Would be good to see all corporate surf companies go down the toilet.They have done nothing for our art form except increase surfer numbers to unsustainable levels and turn surfing into just another financial play thing.Not to mention they way the actually do business, heavy handed and oppressive in my opinion.

May they all go into receivership,hopefully before they get most of China surfing.

Regards,

They can start the cost cutting by scrapping the Billabong Brazil Pro.

And now there are rumours flying around of Hawaiian wildcards not being paid after the Pipe Masters, Billabong execs on the receiving end of a good thumping from irate locals and claims that the final day of the comp was a rush job, held in second-rate waves, so said execs could get the f*ck out of town to avoid more violence (not taking anything away from Kieren's well-deserved win).

Seems like the 'bong can't take a trick at the moment.

Ever since they floated the company I knew this day would come. Extremely bad business model. And now having investors that demand continued profit increases all adds up to a one way street down.

When are people going to realise that the surf industry pie is only so big and be happy with what they have.

Hang on though robzig - I'm no financial expert, but surely the business model must have had some merit - it climbed steadily from its float in 2000, up to over $18 in 2007.

They even managed to stabilise a couple of bucks either side of $10 through much of 2009 and 2010, in the midst of the GFC.

Sure - things are pretty ugly now, but they're a big company and they're likely to turn things around, just like Quiksilver have done over the last few years (currently trading at $3:30, up from late 2008 when they tanked at 89c).

Would you have publicly stated back in 2007 that Billabong had an 'extremely bad business model'? In my experience, hindsight is always 20:20.

They have $1.2 billion of debt.Falling sales and increasing funding costs.Will need to raise money and soon.

Todays price of $1.70 is what the shares will be worth if they have a cap raise, which the market obviously thinks will happen.

As for telling the market they had no idea why the 10% fall last week, well I think all trust has been lost in management.

Regards,

@thermalben

I agree that up to 2007 the 'Bong business model was sound. But from 2008 the model changed and, yep, I and many others better informed than me called it what it is: bad.

Retailing is tough enough. It is utterly different to manufacturing and wholesaling. You need a totally different mind-set and management skills. Add in the tectonic shift to on-line retailing away from bricks and mortar and it becomes deadly tough. In any economic climate, let alone a global recession.

And the pressure of learning to juggle at the same time as keeping all those other plates spinning eats into an already diminished management head space. There is only so many minutes in a day.

This cost 'Bong where it really counts: product and brand development. Of all the "surf brands", it is the most dated, and tired, with the most dated and tired product offering.

Bong is utterly vulnerable. Watch Nike closely. Especially when Bong's secured creditors, already very antsy, pull their support and send in the receivers.

All fair points lopez and whaaaat. I just took exception to robzig's comment "Ever since they floated the company I knew this day would come."

But also.. didn't we hear all of these same predictions for Quiksilver? ie there was plenty of speculation that they'd be bought out by Nike, or that they'd sell one of their brands (DC, Roxy etc)?

Also worth noting on top of the $1.2 billion debt they have signed up $100 mill in shop leases per annum.

Just got too big too quick.Gordons back down to $72 mill from a high of over half a billion.

thermalben they put themselves in the shit with way too much overhead. Taking on way too much debt to try and keep the share holders happy with assets. All good buying up companies if you have the money in the bank. And I just make the point that history will always repeat itself. The surf industry can not possibly grow as quick as these guys want it to. And that is what share holders demand year in year out......growth.

lopez, merchants wealth was 874mill, are you saying he's dropped 800 ?

Well maybe, if he is counting,Share have been $18 closed today $1.77.Still a couple would do me.

Regards.

Lopez, smart man , maybe you should of been running this company , and a few others that pretented to still be surfers

Back in the day I bought some Globe shares.

Should've bought Billabong shares instead.

I think that $2,000 is now worth about $100, if I'm lucky. Although the tax deduction is better than nothing.

It was a fantastic plan Billabong had buying up the retail outlets. Just 10 years too late.

Wake up & smell the Far-King coffee, people..we've had the "Dream Tour" and next up is the "Reality Tour". Brand equity and share price growth in companies like Billabong were built by exploiting surfers (many of whom were "cool with that..") who possessed cross-over appeal to "sell" the lifestyle our sport offers, ie flog t-shirts to tourists. Surfing is, by any measure, an "extreme" sport & the equipment required to participate in it has to be up to the task, or true surfers never buy it again - Crystal Curl Surfboards, anyone? This gear is essential, not discretionary like watches, sunglasses and thongs. Do you know any people who surf who wear Billabong t-shirts who aren't paid to wear them? In my humble, core surf companies should stick to selling hardware to true surfers - hey, it worked for 40 years, right?! If I was a surfer outside the top 10, I'd be very worried - cos selling $60 t-shirts is tough right now and it's gonna get a whole lot tougher..

@qqqiibbo

good call..cant agree with you more.

CRystal Curl Surfboards reminded me of "Crystal Cylinders" not sure if thats the same company, but they produced some beautiful t-shirts as did Golden Breed in the 70-80's..i take it they also got bought out by big business.

Hope it all turns out well for you Gordan..

It's funny how the tall poppy syndrome kicks in so quickly and so viciously. Well, it's not so funny if you have BBG stock! Dumb business plan from the beginning, crap product, Derek don't surf, blah blah blah, the experts come out of the woodwork AFTER the stock has tanked, as per usual. A couple of correspondents actually seem to understand a little about the markets, so must be driven by herd mentality or some other agenda. I believe BBG can pull out of the hole, just as Quik has done against all odds, but it ain't gonna be easy. The debt monster is the issue, but they're not Robinson Crusoe there. We live in extraordinary times.

Perhaps don't buy Billabong stock? I understand business is business but it'd take a cynical prick of a Macquarie bankers son to believe that what Bong was attempting wasn't an act of utter bastardry.

Healthy competition? Billabong wanted to own the stadium and have their competitors pay to play. Now they are getting their just desserts and so is every shareholder who explicitly or implicitly advocated this plan.

dewhurst, for what it's worth the other brands have been doing the same thing. Quiksilver purchased the Surfection chain in 2005 (ironically, Billabong recently bought it off them this year). Rip Curl purchased the Victorian chain Ozmosis earlier this year, and last year they purchased the West Oz chain Waves.

Good old corporate greed the ahole got what they deserve i have been surfing since the late sixty and have watched the greed factor worming its way in to surfing and it has done nothing but f@#k surfing its gone from the layed back attitude of the soul surfers to the arrogant sponsored princesses of current day surfing . I hope all these big corporate surf company's go belly up because they are don't give a flying F@#K about the art of surfing

HaHaHa, step aside, the Nike train is coming to take over. Who cares it isn't Australian jobs at stake anymore, fark some of you talk about billabong like it is your favourite football team.

@philjarratt

Actually Phil, I'm not a tall poppy hater at all; I like seeing people and companies succeed; my track record in this forum in that regard stands for itself. I am not a mystic wanker who ascribes to surfing values that would see it return to the days of footy jumpers and beaver tailed wetties.

I just know that (insert any venture you like) will do best when it clearly understands its core strengths, and applies them consistently to a sound business strategy. The only time it should change that strategy is if and when as it has no other choice, and can throw the requisite resources, skills and time at it.

There were numerous other means to improve shareholder value. Of all of the brands, Bong has the least traction near the so-called bleeding edge. It should have spent the management resources that were otherwise diverted into the massively difficult retail strategy on renewing the Bong brand's appeal through product development. When was the last time Bong released anything useful that was also truly innovative or unique? What it mainly does, now, is produce overpriced "surf fashion" to fill its own stores. Stores managed by Bong staff, not real surfers with their houses on the line.

O'Neill is the best example of a brand that has consistently and continually renewed its value and relevancy through innovation and product development.

And I can't recall ever seeing an O'Neill "concept store"....

Thank Christ.

sounds like they've been caught out by the banks turning off the tap.

we should see a heap more companies throughout most markets get in strife over the next 6-12 months. survived the GFC, came out limping, counted on things picking up in 2010/2011. whoops.

but back to surfing: though i've never had one of their wetties, i hear they're pretty good. if they went under that would be the only loss to (non-pro)surfers & surfing.

most, if not all, of the comps they sponsor will still run in some form.

if the trend continues and they fold, what effect will it have on surfing?

I would take too much notice of Phils views.He has made a living pandaring to the men in suits.

Regards,

Not too happy about "pandaring to men in suits". Sounds a bit gay.

Sorry Phil

Regards,

Still got my scolloped sided Stubbies thanks very much.

Regards,

Have you been let out of the Thai sweat factory for the afternoon,sorry Thai board factory.

hey gggiiibbbo, well said couldn't agree more, infact i and most other less ignorant surfers have probably seen the writting on the wall for some time. The fat cats have just got to fat! The world is changing! and fast! alot of crew can't seem to see the forest from the trees. The change is good! and welcomed by people like myself, fuck the big boys! whats right about Billabong controlling retail space and turning your already heavily marked up wetsuit price to something that is realisticaly unafordable! Hopefully we will see things go full circle and smaller more grass roots out the back shapers and wetsuit manufactures will be again common place. I personaly haven't purchased a ripcurl , bong or quik shirt or jeans for years, and my boardies althogh they may be slightly infirior are all rip offs from the streets of kuta or better quality from kmart or big w for a fraction of the price. Unfortunately they sill have the market for quality rubber.

Core business for Billabong is apparel. Surf hardware, surfer sponsorship and event sponsorship legitimise this so that people who buy the gear feel like they're part of a lifestyle, even if they're landlocked and only go to the coast once a year - or never. Half of Penrith wear boardshorts in the summer, who else buys the 40" plus waist size? But this is where the money is made all over the world - in the burbs. But Billabong, Ripcurl, Quiksilver need to keep their wallets open otherwise they'll end like Ocean Pacific. It's a fine balancing act so they can't cheapen the brand too much. Anyway, these companies started out making board shorts - and still do so are they really betraying themselves?

If these companies go broke who's going to sponsor the events that people seem to want to watch? Maybe lifestyle and youth products like red bull, coke, condom manufacturers or even car manufacturers like GM/Jeep etc. But is there enough money just marketing to surfers? And who will kids look up to if there's no pro surfing? Drug addled actors, suicidal musicians, rapist rugby players? There are actually some good role models out there in the surfing world.

Maybe we need to get behind Billabong and buy some shares to save the future of our beloved sport. The share price is now down, the p/e ratio has come down from around 17% which would suggest that it was overpriced anyway and is probably the reason why the share price has been hammered. If you were to buy shares at approx $1.50 each and the current dividend were to remain at 30c each then you'd make your money back in 5 years on this basis alone, although not sure if they're franked or not. Not sure if the management have the ability to get out of this rut either, but if not someone will buy them out. Might be a good punt, better than the TAB or sticking it up your nose or up a wall.

Not so sure if the company you are talking about are really into producing role models that is drug free types.

Their marketing team certainly is not. billa BONG with a big picture of Bob Marley.

Saw that a while ago in Bali, desperate marketing in my opinion

Regards,

There was a time in my memory throughout most of the 80's and 90's when BB, RC and QS genuinely were the market leaders in wetsuits, boardshorts and rashies. They were three companies devoted to surf products in a relatively new industry.
Now, I don't think any Individual surfer not associated with each of the companies would suffer if one or all of them collapsed.
In fact, surfing as a whole would probably benefit if each and all of these companies lost their influence over the ASP.
The ASP has got to take charge of each event and simply sell the sponsorship and naming rights while independently running each contest themselves.
The companies dictate the running of each event and have the ASP pandering to their every whim.
If Billabong goes and the others are tenuous you will see a surfing tour devoid of bias and one which bans a guy like Dane Reynolds for life for showing them such contempt no matter what excuse of "artistic freedom" he cares to come up with.
I do not begrudge big companies success but their strangle hold on professional surfing is a blight on the sport

Actually now you mention it I forgot about that particular tragedy......

A few decades ago drugs were virtually compulsory in surfing. But I think the bar has been lifted in recent years by some incredible professionalism which is dragging surfing from fringe to mainstream.

Billabong has suffered due to a couple of things.

Firstly their push for market dominance has been unsustainable, they would have been better off to focus on increasing profitability by offering a superior product at a premium price, consistant profit with a natural expansion would be a more appealing investment.

Also their push in recent years to a more retail focus has alienated the once loyal core customer base of surfers, huge shops staffed by teenage twits just don't appeal to lifelong surfers. Maybe the actual surfer market share isn't large but they are also less likely to swing from fad to trend monthly.

So here they are selling truckloads of shirts that all kind of look the same and have less street cred than a "My Nana went to Surfers Paradise and all she got me was this T shirt" T Shirt.

But really what is hurting them and the turning point for this was the death of Andy Irons. Billabong underestimated the intellect of the lifetime surfer market, in fact Billabong insulted the intelligence of anyone with an IQ score in 2 figures or more. Years of living and operating business in an insular opinion free circle jerk of epic proportion can leave you somewhat out of touch.

And there lies the problem, even though the core surfer market is small and seemingly unimportant the larger non-surfer market who want to look the part notices that his surfing cousin isn't wearing a Billabong shirt at Christmas Dinner this year and so it goes.

So Billabong, you treat the market that helped create you with contempt, you now have ZER0 brand loyalty so you have to look at an edge to get market share and the best you can come up with is a Bob Marley range.....pfffffffftttttt.....Even a surfer knows thats crap.

semi stretchy board shorts - $89
"high end" stretchy board shorts - $169.00 !!!!!!!

the only thing I think of,
with when i see a billabong logo,
is being ripped off.

The writing is definitely on the wall - they will not survive this. And I for one will be happy to see it go, and hopefully it will serve as a warning to other surf companies. There is no place for corporate greed in surfing, thats not what we're about, thats not surfing.

Buying up every cheap company in a recessive market, when you're a public company that has every single financial statement on clear display to shareholders, is just plain stupid. Anyone with any slight understanding of economics could tell you that retail spending is always heavily hit during recession, your P&L, balance sheet and income statements are going to reflect reduced earnings each year, and shareholders are going to react by selling. So why buy more retail companies and brands? Stupid.

Billabong are going to really struggle to survive this current downturn. There's a cyclical downturn in the economy that all retailers are struggling with. There's a surf industry downturn where the surf apparel/fashion market is just not as cool as it used to be as MMA and other gear eats into the bogan cash spend. And then there's the AI fiasco and subsequent list of seemingly never ending fuckups by the company, highlighted by their current ridiculous Bob Marley campaign juxtaposed with the Pipe Masters in Memory of AI.

Seriously could they be anymore retarded?

One quick glance at the Balance Sheet shows the trouble they are in. Goodwill valued at $1.3 Billion!!! LOL - that's more than half the asset base of the company. Debts of $600 million. Return on Equity forecast of 7%.

6 Profit downgrades in the last 2 financial years.

I wouldn't touch the stock with a 10ft pole.

All of that over-generous goodwill was just wiped off the board with this share price obliteration too. At $600M debt, I cant see how they will survive, I'd say the receivers will be called in before the end of Jan if not sooner.

Just bought bbg stretch boardies for$55 plain blue comfy as ,good in the water as one would h ope.First time in a long time i have been anywhere near a brand name but i didnt feel ripped off at that price.I think thats what most people probably want,good quality ,reasonable price and lose al the crappy,tacky branding.Might even back up for another pair!

Schadenfreude. And a set of told ya so, 'heres how the Bong lost it' armchair economists and 'they're responsible for ruining surfing maaaan' throwbacks.

Good to see everyone rallying round a big Australian

Good riddance. I lost what little respect I had for the surfwear companies a few years ago when Quicksilver cleared the lineup at Ulus (locals were threatening violence to any who wouldn't adhere) just so they could shoot a movie with Rye Craike and a few other quicky riders (long before the rip curl pro left their bolts in the cliffs). They're all just a fashion label now anyways.

Gees some people are deluded here, others i agree with, who the hell buys $60 t-shirts or $90 boardshorts or other over priced accesories to fund corporate executives pay packets & sponsored surfers on Million dollar contracts. Even the cheap bali billabong shirts are only good for mowing in as i see no need to publicise a brand.

philjarratt"it's funny how the tall poppy syndrome kicks in so quickly and so viciously. Well, it's not so funny if you have BBG stock! Dumb business plan from the beginning, crap product, Derek don't surf, blah blah blah, the experts come out of the woodwork AFTER the stock has tanked, as per usual. A couple of correspondents actually seem to understand a little about the markets, so must be driven by herd mentality or some other agenda

After it hit 15.30 in feb 2006 i was out & have never re-enetered why? it was expensive & the warning signs were appearing, nothing to do with tall poppy syndrome or driven by herd mentality the some other agenda you are looking for is ROE & ROA see below

from its high of 17.50-18.00ish

in dec 07 bbg share price was 14.15
roe was 32%
roa was 16.91
eps growth have been in decline from -2% to a high of 27%
all have been in decline since than whilst debt increases to fund dividends & bonuses for corporate employees.

now share price under $2
roe 10%
roa 5%
eps growth 2012 -14% even their forecast for 2013 is -9%
debt to equity - debt higher

Its share price should rightly go below a dollar, even than hardly a compelling investment

Not a compelling investment or business plan even now its likely to go lower, plus bbg has bought brands that they could not even offload to BIGW for a resumable price as who cares about the brands,, no one
the brand & its excesses are dieing a slow death.

from affordable surfers brand & equipment to corporate souless beast. if i had stock i'd be out cut your losses, billabong is finished & hopefully professional surfing with it which is just as bad, surf movies used to be affordable & good now they are shite, i remember watching the stubbies on ABC now good luck seeing any contest without pay tv or other user pay system, to fund executives & sponsored surfers.

Corporatisation of surfing has reached its end, people have made their millions. the brand is tired & does not relate to its audience any more be it older surfers or its next generation, hence no loyalty to the brand anymore

New model needed maybe the original before greed came in.

Billabong, as listed on the stock exchange, are a 'textile' company selling thread.

Why would ANYONE buy a Billabong tee shirts for $30-$60 when you can buy a much better quality shirt by a cool small brand with cred, for $20?

While I am at it, why would anyone buy a HUrley, Critical Slide Society, Insight, Dues or ANY of these corporate brand tee shirts (as seen on 'surfstitch) , when you can go to cool indie websites like thalisurf shop and get something of better quality for less money and the shirts are by brands which actually have some cred.

Maybe the reason these big companies are suffering is that the consumers are waking up and realising that their retail prices, if you divide it by 8, is what they are selling them for. That $60 tee shirt they are selling for $7.50 to distributors, which means it probably costs the bong $3 to make.

Good to see crew are wising up.

Let's hope. The Bra Boys bringing out their own line of clothing was the last straw for me. What's next? A line of homewares? Bra Boys fragrance? Ker-ching!

At my local shaper, i stumbled past 30 new boards than to the 2nd hand rack of 50 boards with the joyous stench of resin to the rack of old brand golden breed rash shirt $20 good quality a billabong rash shirt $60 + at a surfshop. Surfshops are another joke you walk into some around my way & you would be lucky to find even a GSI board in their store

Create your own brand, sponsor yourself,
McCoy must be laughing at it all, nothing like watching dictatorships crumble,
Maybe Brand A or brand B could start a new tour like coke or nike, same as billabong & quiksilver

Or funnily webbers comments about his wavepools & surf championships for people who have no ocean experience, north shore was strangely prophetic, MONEY MONEY MONEY

Meanwhile we can all surf & deny the surf industry our money
rather than buy palmers surf wax a billabong company make your own or
buy an alternative.

Lets start a destroy corporate surf companies movement.

"Why would ANYONE buy a Billabong tee shirts for $30-$60 when you can buy a much better quality shirt by a cool small brand with cred, for $20?"

I buy clothing for street cred.

The irony.

I buy clothing for wearing.

The ironing....

I totally-TOTALLY-agree with the gist of backbeaches' post;

'Create your own brand,sponsor yourself' instead of smirking about the Bongs woes, banging on and on about the good old days and The Supposed Great Satan Corp Culture that is ruining surfing.

whaaat, very funny.

The ironing certainly is delicious.

Karma is quite the bitch. Andy Irons is tying the noose from heaven and asphyxiating his killers slowly and painfully. I delight in every moment. As I have been for 13 months now.

rather than start a new thread i think the demise of billabong & the attitude of the general surfing public is evident also in tracks magazine vs freeboarder. One costs $$8 is full of advertising & advertorials for major global companies & pro tour info that no one cares about except the pros & their companies . The other is free has more stories & info from non global conglomerates & welcomes readers views, stories & photos.

Here are my views on surfing & commercialism & the need to not participate
I could not name 5 pro surfers if my life depended on it & care not of their existence.
I surfed today on a board shaped by a local shaper under $500 in $25 piping hot boardies a $25 rashie & a wetsuit vest from a small australain company in queensland.

My wax was home made, wax is wax, my legrope is made by some small player i cannot even remember who has produced a leg rope that has lasted 4 years & no i'm not walking to the garage to check the brand but it cost under $30

I almost ran over today an idiot on a brand new GSI surfboard in a rip curl steamer, its summer???????. Which i found prophetic as the biggest tools you will meet in the surf & also likely in life in general are the ones with the most expensive accessories & equipment trying to buy credibility. Real surfers never buy from global companies (Hey there is my first run of T-shirts) Did the sums High quality t-shirts 10 run $18 each maybe another F*** quikbong
I encourage all real surfers to provide a drop in to every fool who has more money than sense. Any one in a pair of footy shorts & a battered beast gets the first set.

Bought a cool t-shirt at Kmart for $6 yesterday! I saw rahies for $10 but they would probably fall apart. I confess to owning some surf brand clothes but only buy them on sale!

I hope billabong can hang in there though. I dont buy much of their stuff but another Australian company going down the tube cant be a good thing!

Hey yorkessurfer the australian company billabong, manufacturers in china at under $2-3 a shirt, their profit margins are huge yet the largesse of their corporate asx listed company still cannot turn a profit, work that out, ??
pacific brands owners of bonds & blundstone killed the workforce & went to china still they cannot turn a profit.
Common theme executives & reps in offices far removed from the product & their market earn obscene amounts of money, when these companies act like this they cannot be called Australian

http://www.asx.com.au/asx/research/companyInfo.do?by=asxCode&asxCode=BBG
check out the major holders exiting before downgrade.

Now check out the wages these pricks earn for destroying a brand & running a company into debt, also check out the bonuses they get for failing its commical also check out how gordon merchant has no direct shares just indirect,(that means he gets paid regardless of share price plus he gets awarded shares as well for doing nothing
http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20110819/pdf/420h5d451hlhm6.pdf

Like my comments above blundstone a 100+ yr old australian company just a feeder for executives largesse, not australian jobs just corporate Australia, i will not give 10c to feed them. Always an alternative

support billabong NA destroy billabong & all the corporates like them

Most likely a capital raise at the $1.20 mark in my opinion.Also interesting one major holder of billabong stock flogged a lazy million at $3.30s a week prior to the profit warning and then bought 2mill back at the $1.90 mark just after the news. Asic is a joke.

Carnage out front at snapper today must have saw at least 5 people get run over this morning.Kind of funny but not really.

Merry xmas.

explain lopez why to invest in the capital raising, i see no value in an investment in BBG at 1.20, i see one at 50c maybe 30, the company is finished its been set up for executives to suck money why anyone would throw their hard earned dollars to keep it alive i do not understand
sucks if your super is in the hands of a fund manager who got a free bbg trip last year

Hi Backbeach, neither do I. For starters I would never invest in surf companies they have destroyed our art form but if one did want to invest in retail Flight centre are the best value.They are a retail business without having to hold stock.Brilliant business model.

Two excellent investments at present are SRX and QRX both in the medical field, in my humble opinion.

Cheers.

I take the point. I've changed my mind.

When I was shopping at DFO in Homebush today I shunned the Billabong and Quiksilver outlet stores. I bought two Ripcurl tee shirts instead. Two for $50. But it's ok cos they're not owned by institutional investors. They're privately owned so all good.

But then I came unstuck. I bought a slab of VB on the way home. But am I allowed to buy this now they're owned by an Anglo South African company? And they've deleted any reference to Victoria on the label. Whatever next?

Seriously, the pitfalls of capitalism are killing me. Next time I buy a board I'm going to ask to see the shapers BAS statement. If he's rich and making too much money I ain't buying. I will only buy from a shaper with a second hand ute and an ugly wife.

So keep it real Australia. Like it's 1950.

Happy Xmas and I hope you knitted your own presents. But if you did buy presents I hope they weren't bought from evil companies. Like Nestle who totally exploit Africans and black people. Jesus was black and he won't lke you if you did. In fact Jesus threw the money lenders out of the synagogue. He was cool. Anyway it's his birthday tomorrow so I'm off to have another Anglo South African Bitter. You know, to celebrate and all that.

Oh and just so you know, if you plan to consume any drugs this Xmas and New year you are in fact supporting organised crime that will mean you are making scum rich and innocent people will die. But that's ok because they're not institutional investors. They're real people like you and me so all good.

Take care and look forward to more dribble in 2012.

I'll support Billabong. One of my best mates was a rep for Billabong. Good guy, hard working, just had a baby. Started as a factory gopher for Rusty in WA. Good surfer, backhand charger, humble and non-pretentious.

People forget, BB employ many many Aussies and dozens of Asians and put bread on their tables. Just bought a brand new SG5 5mm to replace my Solution Platinum for 8 deg C. water here. Best farkin' wetties I've ever owned. I don't want to see Billabong go under.

If you want to point your barbs- Matthew Perrin, you cock suckin' TSS, shore dumpin' snake oil salesman. You know who I am and you could never surf. Along with your corporate bretheren, may you reap the seeds that you sow.

However, as an addendum, I buy my shit online now. Take note retail- last time I was in oz and my wife and I had cash to spend, we vsited one of your BB mega-stores and in between deafening hippity-hop we couldn't catch the eye of a lanyard-wearing, inverted baseball hat styling try-hard who couldn't give a rats arse anyway for his $16 an hour.

Call me conceited, but I reckon I surf better than you, I make more money than you and I sure as shit find it offensive to be ignored by you, especially when I have lots of money to spend.

That's your problem Billabong, your retail stores don't actually target surfers.

And I'm not the only one who's voiced their dis-satisfaction with the Billabong retail 'retail experience'.

This thread has been overwhelming- get back to your roots. Do we have to spell it out?

And by the way, this is kind of embarrasing, but growing up on the Goldie, we went through the early 80's wearing Billabong as grommets and morphed into the Bad Boy Billy's and then onto the　'Broadbeach Blackshorts' where, as younguns, we thought we were tough in our pure black Billabong boardies, mimicking the Hawaiian blackshorts.

We were actually weak as piss but we had our own little thing going.

The point is, we were kids but there is a kind of history there.

Now? See above post regarding non-surfing, baseball hat wearing, bone-heads.

Much worse than us. At least we surfed.

blasphemy-rottmouth 5 hours ago

Karma is quite the bitch. Andy Irons is tying the noose from heaven and asphyxiating his killers slowly and painfully. I delight in every moment. As I have been for 13 months now.

gee rotten......what the hell are you delighting at....your twisted outlook that AI was killed by BBG??
Try the ASP ya clown.....

@zen

Beautifully put. Gordon, take note: you could (and, with Perrin, did) do much, much worse than to listen to this bloke.

And a merry religious holyday to youse alls.

@Brutus,

The ASP is a muppet... they have no assets and no real power. They are run by Wall Street Surfing Corpos.

No news source has run the story, but it is on Twitter and Demon Screams blog, that Michael Tomson has been arrested twice in the last two months for hit and run, posession of cocaine and DUI.

Michael Tomson was Andy Irons first boss. He then handed the reigns over to Paul Naude and Graham Stapelborg.

Graham and Paul, in their infinite wisdom thought letting their best asset, Andy Irons, be managed by Blair Marlin, a known druggie pictured with Lindsay Lohan last week at the Bong House.

If enough dots haven't been strung across your coloring books by now, fire your short bus driver, and worship Nick Carroll, Steve Shearer, and the rest of the sheep who fuck the corpse of the Old Media Cartel that demanded NO ACCOUNTABILITY of surfing corporations for decades.

Everyone laughed when I predicted this a year ago.

Karma's a mutherfucking bitch.

Lindy and Axel will get their due in court, from whoever the fuck owns Billabong by the new year.

I hesitate to speak ill of the dead but have to ask: where did AI's accountability - to himself, his wife and his (then unborn) child - fit in to all of this??

What of personal responsibility? Owning one's own decisions and actions? Acting on principle? Being an individual?? Ignoring the marketers' cant and thinking for yourself???

For mine, the answers to these questions provide a valid alternative explanation about the state of the professional surfing to the rancid, puerile conspiracy theories that you peddle ad nauseum.

Getting surfing back to some semblance of reality begins with act as simple as refusing to buy a $60 tee shirt, the real cost of which is way south of $10.

PS. And, BR, jeez, lighten up a bit, will ya! You're not omniscient - just another pissant blogger pissing in the wind, for fuck's sake!!

Ricco, nice tanty, if your looking for xmas new year beers owned buy Australian company Coopers the largest Australian owned brewer

Yep BBG screwed up big time, you would have thought they learnt the leason about excessive debt from watching ZQK, which is still a long way from steady footings.

Gunna be interesting if ZQK has to re-fi any of their Euro debt in 2012, from banks that aren't around no more...Good Luck. Watch that space.

BOTTOM LINE - THE BANKSTERS HAVE HIGHJACKED THE UNIVERSE.

As for the AI commentary on this thread, get real people, can't blame Billabong, once you are taking oxycontin recreationally/habitually, you're gone.

Gee rottenmouth....sounds like ya get a proverbial bee ,buzzin up ya butt.....
with your comments on ASP/other surfing personalities....you have just described surfings underground culture,which AI was a part of...there has been worse than him....but no-one died.....

his death was not any single person or surfing entity's fault.....as you try and make out....but his death mirrors an accepted culture within surfing that still exists today.....and i agree with you that its a disgrace that nothing has been done about introducing drug testing etc ...by the company's or the ASP.....
so its business as always.....and hoping BBG eats shit because of AI or the perception that they are wall St Corp types.....well if you are in business,even surf.....having good business acumen would be part of the criteria....
as for your comments about NC and SS.......instead of going the man,try going the media company's that actaully control content..

If Billabong fails will the T shirts I just purchased become valuable in 20 years? Should I put them in storage? Will the Billabong 'surf-team' have to get a job? Do any of them have 'traditional-work-skills' ?
How many subcontractors to B-Bong will be affected.
Who gave B-Bong advice about going out on the 'proverbial' limb?
No more Mentawai sponsored trips for execs and their great-grandchildren?
I'm all broken up about their pending failure?
Someone else said - 'they couldn't be satisfied with what they had' - I always did like Jimmy Cliff!

Well they tell me
There’s a pie in the sky
Waiting for me when I die
But between the day
You're born and when you die
Oh Lord, they never
Seem to hear even your cry

And as sure as the sun will shine
I’m gonna get my share of what’s mine
And then

The harder they come
The harder they fall
One and all
Oh the harder they come
The harder they fall

I couldn't be happier than to see a 'pro' painting a house to pay his rent.

APROPOS!!!

Re the angle that AI's death had anything to do with this, or that it it somehow 'karma' - oh FFS, get your hand off it.

We all know that Andy was really the reincarnation of JFK, and his drug dealer was the reincarnation of Lee Harvey Oswald, but what we don't know is why the CIA got involved, why they were selling arms to Sandinistas and how this is related to the alleged death of Kim Jong-il, who was really the love child of Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright.

FFS Blasphemy, you've been on this case for a year now and you have been utterly wrong about it all that time. You are mistaken, you have completely misinterpreted events and have placed no responsibility on the person most responsible, Andy Irons. He was a citizen of the USA, the land of the farking free! You can't blame other people because they didn't hold his hand. It is the argument of a moron.

As for Billabong, well it has been a public company for many years now. As a public company it is required to follow the money, not the delusions of soul surfers who couldn't rub two five dollar notes together. It is the fiduciary duty of the Directors to seek out the greatest profits.

It's called capitalism, not some freaking spiritual collective. Once they went public, they were required to maximise profits. That's it.

They made poor decisions, along with thousands of other companies and governments who are apparently led by seriously smart people, including the bankers who lent the money.

But the old adage is "If you owe the bank a million, this is your problem, but if you owe the bank 20 million, it is their problem."

On that basis, it will be a very opportune time to buy up their stock, if you are into ill gotten gains. The banks are unlikely to foreclose, as much as they would like to, because it is worth much more as a going concern than it is as a bankrupt corporate vessel.

As for Gordon, well, once you get past $50m in wealth it has long since gone past money. Gordon may have lost $500 mill or more, but in effect it will make no difference (unless he is really dumb, and I doubt it)

The analysis on these pages is as bad as a News Limited summary of a Labor party policy.

BBG surviving is not a nationalist issue, it's just business. It al looks like a bit of creative destruction to me.

Get over it.

Name a single thing I have been wrong about Batfink. One thing. I've asked on Twitter, Inertia, and now here. No one has said a thing.

Marginalize this as all conspiracy.

Meanwhile the dots get closer and closer.

Focusing on AI is what morons do because its easy. I have never said AI wasn't responsible for his own actions.

riddle me this Batman, if Andy was sponsored by Wal Mart, and they knew he had a drug problem, only they allowed him to be managed by Scott Weiland, before dying alone in a hotel room... you would be holding Wal Mart responsible as a corpo for their part in enabling?

Dcs, Michael Tomson was AI first boss. Huge leap if logic to think he had a major influence on Andys addiction? It's the surfing worlds inability to even WANT to discuss the obvious that makes the largest statement.

No matter, I've said for over a year that the handling of Andy Irons would be the undoing on Bong. Hmmmmm.

Cocaine Cowboys.

Fred Pawle.

The truth.

Like Bobby Martinez, you can point and try to marginalize using massive leaps in logic. End of the day, I have been right every time.

Here's the underlying point:

All the surf writing / "journalism" you've read for decades has been written with a vested interest in The Industry. No one wanted to lose their jobs riding on team boats in Info and paid trips to the NS every winter. No one wanted to rock the boat. Hence, nothing was written about Tomson and his fostering of the More Coke Division, the handing of that boat over to fellow Saffas Naude and Stapelborg, who then tied themselves literally to Blair Marlin and Kai Borg. Hence no coverage of Sarge diddling with people sexually against their will. Hence, no questioning outside a mild article by Melekian of Bongs handling of AI and them never being held accountable for the Den Gay press release.

None of that us "good" for industry.

But when Anonymous people online, begin coalescing through modern technology, have the audacity to question The Industry practice... out come the rats, marginalizing them as "conspiracy theorists", kooks, faceless cowards, etc...

In effect, you are willing to overlook the obvious propoganda and "conspiracy" of the Nick Carrolls, Tim Bakers, and Steve Shearers, to assume we anonymous folks have our own nefarious vested interest in "something."

Tell me, are you a man of faith?

Who are the real conspirators?

Just look at the FACTS over the last year listed online on Twiiter by @V_For_Vanguard

The things that have happened over the last year are unprecedented in our bubble if surfing. Yet no writers pens are moving.

Aside from those true Outsiders.

The things that have happened over the last year are unprecedented in our bubble if surfing. Yet no writers pens are moving
quote: BR

So with your statement in mind,it sure seems like you are/have been on the out the surfing loop,or inner sanctum........

there are no conspiracy theories ..its called democracy/capitalism .

Everything you have mentioned is just your supposition on a few random facts and your claims of joining the dots is just your interpretstion...nothing more!

I read a couple of NC's pieces on AI,and he painted a picture of AI/BBG/ASP/Surf industry that is in denial over the surf drug culture,which after 12 mths.....is still in denial.......if Governments knew that they were providing assistance to these comps,and that the controlling ASP body,still did not have a drug policy for a youth based sport...the ASP comps should be banned until they get there shyte together..
So are the govts part of the conspiracy??

BBG will not go down...they still make good profit,and yes first and foremost they are a public company,and secondly a surf co.

@ Batfink - "They made poor decisions, along with thousands of other companies and governments who are apparently led by seriously smart people, including the bankers who lent the money."

As I said earlier, the banks have highjacked the universe. They have loaded up every man, woman, household, business, council, state, nation, continent with as much DEBT as they could force feed down their throats. Plus some. and get some MORE DEBT into ya. AND MORE.

And it was always gunna happen with the deregulation of a fractional reserve banking system based on fiat money, then turbo charged with the securitisation of debt via a totally unregulated derivatives market operating in the shadows.

Don't think the banksters didn't know what they where doing, Greenspan spent 20 years setting this up. The govt.s went along for the ride, cos the explosion in money supply created tax revenue. No one had their snouts in the trough more than governments, the Howard government, with the GST, simply introduced the tax of the era... a tax on debt fuelled comsumerism, and they revelled in the free juice.

Now, we are in a -forced by failure- deleveraging era, and the DEBT is a great big phkn boa constrictor on ALL aspects of commercial activity, from personal finance, household budgets, corprorate net margins, even national sovereignty, AND democracy itself - see Greek & Italian heads of state being replaced by unelected stooges from the likes of Goldman Sachs / ECB ....the very same stooges that implemented the DEBT bubble in the first place.

BBGs success just made it a pig to be slaughtered. The banksters would've been crawling over themselves to lend them too much money, deliberately, wrongly, to buy too many retail outlets, that where most likely distressed assets anyhow. The banks gave them money to catch falling knives.

I cringed when I read the media release last week, that Goldman Sachs was assisting in a "stategic reveiw" of the company ?

BAHAHAHAHA, that would be the SAME Goldman Sachs that DELIBERATEDLY helped Greece hide its true indebted liabilities in off balance sheet Special Investment Vehicles, so it would qualify for inclusion into the EU and therefore borrow even MORE money.

You can bet now Goldman Sachs has got its vampire squid tentacles into Billabong, that a placement will happen somewhere around 1.20 for a minimum 50% dilution. Cos I promise no one will purchase Billabongs B grade labels or their floundering reatil operations.

Quik sorta had to do the same, but they did it by a stealth debt swap for warrants, plus a 15% interest rate clip, in a really sucky deal that basically ended diluting the company by 30% for a 150 mil debt retirement. Quik still carries 750 mil debt, and with double BBGs revs, it is managing to stay afloat but is really just a cash cow for the banks/lenders. That, however, may change if some of their Euro debt requires re-fi over the next few years, cos ALL euro banks are insolvent themselves.

Expect 'bong to end up in the same predictament.

My suggestion, whatever $$$ you may think of investing in any diluted billabong, DON'T, and don't buy surfwear.

Save all your money, and buy SILVER, physical bullion via Perth Mint. Relax and go surfing.

@ rottmouth - Billabongs predictament has NOTHING whatsoever to do with AI. Tradgic as it was.

Half their customers would never have heard of the guy, they don't surf and rarely go to beach. Wearing surfwear is just part of their disguise. They are footyheads, revheads, pissheads, pretenders, posers, slappers and bogans.

It is purely a Debt/Banks/Balance sheet event, the surf scene is nothing more than theatre that few watch.

There is no way the death of AI will sink billabong particularly given sales increased for the fiscal year 2010/2011. I don't know much about all this stuff but for an investment, it seems like a bargain right now. I reckon they were over valued in the past but at $2 you can't go too wrong. Sales will most likely grow, the AUD has probably stabilised so that helps a lot (it may still rise a bit more against the USD but I think the new reality of a stronger AUD has settled and they can plan for it and so should be able to accommodate it). If they can pick up a Brazilian surfer and/or parko wins the title next year they'll be set.

From what I can see, all the bad news is one off aside from the sluggish aussie and euro markets. The aussie market should pick up as we realize the economy is going farken great guns despite the best efforts of abbott. The euro is touch and go and probably the biggest issue every global manufacturer faces. But if they can neutralize that by sponsoring one of the Brazilians thereby boosting sales in that rapidly emerging market, they'll be set I think. Maybe they already do sponsor someone from there.

So yeah, at $2 a company that controls its product from production to sales that continues to see sales increases ... I dunno, seems like a good buy to me with the caveat of the euro situation. I'm gonna watch a little closer.

@Rottmouth

I've no interest going back through your other 'writings' to see what you've said wrong. The fact that you think Billabong have any say in who manages Andy Irons shows you to be a clueless twit of North Shore proportions.

I mean really, have you ANY IDEA how an athlete/sponsor/manager arrangement works? No, clearly not.

But just so you aren't mistaken: an athlete chooses a manager themselves to get as much money as possible out of their sponsor. In this case AI out of Billabong. How silly to think Billabong could choose the manager and avoid paying their athlete what they are worth.

You are a world class stooge.

@abc-of,

I know EXACTLY how it works in ¡surfing as opposed to other sports.

And that us why I am right and you CANNOT prove I am wrong. It's impossible. Billabong and Blair Marlin and Kai Borg, and Michael Tomson, and Andy Irons were a team for nearly fifteen years give or take. That is a FACT.

Head meet sand.

Meanwhile, party hearty Ben and Stu, your main rival just had his last heart oslpitation tonight.

Yew!

I suggest some of you should read the balance sheets,lopez where did you get the 1.2 billion debt? send a link on here or did you just make up that figure?Here is what I'm reading http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/15/154279/AGM1/_20110923%...

In 5 years time you will all be saying remember BBG dropped below $1.80 i should have bought some,there in a transition period after many takeovers and suffering from a retail slump in Aus and Euro,also on the wrong side of currency exchanges unlike Volcom & Quiksilver.

Better times to come if the AUD weakens,Australia has been damaged by Gillard's new taxes and levies,China slowing too,therefore our currency will slide against the USD.

@BR

"Collins is survived by his sons Tyler and A.J and his wife, Daren. "

Shame on you.

PSUN closing 200 of 800 stores says it all.

Also, just in, SEARS closing 120 stores ...
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sears-ebitda-seen-down-to-shut-up-to-12...

blasphemy-rottmouth 3 hours ago

@abc-of,

I know EXACTLY how it works in ¡surfing as opposed to other sports.

And that us why I am right and you CANNOT prove I am wrong. It's impossible. Billabong and Blair Marlin and Kai Borg, and Michael Tomson, and Andy Irons were a team for nearly fifteen years give or take. That is a FACT.

Head meet sand.

Cannot prove you are wrong,but you have no proof of you being right,just all suppostition on your behalf.
it seems very obvious to me that you do not have much knowledge of the real inner sanctum of surfing,and are a fringe dweller wannabe,and your idea that ther is/was a team with BBG/Thomson/Kai borg/blair marlin,is ...well......nonsensical....
with the obvious slow down in global retail sales and the increase in online sales ( surfstitch is partly owned by BBG and represents 3% of total sales and is growing rapidly) BBG will readjust,get re-financed,as they currently still make good profits ,have great brands,and will use this latest dip in share price to become more efficient.

Tell me Brutus,

When you use terms like "you do not have much knowledge of the INNER SANCTUM of ¡surfing" and "fringe dweller wannabe"... do you think that helps or hinders your case? Is being in the side of Corpo ¡surfings "inner sanctum" something a "fringe dweller" like me should ascribe to?

Because I don't.

I hate it with everything in my being. The inner sanctum is what has killed !SURFING.

And the likes of you, with the inability to even entertain the possibility that Andy Irons drug additions were not heavily enabled by his boss (Michael Tompson), his manager (Blair Marlin), the right hand NS heavy of Graham Stapelburg and narcotics king (Kai Borg)... then you are simply another baying sheriff being led willingly or unwittingly by the Cartel that has controlled the surfing narrative for decades.

Now, social media is crushing your Inner Sanctum.

And there ain't a goddamn thing you can do to stop it.

Oh, and btw Stunet, the ASP deactivated the mid year rotation.

Again, tell me when I have been wrong fellas?

Bobby Martinez was a muthafuckin prophet who clowned EVERYONE in The Industry. Will Stu write an apology to Bobby, or maybe do some real journalism and find out exactly why Bobby left and how he felt Bong treated AI.

The king of Old Media himself just died on a tennis court for chrissakes.

Oh come on blasphemy-rottmouth, your conspiracy theory about Billabong and AI's death are ridiculous. Big deal if his manager or anyone from Billabong took drugs. It's hardly an exception in the surfing world, or any other industry for that matter. How about other celebrity deaths? Was DGC responsible for the death of Kurt Cobain? Was Atlantic responsible for the death of Bon Scott? Was EMI responsible for the death of Hillel Slovak? How about Heath Ledger or Amy Winehouse?

Sandspit,

First, Andy Irons was not a rock star. Nor a movie star

Second, Andy was a three time world champion, less than a year removed from winning the secong most prestigious event on the tour. He was still one of the most relevant figures in surfing from an interest level. Paralells in any other sport... ZERO. Not even in surfing. (Len Bias never won anything and died his first time using a substance... and he is the closest example mist bring up).

Third, say the word "enable." Then say it again. Go look up the definition and then go back and read my "conspiracy theory." Then read Brad Melekian's piece. Then tell me how "conspiratorial" the idea of a major surf corporation willfully enabling a pro is. Remember there us a difference being an enabled and directly responsible... though a Corpo should do neither.

Fourth, why are you so willing to believe what you've been fed by the surf media that ADMITS they have a vested interest in not rocking the boat?

Fifth, Stu told me the rumors of the mid year cut being dropped by the ASP a couple months ago was just conspiracy theory. Keep that in mind.

I guess my question has become this: is a "conspiracy theorist" outside surfings INNER SANCTUM now just really become a surfer who thinks independently and applies high level logic to obvious dots and comes to a reasonable conclusion?

Because, let's face it, this isn't rocket science.

Why are you all so quick to protect the Corpos who don't care about surfing, and yet so quick to jump on those who wish EVERYONE was held accountable so !SURFING doesn't perish at the hands of the... Rats.

Oh,

Sixth, let's assume Ben Matson has never made overtures to Bong for their support if this website.

Tee hee.

ahh rotty...surfings inner sanctum is the surfers not the surf industry,always has been,always will be.
The surf industry is simply the commercial arm of surfing but the inner sanctum that i talk about has nothing to do with the industry ,infact the reason there is an Inner sanctum,is because of the industry and its obvious commercial obligations and supposed responsibilities to their athletes.
You have combined the 2 as though they are the same...which is why you are and always will be a wannabe,and your claim that social media is crushing the inner sanctum,is pure fantasy..as are most of your claims...

So you're saying there's no difference between the personal lifestyles of a three time world surfing champion, a rock star or a movie star? I have to disagree.

Brutus, that line of reasoning makes the fangs if The Industry salivate as your neck pulsates with naivety.

I am not merely a wannabe. I am a fuck you and all that you love-abe.

I want no part in your dumbed down view of the surfing bubble... the same view perpetuated by decades through the propoganda of those that write to stay in the Inner Sanctum.

Remember, less than 1% of surfers watch or care about pro surfing. Meaning your definition of "inner sanctum" makes no sense if applied literally to EVERYONE else.

And Sandspit, yes, there is a massive difference between a professional sports athlete and rock / movie stars. Example one: why aren't there any parallels to AI in pro sports?

So how 'bout those waves over the last few days, eh? Phwoar.

Ben Cousins rushed unconscious to hospital after 'an adverse reaction to a sleeping tablet'.

I'm sure if he had have died some parallels could be drawn from that.

Beat me to it zenagain. Plenty of other athletes out there with drink or drug problems too.

The similarities between high profile surfers and rock / movie stars are quite obvious. In most cases, they have a manager who looks after their business affairs. Their job is to sell, lease or lend their talent/image/status to companies who are better equipped to make money out of it, from which they themselves (the star and the manager) also derive an income. The star is lauded by fans around the world, with promotional duties a core component of their job description. Promo work often involves parties/functions/events where illicit substances are usually found in varying quantities.

Yada Yada Yada. Other than the obvious physical or mental attributes, I really don't see much difference to the life of a pro surfer, a rock star or a movie star.

I'm with rottmouth, Billabong and the ASP are implicated in AI's death, right down to the farcical media release on the day he died implying dengue fever was to blame.
The best decision Quiksilver ever made was signing up KS as their poster boy, one of the worst for BBG signing up AI. Easy in retrospect.
However, Quiksilver have a bit of history themselves.
Why did Tom Carroll enter South Pacific Private?
How much did QS know and sweep under the carpet hoping for the best?
Where were all the surf journalists then?
Nick Carroll must have known about it but chose not to say a word.
Why not? Because he has a MASSIVE CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
If he became privy to information damaging to QS (even with impeccable sources) would he write an article on it given that his brother has been sponsored by them for 30 years?

Just read the press release by Dave Prodan: "the instability of the ASP schedule (especially in 2012) makes the concept very difficult to manage". If ever a statement showed that the ASP is not actually run by themselves but by the surf companies, that is it

@tyler&rottmouth - you guys are carrying on like a pair of housewives, stickin ya beadie noses into other peoples lives. Give yerselves a b itch slap and get a life. or at least new batteries in your vibes.

I've never been a great TC fan, but the reason no one wrote about whatever, is because IT'S NONE OF YOUR PHKN BIDNESS.

the world is full of lies and smokescreens, I'm sure there are events in your own family tree that would make your skin crawl, so if you want some truth, dig up your own backyard first.

Sid, TC is a public figure ad has made millions because of it. When he gets admitted to hospital for any reason it's news.
When he gets admitted to a hospital that specialises in rehab for addictions it's big news.
I have had my own issues with the ASP in the past and have very good justification for my belief that Nick Carroll is extremely compromised when it comes to asking tough questions to those within the surfing industry

tyler and rotty - jeez, now THERE's a dreamteam to rival Clouseau and Dreyfuss.

"Why is yer derg biting me?"

"He's not my derg; he's my mad wabbit".

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8395592

Sandspit,

You keep comparing surfers to rock stars and movie stars. You think that HELPS your case?

That's the image YOU have bought, chewed, swallowed, shit out and eaten over and over as The Industry spoons it into your mouth. Michael Tompson wanted surfers to be rock stars and movie stars. More Coke Division sold the image, and Bong continued and you spew their rhetoric for them.

Well, they got their rock star image and they got their rock star death.

So now they gotta deal with it.

Name me ONE SINGLE athlete who was as dominate a champion as Andy and died if an OD.

If you say he was just a rock star... then you and I share the same view that SURFING isn't a sport.

NRL player Peter Jackson (Canberra Raiders and Aussie test rep.) died of a smack overdose.

Of course he wasn't as dominant as AI but hardly an underachiever either.

I have many, many failings but thank god neither being a kneeboarder or lawyer are amongst them.
I could only imagine what it is like to be both...

Well I'll be damned. One other something sorta kinda maybe a little bit close. Athletes ARE rock stars!

@rottmouth.....I sense that you are like many....you hate ASP and surfing as a sport concept and industry and you portrey a figure that couldn't give a fuck about it...BUT.....you know all about it...probably addicted to every word written by the likes of Shearer and you even worship the fact Andy irons is a three time ASP champion!! You are a contradiction?

Ouch. Touché.

sidthefish-so its ok to read n see the piccies of TC living la vida loca for the Curl and QS over these many years, but suddenly noones business when something against the polished grain emerges?

Public figures take the crap as well as the kudos, 'digging up your own backyard' has little or nothing to do with us lowly worms.

Andy irons a drug addict who self medicated to hard, had millions of dollars, got paid to surf. hardly anyone's problem but his, Pay me to surf & i'll go Vegan, (no thats futting scary), i'll pose in speedos even wax my chest & back, anything else required to be a pro surfer, the stupid numpty andy irons would have blown his head of with a shot gun if he ever had to work a proper years work in his life, so whats the loss

For those into the stock market might be worth looking into time cycles. Re bbg

Seems this thread has got a little off track, speaking ill of Tom and Andy is not necessary They both have kids.

Regards,

Bob Hurley built Billabong. Billabong's downfall began a couple of years after Bob Hurley decided not to renew his Bong US licensing agreement, instead pursuing the building of a whole new company instead. Management and their decisions are always the key... Note the finance results of Hurley's parent company Nike, as well as Van's parent, VF Corp.

Better yet, note the recent results of their major competitor in the same sector of design, manufacturing, and retailing,... Forever 21. Yes, it was a monster year for many in the biz but Billabonged!!

And blaming Andy's manager, or Billabong for that matter, for AI's death by his own hands would be like blaming Rottmouth's wife and mother for Rottmouth's addiction to booze and prescription drugs.

Drive thru Rottkamp, drive thru.

Death by drug abuse by popular entertainers?...

A thru Zed!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_drug-related_deaths

With 'ili miss Rottkamp once again being proven wrong, it's back to what he knows best... gulping hard liquor and prescription meds.

Leave it to The Roller to come in late and follow up on the comparison that has already been debunked. If Andy is a rock star and that's what surfers are, then fine, it's not a sport and let's quit treating it as such and blow up the ASP, whose sole purpose is to make surfing a valid sport.

If Andy was an elite athlete, as some puport, then why do people keep comparing him to rock stars and movies stars that OD'd? The answer is simple. THERE ARE NO PARALLELS TO A.I. IN ANY OTHER SPORTS!!!!

I think any sane person would agree that a corporation such as Billabong should have no place in enabling the addictions of it's employee.

Whether you think Billabong enabled Andy really comes down to a simple question:

Do you believe the surf media, whose sole purpose is to keep the status quo and not rock the boat, and that Andy acted completely on his own with no help whatsoever getting access to illegal drugs and / or prescription medications...

... or you look at the facts: His lifelong relationship with More Coke Division, Michael Tomson, Paul Naude, Graham Stapelborg, Kai Borg, and Blair Marlin, along with the article by Brad Melekian, and any experiences you may have heard first, second or third hand from the Billabong House itself... and make a reasonable conclusion.

It's not asking too much. Really.

It just requires thought. Something completely missing in surfing, as evidenced by most comments here. Most surfers just want to be fed... therefore their idolotry of Sean Collins... the man who exploited surfing more than Gidget, Gordan Merchant, Billabong, Slater, The Leash or Nick Carroll combined. Surfline feeds. You swallow.

The old saying "Get Out And Surf" is great. But once you get back on land, I suggest you "Get Out And Learn To Think For Yourselves."

Bayyyyyy oooooonnnnn sheeeeppp.

"This is necessary," quoth Reverend Maynard.

Bye bye.

c'mon rotty,why is it that you expend so musch time and energy trying to make your conspriracy theory a reality?

For a start the inner sanctum applies to ....I'll say it again...just surfers and friends...."what happens on tour stays on tour"......no journalists,no industry...so the naivety is on your behalf,as you are talking about the commercial element os surfing..and people like Nick C are not part of the Inner sanctum.

You seem to like dribbling on about AI and that no other athlete has died from drug related problems...while in his sport...the reason is that the ASP is probably the only Global sporting asociation that does not have a Drug policy.when the Quiky pro starts end Feb,that will be 18 mths since AI's death...and what has happened....?
Nothing but empty rhetoric......so the real question is why??

As for other athletes...there was a spate of crack cocaine deaths in the USA in the NBA,and the NFL,MBL,but guess what.......they cleaned up the sport,protected the athletes from themselves,and now have a very clean image....just as the ASP should have done years ago...if the ASP had a drug policy with actions that accompanyied the policy AI would still be alive....

As for your asertion about MCD etc....just joininng the dots from the outside is a silly exercise and shows your real lack of fact and logic.....but you are a great whinger.....a bit repetitive....but also a bit sad......

DRUGS and SURFING.

What do you think would have happened if Tracks, Surfing Life, Surfing World or any of the corporate magazines had of run a story with Andy Irons talking about his rampant drug problems? Or any other pro surfers talking about how much coke and ecstasy they are consuming?

Why do none of the magazines talk about drugs in surfing?

It is pretty simple isnt it.

These magazines, pretty much all of them are simply an advertisment for these brands. BONG etc basically control the magazines and that is why the content is so boring an unrealistic.

The magazines are crap and the clothing is a blatent rip off at $50 for a tee shirt.

Rottmouth hasn't twigged that there are surfers that also DONT like the ASP and that also DONT like the Industry but DONT AGREE with Rottmouth's conspiracy theories. The uprising of the Arab Spring was inclusive and transparent, protestors didn't agree with many things, though they agreed on the outcome.

All Rotty does is insult and alienate anyone who dares differ with his rigid and blinkered beliefs. Inclusive and transparent he isn't.

So you think Billabong 'enabled' Andy Irons? It's not beyond comprehension. But stop telling people to connect the dots and start giving us some evidence. And if you dont give us evidence then you are guilty of the same shortcomings that Media 1.0 is guilty of - which is not telling the whole story.

Now convinced...poor rottmouth....he hates it all...but loves it...loves ASP, Andy irons' 3 ASP titles, reads everything ASP and then loves to hate it! He can't work it out in his head so he conspires then when the heat is on him, waves bye - bye to it....don't worry Rottmouth the Quiksilver Pro will start soon and you can read and watch webcasts and conspire more evils.

@abc-od,

I don't give a fuck. Get it!? I never cared if people followed me. I never advertised my blog. It's not searchable on Google. I never asked a single person to follow me on Twitter. I don't care if other pro's, ho's and other simpletons don't agree with everything I say. I

I am just one of the many faceless millions of surfers out there who never had a voice until social media came along. Now we can say whatever the fuck we want and you can listen or leave.

I am not a journalist, I don't care to provide evidence of anything, and I never will. I just call it like I see it. Pretty fucking transparent eh?

IF you would have gone to school, abc-od, you'd have learned things like how a "hypothesis" is formed. You would understand how thinking people come to reasonable conclusions based on facts. The facts in Andy Irons case are more slam dunk from my "wannabe, outside the Inner Sanctum" point of view because that what my job was studying law at the university.

And my rigid and blinkered beliefs have changed durastically over the past three years with few exceptions. Running my own blog and seeing who actually reads it and getting emails from people "in the business" has opened my eyes as an outsider.

So go on abc-od, follow the spoonfed Surfy Surfy media. Or think for yourself and comeup with your own conclusions. You're so busy looking in the mirror longing for those lost locks of hair you can't see the forest for the trees.

And Upper-Winky... I'll say it for the 11 millionth time on the internet... I love watching trainwrecks. Thanks to the ASP and the cartel over the past year, I have been provided with endless amounts of material.

Where are Nick Carroll, Baker, ABC-OD, and the rest of the propogandists? Writing eulogies to profiteers and exploiters of !SURFING and trying to keep the only jobs they could ever have moving a pen in the real world. I will be there watching the Quik Pro, if it happens, and then having a good laugh with the 99% who don't give a shit about competitive pro surfing and the cartel that runs it.

Conspiracy?

Who needs conspiracy when the mere facts of this past ASP year alone are enough to give anyone a hernia laughing.

All the while Media 2.0 laughs and giggles and has FUN while the rest of you fools scratch your heads and wonder what the fuck is happening to their little "Inner Sanctum."

Have fun you 1%.

Cheers!

"But stop telling people to connect the dots and start giving us some evidence."

Can't even use your real name anymore steve Shearer? That sentence betrays you. Always wanting to be fed. So Gonzo of you.

Are you too dumb to connect dots and make reasonable conclusions. Is Andy's enablement such an unreasonable conclusion based on the facts we already know? If you don't have enough... then you would have made a great juror during the OJ Simpson trial.

The Lennox Hillbilly should have gone to school.

Sorry to distract everyone. I'm sure another hard-hitting Kierren Perrow call will be forthcoming before being demolished the next day by Fred Pawle.

You snooze. You lose.

Like all the haole-natives on Oahu right now after Stapelborg got his shit handed to him from the Hui.

@rottmouth - you are a purebred walking talking handbag .

With the zealous traits of a Michael Jackson devotee.

Re: Drugs - I prescribe for you a bex, and good lie down .

Blasphemy doesn't give a fuck!!

10,000 tweets, prolific blogging under multiple pseudonyms, and the endless fawning retweets of anyone who mentions your name says you do.

Listen up dimwit: the first rule of an educated person who goes to school is to 'know thyself.' A lesson you clearly haven't learnt because the fact is you crave approval and understanding.

Tweeting, blogging, and commenting for free all the way to catharsis Patty.

Either you got it or you don't.

You ain't got shit.

It's called CREATIVITY, bitch. So back off and let me play with my toddlers.

@ B-R

That's a lot of dots you're joining. If you studied law, you musta been missing from the Evidence classes. Ever heard of Ockham's razor?

Blasphemy, I've heard more convincing conspiracy theories about 911 than what you've presented about AI's death. Don't you think it's ironic that after more than 2 years of banging on about this stuff, there's barely a handful of people who think you might be on to something? I suppose that's another conspiracy too.

So Andy's relationship with Naude, Stapelburg, Tompson, Kai Borg, and Marlin, along with Melekian's article isn't evidence? Did not of that happen? Do you work with those people for 15 years and not be influenced at all? Did Melekian's article fabricate everything? Do you need videotaped evidence of Tompson plying Andy with Coke before he signed his contract (not that it doesn't exist)?

Again. You gues are fine. Back The Industry. When in doubt listen to them. Don't look at the obvious because it makes you feel uncomfortable.

The reason people aren't talking about it Sandspit, you genius? It took 10 years for people to start talking about Sandusky raping kids in the shower at Penn fucking State. No one said shit about Sarge until Fred Pawle nutted up. Gimme a break, numbnuts. I'm just asking you to think. Not reinvent the wheel.

Ockham's Razor? Bwahahahaha. Child please. I didn't go to community college.

Sorry Brew. That ain't me (whoever you think I was).

I've been too busy surfing and hanging out with family and real people. It's been quite fulfilling.

Had some very interesting convos with some high profile lawyers on the Gold Coast though. About a whole range of topics pertinent to this issue.

The Divine Comedy continues.

Occam's Razor leads almost anyone who pictures Andy partying with Naude, Stapelborg, Kai Borg, Marlin, and Michael Tomson to believe that Andy was very reasonably and very likely to have been heavily influenced by their way of living. And they were his bosses to some extent at one time or another.

Now prove it false, Mr. "Ockham's Razor" Dude.

Know your enemy.

@Freeride,

Hope it was more fruitful than your Devinely Comedic conversations with Kierren Perrow.

Indeed.

Comedy ensued.

So you're saying that Andy Irons, who had the strength and motivation to win three World Titles against Kelly Slater in his prime, somehow couldn't find the determination to say 'no' when offered illicit substances by others? How about the notion that people should be held accountable for their own actions?

@Sandspit,

Cocaine Cowboys.

Remember it when the movie comes out 10 years from now. Just like the Meth Morons from Half Moon Bay.

Being an addict myself, and knowing many addicts much stronger than Andy Irons physically and mentally... yes.

Again, re-read all my comments. I said "ENABLED" how many times? I never said AI is not accountable for his own actions.

Why do you want to villify AI and HIS demons, and overlook the CORPO that very very very likely (based on evidence we know), fed him those very substances?

Like I said. Go side with Shearer and the sheep of The Industry. When in doubt, the Corpos are always right.

Right?

Trying to have a reasonable discourse with you, you pillock, is about as fulfilling and rewarding as being date raped.

Meh! I'm off.

Look it's been fun. I really have to run this time.

Gotta keep my Twitter account active. And play World of Warcraft. And Dungeons and Dragons. And other nerd shit since I can't surf with a cast halfway up me fuckin arm.

The Industry is Good.

The Industry is God.

In Nick Carroll We Trust.

Fuck !SURFING. Longe live the box of repetitive bullshit, 85 pages of rules, and complete trainwreck of a tennis court that is the ASP.

Fuck Bobby Martinez! What a poor prognosticator he was. Long live Sean Collins!

Corpo Surfing forever!

@rottmouth - if you don't give a shit about pro surfing, why entrench yourself in it? the 99% of others who laugh at it --- how can you be sure there's that many people who waste time and follow stuff they don't like --- most people are smarter than that . it's seems you want train crashes etc...that's an indulgence in negativity. Prozac might help u?

@ rotty - make that bex a triple, you have been spun out by a very small circle of events that most likely, really, have had no effect on your life.

ATTN ADMIN - this forum needs an IGNORE button.

NOW, BACK ON TOPIC. ASX:BBG.

Will be interesting what sort of stitch-up the Goldman Sachs vampire squid brigade has planned for BBG.

Taking a Macro view, I'll call ASX to finish the 2012 year ~3000, or even sub 3000, and the AUD around ~80.

ZQK hitting sub 1.70, and BBG sub 1.10 after placement and GFC Mark II.

For a coupla suggestions for your DD - ASX:DLS and ASX:RAI.

Happy New Year, go ride a wave, its a beautiful thing.

@rottmouth - if you don't give a shit about pro surfing, why entrench yourself in it? the 99% of others who laugh at it --- how can you be sure there's that many people who waste time and follow stuff they don't like --- most people are smarter than that . it's seems you want train crashes etc...that's an indulgence in negativity. Prozac might help u?

1.Internet Hero

A sarcastic term for someone who is an Internet "tough guy." A person who spends most of their time on Internet message boards acting like they are the all-knowing and all-mighty. If someone disagrees with their opinion the person labels the person with whom they disagree with a "sheep", "sheeple" or called some sort of derogatory term. This person tends to have very few friends in the real world and makes most of their friends on the Internet with people who are similar to themselves.

http://www.defender2.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10628/internetHero.jpg

*rubs hands together waiting for Rotty-boys usual poorly articulated, grammatically incorrect psychobabble filled retort*

IF you would have gone to school, abc-od, you'd have learned things like how a "hypothesis" is formed. You would understand how thinking people come to reasonable conclusions based on facts. The facts in Andy Irons case are more slam dunk from my "wannabe, outside the Inner Sanctum" point of view because that what my job was studying law at the university.

...............ahh your hypothesis is formed from what fact????

could you prove your facts in court of law,what concrete evidence do you have of MT/MCD/Kai/ etc.....do you have signed afadavits,video,recorded conversations....???

so you admit that joining all the dots is just "your" interpretation and thats it!!

I notice you have dropped the "not in any other sport!"

why don't ya contact the relevent sport ministers,federal and state and see how they feel about supporting a youth event that has no drug policy ,and that the ASP's 3 x world champion died of a drug related issues and still no Drug policy....now thats real!

Look it's been fun. I really have to run this time.

Gotta keep my Twitter account active. And play World of Warcraft. And Dungeons and Dragons. And other nerd shit since I can't surf with a cast halfway up me fuckin arm.

The Industry is Good.

The Industry is God.

In Nick Carroll We Trust.

Fuck !SURFING. Longe live the box of repetitive bullshit, 85 pages of rules, and complete trainwreck of a tennis court that is the ASP.

Fuck Bobby Martinez! What a poor prognosticator he was. Long live Sean Collins!

Corpo Surfing forever!
.

The Industry is God.

In Nick Carroll We Trust.

Fuck !SURFING. Longe live the box of repetitive bullshit, 85 pages of rules, and complete trainwreck of a tennis court that is the ASP.

Fuck Bobby Martinez! What a poor prognosticator he was. Long live Sean Collins!

Corpo Surfing forever!

That make you al HAPPY NOW!!!!!!!?????

By the way,

Sorry Ben Matson.

I didn't mean to shit all over your attempts to land Billabong as a sponsor for this website.

TEE. HEE.

Bank.

The Industry is God.

In Nick Carroll We Trust.

Fuck !SURFING. Longe live the box of repetitive bullshit, 85 pages of rules, and complete trainwreck of a tennis court that is the ASP.

Fuck Bobby Martinez! What a poor prognosticator he was. Long live Sean Collins!

Corpo Surfing forever!

DON'T tear down the walls. DON'T bust down the doors. Just EAT SHIT and DIE!

Good point well made.

Case closed.

Indeed P-Funk, way to bring the creativity.

I am guessing Globe? Or, possibly Ocean & Earth? No? Perhaps Rip Curl? I can hear your marketing agent over your shoulder... wait... ahhhhh... you are just a DC Shoes salesman. Sorry Willy, your term limit is OVAH JOHNNY!

I can smell your corporate stickers, screen printed shirts, and neck beard from here.

Tell Ben Matson to try harder for Quiksilver instead of Billabong. Maybe it will keep you boys afloat a bit longer.

@ rotty - have you tried adding psyllium husks to your diet.?

That failing, consider colonic irrigation.

I am not Steve Shearer (I'm not even Australian). I am not and never have been a fan of pro surfing. I don't condone how Billabong handled the Andy Irons situation. I've stood against the industry and the companies that run it my whole surfing life.

Now, are you so conceited to think that anyone who doesn't agree with you must work for the industry? Simply put, this is not an either/or argument. The world only appears black and white to attack dogs like yourself.

I won't fall for propaganda from any side. I demand the truth, not half-baked grudges dressed up as reality. Give me evidence or find another hypothesis.

Now run off to Twitter and justify yourself...

I'm an Engineer Rotty old chap. Pretty much the same as what you suggested though hey?

Geez you're good.

@ABC-OD,

Really? You demand the truth? Or what?

Tell me?

What will you believe?

@ABC-OD,

Either or: Industry or Common Sense?

Either or: Industry or Just a Dude Who Died Alone Alone In a Hotel Room In Dallas Texas Shortly After Winning A Contest And Shortly His FirtsBorn was Bourne.

Either or: Industry or YOUR FUCKING EGO?

@P-Funk,

So think like one.

@sidfish,

Sorry, you failed ALL comprehension skills.

ABC-OD says: "Simply put, this is not an either/or argument. The world only appears black and white to attack dogs like yourself."

Okay.

Define Hitler.

Hey Ben!

Is this The Industry can muster?

@Rottmouth,

'Define Hitler'

A totalitarian with an absolutist worldview. Uncompromising and bereft of reasoned argument. An issuer of propaganda.

In other words he employs all the tactics you do.

Keep leading with your chin, Adolf.

@adb-od,

Yes, I am Hitler. I am Stalin. I am Mussolinni. I am forcing EVERYONE to believe ME.

And you.

Little ol, you... little abc-od...

You must feel neglected...

Hey Ben!!!

Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is this it????????????????????????????

Australia, home of the asylumns of the 1960's.

Anyone else home?

yep, definitely not getting enough fibre in your diet.

Bit blocked up mate ? Taking it out on the world.?

Ahhhhhh, the surf industry ate my children ..... Ahhhhhhhhh.

@rottmouth....you say you and 99% following ASP are doing it to see it crash -- how do you know that? Most people are not so stupid to focus their energy on negativity...most people ...if they don't like something, they simply find better things to do....but according to you, you don't ...you watch it for a pending train crash?Either Negativity is instilled in you, which would be sad for you, or, you actually love pro surfing and ASP but you don't know it....which is probably even sadder for you.

I think Prozac would be a really good option for you.

By the way...I really think you love Pro surfing/webcasts/andy irons 3 times ASP and you really love the outsider! initially double the dose please.

@Upper Winky,

Who hired you?

You can't possibly so stupid as to miss who the 99% is? Really? You can't possibly be as dumb as Sidfish and the rest of the Industry Trolls?

Prozac?

Why?

Watching trainwrecks gets me high. Make me mad. Deliver the best surfers in the best waves and I'll have nothing to say.

How's that for a deal. Genius?

I will quit complaining when a good product is put forth.

Until then. I will remain as I always were... an unsatisfied customer.

Suck my nuts.

nothing to comprehend here, rotty, you remind me of joe, in his early days of derailment.

No Rotty...it's clear...you actually love all the hype, Andy irons 3 times ASP, pro surfing, sheepy....you love it and you can't deal with loving it so much...it's a conundrum, Prozac will ease the voices in your head.

Upper winky,have you been let out of the Thai sweat factory,I mean Thai board factory?

I suppose you get at least one day off for Xmas.

Regards,

i feel compelled to go into bat for Rottmouth.

ANYONE out there who thinks for one moment that Andy Irons wasnt a drug addict is delusional.
AI was a rampant drug user, no argument.
Anyone who knew him knows this.

I also agree with rottmouth about the corruption and wank of the surfing media and the names he mentions.

The surfing media is CONTROLLED by the big 3 surf companies and anyone who wants to debate the matter has his/her head in the sand.

If you read those magazines and believe any of it, then join the team. Swallow the story. Buy the clothes.

The truth is, quite possibly, everything you think you know about surfing and its history is a complete load of crap created to...wait for it...sell more product.

surprised??

well i never.

1963 geoff mccoys conspiracy started in the 80's it was a good read on swellnet
Here is a link for doubters who want to glorify a irons who couldnt be happy with 1 million a year & the birth of a son in one months time tragic
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/Last-Drop.html?p...

link for sarge as well
http://www.stabmag.com/features/sarge.php

Surfing is not a sport its just a company marketing exercise fueling those in the inner circle massive profits. I CHOOSE NOT TO ADD A CENT TO THEIR COFFERS

well said 1963

I personally have had some negative experiences with the ASP whereby I tried to investigate the possibility that my intellectual property had been stolen. Got nothing from the ASP and got nothing from a couple of so called journalists who in my opinion essentially stuck their heads in the sand when it came time to ask those within the ASP some tough questions. I don't know whether anything untoward happened and certainly cannot prove it myself but was left very disenchanted with the ASP and the journalists concerned. However, one journalist not connected with the surf industry was very helpful.
I am right behind rottmouth.
He may have his faults but he is by and large rightly critical of an industry that is so protectionist it is not funny.
AI would probably still be alive if the ASP had a drug testing policy and BBG didn't stage manage his so called rehabilitation.
If someone like rottmouth doesn't hold a torch up to these people who does?
Whether BBG survives or goes under will not affect any committed surfer but will probably be beneficial for professional surfing.
As soon as the ASP takes charge of the tour the better. Then you will see the best surfers in the best waves.
As someone who has grown up idealistically watching professional surfing in the 80's, I am now more disenchanted with professional surfing than ever.
I had decent 4 foot waves today with a couple of barrels in good old Sydney town so I haven't got anything to complain about but I really have no respect for what professional surfing has become

tylerdurdan""As someone who has grown up idealistically watching professional surfing in the 80's, I am now more disenchanted with professional surfing than ever. "

I concur, geoff mccoys article posted on swellnet article about how the big companies decided the outcome when cheyne horan was around rings truer today of their marketing tour world championships difference now is the corporates have a multi million dollar industry to control surfers who are only players in a movie in a space of time

Can any youngster today regardless of ability win even a junior event without sponsorship from the majors, maybe depends on marketability, if he is the greatest surfer in the world an ugly hairy 14 yr old sponsored by his local shaper & a rich dad or community support to compete it still would not be enough until he falls under a major brand,,,

THe whole asp & their cosy associations with the majors mean jack
time for a new system, new body, out with the old in with the new without the old who have profited & destroyed.

I've gone from thinking about the stupidity of $60 tshirts to the stupidity of the ASP & their major funders,,, change will happen

billabong quiksilver rip curl etc & the asp will be forgotten like the way you look at lightning bolt, webber will take over the world surfing championships in his pools

Lets hope the waves will be less crowded,

Time for a recap see the clip below pro surfer own brand making money on beer ads, a millionaire who will always talk to you about your new board he shapes

Calm down

What I don't get about some of you guys, is why you are so uptight about something that you say is irrelevant IE Pro Surfing/Surf Media/Corporate Surf.

YES the Surf Industry owns the Surf Media, and has bought and paid the ASP and Pro Surfing. - GIVE A FUCK.

YES the tour and industry is full of drugs, and the media lies and smokescreens. GIVE A FUCK.

Personally, I COULDN'T GIVE A FUCK.

Haven't worn surf wear for well over a decade, when I did I never paid for it. Haven't bought a surf mag in can't remember. Get me boards handcrafted by 'ol mate in Tassie. Haven't been to a surf comp in I can't remember. Wouldn't know the names of more than 10 top pros and couldn't care.

Yeah, its all a HOAX....AND I COULDN'T GIVE A FUCK.

There is some really bad shit going on in the world...

the surf industry/media/tour is of NO concern to me.

I AM FREE.

Go ride a wave, its a beautiful thing.

Gee, there are lots of interesting comments here about the surfing going commercial.

Some thoughts of mine ....

The 1st rule of investment = Only invest in what you understand.

If you think you understand the stock market good luck to you because most "mum and dad" investors wouldn't so it becomes a gamble. The stock market is not the place to gamble. This rule equally applies to your superannuation. If the Global Financial Crisis has taught us anything its that we must all "manage" our superannuation as if its a direct investment in the share market. We all need to individually assess our "risk profile" and not blindly leave our super in a balanced fund like the vast majority of Australians do.

I also question those who pay private (mostly bank owned) super funds thousands a year in so called "management fees". A review of superannuation performance will show "industry funds" where management fees are not charged generally do as well or better than the private funds. The Commonwealth Government (ALP) is currently working on addressing some of these issues not that the Sydney Morning Herald, Melbourne Herald or The Australian will tell you so in a balanced way.

Backbeach is right to comment on company debt levels and the well worn "growth" model .... It applies to all companies listed on the stock exchange including Billabong. If you must invest directly in stocks there are plenty of companies out there that have solid management and NO or little debt paying very healthy returns on investment.

On growth ... where is the growth going to come from to service company debt levels and dividends in Europe, the UK and the US? Do you have a fully informed answer for that question? If not, are stocks (including Australian) really a good place to invest?

One final thing ... if you want an insight in how truely corrupted the global finance sector is read Nicholas Shaxson's book - Treasure Islands - Tax Havens and The Men Who Stole The World. You maybe be shocked to hear that the biggest tax havens operate in the City of London and the Island of Manhatten (that's right under UK and US law) and that trillons of dollars a year are passed through them to avoid fair and reasonable tax payments. Did I also mention that organised crime everywhere wouldn't exist without them nor would much of the poverty in 3rd world countries.

Back to the surfing industry .... I would have liked it to have stayed in the cottage where it once came from. I don't buy any of its clothing or mainstream boards and have never been interested in surfing contests in any shape or form. My boards are hand shaped by a guy who has stayed true and who thinks most things that happens in surfing "is pure bullshit". Backbeach and others may be correct, who is to say that surfing can sustain anything big in the commerical world.

Sid, I have legitimate reason to be aggrieved with the ASP and it's associated journalists.
If you couldn't give a fuck why are you reading and commenting?
Social media has an incredible amount of influence over otherwise closed shop corporations.
I had 4 foot good quality waves today AND I am disenchanted with professional surfing...it is possible

Er..seems you do GIVE A FORK sid you rebel, you.

Well the thread was originally investment/economic orientated. That was my interest.

Then it got highjacked by rotty et al, who turned it into the X-Files, frothing for blood, and make the murdering bastards pay etc.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. yeah, think I'll stick with the finance forums.

@floyd - will hunt that book out. Another really good, and current, read is extreme money by Satyajit Das.

gee rotty hates being wrong,and having his ...suppositions questioned,especially when he claims the high road of having used fact a logic....thats where you end up with no crdeibilty,and then ya get all emotional and abusive...( sign of frustration at being found out)

are you able to answer...

brutus 7 hours ago

IF you would have gone to school, abc-od, you'd have learned things like how a "hypothesis" is formed. You would understand how thinking people come to reasonable conclusions based on facts. The facts in Andy Irons case are more slam dunk from my "wannabe, outside the Inner Sanctum" point of view because that what my job was studying law at the university.

...............ahh your hypothesis is formed from what fact????

could you prove your facts in court of law,what concrete evidence do you have of MT/MCD/Kai/ etc.....do you have signed afadavits,video,recorded conversations....???

so you admit that joining all the dots is just "your" interpretation and thats it!!

I notice you have dropped the "not in any other sport!"

why don't ya contact the relevent sport ministers,federal and state and see how they feel about supporting a youth event that has no drug policy ,and that the ASP's 3 x world champion died of a drug related issues and still no Drug policy....now thats real!

BBG are just a public Co thats first and foremost mission is to deliver profit to its shareholders...being a surf company is just a side issue.....I guess the question thats has been raised here is....
....." what is a surf Co,and what has changed since their inception,and why do older surfers seem to be disallusioned with what they have become?"

The past, present, and future. Unfortunately, most of the surfing world has no grasp of this concept... http://theactivists.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/internet-activism-is-extrem...

Thats all good BR, but what exactly are you going to change?

Even if it's all true. If the whole AI, BBG conspiracy theory is right. Then what? Does anyone other than a few diehard AI fans actually care at this point?

A whole lot of what you whinge about is spot on. The ASP are useless. Pro-Surfing is more a marketing exercise than a sport but so what? No one really gives a shit? No matter how you dress it up and who you invite it will still be a subjectively judged pseudo-sport.

If the Big Three disappear into a hole in the next year and the whole ASP circus falls over will anyone care? Why waste so much energy on something that is a waste of time in the first place?

for Rotty - here you go... suck on some REAL issues.

KNOCK YOURSELF OUT !!!!!

http://whatreallyhappened.com/category/economy

Lopez and Rotty.... I reckon you both love ASP/Andy irons 3 time ASP world champ/webcasts ...and also, Rotty...can you tell me who shot JR Ewing?

ladies please..... it seems as though we have degenerated somewhat into a veiled slanging match, why? everbody has an opinion and they are all valid

Here's a question for you blasphemy-rottmouth. If there's so much bad stuff going on in the surfing corporations, where are the whistleblowers? I'm pretty sure most industry jobs aren't super highly paid, and therefore there's probably a reasonable turnover of staff. Some of whom who are likely to leave the industry and wouldn't care if they spill the beans. So where are the insider stories? You said that you've been (to quote) 'getting emails from people "in the business".' So what did they say?

OK - BIG WAYNE has spoken.

On a lighter note, Groucho Marx commenting the 1929 Stock Market Crash...

"I lost $150,000. I tried to lose a lot more...

but it was all I had."

Happy New Year. Go ride a wave, it's a beautiful thing.

ps @ rotty - don't forget those psyllium husks. :)

@sandspit

I will take the liberty of answering your question, the employees of surf corps are a major problem in the way they operate. These are people willing to forgo a higher salary for the perceived privilege of working in the industry. They are former pros with no skills but a reputation, they are wannabes high on the chance to meet pros and go to incest tainted parties whenever the circus rolls into town, they are the surfers with stickered up boards that don't match their skills. They are scared to leave the industry family because they love surfing but not SURFING. They will not leave because they lose their identity.

They are the yes men.

They are the boys in a bubble.

They believe their own hype.

They think they are better than you.

But they are not because they came up with the Bob Marley campaign. Fools.

blasrott mouth your cred will go up one level when you provide links rather than kidding us & yourself anything is original.

your editorials are shite, your blogs are based on easy accessible material, state your opinion provide links which you do not, your opinion is your own you forget that you base your opinion on others for your blog, blind acceptance & i want a dancing jester

So you didn't really answer the question at all. And you contradicted yourself. Are you saying out of Billabong's 6000-strong workforce, there's not a single ex-employee willing to tell the sordid story from within the company walls, all because they're all too worried about being cool?

So you didn't really answer the question at all. And you contradicted yourself. Are you saying out of Billabong's 6000-strong workforce, there's not a single ex-employee willing to tell the sordid story from within the company walls, all because they're all too worried about being cool?

So you didn't really answer the question at all. And you contradicted yourself. Are you saying out of Billabong's 6000-strong workforce, there's not a single ex-employee willing to tell the sordid story from within the company walls, all because they're all too worried about being cool?

So you didn't really answer the question at all. And you contradicted yourself. Are you saying out of Billabong's 6000-strong workforce, there's not a single ex-employee willing to tell the sordid story from within the company walls, all because they're all too worried about being cool?

aand..well said seaman-staines.....the surf industry pays the lowest wages,expects overtime to be free,all for the pleasure of being part of the "great surf familly",

so its like if ya work for one of the big 3,you get the added lifestyle/identity,which means ya get paid less for more work....but you are.....??

Sandspit,

Look up the history of whistle blowers before blowing hot air. Or, read my comments further up in this very thread where I answered your retarded question.

It took 10 years for the people to come out of the woodwork at Penn State University and admit they had witnessed and knew of a football coach mollesting little boys. Why? They were afraid to lose their jobs or be ostrcised from "the club."

Same thing almost identical at Syracuse University.

Big Tobacco whistle blowers? Surely you know that story.

I also mentioned Sarge earlier. Did you miss that too. No one said shit for a while until Pawle said fuck Mick Nick Carroll and his cronies and published the story in STAB.

The point is this: just think things through a bit. Hopefully you have a bit if common sense left in your ostrich sized brain that hasn't been washed by Industry propoganda.

Again, I am not asking that you reinvent the wheel or build a space shuttle to meet up with Trafalmadorans. Just use common sense. And look at history. In an industry as inbred as surfing it may take years for people to nut up and tell the truth.

My emails are private until they give me permission otherwise. The important stuff has reached the right people. A story is in the works... I can promise you that much.

But don't believe me.

Believe The Industry. They are always right. And they really care about you... Sandspit.

blasphemy, my question came about because I read this article yesterday.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/why-whistleblowers-are-thin-on-...

Unlike the Finance industry (where the $ incentives are considerable), I can't think of a single incentive the surf industry might be able to offer departing employees to keep their mouths shut. Perhaps a free lifetime supply of wax? Maybe 25% off all non-sale clothing?

Hey Rotty....can you check this potential conspiracy out for me please...The author of this article posted what I thought was a really good piece about Kirra being a myth....and I can't locate that article? Has it been strategically pulled or is there something more sinister going on? I'm not discounting that I simply aren't looking forit in the right places, but I liked the article and wanted to add something insightful.

you mean this story? http://www.swellnet.com.au/news/197-an-inconvenient-truth

the search function on here is crap but I googled 'swellnet kirra myth' and it came up second article.

Sandspit,

We are not talking about finance here. We are talking about a dead 3 time champion. Anything that involves a death... along with the possibility of exposing the "literal" cartel nature if the Big Three and the darkness that may involve... and the fact that no major whistle blowers have come forward yet means one if two things to me: either you are right, the Industry had nothing to do with AI, has not cooked financial records, and is not involved whatsoever in nefarious activities involving drugs, real estate and fashion. Or, things are as bad it worse than that... hence the silence.

I use the word cartel for a reason.

People don't rat on la famiglia without major pressure.

I believe only a deaf, dumb and blind person would think The Industry hasn't seriously enabled many athletes along destructive courses and got caught, pants down, with Andy and a few folks aren't happy about it.

You folks who think we in Media 2.0 are just "haters" on the ASP and bui Corpos must look st the bigger picture. This us about human lives. Andy was worth more to Lindy and Axel than some financial bullshit. And the fact the no one has said much about such an obfuscated series of events after AI's death tells me there IS more to the story.

Those trying to marginalize this as 9/11 or JFK conspiracy theory are just lazy folks, probably working in the Industry, who don't want to think a surfing corporation is capable of being as greedy and evil as any other Wall Street corporation.

bit agro but interesting debate/fight whatever. I reckon Brutus is right re industry jobs with one addition.
Surfing is not just a sport it is a lifestyle for many and that creates a point of difference to say the finance industry ( I too read that SMH story) so if you rat on the finance world you loose a 'insider' status job and big $$. If you rat on the surf industry there are a number of repercussions to your whole lifestyle that could see you end up in a form of culture related 'solitary confinement', no other industry job, shunned by fellow friends and remaining surfer employees as being a risk to associate with (even in the surf), blackballed because the others are simply too afraid they will loose out by being associated with you.
Seems bizarre but that is exactly how it works. Take the like of the big three (and other), certain managers are or have a liking for 'things go better with coke' and have been known to encourage subordinates to have a swig with them. This is a great form of bullying and self protection because the instigator then has something on the subordinate who he knows will not rat for fear of either not being believed, guilty also by having the 'sip' and totally afraid of who else may doing it at what level so could end up being swatted like a fly. Not to mention that the whole scene is highly illegal and a police involvement would possibly lead to exposing suppliers and those blokes can get rather violent and nasty toward a lone rat.
Now Bong and others may have a whistle-blower policy in place where the rat should have sanctuary, but bet not one rat has chanced their hand and trusted their lifestyle on that thin line. Shut and take a walk is what the surf industry is known for.
Which is why I reckon Rotty has got his teeth into something that should not be written off just because he is so blunt about his opinions. The best form of defence a conspirator has to allow them to stay alive is to be the very one that acts to marginalise any ratters as being vexatious or bitter authors of a 'conspiracy theory'. guaranteed to have the likes of Rotty confined to the asylum...too easy.

So blasphemy, you're now saying that Quiksilver, Billabong and Rip Curl (the 'Big Three', 'Industry', 'Cartel' or 'Corpos', as you refer to them):

- are responsible for the death of AI
- have falsified their financial statements
- are involved in criminal drug activity
- are involved in criminal real estate activity
- are involved in criminal fashion activity (fashion crime? I thought that was just an ironic buzzword)

Well I suppose it's good to see you're being more specific with your claims.

For the fourth time in this thread alone, I never said they were directly responsible for his death. Enabled. E-n-a-b-l-e-d. Why can't anyone read, comprehend and retain anymore?

As for the rest... based on obvious evidence I've seen as a casual observer for 35+/- years surfing... its easier to believe it all possible than to think it wasn't.

And I won't even blink if the story ends up being much worse.

I just hope we don't lose any more people like Andy.

probably closer to the truth is AI was a spoilt brat who got paid a stupid amount of money to live a priveleged life any way he chose.

And did so accordingly.

Sure they enabled AI's death BR, in that they paid him lots of money. On that basis most merchant banks are enablers of coke addled employees in the finance industry, which we all know is where coke is most relevant.

And sure, BBG, Quiksilver etc are evil corpos. What did you think? As soon as they went public it is their legal obligation to work in the same way as all public companies with shareholders. What did you ever think?

Your naivety is crippling, your capacity to put together unrelated facts and gossip and arrive at spectacular conclusions is paramount. You are the uber-addled madman of the surf industry B_R.

You imply everything, say nothing, and back up your non-existent claims with nothing, and then try to claim pre-science.

It's not about asking you when you were right or wrong, it's about asking "When have you ever said anything?"

You seem to think that twitter amounts to an argument, or a case, or a logical progression. You seem to live under some delusion that everything that ever happens has to be reported, and if it isn't reported then it is proof of a cover up.

Well here's the news, not everything can be reported. Every day, every newspaper editor has a meeting with his jourmalist employees and they decide what is going to be reported on that day.

Now that's fine if you want to go down the path of calling that a conspiracy, but the fact that you allude to all these examples of things that weren't/aren't reported (which somehow every surfer has heard about first, second and third hand) doesn't prove your case, whatever your case is, because we come back to the real issue, which is this:

You haven't said anything, and you continue to say nothing.

You railed mightily against Carroll as a personal vendetta yet you couldn't provide one conclusive example of anything of real substance.

AI was on drugs - well blow me down, nobody anywhere ever had the slightest inkling of that, which by the way would have been almost certainly defamatory and actionable. Tom Carroll's time in rehab wasn't reported by NC. So effin what.

Back to the issue here B-R.

What is your bleeding point?

That Andy took drugs, that Tom may have checked himself into a clinic of some sorts, that people take drugs, that AI's managers of the time may have themselves taken drugs and enabled AI's problem, that there are people in this world who manufacture and sell illegal drugs?

Is that your point????????????????????

Woah, hold there big fella, Say it ain't so!

Say it ain't so B_R!

That baseball reference is most apposite. You would know that is must be over 50 years old now, or much more.

hey rotty, how come you aren't holding the North Shore community to account ?

If anywhere is drug riddled and corrupt, its the NS, Haw.

huh ? Now there's a closed-book monopoly.

Get over there mate and take 'em on !!!!

So what have I said that is so hard to believe, Batfunk?

You basically agree with all my "suppositions." What is so hard for YOU to believe?

I say Billabong enabled a three time champ with his addiction and bfuscated his cause of death at the very least.

That is criminal activity, no?

So why are you so pissed at me? That I want them held accountable?

I ripped on Carroll because he is on record saying the Sarge story should not have been reported.

Sid,

Billabong is a corporation and should not be involved in enabling their employees. I have nothing against drugs or taking drugs. You will call me s hypocrite if you can't comprehend or sprehend the difference in Andy's case with Bong.

Again, what am I saying that is SOOOOOOO hard to believe?

More importantly, why us it so important to some if you that the Corporations be right?

oh c'mon rotty........when BBG found out about AI's addiction,he was given an ultimatum,go to re-hab,clean ya act up or you are fired....so he had a year off tour and did the rehab.........obviously it didn't work long term.....
as for your assertions about TC and NC.....you don't think there might have been a conflict of interest?? How about Hakmans story?
the sarge episode was very sad ,but blakey was a bit flakey,in that he pannicked and ran to the ASP for help...doesn't that tell ya something about the accuser....couldn't deal with it himself.....and the ASP disciplinary board handed out the suspension.....sarge did a shit load of good over 30 years on tour..as far as I know ...no one was ever hurt...shocked,but never hurt...

rotty you really don't have much fact,but a lot of supposition...and your grievenaces about the surf industry applies to the world in general......ya sound like a communist!

I figured my resistance against the industry would bring out the bigger guns here. They all fled to Inertia I guess. Hope you find that big sponsor soon Ben.

You got a loyal crew here that should land you that Billabong account soon.

Rotty...you despise ASP --- BUT--- you hold it creditable by flying AI as a 3 times ASP World Champ --- anyway I still want to hear your theory on why the Kirra article has been pulled off the Surf Politik archived articles here....there's some great pics accompanying the found link above....but I stillcan't findthe article on the current site -- am I losing it?

rotty, I hazard to submit that the North Shore had more to do with AIs trajectory than Billabong.

He was a radical extreme dude of free-will, in an extreme sport and took life, whilst riding waves, to the edge.

Seriously, if he was say a base jumper, would he have never done drugs.? Without a doubt - YES he woulda. No Billabong there.

What about if AI was a motoX rider? Still no drugs.? Without a doubt YES. No Billabong there.

And this is where your industry assault crusade is total crap.

So if say young grommie X is sponsored by whoever, does the sponsor say, OK if you wanna be sponsored by us, you can't go to the North Shore, we under contract are going to rob you of your freewill to go there as part your OWN eveolution, cos that damn North Shore is evil, and may expose you REAL LIFE, and damage our brand, and we need you to piss in this jar, test neg, before we pay your cash.

Ya know, exactly what sort of restrictions and governance do you expect.? Cos extreme freewilled dudes will say go get fucked.

I'm not an industry afficiando, but I too say go get fucked.

Do you want your "sport" to operate under a nanny state ?

Go ride 20ft teachupoo, (see can't even spell it) and when your finshed, go home and walk your poodle as per your contract. YEAH? go get fucked rotty.

Mate, you got the wrong people...

I can certainly attest to the fact that two very well known surf journalists displayed some bizarre behaviour when I asked them some uncomfortable questions regarding their mates in the ASP.
Essentially not at all prepared to jeopardise their cosy existence travelling the world reporting on surf comps even though I had a very valid basis for some sort of investigative journalism.

blas rottmouth"Billabong is a corporation and should not be involved in enabling their employees"

so they provided him with drugs?? If they did release the info, were does individual responsibility fit into your views, a million a year, he had the means to sort himself out, did he have a rider in his contract for the illegal & legal.

My employer provided me with funds to access illegal drugs & legal drugs, I CHOSE NOT TO BUY & CONSUME THOSE SUBSTANCES HENCE I AM STILL ALIVE.

Under your deluded views rottmouth, the commonwealth bank should make sure its tellers spend their money appropriately. not going to happen as most of us on this earth value free thought andy irons is responsible for his own demise no one else, if his head was so muddled by earning a million a year getting paid to surf & it still was not good enough, he would have met the same end in the reality of the crap existence we all do everyday to make money.

personally i think andy irons is the biggest tool i have come across, if he was a checkout chick at coles it would have been the same result, He threw it all away being an alcohol & drug freak his choice not his employer, no employer is responsible if a check out chick turns to heroin for the boredom of her existence or a real estate agent turns to cocaine to further the shit they spout who cares its a personal choice.

sidthdfish you have made some good points, i will comment on this
"So if say young grommie X is sponsored by whoever"

if grommet wants to have a future on the surfing calendar
1) he has to be sponsored by the majors
2) he will lose regardless of ability & performance against a major sponsored contestant
3) If he does have a major sponsor who also sponsor the event, he will be more likely to win
4) if he competes in an event sponsored by another major brand less likely to win
Think i'm kidding name me any surfer who has won any event without a major backing again refer to geoff mccoys article for a 30 yr timeline

Pro surfing is not a sport its a marketing exercise for major global companies, i choose not to add to their coffers

According to rottmouth, (best known as Rottkamp), and his definition of ENABLED, we can blame old Rottkamps's kids, wife, and film industry employer for his own serious troubles with alcohol and prescription drug ABUSE AND ADDICTION.

Yup, Rottkamp's own abusive behaviour is everyone's fault but his own!

http://www.cyberguerrilla.info/?p=1730

Dear Surfers,

The world turned years ago... It's time for you all to catch up. Your comprehension of the Andy Irons debacle is A - Musing.

In every way.

Long live Billabong!

Anonymous made the cover of Time Magazine and is already trending on Twitter.

Nick Carroll, Stu Nettles and the rest of the witless surf bubble has been served a facefull of 2011 shit. Wrong at almost every turn. Media 1.0... the dinosaur died in the real world years ago. It died last year in ¡surfing.

Happy New Years!

Welcome to NOW!

Funny thing about rottmouth the Rottkamp, he pulls down his massive pile of crumbs from the entertainment industry. The film industry...

Yes, that industry notorious for relying heavily on unpaid interns... slave labor like conditions for studio executive assistants..... Yes, the film industry who employ the use of shady accounting practices where many of the best selling films never show a profit....

Keep on drinking your whiskey laced kool-aide, Rottkamp.... your family must dig your absolute hypocritical phoniness. .. One question, how do you hide your actions from the kids?

Yew!

blasphemy are you comparing your own vigilante approach with the surf industry to that of the group Anonymous? Oh please.

rottmouth Sun 1st Jan '12

http://www.cyberguerrilla.info/?p=1730

Dear Surfers,

The world turned years ago... It's time for you all to catch up. Your comprehension of the Andy Irons debacle is A - Musing.

hey rotty......if you think you represent or are part of cybergerrilla......that is scary delusional and just downright pathetic.

I have answered everyone of your "factual claims",that backs up (or NOT) your twisted conspiracy theories.

You even complain about "not bringing out the big guns"....is that what its all about ,flexing your ego,and offering unsubstantiated rumours as fact..and thats a fact!

Gee if ya can't make ya point with us "light weights"...and we can tear part all of your bogus conspiracy theories.......you are probably lucky some of the people you have insulted would tear you a new proverbial sphincter....

Only delusion if it is untrue.

Big guns?

Bring it. You know where to find US. We are Legion.

WE ARE IN THE NOW.

not here. anymore.

so its "US" now...more delusion of your split personality.....or do you have legionaires disease?

rotty ya have been exposed as a mindless muppet,hell bent on flexing ya ego,with very little or no substance....you are becoming quite boring,with ya empty rhetoric!

*YAWN*

Meanwhile...those who shun the industry do so in their own disparate ways having a far greater affect than emotionally stunted daydreamers playing Cops & Robbers.

Have a happy 2012 Blasphemy Rottmouth. And while I'm here I shall wish you a happy 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, because they will all be the same for you, a clawless kitten playing in the hall of mirrors.

Right after he did what he said he never would do, and stated blocking and banning commenters he didn't agree with, old Rottkamp's blog site fell apart and produced the enviable EPIC FAIL....

Rottkamp/rottmouth, If your world view depends on believing everyone you agree with is either corrupt or incompetent, you are not clever..... You are a fool.

Yew!

@ backbeach - Bede Durbridge has won comps, and done exceptionally well without being sponsored by majors.

Sorry, can't name too many current pros.

As for not lining the majors coffers - exactly, the CHOICE is yours... I don't either.

AI made his choices, and unfortunately a tradegy ensued. End of.

@ rotty - you're anything but in the real world, you're 10ft stuck up your own cyber ass.

Hiding behind your online psuedonyms, grow some balls, and put your real name on your spewings, cos until your do, you're just some gutless whinging cunt.

and Rotty...don'tforget to mention that AI is a 3 times ASP champion! You love that.

Quite a mud slinging forum going on.
What a shame if the the major companies who sold surfing to the masses and drove up the costs of surfing and gear for the everyday surfer start to see some of their mega profits disappear. By throwing the core market purchaser ( lifetime surfers) under the bus for years while the masses boom was going on is now coming back to bite them. For years the big company names have been moving manufacturing offshore, buying up every little company and assuming their line and pretty much trying to create a monopoly in order to control and maintain their over inflated product costs to the surfers and the mass market of non surfers wearing a surf labels.
Personally I would be stoked to see the end of pro surfing and the tour. Let the over paid surfer/models with over inflated egos try and go and get a real job. How many of you out there has had a surf session ruined by a bunch of sponnos and a camera? They act like they are entitled to carry on like wankers because they are surfing to get a "shot" so they can sell more quickbong underpants to the masses and funnily enough really to the same guys they are hassling in the surf. These companies look at disgruntled "recreational" surfers as too small a market to worry about particularly whilst the rest of the non surfing world is/was buying $80 boardies without a second thought. Now that the market is drying up as the stock market seem to be saying these companies are starting to realise the end may be near.
I guess quickbong may be better to spend dollars sending their team riders to China as surf coaches to recreate a new market and come to grips with the fact they have gotten away with being overpriced for so long that now it is time for some major damage control.
Blaming Billabong for AI,s drug problems is a bit tough though, anybody who has been in a town when a major surf comp has been run can bear witness to drug and booze filled "surf stars" making dicks of themselves. AI was one but I could name a recently past world champ and several other big surfing names from all 3 of the big company teams who make this list .
It takes more time but it is certainly possible to find products without brands smeared all over them,and they are usually much cheaper. We don,t get paid to advertise so why do it for free? especially when the representatives for these companies act like such assholes in and around the surf and companies treat us like idiots who will keep demanding these items.
Buy local and unbranded when you can, bring on the drug testing, end the tour, tighten up the sponsorship dollars, shake these underpants models up a bit and then see how necessary they really are. The gfc may prove to be the best thing that ever happened to surfing (for us surfers anyhow).

mike hunt well said , finding products without brands & sponsored surfers
here is a start at a free magazine better than the paid ones whose pages are full of the major industry & pro surfing, Who cares
http://www.smorgasboarder.com.au/
Fair point sid the fish

Since this thread started i decided to clear my house of anything related (including the asian knock offs) to billabong, quiksilver Rip curl etc etc

As mike hunt said "We don,t get paid to advertise so why do it for free?"
will start a new thread elsewhere on alternatives hope you all can help

Gildan Tshirts online -

http://www.tshirt.com.au/index.php?pr=Mens_Tshirts

... I got 5 Tshirts and 3 singlets for $58, inc postage.

I buy my shirts from threadless.com. Only surf brand stuff I buy are wetsuits.

Quiksilver have two upcoming surfing events in China.Just what we need not.I hope all these investment driven companies go down and soon.

Regards,

Mike Hunt "Blaming Billabong for AI,s drug problems is a bit tough though, anybody who has been in a town when a major surf comp has been run can bear witness to drug and booze filled "surf stars" making dicks of themselves. AI was one but I could name a recently past world champ and several other big surfing names from all 3 of the big company teams who make this list"

Yes, I agree. There's plenty of talented surfers on tour, but you get the feeling only a portion are giving it their all. Like footy players, young and easily overpowered by fame, they fall into situations that lead them astray. A mate has a rental at Scotts Head. A well known now ex Asp competitor rented it for a week and his mates destroyed the house. Nothing happened to them, no apology.

As for B-Bong, their brand equity will pull them through. They didn't go into Target etc like Hot Tuna and who ever. There's a lot of talented people behind the scenes who believe in the brand. They need to restructure and divest non-performing assets. Back to basics.

Great article Stu. I gotta say A+ for a brief fundamental summary of what's gone wrong - if only financial journalists were as concise and transparent in their reporting of financial matters.
For my 2c, this reminds me of Rio/Alcan 2007 and Gunns/Auspine 2007, debt leveraged hubris heading into an ice field at 22 knots. Years and years ago Bob Prechter was warning that consumers would withdraw...(although shopping today in Torquay shows nothing of the sort!)

bilvis"As for B-Bong, their brand equity will pull them through. They didn't go into Target etc like Hot Tuna and who ever. There's a lot of talented people behind the scenes who believe in the brand. They need to restructure and divest non-performing assets. Back to basics. "

Their brand equity is finished have you not read the thread, you can buy shares in BBG if you believe what you say.

Hot tuna relocated to europe still operating http://www.hottunaplc.com/
Their current share price http://www.hottunaplc.com/content/investors/share_price.asp

By target i think you mean big W the owners of mambo cashed out sold the license to big w who cares quality has not changed

bilvis "There's a lot of talented people behind the scenes who believe in the brand"

I disagree just a lot of people that think they should be paid big bucks for doing very little, of course they believe in the brand , their excessive wages depend on its success., will they believe in the brand & their career when t-shirts are comparable to a mambo from $15
NA

bilvis"A mate has a rental at Scotts Head. A well known now ex Asp competitor rented it for a week and his mates destroyed the house. Nothing happened to them, no apology. "

Destroy them involve the police, they are no different to criminal bikies, why no recourse???????

@ velocity - Prechter also said gold was going back to sub 600.

It went 1900+ , and will go well beyond since 2012 is the International Year of the Printing Press.

Wouldn't pay any attention to the elliot wavers smoking their fibonacci wacki tobacci. Prechter is their guru.

Go fizzy Ag.

I cannot believe I missed the comment of this entire thread. Must have been pilled up and drunk - or on some conspiracy quest... you know, all the easy ways you pinheads use to justify not giving anything I say creedence when I've been right at every turn so far as this competitive pro surfing bullshit swirls the toilet and drags the remnants of Industry with it. Read again, and weep.

@LJKarma - The Lone voice of reason in this whole thread. A Prophet? An 11 time World Champ in disguise? Who knows. But this comment is the best I've read in some time. Nails almost everything to a tee. Suprised the rest of the Industry Lovers on this site didn't see it or were too afraid to respond:

ljkarma
Sat 31st Dec '11

"bit agro but interesting debate/fight whatever. I reckon Brutus is right re industry jobs with one addition.
Surfing is not just a sport it is a lifestyle for many and that creates a point of difference to say the finance industry ( I too read that SMH story) so if you rat on the finance world you loose a 'insider' status job and big $$. If you rat on the surf industry there are a number of repercussions to your whole lifestyle that could see you end up in a form of culture related 'solitary confinement', no other industry job, shunned by fellow friends and remaining surfer employees as being a risk to associate with (even in the surf), blackballed because the others are simply too afraid they will loose out by being associated with you.

Seems bizarre but that is exactly how it works. Take the like of the big three (and other), certain managers are or have a liking for 'things go better with coke' and have been known to encourage subordinates to have a swig with them. This is a great form of bullying and self protection because the instigator then has something on the subordinate who he knows will not rat for fear of either not being believed, guilty also by having the 'sip' and totally afraid of who else may doing it at what level so could end up being swatted like a fly. Not to mention that the whole scene is highly illegal and a police involvement would possibly lead to exposing suppliers and those blokes can get rather violent and nasty toward a lone rat.

Now Bong and others may have a whistle-blower policy in place where the rat should have sanctuary, but bet not one rat has chanced their hand and trusted their lifestyle on that thin line. Shut and take a walk is what the surf industry is known for.

Which is why I reckon Rotty has got his teeth into something that should not be written off just because he is so blunt about his opinions. The best form of defence a conspirator has to allow them to stay alive is to be the very one that acts to marginalise any ratters as being vexatious or bitter authors of a 'conspiracy theory'. guaranteed to have the likes of Rotty confined to the asylum...too easy."

Surfing for a living has and will always be an ever changing endeavor. Whether it's the sponsoring corps, the players, or the format itself, (swirling toilets aside), it has always been, and will always be a case of adapt or die.

Welcome to the latest installment of pro, contestable surfing,... Capitalism 2.0.

Yes mates, old miss Rottkamp swings and misses again!

ah rotty...clutching at rotting straws ol chap.

the comments you use ,apply to every business model in the world....the comppany's always look after their business first and foremost....
its just your very weak conclusions drawn from rumour and innuendo,that make your case feeble......you are just highlighting how our capitalistic system works.....

Brutus,

So bend over and keep taking it right up the ass. That's your answer?

I say no.

And the rest of the world is turning that direction as well.

Similar to your continual downing of prescription meds and alcohol,...

no one takes it "up the ass",..

unless they want to, eh Rottkamp?

the world is all dicks, pussies and assholes....

Aahh...that is how capitalism works for some of you is it??
When some company or someone in power screws over or misuses their power, one is supposed cop it sweep, stop winging and...Just take it up the arse.
Brutus says tat what Rotty deposes to "apply to every business model in the world....the comppany's always look after their business first and foremost.... well I wonder if Brutus has stopped to consider that any and every business only exists because of people...you know the ones who ARE the company and WORK for the company and in AI's case promote the company.
It is a two way street, the Company owesa duty of care and the people in the company owe duty of loyalty , honesty etc. All fine until the company renigs on their side of the deal and all of a sudden power and money take control and truth and fairness go under the bus.
Rotty may be out there and pretty damn aggressive in his points....but that does not mean what he says has no utterence of truth.
BBG owed AI a duty of care...not even an shadow of a doubt...AI owe BBG shit in return. I think all Rotty is saying is that BOTH screwed up but one payed a far bigger price tahn the other and it just so happenend to be the weaker and more vunerable of the two who lost out....no coincidence that and the perfect model of capitalism as we know it...not as it should be.
Bury your heads, take it up the arse, turn a blind eye, don't rock the boat, cop it sweet, keep ya head down etc etc ....all well known excuses that BBG and all big companies love us all to adhere to. That is how they get away with what they do. Seems Rotty is an easy target, mainly because he has the guts to question out loud whether AI could have been a victim of, amongst others, his backer in BBG.
Rotty, if ya want to get an ear, tone it down a little and make some definative points that challenge debate and I think there will be less resistance to your points, which under the layers of mud, have some issues worth airing and exposing...just a thought

rottmouth Yesterday

Brutus,

So bend over and keep taking it right up the ass. That's your answer?

I say no.

And the rest of the world is turning that direction as well.

++++
not too sure rotty,that your methodology in spouting conspiracy theories has the needed credibility to be valid or at least plausible,and thats what has happened here .......you have presented a weak case,which does not mean that a lot of us don't like the way the world is,just your twisted version.
just because we disagree or question your theories,does not mean we support "the system"....its your connecting of some pretty far apart "dots"......and a lot of your "facts"are just rumour and innuendo,

Ikarma.......I agree with you in how Company's/business's should be,but any and all public company's have one single purpose..to make money for their shareholders...that is the one and only prime directive for Big Business.......and especially true in the surf industry.....all the "spin" about being some cool co. to work for is.....just spin.......reality's a bitch sometimes!

Brutus, i think one of the problems that this highlights is we are being 'conditioned' by the actions and behaviour of these public companies to expect that they will act with greed and hubris and so it becomes the new norm and any resistance to their new norm gets howled down as a conspiracy theory etc.
Rip Curl is a good example of being as major player as the others but NOT being a public company and not behold to investment bankers and institutional investors every few months, who crucify you if you get any forecasts wrong by the slightest margin in either direction. That has now played out very well for RC as they can sit back and watch the others cop a flogging, deserved or not.
I guess my point is that public companies are just that..public, so they are far more accountable across the board and that includes having the likes of Rottyy et al pretty much having every right to question everything and anything they do...,obviously within the law and keeping a healthy dose of 'fair go' as a measure.
Just stop and think about what went down with Occy years before BBG went public and ask yourself if BBG could have had the freedom to rehabilitate Occy that way they did.....I think not as his situation was very public when at it's worst and 'shareholders' (not to mention the institutional and suits on the board like dame Marg etc)would of wanted to distance themselves from all that shite.
So how could BBG deal with AI's condition. Could not be seen publicly to rehabilitate his drug issues so (it would appear) they set him up on the Goldy with some peers to help him. Now how much that worked or did not work is not for me to comment on butRotty (and others) make some interesting points about just how much BBG and ASP played a part in AI being "allowed" to earn massiive money, compete and carry on in a way that they obviously knew was a risk not only to himself but others whom he may (and prolly did) influence. Word is he only turned up at Rico to get his appearance cash and bolted to get his hands on the substance that ended him.
I think news of his death hit soooo many soooo hard because they knew in their hearts it was preventable and the signs were blazing in the sky and nobody chose to question what is wrong here...there is the message...it is NOT too late to question those who should have had a duty of care.
Nothing will bring AI back, but taking it up the arse and resigning to the fact that companies like BBG are just"Big Business" and there is nothing we can do about it, is exactly why I support Rotty and his guts to blow this issue wide open.

If you wanna look like the cats whiskers go down Fistral wearing a Fat Willys tee shirt.

Andsome.

One thing people in general, let alone people at a public or non publicly traded company can't do, is save an addict from themselves.

Just ask this self admitted drug and alcohol addled comment section barney himself,... rottkamp/rottmouth.

Heh.

Sounds like a communist!!? sounds like subversive American rhetoric to me. Anybody anti-corporate fascism must be a communist?

Corporations aren't people. Surfers are people

the roller Wrong my job involves regular drug & alcohol testing be clean or no job works for me????????
fishhead: yes corporations are people under USA law

Anyhow Real surfers do not purchase $60 t-shirts or advertise companies for free DIE Billabong DIE go into the hands of venture capitalists & hedge funds who cares your executives have created the scenario so the can cash out,,,,,,,,next brand. Another dead brand like bonds blundstones etc who forgo quality for profit

Seemingly they are acquiring human rights. Obama's new bill just gave corporations military backing. learn something - http://exopermaculture.com/2012/01/16/chris-hedges-sues-barack-obama-and...

Very surprised so many have come to defend Billabong.

Stop supporting the rag trade and stab a banker on a new mini mal in the surf. They aren't human

@fhs

Agreed!

The steady and stealthy privileging of corporations' rights over individuals' legal and human rights IS an issue to get seriously pissed off, amped up and paranoid about!

Make no mistake. Capitalism is NOT the same or even synonymous with Corporatism. The former is about how best to achieve the most efficient use of limited resources. The latter is only about how best to achieve unconstrained power.

Corporatocracy. Google it! Interesting...and scary!

a quick glance at rottencramps twat account, he's twatted no less than 11,000+ twats, yes you read right 11,000+.

and of his 800 odd "followers", amongst the usual twatter telemarketers, transvestites and tryhards are his devotees ... BIGGAYDICKS and ANUSGAS.

winning.

You know Sid, your obsessional comments, vitriol and defiant rants are reminding me a bit of Rottmouth himself

trya bourbon - just balancing the books, the door swings both ways, and I'm on hols.

and please, stop trying to imitate TD, you're not in the ball park, you're not even in the carpark.

Hey Sid,

You mightn't rate Tyler Durdens act but you are doing a mighty fine version of the Roller.

Sid if you swing both ways that is your prerogative, not that there is anything wrong with that

thanks spunkman,

now get back to "following" your psycho lover with trya bourbon and the rest of the imposters who can't handle a bit of backwash.

youz have got under 3 weeks to kill the ASP before it hits the Goldy and the show rolls on.

tryhard bourbon, nothing wrong with that at all, you know what the greeks say...

if you're a train, and not a tunnel, you're not a poofta.

Sid your posts are resembling Rottmouths more and more

only 10,683 twats to go...

tryhard, you just worry about your own fraudulence.

Most people round here would never had heard of ZH, but I've been reading their stuff for years, and you're a hoax along with rottencramps "crusade" and his 800 twit twat tinpot "followers".

Your the man Sid

Funny enough Sid, I have never heard of ZH and really have no idea what you are talking about.
I think you have got me mistaken for someone else...now you are REALLY staring to sound like Rottmouth

my apologies tryhard, you must then be simply trying to emulate the movie character.

burn our boards, and boardshorts.
boycott surfing at all levels.
when you see a surfer convince him to stop.
that'll teach 'em!

Web and tele broadcast competitive surfing. It is just like internet porn...

Even rottkamp Nancy Grace whingers, taliban religious kooks, and Bin Laden himself who constantly go on and on about how "evil" it all is, still tune it in daily.

Comment of the month, sid.

Congrats.

"youz have got under 3 weeks to kill the ASP before it hits the Goldy and the show rolls on".

Not the ASP: FINE!
FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
Peoples of the points of Snapper - Don't fight each other, fight for the last week of Feb and first of March to be yours. BlackFlag the ASP!

Not the ASP: FINE!
FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
Nothing brings together disparate surfers like a common enemy. Gold Coast City Council, flick the ASP, unite your peoples against exclusion.

Not the ASP: FINE!
FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
If there's not enough waves now, how are you going to feel when excluded from your favourite wave for a couple of spoilt sponsored surfers?

Not the ASP: FINE!
FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
The ASP can fly surfers ANYWHERE in the world, yet choose the most crowded surf spots in their prime seasons. Not very sportsmanlike: FINE!

goog luck to that.

The boys love the circus, they drink schooners at the surf club, talk smack and compare penii.

Its an institution.

(No, not a rottencramp type institution... they're coming to take me away ha ha he he ho ho.)

Not the ASP: FINE!
FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
The ASP can broadcast their "events" from ANYWHERE, and it might make sense to show us the world's "best" in the best waves we can't afford.

Not the ASP: FINE!
FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
If the ASP really cared about surfers (and surfing) they'd let the 99% catch all the waves they can, and put on a show elsewhere: FINE!

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
I'd never want 34 of the "Best" surfers coming just to "practise" at my local when they can afford go anywhere, anytime: BlackFlag the ASP!

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
In the tone of Eddie Murphy singing Janet Jackson - "ASP, what have you done for me lately?"

Occupy Snapper ?

Yes Sid.... Organize it Bro... Bait the Hooks... Cast the Lure... The Fish Will Follow

Hang On, isn't there a Volcom comp on at Pipeline next week.

Why not start there: Occupy Pipeline and see if it catches on?

Thats beyond our reach Steve... we can do it at Snapper... Start it going...Put the Word Out... Youve got the audience and you know you can rely on your bff Brew, & Vanguard, Rusty etc for back up.... In fact We are all with You Steve

It looks to me like the folk at Billabong have just timed the change in strategy poorly. If you are trying to satisfy the share holders (the suppliers of your company's capital after all) and the fact is that many superannuation funds are shareholders which makes a lot of surfers indirect shareholders through their superannuation funds then looking for ways to expand the business, beat the competition and increase the value of your shares is a priority for the Board and management.

Controlling distribution can be a barrier to entry by other competitors so the strategy they decided to follow is not necessarily a bad one. However, going into significant debt is an issue, and many have been caught out by expanding too quickly and having to service a large debt during an economic down turn.

Billabong might not be the brand that some surfers buy or support but the reality is that the larger youth market have shown the support of what the brand means to them. So as a sport that should be looking for the support of the community as a whole, having those who don't surf but like to feel the sense of beach lifestyle through a brand is not really a bad thing. In reality the waves would be crowded, Billabong or no Billabong.

Billabong is a large company and suits a large market of youth who might not be surfers but might like the freedom feel of the brand so unless that market changes its view on the brand or decides brand is no longer cool to wear then you would expect that Billabong would recover as the retail market recovers.

Whilst they are supporters of the surfing industry (whatever the reasons might be and we all have our views on that) it would be better for those involved in the sport and its image to see a recovery of the company rather than see a surfing industry partner go down the tubes.

Ol' man Ken

For Those who Havent Read It...

Blasphemy Rottmouths Blog:

Allegorical Construction of a Metaphorical House in a Sarcastic World

The End Is Nigh

My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories.

I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. A wasted land. But most of all, I remember the house that the foolish men built upon the sand.

This heinous horror was spawned by The Architect. This curious creature was naturally flamboyant. Like most architects, he sketched in those days with various weights of graphite on taped vellum sheets. More importantly, he sketched documents for an edifice overlooking the sea. Not just any sea; an oceanic amalgamation of the scorching Bondi sands, the languid shores of Rio, and the shifting sandbars of Huntington Beach. This man, clad in pink and black leotard, cummerbound with a ruffled tutu, drew great dreams using circular templates, rigid T-square, triangles, and scales of every measure. His plans called for a soaring gable with steeples at either end. Moment frames allowed impressive spans of ecclesiastical emptiness within the holiest of holies. Expansive Nanawalls, bookended with stunning, stained glass murals of the saints, bore outward views to each corner of the beach that met the face of the shuddersome monument.

A tabernacle fit for a king.

As construction rumbled to life, a renowned team of builders gathered to realize The Architect’s drafted dreams. Names like Richards, Townend, and Cairns were on hand. Their pygmy stature stood resolute and tanned – ready with tools provided by ancient craftsmen. Before ground was broken, an election was called to settle the phasing, permissible procedures and schedule. An hour later, when the hanging chads were hypothetically tallied by an immutable conglomerate of conflationary creatures, the crew mumbled while staring at their jackboots, wondering if a polling place had even existed.

The Architect pranced out to greet the staked out footprint; holding the report for the soils at hand. “This report,” he fabulously flitted his glossy-red lips, “bears no ill tidings for the work to proceed, however, the financial institutions supporting our apostolic erection must never see this report, for the sand’s a bit lean. Simply take extra care when pouring the foundation, and make sure the Adverse Adhesive is poured to such depths that no heretics will uncover it.”

With these profound proclamations entrenched in the lobes of their shallow minds, the crew began their inspired toils under the watchful scrutiny of Superintendent Tomson. Neighboring communities soon were serenaded with barking hammers, prying crowbars, sputtering generators, worn drill bits, saws with few teeth, and all manner of tools echoing through their streets. The commotion caused such a stir it piqued the Building Inspector’s keen ears. With no time to lose, the inspectors moved to ensure a sound structure under every seismic code. Yet these well-heeled inspectors were met and turned away by an impregnable fence built by both Gerard Security Services (ASP and ISA).

Thus, the project commenced unencumbered. Safe within the embryonic confines of the compound, Steele + Jimmicane + Neville Media Corp., stepped over debris, rolling film of their Idols at work and emailing them to the voracious whores on Pacific Coast Highway – careful never to document the contents of The Soils report.

A team of concrete workers arrived from the Australian Ministry of Mental Health Medicine right on time. Using the newly supplied material of extracted grey matter and stem cells from the imposing frame of a recently rendered impotent Michael Peterson, they poured his crazy diamonds deep into the loosely compacted sand… unwittingly failing to reach bedrock several fathoms deeper beneath the earth’s crust. The concrete mix design was leavened with the soul of Christian Fletcher to ensure the foundation, though buried, was stout as prescribed. As the gray matter hardened amongst the loosely fortified sand and was covered with floor joists and plywood, the memories of Michael Peterson and Christian Fletcher were swept neatly away. For reasons long forgotten.

Shortly thereafter, the balloon framed bones of the structure were raised on the backs of the bronzed construction crew; wood studs made of Richie Collins’ femurs, Nick Woods’ tibia and fibula, Cheyne’s vertebrae, Eggars’ metatarsals, Button’s humerous, radius and ulna, and Bertlemann’s rib cage. Button’s and Bertlemann’s bones were particularly tough for the monotonous crew to handle as they resembled nothing they had seen before. Many rooms were created. One such note was the Sunday School room. Built to nurture impressionable minds with the narcotic happiness of The Golden Carrot, devout parents could be sure their offspring lived up to their own presumptuous and Great Expectations.
The central moment frame, forged from the appendages of Andy Irons spanned the entire width of the house and allowed a seemingly endless floor plan. This particular feat of engineering was the brainchild of Superintendent Tomson, who passed many of his trade skills on to Foreman Naude… a man well versed in the nuts, bolts and welding required to build a moment frame of Andy’s size. Once all the dust of the angels were swept away, a drywalling team from the faithful company of Carroll, Baker, Cornuelle, and Sarge Brothers, along with their armies of subcontractors, were employed to cover up the skeletal structure. They then prepped the interior for a finish coat of paint, brushed impeccably to divert attention from the ghosts beneath to the shiny brass door knob of the looming closet full of suits.

High above the floors of the great hall, the roof was laid by Surfing America, Surfing Australia, Surfing France, and others… all with their committees, sub-committees, boards, and chairmen in tow. Layer upon layer of paperwork, scrawled with rules and regulations, were encumbered upon the roof joists. The paperwork was sealed with several more layers of red tape to ensure the sterile environment below was undisturbed by moisture.

With the envelope of the cathedral nearing completion, a most cherished object was installed. A wall of plasma Technicolor in all four dimensions looped two things:

1 The 2011 Billabong Pro in Jeffrey’s Bay with its inordinate amount of team O’Neill’s Jordy Smith profiles and promo pieces. These pieces were layered with team O’Neill’s Jordy versus Logie heat at the 2011 Billabong Pro in Teahupo’o… a heat much admired by church members for the exerted efforts of the event organizers to adhere to The Holy Scriptures.
2 Then the screen danced about, MTV production style, from sweatshops in Brazil and Indonesia, to obligatory Save The Whale and Plastics Recycling gospel outreach in a paradoxical Yin vs. Yang juxtapo-doctrination of Hail Mary salvation.

3 The wall of media was framed in golden dollar signs hewn by the sharpened IP Address of Graham Stapelborg himself. An inscription above the high definition installation spelled forth The Doctrine: “E Pluribus Unum.”

Sometime after the main hall had been completed, a Real Rabbit came along and offered to fortify the sand around the concrete pilings. His idea met with initial hesitation, but was eventually conceded to. Granite was brought in by Dream Tour Construction and Organics Rivalry Inc., to shore up the already sagging foundation. The rocks bolstered everyone’s confidence for the length of an historic vapor. But those rocks began to break down under the extreme bureaucratic weight of the temple above. Consequently, the Real Rabbit was excommunicated in favor of a Lamb named Carr. The Lamb did not have ideas. The Lamb listened. The Lamb smiled. The Elders loved their Lamb. And all was merry as the eroding sand was forgotten.

Then came the rains.

Then came the floods.

And with these tribulations, away flowed the sand that held miraculously for decades. Blood rained from the heavens in the form of toxicology reports, recent excommunications, journalistic molestation accusations, sweat shop facilities, homophobia and blatant racial bigotry. Wrathful ink welled up from the depths of Hades to join the hemoglobin downpour. This blasphemic storm endlessly pelted the exposed church and engulfed those caught inside their place of refuge.

Without a foundation of rock, the flock realized they stood on The Nothing.

Blindly careening through their temple in search of the lost Soils Report, hoping the financial institutions were oblivious of their mistake, the electricity spluttered and gave up the ghost. The clergy spoke forth in tongues and prayed and gnashed their teeth in the dark. Yet nothing could stem the torrential tempest outside. Men began to feed on men. In the despondent chaos ordinary souls were inadvertently battered and smashed… without knowing the foyer, just inside the front door, was still built upon the same sand that had been flushed all away.

Men like Steve. The warrior with a plunger. In the sulfurous roar of a brimstone-fueled wind, he lost everything. He became a shell of a man. A gaunt man haunted by the demons of his past. But a man who survived days without sustenance by eating his own pride.

Once the tempest had ebbed, this warrior – this simple man, grabbed a baseball bat and wandered out into the wasteland.

And it was there, in that blighted place, that he learned to live again…

(Note: This is the last post with an open comments thread. The next post shall be my last. There will be nothing left to say in this place.)

And your point is exactly what, surferjoe?

The Point SandSpit is the Message... there is no other Point There is No Other Beach Break... The Tide crashes on the Cruel Rocks where Mahalo foundered.... Surf Media 1.0 is Dead and Buried

Rottkamp.

For anyone paying attention, well, the old boy has continually told us that he IS evil....

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/200805/messiahs-evil-part...

So, there are two points here...

1. The best thing we can do to help is, encourage the guy to stay on his psych meds. Abstaining from hard alcohol. And keep current with his healthcare professional's program and advice.

2. Taking advice from a schizophrenic is nuts.

http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/60tip.html

Stu,

The old boy has since then become pals with the non touring sponsored folks such as Jamie JOB O'Brian, Anastasia, and some others, ghostwriting and or "proofreading" their material. Yes, the load of luddites who's as rottmouth puts it, "hate the ASP and the evil three corporations"... "Quiksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl",... that they only way they think they can increase their take of spono money from the very same companies is to hack away at the livelihoods of the top touring pros!

So, get ready for what may SEEM like ever changing moods, when in reality his agenda of hype is the same as.

Old rottkamp. Serving up his hot and tasty Hypocrite Eggs since....

@Stunet,

And The Machine ground up and spit that out... if you were paying attention in class.

There is a reason I have adopted @FSU_CEO use of !SURFING and ¡surfing to differentiate for those who... missed class over the last year.

Interesting note Stu: in that same comments thread you reference, you yourself made a comment about your interview with Geoff McCoy.

Why no follow through after Andy died and Brewer's words in Melekian's piece?

Afraid your access to the next "Swell of the Century" might be revoked?

Ok rottkamp. We get it. Spinning on behalf of those compensated and rolling on behalf of their "evil" sponsors...

Capitalism 2.0.

And as Rottkamp/rotmouth you're Jack Dawkins.

the Lodger...

The Artful Dodger.

@Stunet,

I said FOLLOW UP...

You know... putting dots together and such?????

That's all Surf Journalism is. Ask some questions and walk away if someone says anything remotely interesting. No follow up. No digging. Just wagging the tail and panting.

A parade of propaganda.

Ok Rotten-teeth, I've been reading your rant for a while now, joining the dots and FFS I still can't seem to see a clear picture.
Is it just me or is the picture flawed 'cause the dots really aren't ever going to join up properly?
It might help if you actually give some hard evidence that you supposedly have and cut the BS, then maybe your picture might come into clear focus for the poor common fools such as myself and all the other industry plants that access this site!
Oh, by the way, I have been watching the World Juniors on the webcast and even though the surf hasn't been too co'operative there is some good surfing going on that maybe the rest of us industry plants might like to watch!

!SURFING vs. ¡surfing Stu.

Simple as that.

rottencramps - so what the diff between all other media?

not like you're getting the truth re: Iran/nukes, or Iraq, or say monsanto, or big oil.

you're flat stick splashing around in a frog pond full of your own vomit.

As for Geoff Mc, if it wasn't for them silly lazer zaps, the discuusion would most likely be about one or 2 world titles.

blasphemy-rottmouth, where can I find the upside down exclamation mark? I've been looking all morning but can't find the damn thing. Your recruitment strategy doesn't appear to have been thought out very well if you're making it this hard for prospective soldiers!

@Sandspit,

It's easy, just press the button on your keyboard that says: "I believe the narrative of surfing that's been controlled and produced by three major corporations for thirty years."

Ah yes, found it. Thanks! It was hiding under a small piece of eggplant.

Ok, now that we know for a fact that our mate, the self admitted booze and pilled up schizophrenic, depressed, irritable and dissatisfied with his work Rottkamp, has been "proofreading" for the minor league pro surfers, and certain surf magazines,.... (note to Steve Shearer, yes, "proofreading for the surf mags),.. the quotes from this film sum it up quite well.

Debi: “I don’t want to hear about the theories. I want to hear about the dead people. Explain the dead people. Who do you kill?”

Marty: “That’s very complicated, but I think in the beginning it matters of course that you have something to hang on to, you know, a specific ideology to defend, right? I mean, taming unchecked aggression, that was my personal favorite. Other guys liked live free or die, but you know... you get the idea. But that’s all bullshit. And I know that now. That’s all bullshit. You do it because you’re trained to do it, you’re encouraged to do it, and ultimately, you know, you... get to like it. I know that sounds... bad.”
Debi: “You’re a psychopath.”

Marty: “No no no. A psychopath kills for no reason. I kill for money. It’s a job. That didn’t sound right.”

— Grosse Pointe Blank

Stunet
I am just the average surfer who stumbled on this.... Some of what Brew has said has struck a chord with me (and no more imitations). I will toe the line... I do admire Brew for his courage and stamina in puting all this out there... we seem to be talking about it... coaxed into raising our eyes from the never ending stare at the Horizon.... I dont agree with all of Brews message and admit that its substance impaired at times... but hey, I'm just along for the ride.... enjoying the drop

Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
In the Surf Industry, egotistical clowns line up and struggle like swine at the Totalitarian, slop trough...
Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
... they are political sodomites perform pantomimes and exotic lap dances seeking to curry the favor of the expendable minions...
Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
... to determine the next muppet to stand before The Machine as its cogs & wheels behind the curtain of the Oligarchal Juggernaut...
Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
.... turning once-useful idiots into frenzied feeding stations, gulping down processed propaganda...
Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
... and hustling to jump back onto the hamster wheel, while cursing their voluntary shackles...
Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
... they rush off in metallic death traps, never looking to see the flaming bridges in the rear view mirror...
Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
The End.

joe,

There is a mode to his madness. There is mentally ill role model that came long before there was a Brew -rottkamp.

And his technique of subtle manipulation is no different.

"By personality we mean what traits did he possess? We will look at the “Big 5” model, which gives a picture of what kind of personality he had. First he was extroverted and charismatic using words to convince people to follow him. He was not emotionally stable as he was prone to dogmatic outbursts that would wear down those who were around him thus making him quite neurotic. He was quite intellectual in that he excelled in school and became a person of great power in the San Francisco Housing Project and many highly regarded California politicians, including then Governor Jerry Brown, listened to him. Because of his determination it appears that he was quite conscientious in his endeavors and felt responsible for his “flock”. In the end it would seem that he was quite a difficult personality to deal with because of his rants and basic paranoia"...

http://bdrum.com/p130g3/jonesortiz.htm

@Stunet

He obviously thinks your a hoot too Stu...

Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
Neophytes like Stu Nettles who cite my enthusiasm post-A.I. have failed to comprehend The Machine.

The Machine.

Now that he's been secretly "proofreading" for the off tour minor league pros, who by the way, are sponsored by the very same corporations that sponsor the ASP guys, old Rottmouth Rottkamp is as "inconsistent" as they come.

He is part of The Machine.

Enjoy the hypocrite eggs he's serving.

Stu,

Inconsistency?

Or... perhaps it has been a constant rotation as my third eye has swiveled into focus. Slow down and read. Slowwwwwly over the last 6-8 months of my blog. Each. And. Every. Post. Otherwise, you missed class. Like The Roller. But he missed more than class *wink*. Obviously, others didn't.

Careful now...

You tread dangerously.

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
Today's big truth is that big lies do big damage, and mostly go unnoticed: mwcnews.net/focus/analysis… Also true in our little surfy bubble: FINE!

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
If a surf mag "writer" stuck on an island found a message in a bottle, he'd burn the message and break the bottle; preventing the cure: FINE

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
@
@Rottmouth You are right, the bottle would be the subject of much discussion, perhaps noted, shelved and monitored for further dissection.

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
Paid journalism's only reason for existence - entertain on behalf of its masters. It only involves truth if it produces the masters desires.

V_For_Vanguard Fifth Column
People on surfing blogs keep saying "where is the hard evidence" as if that's the sole purpose of journalism.

V_For_Vanguard Fifth Column
Journalism's other job is to point out dots that are MORE than glaringly close together.

Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
@
@V_For_Vanguard And how close those dots are joined depends on which angle you take. And the angle of some is also "glaringly obvious."

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
Paid journalism's only reason for existence - entertain on behalf of its masters. It only involves truth if it produces the masters desires.

V_For_Vanguard Fifth Column
@
@Rottmouth Wicked and dripping with venemous irony. Let them recoil from the snake's bite.

Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
Anonymity is the key to having no master. We, the faceless minions known only by numbers by the politicians that fiddle with their sticks.

Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
Cynicism in ¡surfing means distrusting The Establishment. The Establishment that was built by surfers but abandoned long ago.

Rottmouth B.R.E.W.
Tell me children: if the earth rotates while you blink... is there an inconsistency in your latitude and longitude?

FSU_CEO Not the ASP: FINE!
Australia Day just might be the dumbest mother fucking "holiday" of all time. Just what exactly is it that they're celebrating?

ASP Press release!!!!!!!

Stuuuuuu! Runnnnnn!!! Cover this new release.

It will vindicate you vs. Bobby Martinez.

Tell me one thing -

What is wrong with this quote:

"Our commitment is to make the most exciting, successful and relevant tour and we feel that these changes showcase the world’s best talent and continue to provide opportunities for young talent on the rise," 'Pat O’Connell, Hurley VP of Sports Marketing and ASP Board Member, said.'

Yeah.

Conspiracy.

No such thing.