Captain Goodvibes - My Life as a Pork Chop 1973-1981

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
The Depth Test

Here it is: a time capsule of Aussie surfing in the 70's wrapped in hot pink covers bearing the image of an overweight pig.

My surfing life began after Captain Goodvibes had retired from the pages of Tracks and yet his great shadow fell across every issue I bought. There in the letters pages was, without fail, an exasperated reader imploring the editor to 'bring back Goodvibes' or an infrequent buyer wondering where the hell their bovine hero had gone. They spoke of him in reverence and on the above evidence alone Captain Goodvibes was an integral part of Tracks in its 70's golden era.

He popped up in the odd 'Best of Tracks' issues and other assorted places but I was a fluoro cord adorned child of the 80's and didn't get the jokes or references. 'Overrated' was my reaction to him. That or the old blokes had a dull sense of humour.

Which makes me feel a bit silly reading through Captain Goodvibes - My Life as a Pork Chop 1973-1981. A collection of Goodvibes' strips during his Tracks tenure, it's a sharp shot of surfing during the post-hippy, Whitlam era when the anti-authority streak still ran deep in Australian surfing. Goodvibes captured the zeitgeist and it's no surprise that surfers from a different generation scratched their head at his carry on.

I never raged against the wallopers, lined up at the CES for my dole cheque, or ate macrobiotic muesli. Even buddah sticks were out of fashion by the time I turned ripe. Age has a levelling effect however, and this collection can be seen for the time capsule it is. I mean, could any contemporary cartoonist get away with this title: 'Captain Goodvibes meets the North Coast Abo Hippy Ratbag Commo Unwashed Surfing Poofters'? Even iron clad irony won't keep you off the covers of tomorrow's tabloids.

So, as much as anything, Captain Goodvibes - My Life as a Pork Chop 1973-1981, is a nod to how things have changed and half the laughs are from what he managed to get away with.

Goodvibes creator, Tony Edwards, intersperses the strips with written interludes and in the course of them shows himself to be an A-grade humourist. They're the highlights of the book. Growing up in Manly, early work forays, the genesis of Goodvibes, working at Tracks, each passage is written in wicked self-deprecating style not unlike Bill Bryson in comic mode. The two, in fact, look similar: overweight, bespectacled and impish, yet irrepressibly cheeky. Edwards had longer hair though and no doubt took many more drugs. And he has a very soft side, does old Tony, which shows in his endearing description of Goodvibes as 'my little mate'.

The layout of the book is worth commenting upon too. At 400 pages with cartoon strips, written passages and also old Tracks covers and layouts it's not unlike a surprise art book you'd stumble across under a dusty pile in Gould's Book Store. Open the book at any page and begin to read. It'll be months before you finish it all.

Captain Goodvibes - My Life as a Pork Chop 1973-1981 is written by Tony Edwards, edited by Sean Doherty and published by Flying Pineapple Media. Visit their site to order your copy.

Comments

rushy's picture
rushy's picture
rushy Saturday, 17 Dec 2011 at 11:09am

I never surfed back in those days, but I remember reading Tracks mags from mates who did. And Stu, you're right in saying it was more entertaining to see what the Captain could get away with than just the satirical/humorous side of the strip.

Wasn't there also a radio station that did a regular skit "Pigs in Space"? I'm sure it featured CG with a gruff voice, snorting and cussing. I think it was JJ (as it was back then, pre FM).

sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty Sunday, 18 Dec 2011 at 10:00am

Can't imagine why Tony's radio career only lasted three years before his voice fritzed out.

derra83's picture
derra83's picture
derra83 Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 12:02am

that's farken terrible!

this is alright but:

&feature=related

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 5:23am

I think Stu is missing the point. When a bloke scoffs a wheelbarrow of chiko rolls and a slab of tinnies for breakfast every day like I do you don't wind up looking like Kylie Minogue do you ? Mr Creosote or Russ Hinze maybe but not that anorexic gnome Bill Bryson. Does BB need a crane to lift him out of bed ? Does he get stuck in doorways ? Does he explode in crowded restaurants.I rest my case. Creativity lives in the layers of fat, so the thin ones are totally fucked and can give up now. Stu , go and sink a couple of pints of hot fat and become a trendsetting slug like me.
Tony Edwards

grumpy's picture
grumpy's picture
grumpy Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 8:38am

well jesus krishna, astro rip out the atomic orchy and lets go spear ourselves a house wife!thanks for the memories Tony.long live the pig of steel.long after the mags hit the tip face and i stopped caring who was who,strange tales and the odd best of tracks still sit on the shelf.inspiration for a generation.long live goodvibes!

brutus's picture
brutus's picture
brutus Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 9:03pm

without doubt the all time aussie icon of surfing....the seppos had wilbur KooKmeyer...we had the pig of steel....rates with morning of the earth...surf Icon...

Question to da pigs dad.....there was always rumours that the Pig was based on maurie flemming from Narrabeen...any truth in the rumour ??

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 10:39pm

Grumpy! I can see you're a man after my own heart. You're religious, I worship 7 gods and they're all fucking useless, and I'm the last practicing stone age bloke around, or I thought I was until you left a comment. Don't worry about the Captain living forever, I keep him in a pickling jar full of formaldehyde and bring him out for family occasions. He looks pretty crap but somehow more beautiful than ever.

Brutus! That's a really spooky question. Vibes was born on the planet Maurie but he was actually based on another famous Narrabeenian, Adolf
Hitler. Close, very close.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 10:59pm

My humblest apologies Tony! I realised I was assessing your looks based on the photo in the book taken on the Whale Beach verandah. You know, the photo with Dicknose the Pig in the foreground.

For readers who don't yet own the book - but we know you will soon, right? - this photo features a rarely seen side of Tony - his backside. His face is marginally more attractive.

Yep, it's a classy read people!

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Monday, 19 Dec 2011 at 11:54pm

What's going down here? I got onto this site cos I've got a swelling liver and thought I'd find a cure. Instead it's full of sicko's with dodgy names. Grumpy. Wasn't he part of that gang run by that little slut Snow Dwarf and the seven whites ? And Brutus,wasn't he the bloke who gave Julius Caesar a second arsehole ? As for Stunet he sounds like a recipe for boiled yak freckles.I'm out of here!

totem-of-scrotum's picture
totem-of-scrotum's picture
totem-of-scrotum Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 12:25am

I trust that everyone is using their correct birth names. Know I am.

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 12:46am

Thank you Totem of Scrotum you've brought a whiff of sanity back into the discussion,and by example demonstrated that there's no need to hide behind silly names. I'm sure Mr and Mrs Scrotum will be very proud of you for proudly using your birth name. Let me be the first to wish you happy easter 2012.

totem-of-scrotum's picture
totem-of-scrotum's picture
totem-of-scrotum Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 1:50am

Yeah, they are awful proud of me, Goodvibes. Mum & Dad, or as the neighbours call them, Rectum & Quantum Scrotum, taught me all the right things - expand in the warmth, contract in the cold. That sort of stuff. And the effics. They always taught me good effics. "Hang low and a bit to the left and you'll be fine, son."

Words that have served me well.

Pleasure chatting to you 'vibes, and a Happy Hanukkah to you too.

pig-of-steel's picture
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pig-of-steel Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 3:20am

That's very charming Totem,it's always a delight to hear about real people and their ordinary lives and do give Quant' and Recki my regards. However Jesus taught us not to linger below the belt in our thoughts,otherwise you'll sprout a new wang out of the top of your head. I do worry about you Totem , sometimes I think you'd quite like that. I will immerse myself in prayer on your behalf

rail2rail's picture
rail2rail's picture
rail2rail Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 4:15am

Bought the December Tracks edition at the airport enroute to Indo. Was pissin' meself laughin' reading excerpts from "My Life as a Pork Chop".

So last week my missus asks me what I want for Chrissie. There could be only one answer. Captain Goodvibes!!!

Obviously, Pigs don't fly...'cause I aint got me book yet!

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 4:49am

Rail2rail,We've got a great team down at Torquay sending out the orders, but remember it's Xmas and Australia post are pretty bloody busy. If it doesn't arrive today contact Flying pineapple media and they'll have it sorted before you can say "I'm gunna crucify that prick Tony Edwards now and ram a red hot poker up his b.. I guarantee you'll have it before Chrissy

grunta's picture
grunta's picture
grunta Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 6:20am

The captain was a genius piece of work I grew up with as a young Gold Coast surfer in the 70s. We were the Palm Beach Pig Men! Only those who knew will remember some of the Goodvibes inspired shit we got up to, but man we had some fun.
Goodvibes forever, I'm off to order the book. Thanks for letting me know Swellnet. Thank you Tony Edwards, your humour I always got. Farrrrrkkkiinnn Funny.

victor's picture
victor's picture
victor Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011 at 7:49am

fckin funny ,getting a few flashbacks. sir ambrose beachfucker..womper in bali bashing indo blokes cause they had sheilas dresses on. womper touching up a hostie on the plane. ha ha was vibes based around maurie fleming, brutus youre a bad man.he he he.. do you think seppos would get the humour??

brutus's picture
brutus's picture
brutus Wednesday, 21 Dec 2011 at 8:38am

fark a dark!!! I just realised that the Pig is a cartoon....shit I thought it was based on the real life stories of Maurie "the pig"....close,but not close enough....hmm...Maurie spent a lot of time with me in France.......and I got to see the pig in full flight..or fright depending on what time of the day or nite....
tanx big Tony ,for surfings ultimate icon...and has been my role model for most of my life...I hope the Judge will accept that the Pig of steel was my mentor and its just not my fault!

sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty Wednesday, 21 Dec 2011 at 9:07am

"We discussed cabbages and kings over a bucket of imitation cement. Saw God together, went mad. Died three times before lunch." G. Vibes

Now ponder that.

wildenstein8's picture
wildenstein8's picture
wildenstein8 Wednesday, 21 Dec 2011 at 11:07am

Goodvibes
Pig who walks
Will never die

You can use that one, Captain. It's all yours mate.

scrib310's picture
scrib310's picture
scrib310 Wednesday, 21 Dec 2011 at 4:13pm

Got my copy the other day. Cacking myself ever since. Love yer (dirty) work Captain.

jules_w's picture
jules_w's picture
jules_w Wednesday, 21 Dec 2011 at 7:23pm

pig-of-steel great to see you aboard - must get the new rag.

Being a wee tacker when you were at Windy Ridge (that view and your pics are forever in my mind) the Captain was the formative cartoon of my yoof (Superman ? pffffttt !). Am not sure how to introduce him to the Watson tackers !

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Thursday, 22 Dec 2011 at 9:14am

jules w !!! Back when the world was young we went for lunch at your mum and dads, met the editor of Tracks and look what happened. Keep Gv away from the rug-rats, one read and they'll turn into cannibals. I'm spit roasting a neighbour as I write.

mick65's picture
mick65's picture
mick65 Thursday, 22 Dec 2011 at 9:14pm

Well it landed on my verandah with a thump about an hour ago an I've been sitting here reading it with a lager and laughing my arse off much to the bemusement of the family. As an added bonus I now have Mr Doherty's mobile number courtesy of the Aus post express pack. Might head down to the local dunnies and put it up on the wall.

sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty Friday, 23 Dec 2011 at 12:38pm

Mick, my numbers already on the wall in the Long Reef dunnies, second cubicle from the end, under the prefix "For a mildly disappointing time, call..."

prawnhead's picture
prawnhead's picture
prawnhead Friday, 23 Dec 2011 at 1:01pm

all we need now is for some dickhead to mention "Juan Kempes"...............!!

pig-of-steel's picture
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pig-of-steel Friday, 23 Dec 2011 at 3:50pm

Bad move Prawnhead,bad move. The Captain was in a dunny at Bondi recently and dialed a number scrawled on the wall.It turned out to be Juan Kempes and he was in the next cubicle doing something unnatural with a dead mullet. Well one thing led to another and Juan left the dunny with the mullet, 2 pineapples and a roll of barbed wire up his chutney locker.Vibes was observed leaving the scene with Juans surfboard which apparently had thousands of mullet scales glued all over it.In the interests of national security I can't say any more but Julian Assange will be leaking the full story soon. all true !

sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty Friday, 23 Dec 2011 at 3:54pm

Further to Tony's spree of neighbourhood cannibalism above comes The Captain's recipe for "Roast Bloke" from the book: "Take one farm fresh hippy or commo student, wash thoroughly in bath after fumigating, pluck excess hair off and stuff with rotting compost. Cook in a hot oven for two months and serve with sloth hearts and armourdillo droppings."

grumpy's picture
grumpy's picture
grumpy Saturday, 24 Dec 2011 at 6:51am

For gods sake ,merry f,n xmas to the lot of yous.the misses asked me what i might want?apart from a bit of a chuckle at the captain ,i asked her if she could convince some white sunglass wearing nancys to give up surfing.either that or one of mr webbers endless wave pools.she says were a bit broke , the pools out so she,s off to tha beach to blow up a surf school.gotta luv her.jesus captain since youve been in hiding the whole place has gone to the dogs!

pig-of-steel's picture
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pig-of-steel Saturday, 24 Dec 2011 at 9:23am

Grumpy ! your "trouble and strife"is the natural successor to the Captains school of philosophy. Vibes always said "whatever the question,high explosives is the answer"
Happy Xmas to you both and everyone else.

jack_fresh's picture
jack_fresh's picture
jack_fresh Saturday, 31 Dec 2011 at 4:48pm

Have ordered the book and before it's even in my sticky sweaty hands I reckon there's a film in the offing. I can feel it in my water.
Fuck Happy Feet 2, bring on Pig Of Steel 1.

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Saturday, 31 Dec 2011 at 10:35pm

You must be psychic Freshy. I've just finished the final draft of'Bush pig Shag-a-thon", a tasteful action flick involving 200 nymphomaniac scrub sluts,an ocean of beer and a shitload of chemicals.I figured if it has enough drugs,sex,surf and burning helicopters, you won't notice that it doesn't have a plot.

merkin's picture
merkin's picture
merkin Sunday, 1 Jan 2012 at 12:02am

I've been hunting down the prick who stole my Whole Earth Pigalogue for near on thirty years - I think I'll get meself the book and let that grudge go...

pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel's picture
pig-of-steel Sunday, 1 Jan 2012 at 2:16am

Merkin,I like it! Less of a mouthful than Pubic Wig. Never let an old grudge die,they're always there for you when you want them and when you don't want them,they're always there.Voodoo effigies help.Have a small doll of the thieving prick, whack it with a sledge hammer then leave it in the freezer for a week,then whack it again,stick a thousand pins in it and lob it in the microwave. Variety is the spice of hate.
The entire contents of Whole earth pigalogue are reproduced in Pork Chop along with everything else.You can read it to your grudge and see who cracks up first.

sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty Thursday, 19 Apr 2012 at 8:46am

For anyone in the hood in May...

http://www.swf.org.au/component/option,com_events/Itemid,124/agid,3161/t...

Tony, Phil and Sutho are sewing the elbow patches on their jackets as we speak.

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 20 Apr 2012 at 12:57pm

What's on the agenda Sean? An hour of war stories, or a workshop about writing?

rh-taxi's picture
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rh-taxi Sunday, 22 Apr 2012 at 10:08pm

There was one Pig of Steel cartoon at the start of a surf movie once, but stuffed if I can remember the name of it. Captain Goodvibes to an impressionable young grommet coming from a strait laced church on sunday type thing was abit of a revelation. It was seeing and imaging the dark side and finding that surreal existence coming from some twisted individual, and that they;d print it and you could buy it every month, just hide it from your parents. I've put it in a request for it.

sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty's picture
sean-doherty Monday, 23 Apr 2012 at 9:27am

Morning Ben,

No real plans for the hour as yet. With Edwards, Sutho and Jarratt – three master satirists/par excellence shit stirrers – up there we might freestyle it a little and see where it goes. And if it all goes to shit, well, at least Tom Kenneally is talking next door.

Any suggestions welcome as to what you wanna hear these guys rap about??

And rh-taxi... the cartoon was Hot To Trot...

bigwayne's picture
bigwayne's picture
bigwayne Saturday, 28 Apr 2012 at 9:43am

big mr nettle if one may? one is asking permission to talk about a certain huge mr sutho , one knows this one quite well and seeing as though his name has been mentioned, one seeks permission to wax lyrical about said mr suthos gonad man!! how many of us read about his exploites? what about his domination of the snow yes snow coverd mountains on a board salvaged from the ss minnow? now that is gold. and whos to know the origins condom man aka smelly skater? one was just reminissing thats all . and mr steel you sir , have also given one oneness
this was bought to you by a hoping that he hasnt overstepped his own line by mentioning this HRH bigwayne

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Saturday, 28 Apr 2012 at 10:07am

You're too polite Big Wayne - you know that? Too polite. Fire away with your questions, I'm sure Mr Sutho and Mr Steel - otherwise known as Pigov - would be happy to answer them. Might even happen at the writers festival gig so perhaps you should go.

Imagine that, HRH Big Wayne rubbing shoulders with the literati at the Sydney Writer's Festival!

bigwayne's picture
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bigwayne Friday, 4 May 2012 at 6:59am

come on loyal subjects surely we have read this at some point, even wanted to just surf like him ( balls out of course) what puzzles one is this one, why dosent any one answer one? has ones relevence diminished? ones onesness is at stake! somebody please stroke ones ego......um answer one! anyone? please?
this was bought to you by a sad and dejected HRH bigwayne

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Saturday, 12 May 2012 at 10:55am

Tony Edwards (AKA Captain Goodvibes) has a funny interview in today's Sydney Morning Herald. You can read it here: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/my-life-as-a-hog-2012...