Watch: Greg Noll talks life with Tracey Holmes
Tim Bonython says: "Big wave surfing legend Greg Noll came to my home town Sydney in Australia back in November 2016 and I was lucky enough to interview him for my up and coming movie The Big Wave Project. I asked Australia's premier sport journalist Tracey Holmes if she would be happy to interview this amazing man about his life at the beach. This is what he talked about."
Comments
Some absolutely classic quotes in there “and you have sponsors come along and it just turns to diarrhoea” haha
The way he describes the catharsis of surfing his biggest ever wave is great as well.
RIP legend.
"It's not a sport, it's a way of life"
Perfectly summed up.
Epic yarn. Sounds like he lived a good life. RIP mate.
"Wasn't a bad life..." big smile
You can fit a lot of life and (mis)adventure into 84 years. Farewell, Big Greg!
Love it!....."money"..."sponsors"..."the whole thing kind of turns into diarrhoea".......excellent evaluation of pro surfing.
Great interview........one of surfings bigger than life characters.........RIP mate
I could listen to Greg all day, what a graceful legend.
Legend and you could listen all day. Love how the interview finished too.
Greg Noll Story. That is surfing, right there.
Great orator. His passing puts into perspective that we are/have lived through an era of gargantuan proportions in the advancement of wave riding. Greg Noll was one of our great living monuments to the sport. Will be interesting to see how characters like him are reflected upon in 100, or 1000 years time, when they look back at surfings pioneers, especially in the big wave realm. A sad loss for the surfing world, but no doubt a huge loss for those who knew him and were close to him. Thanks for the share and thanks DA BULL for showing us how it's done. Legend.
They don't make em' like that anymore.
The man is a classic. Ive heard those stories a thousand times and they never get old.
He lived the life most surfers dream about, and cannot do it because of generational change just wont allow.
Not to mention you cant be the first to surf Waimea. He did that.
You cant have a strong hold on shaping and surfboard sales. He did that.
So many things he did first, just cant be done today. He beat us all, and good for him too.
R.I.P Greg.
Wow he was so switched on!! Great interview and, oh wow, Tim including the bit where he wasn’t recognised- geez , to me it was awesome and real good human quality!! Hats off to you Tim, i enjoyed that so much more than watching guys surf! A beautiful interview with a beautiful man. Well done and thanks very much for your efforts.
Great surfing interview for the ages. Salted veins through and through, nice to see all the true honesty of a true surfer from its roots of surfing. Glad I watched it twice.
Richard Sargeson.
I can't really add anything that hasn't been said above. Watched this and enjoyed it so much. Could listen to this wise old bull talk all day. I guess there's no substitute for experience.
RIP.
Fantastic interview. He must have told those stories a thousand times, but still related them with such vivid honesty and a lack of pretension. A life well lived and well enjoyed.
Thanks for posting the vid, awesome
yes, legend - spoken with a lack of pretension and humility - if you had Koa or one of his ilk telling the same story using the exact same words, they'd manage to turn into a wankfest
A very enjoyable yarn. Not many 26 min clips without surf footage hold your complete attention. RIP Greg Noll.
Truly seems like a good human. And totally happy being himself.
RIP Greg Noll, my older brothers pick of worlds best ever surfer
Inspired me as a young boy growing up the hills behind Perth to take up surfing, what a life he gave me.
RIP Greg
I used to wag school and hit the surf at Scarborough. My parents would drag me out to go waterskiing on the Swan River on weekends. Greg Noll inspires me to think more often about how my youth would have been much more.... if I had wagged school completely.
...and I grew up in Dog swamp. Anyone remember the 3 little pigs houses?
Once found a cockroach in my KFC at Dog swamp.
Yes I had heard that too once or twice. Tis why I held off for end of day meat and 3 veg and ended up a skinny prick.
Great interview, loved the stories.