the rich kid surf shop guy is conjured up in the book, if that's meant to be him.

[foamy]

Big Wednesday. It is perhaps more a collection of great scenes than a great movie, still it is pretty good it you aren't a hard-hearted Sydneysider. he, he, he.
Here, in this Surfline piece, Peter Townend talks about Big Wednesday. A good bit of surf history.
It takes a few seconds to load up.

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/feat ... day_110056

[gardie]

Nick

We are close to half way through the first year of the private ownership model for the ASP.

I am still struggling with the new commentary team and the need to try and describe what is happening on the entire wave. I try to tune out and then listen to the replay comments by Potter/Williams which is a bit more insightful.

I miss the laconic Jake the snake betting beers on heats and without blowing smoke up your arse I enjoyed your Tahiti commentating as you would go into some detail on different waves the way they came down the reef etc

Can you see them making inroads into mainstream US TV ?

A live feed for 8 hours seems to me for non surfers as exciting as paint drying

Will they look to some type of hour long play by play package ?

[Nick Carroll]

Well they do a one TV hour highlights package for ESPN in the US, the first four events I think have already shown and got a network run on some ABC (US) affiliates

FuelTV has the deal here, I dunno if they're running the highlights packages yet, they've been doing the webcast/broadcasts though.

Look frankly, no, I can't see them making inroads in the US in the short term, stranger things have happened but sport is really about people, and surfing's had our Tiger Woods/Lance Armstrong American Hero guy already (KS) and his competitive day is passing, it's hard to see his presence lighting a huge fire under a non-surf-savvy audience at this point. Nor can one imagine an American audience embracing the elevation of a Brazilian world surfing champion, Americans do not like sports in which they don't dominate, it rattles their sense of the world.

I guess they've just gotta keep throwing money and energy at the investment until it either a) cuts some ice somewhere, or b) feels like good money after nothing and Dirk and Co drop it and move on. Or what is most likely I suspect, c) some sorta middle ground is found and pro surfing struggles on till the next big payday, whatever that might be.

The ASP's actually a year and half into the model in reality, ZoSea spent 2013 hurling about $20-something million at setting up the whole deal, hiring people, building some whiz bang studio in Santa Monica, and checking out each of the events very closely in order to plan for 2014, and you've gotta remember that more or less the same crew were planning the Rebel Tour shtick in 2009, so they've been at this for a while.

Tellingly btw the highlights package runs in the US under the broader heading of "X-Games TV" or some shit, you can see where it's gonna go there can't ya. Pro surfing, offshoot of the X-Games ESPN franchise. Sounds more like a Big Wave thing fits that scenario to me.

It may have temporarily avoided the fate being faced by the plateauing surf industry, but if pro surfing ends up relying on its surf savvy audience, it'll go backward just like some of the big surf cos are.

[Beanpole]

In some ways the take up by fuel here reflects the larger reality that if you live in a coastal environment Surf comps have range of reference but if you like in Dakota it's a passing curiosity like running snowboarding on Brisbane TV.

[gardie]

I guess you are screwed if you dont have pay TV

The heats on demand work for me as I can look at the best waves and bits and pieces of the heats I am interested in at the end of the day.

When I was driving a desk having it on audio let you watch when a set came but its not something you can stay glued to for a whole day. The exceptions for me are when they score the perfect days.

Its interesting you raise the big wave format. To me the two greatest days associated with a webcast were the code red day at Tahiti and the mega swell at Cloudbreak. It still has me scratching my head that people have a go about not running the comp when we got to watch I think one of the most amazing displays of surfing ever.

So given we are stuck with the attempts to turn it into some form of slick production how about you and a few others do a over dub like the old Roy and HG
festival of the boot

I sure we could come up with some great names to match the classics like the brick with ears

[Nick Carroll]

Oh I've considered it dont you worry.

The nicknames would break new ground in commentary

but the ASP would sue us and its a lot of time to spend

it'd be funny overdubbing the questions being asked by Rosie etc, then hearing the surfers reply completely out of phase

ie 'So Joel, your nose is enormous, have you considered cosmetic surgery?'

'Oh yeah well mate it's pretty inconsistent out there so you've gotta wait and look for the chances.'

'So that's a no then? Not getting a nose job?'

[foamy]

Nick
Is there one new thing you can say you have learnt about board design in the last 3 or 4 years?

[Nick Carroll]

Oh foamy, every surf is a new lesson to me.

OK enough of that. Seriously now. I dunno about "new", to me it's hard to break learning down like that, i.e. into one "thing" or other. I've been really surprised by the Tomo boards, the cutaways, I suppose they teach me that boards don't have to look a certain way in order to work well? A lot of stuff around board design for me is more about un-learning what I thought I knew or understood, or seeing it in a new way, that sorta feels like the best way to progress at my stage of surfing. Ideas become clearer or vaguer. I don't know if that makes any sense.

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[foamy]

That was a good answer about board design Nick.
Yep, the options keep growing, which is both great and bloody confusing, but
***Inspirational quote alert***
Alvin Toffler once wrote: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

[Nick Carroll]

Nick the double pump ... dirty, flawed crutch or useful and functional technique? I will expand further post-answer.

Oh I think it can be both. Not at the same time though.


and foamy, Mr Toffler may have a point, but what I notice is the first bit - you gotta fcuken learn some shit first. Otherwise there's no unlearning.

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[pirate_agenda]

Nick,

I have had an abundance of arachnid life, of the large hunstman variety hanging around and in my car of late. Have had 4 seperate occasions where they have ran either over my windshield or side window on the outside or inside in the past month. Each has resulted in a moment of panic, followed by a near motor vehcle accident, followed by the filthy arachnids death, once composed, pulled over and out of the vehicle (twice via the passenger door as it was on the outside of the driver's window).

a) why so many lately?
b) why do they like my car so much?
c) how do I keep them away?

I have a genuine, unrational fear and hate of them, so am not interested in the benefits of having them hang around.

[Nick Carroll]

Oh look p-a, far be it from me to suggest a kinder gentler attitude toward fcuken huntsmen.

It's a bit odd though, given the time of year. Mostly you'll find huntsmen getting inside cars and houses in late spring rainy patches.

Are you parking under trees or near patches of rough bushland? Classic huntsman habitat. Park on a bitumen road or concrete driveway clear of overhanging trees and you'll almost certainly find a decline in numbers. Also, keep the car clean, so there's less space for the fcuken things to conceal their disgusting selves.

You can also use a strong surface repellent insect spray on all the vehicle's exposed entry points.

Oh and kill every single one of 'em you find. Kill kill kill. It's the only way to be sure.

[Beerfan]

Nick,

I have had an abundance of arachnid life, of the large hunstman variety hanging around and in my car of late. Have had 4 seperate occasions where they have ran either over my windshield or side window on the outside or inside in the past month. Each has resulted in a moment of panic, followed by a near motor vehcle accident, followed by the filthy arachnids death, once composed, pulled over and out of the vehicle (twice via the passenger door as it was on the outside of the driver's window).

a) why so many lately?
b) why do they like my car so much?
c) how do I keep them away?

I have a genuine, unrational fear and hate of them, so am not interested in the benefits of having them hang around.

Beware of karma though. Someone I know was asking about how I hurt my knee. She told me her brother was driving along at 90km when one appeared on the window, scared him, and he ended up hitting a tree. Took 9 years of rehab to get the use of his leg back. Huntsman 1, humoon 0 in that case.

[foamy]

pirate_agenda. Here is a cautionary tale.
A mate of mine was pulled over for speeding. There was the old sergeant and the young constable. The old sergeant asked my mate, 'Can you give any reason why you were speeding?'
My mate just looked a little sheepish.
'Come on, you look like you might have something to say' said the sergeant.
'Well, sir' said my mate truthfully, 'I was trying to blow a spider off the windscreen.'
The old sergeant stared back briefly and then slowly turned to the young constable and said.
"You won't hear one better than that."