Excelente read Capitan Shearers-O,

Nothing's shocking in Torquey, NYC, or in all of surfing itself....

comin' down the mountain
one of many children
everybody has their own opinion
everybody has their own opinion
holding it back
hurts so bad
jumping out of my flesh
and i said

cash in!
cash in now honey
cash in now
cash in now baby
cash in now honey
cash in miss smith
cash in now baby!

Agree with most except Kelly's rail work. All of it was done in the pocket which has always been his style however at Bell's Mick looked the goods. Kelly looked flicky in comparison no matter how difficult it may be to do it - he was using about one quarter of the wave (except of course for that 360º), Mick was carving up the lot with style - Kelly looked all arms an legs on some turns. I saw some footage of him back in 2006 and his turns were definitely bigger probably due to a longer board. Those little boards are unreal in hollow waves they just look flicky to me in waves like bells or jbay.

That carving 360 looked crap. If we are talking about "beautiful artworks", that was not one of them. If he rode out of it smooth as silk (like he did with the AIR) it would have scored much better. Instead he was fighting to stay on the board and was clearly doing a "Poo Man" stance for at least a second or 2...
I actually thought the wave prior to the carving 360 was the better of the 2 but they scored exactly the same. Go figure.

Classic line from the head judge though...
"I'm not gunna talk about specific scores because last year we did that [during Floatergate] and the sky fell in. Apparently the whole surfing world couldn't sleep at night because of it, which is a load of shit,"
The sky falls in when there are obvious inconsistencies and errors. The explination for giving a FLOATER an 8 was the load of shit, not the consumers reaction to it. Note for the future; take it on the chin and admit that it was an error. There would have been no ill feelings had the mistake been admited. Instead, the "explination" was just fuel to the fire.
Good luck for the rest of the season though. Can't wait for Brazil... :(

Get Carl on the judging committee.

Where did my other comment go?

Dunno RR. I saw it from the homepage then clicked on the story to read it but it had disappeared. Mystery.

You wouldn't have accidentally deleted it by any chance? The 'delete comment' function stays live for a while after the comment is posted.

Anyway... In brief...
The replay of the final in the Heat Analyzer on the Rippy Pro website has a thingy called a "Dual Relpay" (http://live.ripcurl.com/?aid=2053)
It shows Kelly's second best wave side by side with Mick's best wave.
The gripe I have with the judging in the final is this;
Side by side, there is not a 1.63 point difference in the score. IMHO

Mick completed some good-great turns, but fell off (Ugly, not Arty) If you can't complete the move, don't do it. Especially after the work done on the wave already.

I am not saying that Mick did not do enough to win the comp. He obviously was one of the standout surfers of the event and deserved to win just as much as RKS did.

What I am saying is that the judging is, at times (possibly the most important times), inconsistent and incomprehensible. (Is that a word? Where's rotty when you need him...)

The judges need to be far more transparent with their reasoning for scores given. How is an explination a bad thing? It is when the explination is an obvious lie and an attempt to shift the responsibility for an error in judgment (e.g. FLOATERG8).

A reasonable and ARTiculate explination would give confidence to the competitors and the consumers.
Is this an easy solution? No. I don't think it is. Simply for the reason that the judges seem to have little or no idea what they are giving points for.
This sounds harsh I suppose, but it would be the reason why an explination can't/won't be given.

I think they did a pretty good job most of the time. It just needs to get alot more professional.

Anyhoo... back to work...

Great recap Steve.

Hey btw do u have any room in the spider shed for ole marky boy? mama left me 3 days ago and took the kid back to washington state. I am sitting here in a stale Kui condo with a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, the rank odor of endless turkey sandwiches wafting thru the air and a freshly inked eviction notice pinned to the door. Eddie is freaking ( funny how dogs know when the shit is gonna hit the fan ) and I am extremely drunk.

Anyway I dont have much to offer. Down to one 8'6" Downing but she's a beaut and sure to appreciate the powerful walls of 8 foot Ox. Just enough cash left to either run back to the mainland or run to Oz.

P.S. I can clean the FUCK out of a Dunny.

Holy fucking HELL! I just burned a pizza ( stoned to the bone Bru ) and the damn smoke alarm is going RICHTER! Eddie is wailing and the asshole rich haole neighbors are outside my door screaming " no dogs ALLOWED in Kuilima WEST"!

Of course i am getting evicted anyway so you can imagine my hammered reply.

Oh and one more thing Ring. Worse N Shore Spring EVER!!!! February 24th or so unil right now ( April 10 ) absolute SHITHOUSE!!!!!

"I can clean the FUCK out of a Dunny."

You're welcome at my house, Mark. Dunno if that 8'6" will be needed at 2 foot Manly but a dirty great scrubbing brush will get you a spare bed.

Whenever I hear the word 'art', I reach for my rhino chaser.

A sobering insight into Richie's approach to judging: http://www.surfingmagazine.com/blogs/a-chat-with-asp-head-judge/

'the numbers just come to me'

'we try not to get too hung up on the numbers until we need to'

'we just compare it to the other guy'

'you go with your gut, drop your scores and there’s your result'

Little wonder there's so much dissatisfaction with the judging.

Ive like to know how much influence the head judge has on the scores that each judge locks in. When i see scores like an 8.0 across the board which happens quite often you've got to ask yourself how often when you get a group of say 5 people together do they agree on something. Almost never.
and given the amount of people that are saying kelly was underscored for at least one of his waves and micks first wave was overscored to the max .
ie one major turn out back and a grab rail air in a shorey don't make a 9.0.
Are the judges told by the head judge to bring their score into line with some sort of average.
I have seen this occur petty regularly at state and national level events where it pretty well seems that its the head jug who is making all the scores.

Even though other endeavours have also done the upgrade and are taking advantage of the mod con,... surfing employs the replay more than any other art/sport out there!

Which always makes our inevitable after the fact opinionated ball 'o fuckall not only easy, but amusing.

Like Leo, the judges must clearly know that in society there will always be those who "sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back".

Wow. Post-Mark and The Roller. Lucky you. That was a quick edit from the Round 3 to Round 4 Slater/Muscroft. Guess your proofreader missed it the 1st time...

Steve,

To be more professional, the results need to be more consistent.
There is just to many heats that just don't seem to add up properly.

Any Ref/Ump/Judge is going to make poor decisions in any sport. And usually it is a subjective decision based on the wording of whatever rule they are making decisions on.

It's just that at the top level, you want as little mistakes as possible. The result being, the best team/man wins.

E.g.
That 9.1 for Micks 1st wave was a clear mistake.
If instead it had been awarded 6.5 or a 7 (or even an 8 if you really thought it was good) then the judges can have room to base other waves on that first good score.
There is just nowhere to go once that wave was given a 9.1 though.

Too many mistakes = not professional enough.

Of course, this is just my opinion and so is not necessarily correct...

"There is just to many heats that just don't seem to add up properly."

Who says they don't 'add up'? You? Your mates?

For every heat you say doesn't add up there's another person saying it does. Just as many people are saying Mick won the Bells final as are saying Kelly won it.

Point being: You're better off questioning you're own subjectivity rather then the judges.

Stu is right.

Even though it's subjective, this thing we dig that goes by the handle of professional contestable surfing,... and by the sanctity of math, it all adds up!

"wWthout winners there wouldn't be any G_d damn civilization".

All that I have written above is just opinion.
In this case, it is mine, though others may feel similar, I do not know.
Of course there is going to be differences when the scales are balanced on this premise.

So again, in my opinion, it is too often that a poor or incorrect decisions are made.

There is no question who won the Bells final. That point is behind us and was decided on Friday.
The question is; was the scoring consistent and error free (or as error free as possible)?
I would argue that no it wasn't for reasons already stated above.

To argue that it is a subjectivly judged sport therefore no true error occurs is not good for the competitor or spectator.

It would be better for the judging panel to say, "yunno, looking back, I think we got that heat wrong. Nothing we can do about it now, but we have learned something from this and will do better next time."
Perhaps they do this? I don't know.

Teach a wise man, he becomes even wiser. Teach a fool and you get a kick in the shins.

thanks for a great read steve, and for your insights over the whole event.

there was some fantastic surfing through the whole event and the final was one of the most joyous things i've witnessed in a long time - almost a shame that for two men absolutely turning it on, one had to be judged the winner and the other the loser.

...and for all of the flak he cops here, i'd be distraught if kelly retires from the tour whilst he is still able to put on displays like he did at bells.

*Please let no sane person dispute that Ten or imply that it will lead to single manoeuvre surfing. It can't. It won't. *
And yet it did.

Don't get me wrong, hats off to the man for having the balls to treat a Bells final he clearly wanted desperately to win as if he was filming a bit for one of Dane's vids, but it wasn't a 10.

Did you really bow deeply?

Alahkaboom,
It was a only a 10 because Mick's best wave (at the time) was scored a 9.1.
That was the scale set early in the heat by the 5 umpires in the booth.
That Air of Kel's was probably 5 points better than anything Mick did on that 9.1/10 ranked wave.

Speed, Power, Flow?
10 points to Baldy for all of the above I recon.

I think the final was a good example of why they need to completely change the way they judge pro surfing. If it supposed to be about watching the best surfers catch waves then why structure it so that the guy in the lead (Mick) doesnt catch a wave for the last 15 minutes of the heat because he knows he isn't going to better his score?

I think it would be better for the heats to be judged by video review only once the heat was completed. In this way the surfers would need to give it their all for the whole heat and the waves could be judged against all the other waves ridden in the heat.

I am sure the commentators could still talk up the action as it is happening but this would not impact the judging.

Maybe they should only judge the surfers one high scoring wave?

Steve, of course some subjectivity is to be expected (and tolerated). I'm certainly not suggesting that scores should be computed by robots or with any sort of arithmetic precision. But when a surfer loses by one, two, three-tenths of a point and so on, I think s/he is entitled to a better explantion than 'the numbers just came to me.' As to how it might be improved, I think the current system allows for too fine a gradation. How does a judge distinguish between a 9.1 and a 9.17, or a 7.2 and a 7.3?

And according to Porta, the aesthetic appeal or otherwise of a surfer unfortunately has little influence on the scores they award: Is style important to a score? 'Not really. If you’ve got kind of a weird style, it’s OK. The criteria says, “speed, power and flow,” so the only time we’ll detract from it is if your style is hindering your ability to surf; like, your rail gets stuck or your turns bog. That’s not surfing with speed, power and flow.'

Keep up the good work.

Maybe they could change the scoring criteria to judge waves in increments of 0.5? Kind of like diving.

For example:-

Judges accross the board might award 6.5, 6.5, 6.0, 5.5 and 7.0.

This gives an average score for the wave of 6.3. Maybe they don't need to drop the highest or lowest scores but even if they did, the wave would score at a 6.33

Who knows? I never can figure out how a judge awards a 7.23 or an 8.07 etc.

Just a thought.

Surely aestheticx come somewhat into the equation?

If it didn't then the ref could award points for a "Handstand" or a "Stinkbug", or a combination of the 2...

Just so long as they were done with a bit o' speed and flow...

And if you were balacing a bowling ball on your feet during said manuver, I guess that could count for the other criteria too!

Bow-wow.

http://www.usnews.com/dbimages/master/10457/FE_DA_090409publicopinion.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53074154@N00/4201281882/

so if that wave of Kellys was a ten, how do they score it if he makes that same move on his next ride and then also does 2 or 3 big turns ? and that would be very possible for him...I know they'd be tens too, but surely they have to be leaving a bit of room, as the levels get higher, surely they have to judge a bit harder, tens need to be hard to get I think...they both were absolutely ripping and was great to watch without even worrying about the points.....

More, say someone gets a 10 point barrel one wave and then gets nearly an exact same wave again (a 10 point barrel) and then comes out and does a few more turns to finish it off. It's the same situation and happens quite a lot.

It will be given 10 again. It's just the way it works out and I believe a single move like that of Kelly's should be given a 10, but don't agree about an 8 for a single float.

Steve's point about the waves/rides looking different in real time/real vision to how they appear on the small screen is a critical one. So is Richie's statement about gut feel.

Scientists agree that, providing the brain has enough input, relying on gut feel is usually the better way to go than over-analysis. And I'd hate to have to wait even longer than we sometimes have to now, just for a result that won't be substantively less subjective.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200704/gut-almighty

Like Zen, I agree with Tyler's suggestion about removing priority in the last 5 minutes.

@more,

IF my grandmother had wheels,...

she'd be a bicycle.

Imogen Heap... Frou Frou..

Let go.

Scores smores. In an ice skating contest on waves? Really? Nothing in this lifetime could be more pedantic. Discussing the root of surfing's evil? Then yes, I could take quoting Russian philosophy seriously in a surfing article. Calling anything happening in the contest of 80 pages of rules and judges with credentials that would make a Grocery Store bagger laugh "Art" is blasphemy.

Good evening / morning gentlemen.

My name is Enoch Ward, but you can call me BREW for short.

What I present to you now is a story:

A story of what happens when ordinary human beings are subjected to 36 hour bus rides. 36 hour bus rides, combined with 48hour drinking binges, climaxing with a crescendo of sobbing babies and absolute mediocrity.

If you really want to find the essence of being... if you want to defiantly look into the eyes of challenge and try to decipher what you see... I offer no more valid a test than that of riding a bus for a day and a half.

Presumably, not with a convict who has a shaved head with a full head of hair slicked back.

That would be ridiculous.

EcocK
Shaved hed with hair slicked back (or up);
http://www.apetogentleman.com/brands/a-gentlemans-coiffure-the-mohawk-re...

Scores;
Smores to some
A life time of hard work to others.

(BTW is "incomprehensible" a word?)

Comparing surfing in ANY of it's form, to ice skating, is as lame as it comes. Right up there with comparing surfing to tennis.

Now that you're back, and once again, drooling down your own sneaks, attempting once again to promote your latest failed attempts at bloggie drivel,...

go right ahead and drive thru, barnold the rottkamp..... Drive thru.

It's called taking the piss you uptight cunt, clearly you don't get it. Go back to Twitter, say g'day to Frank and to Earnest, you pretentious prick.

Ol' Joel Turpel is rocking the 'shaved head with slicked back hair' look at the moment. You got beef with him, Brewser?

Huh...?

So, a mohawk, or fauxhawk... is now described as a FULL head of hair slicked back in one sentence. Then two sentences later as a shaved head?

Comprehension?

Yep.

Gonzo.

Yep.

Surf contest discussion? You betcha.

So he made the story up? I don't blame him. No one cares about pro surfing and it's hard to make it interesting. It's not like he's ripped people off before... :-)

No-one cares about it? For the last week the majority of online discussion about surfing has been the Mick v Kelly final.

No-one cares...?

Yeah, bullshit.

Cue comment about website traffic...

Mohawk Smohawk.

Yea, no one cases about pro surfing... And according to old rottkamp the barnold, not one of the combined six million were even watching.

Once again, brill article Steve Shearer.

Top shelf. Nothing but net, bru!

Stu,

Ask Shearer why his number weren't published in The Surfers Journal.

Then ask him why he made up his story about the convict.

The rest is... yes... bullshit. None more so than you Stuart.

The surfing websites are super abuzz with with the Bells Contest. I mean, I think you guys had at least 50 comments on one post by about seven different people. I don't think any other surf website got even that massive traffic.

Just a massive amount of interest. A landslide.

Surfing is SAVED (says the preacher!!)

*Cue comment about website traffic...

"Cue avoiding anything of substance"

The motto of Swellnet.

The time is nigh to burn... not to prune... pussies.

"Cue avoiding anything of substance"

That's not true, I make it my aim to take as many substances as possible.

But of course, I'm being enabled.

@freeride76 - you are absolutely correct that the removal of priority would have had no effect in this particular final and, like you, I can't remember a single example from this comp where priority effectively stifled last minute exchanges. Nor from any others. There may or may not be any historical examples, but that's not to the point of whether it would be a good rule change. Anything that adds to the drama and fairness of a shootout competition is, to my mind anyway, a damn good thing.

And it would cheer Tyler up...

As for the Idiot Bunny's return, what happened to the resolve??? What happened to going surfing and foregoing the dubious delights of the convict classes? Don't tell me - broken another scapula?

Hee hee Whaaat

Cat in the Hat got your tongue, bitch?

Address the questions or keep talking about the banality of competitive pro surfing and the depths of nothing: writing recaps about The Nothing.

"It's not like he's ripped people off before"

As a writer Brew, I'm sure you'd understand when bringing words to the mob, a little licentia poetica is reasonably justified.

It's not as if he's a full-blown plagiarist 'eh? (wink wink)

Zen,

(Wink wink) Is THAT the road you want to take in defense of The Great Shepherd?

Nope, just thought it was the pot having a dig at the kettle.

Anyway mate, hope you're well. Hows the arm?

Can you Aussies come up with a cliche besides pot and kettle. Seriously? I've read it here at least a million times.

I'm not a "Gonzo" reporter Zen.

Figured you knew that by now.

How about 'join the dots'? Still some life in that one. Or 'read Braille' - that's always a good'n. 'Learn to swim' is also very evocative, let's not forget that one.

Of course, none of these actually MEAN anything, being mere platitudes, but they sound just dandy.

Stu,

It's fun watching you backpeddal. Clown. Answer a goddam question.

Backpedal? Question?

What question? Lay it on me brother.

I've been busy on Twitter, where normal blokes like me can talk directly to Kelly Slater, Shea Lopez, Aaron Cormican, Jeremy Flores, Reef McIntosh, etc...

So answer the fucking questions or just admit that Shearer was full fo fucking bullshit with his Teahupo'o numbers.

Gonzo Journalist?

The Roller makes fun of me for being on drugs... and he ignores the elephant in the room. Look it up Roller. Wiki is your best friend. Gonzo Journo...

Stu,

How many unique viewers read your webpage every day?

Stu,

What was the point of Shearer making up a story about a convict on a bus?

Answer THAT. Bitch.

Btw Stu,

I asked the question about Shearer's number's which you let him post here in his own self-arrogance over and over over 2 hours ago in this very blog. I've asked on Twitter since TSJ came out weeks ago. And others have asked here.

You've had ample time to answer.

So let Steve the Toilet Cleaner answer.

OK, OK...one by one.

The article was published in The Surfers Journal so speak to the The Surfers Journal - I've never even read the article.

Approx 100,000 +- 10,000 depending on the season.

Provide a bit of colour.

Anything else wile you've got me on the pulpit?

Perhaps Steve is all Ben Matson can afford?

100,000 unique IP hits in a single day Stu? More than Surfline?

Wow! You guys are bigger than Surfline.

I best backtrack and congratulate you all on the biggest surfing blog in the biz. And with less advertorial support.

The model of success.

Yew!

No wonder Steve writes for you. The big bucks must be rolling in.

He must be happy you never read his article, since it said nothing, and none of the numbers he bragged about for months here were published in that mag.

Cheers mate. You see, we're just 'normal blokes' too.

You can go back to Twitter and talking with Kelly now.

I shall. Pitty, poor Steve's become a shell of himself since that farce was published on TSJ...

Can't even defend himself here.

Guess I'll go back to talking to people that matter.

Say g'day to Kelly for me!

He won't answer me as of two weeks ago.

There is much more important things to worry about right now:

An unarmed kid just got 90 rounds of heat pumped into his body after a chase just southeast of my studio. Fucked up shit.

Bye.

ahh the rott is back.....ah entertainment,even though he seems to be a tuff guy with words,he seems stuck on past delusions,and seems to delight in using and abusing stu and steve,even though every point he has made i have been able to ,disconnect his dots,and show that he is just rejected entity,that delights in stirring the forums up....but no real substance.....

rotty do ya think that you actually achieve anything on these forums,or is it that you just have a need to try and massage your rather large ego???

Are you really that insecure about yourself,that you need to put people down,so as to demonstrate your supposed superior intellect....man you have some self esteem issues,that if not treated,I think we might soon be reading about a madman who decided that he was god and there were too many surfers not like himself....so i gunned down all and every non-rotty-believers..sic...

@b - r . ( note you don't deserve capitals ) .

No one really gives a flying flick of what was going on for most of the Contest , because 90% of the Australian Surfable Shoreline was being bombarded with World Class Waves . Some places saw some of the best surf in years for 4-5 days straight ...... Of course , we all tuned in towards the Final , to watch " White
Lightning " strike down " the ( twitter ) Messiah " ..... All very religious for Easter ...... The people that have the Ocean as their Alter , gave Hommage . Whilst Pop Culture trashbags like yourself were reading what slayter & co were eating for Breakfast .... fascinating stuff .......
and as for the "F&%@ " up shit happening "outside " your studio , obviously your a resultant of this Horror movie culture ......
Kinda wish it was the seventies again , and b - r was having to wait weeks for his response's from his idols/ ( pen pals ) . And or myself and brutus could feel like we were "on the other side of the whiteline" again , and " deliver a good shirtfront " to respond to your relentless verbal attacks ....
So there's two more "cliches " for ya to spend a week trying to find the meaning of b - r ,
see ya next month .... cretin .

Worth a look and features the king himself.

Plus there's a little youtube miss at around 11:00.

@brutus, southey,

the old schizophrenic rottkamp, is frustrated that he's now two for two with blog site epic fails, and working on twitter to make it a full three card monte, and you've both hit the nail on the head, pinned the tail on the donkey, the ears on the bunny....

rottkamp is up in here for one reason and one reason only, failed attempts to get as many followers as possible to his out of the way, and out of his dome, church in the jungles of nowhere.

Just like that other pilled up loopy mental patient, Jim Jones, rotty the rottkamp is in constant need of forcing others to be like him.

And using that time tested rhetoric to do so is just plain nuts.

Oh, and here's the suspect/mental patient old reverend rottkamp was concerned about..... the guy was on the phone for quite sometime while fleeing the cops... He did tell a police dispatcher during a 911 phone call that he had a gun, and threatened officers.

"The LAPD said the incident started in the area of Plummer Street and Shirley Avenue near the Northridge Fashion Center just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Officers attempted to stop a man who was driving erratically in a black Ford Crown Victoria. He took off and led them on a seven-minute pursuit"...

"When officers backed off, the suspect began driving more erratically, running red lights and almost striking pedestrians".

"If they pull their guns, I'm gonna have to pull my gun out on them," Arian allegedly said, according to an LAPD transcript.

According to the LAPD transcript, Arian also told the 911 dispatcher: "I have a gun," and "I've been arrested before for possession of destructive devices, I'm not afraid of the cops."

The LAPD says the 911 dispatcher asked Arian to stop, telling him: "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Arian responded, "I'm not gonna get hurt (expletive), (expletive) these police, they're gonna get hurt."

Suicide by police? Look for his family to try and get paid....

Just like surf contests, no one digs art/entertainment/music either.

Live streaming Coachella concert. Similar to Rip Curl's Bells #51, no one showed up. No one's watching it live.

Heh.

http://www.youtube.com/user/coachella

Hey Stu...big numbers....for a sport...maybe that makes sufing a mainstream sport in Australia??? -- but no...we can't define mainstream.
it's way more mainstream than most sports in Australia but there's this weird faction that want to think it's alternative...I don't get that.

And Sheepy....time to bring back those comments of yours re. govt support into events being unsustainable and also your absurd comparison of Fiji to Manly.
Let's start by asking why didn't you compare say a Fiji WCT to the New York city event? -- a WCT with a WCT...not with a 6 star event...that's no comparrison....you been following surfing for long enough to know that a 6 star event is a full throttled two tiers below a wct..so why do it?

L-to the motherfucking L!

You all chastise me (an anonymous rabbit who has ONE blog that was never promoted or paid for by a single Industry dollar) over and over for failing to connect dot... nevermind that those dots are too close for your crossed eyes to see.

Yet NOT ONE OF YOU SHITHEADS CALLS STEVE SHEP69 SHEARER MATT BARNASON'S COCKING or whatever he wants to cleverly call himself on other blogs out about him bragging for MONTHS HERE about there being 2. some odd million people tuning into the Chopes contest. I said it was a joke. He laughed. You laughed. Everyone here laughed.

The Surfer's Journal didn't laugh.

What gives Steve Cock Ring?

Where is you big fucking story about the story of the century? Where are your numbers?

Oh... yeah... sitting tight behind all the other MAJOR SPONSORS LINING UP TO CARE ABOUT PROFESSIONAL COMPETITIVE SURFING. Right Roller.

Too deep for you shithead?

Try riding you 9'5" tomorrow in the slush at Bolsa bitch. Ask Mike the Hippy why I know you're a fucking fake.

Rotty...for once I'm slightly with you.....Shearer has a band of sheep followers who beileve his every word....The Bureau summed up his blogs...It's only for sheep!
Well NO it's not --
I want to take you on Sheepy...let's start with a revisit on your quote about events and govt funds

Rotty...for once I'm slightly with you.....Shearer has a band of sheep followers who beileve his every word....The Bureau summed up his blogs...It's only for sheep!
Well NO it's not --
I want to take you on Sheepy...let's start with a revisit on your quote about events and govt funds

Re: Mick Fanning - he is commercial surfing, nothing more. He couldn't sell a video if his life depended on it. The word for his crap robotic bullshit is "kitsch." He only has traction because contemporary culture has spent the past 20+ years chasing its tail in the black sinkhole called "postmodernism," and has removed any sense of depth or quality. The ASP is a follower. NOT a leader. This we know.

Two hundred years ago, Mick would have trained as a portraitist and made good money. Photography destroyed that trade. From there, it is all downhill for "art" which soon became the religion of secular society. Once the notions of "the sublime" and "wonder" as communicated through the art object were reified and commodified, then there was no more point to even making the effort.

Hence, the duality of art today: on the one end there is the rise of "installations" creating environments of understanding through the arrangement of concrete objects, and on the other hand the opposite: internet based actions of virtualised gestures for tactical action.

Mick Fanning: Tactical action.

Kelly Slater: Handcuffed by 80 pages artist.

And we wonder why people like Dane laugh at the tour. It's not surfing. It's forced floatational devices in waves judged by fuckwits who've never done anything in life more meaningful than fart in Stu Nettles happy mouth.

In other words: a failure.

Am I drunk. Possibly. But I ain't gonzo.

I only speak for myself, but you’re right; I’m bitter and this modern world frustrates me to no end. One outlet for my frustration is making fun of the tools trying to make surfing a “sport.”

Like most fools here, and on Twitter.

I'm sure a lot of them are very nice people and the only possible way they can make a living depends on this muppet of a model. So good luck gents. I have a luxury you can't afford. Again, the drinks speak.

All of these guys have friends or relatives in The Industry who vouch for their little vision of keeping the status quo. Me? I don't give a shit. Never will. Never have. Obviously, since I called out Slater a day ago on Twitter as being the biggest fuck up of all. I don’t make a living off The Nefarious Industry and never will. Writing for horror shows makes me more than Kelly Slater.

I'm here to poke fun and laugh at their expense and demise. To me, it's all in good fun. So, lighten up, and laugh with me, or come up with a reason The Industry should exist in its current construct.

I dare you.

Otherwise relax. We're going to put this white jacket on you now and take you to a place where you can talk to butterflies, draw with crayons, and watch tv all day from a rocking chair with warm, comfy slippers on your feet.

SURFING ISN'T A PROFESSIONAL SPORT MEANT FOR COMPETITION.

then why did you idiolize 3 asp time world champ andy irons rotty...you hate it but you love it...you and sheep are very much alike and neither of you know it! it;s good/funny and sad!

Alright , i take it back .... If surfing isn't mainstream in Australia . Then i don't know what is ....
Matthew Richardson ( ex Richmond AFL player ) , just mentioned how good the Rip Curl Pro Final was on LIVE national TV , whilst calling the Essendon / Gold Coast game Tonight .........

Damien Oliver...jockey Stu...one of the best...loves to surf...so does Cameron Ling...cricket guru Hayden...teachers/lawyers/firemen...city people and coastal people...which is a big slice of Australia...but according to Stu...who wonders why surfers want surfing to be mainstream..politely leaves the topic because we don't understand mainstream..wtf??....do mean core surfers Stu...hardcore...not turkey hey?

Mr. Rottmouth,
Once again you break your word about leaving this place and not coming back.

What I can't understand is, while talking about your liberated mind and the "luxury you (we) can't afford" you still spend your time here, reading things you hate, slinging negativity. Such is luxury I suppose.

Is it some sort of masochism?

I understand your opinion that, "SURFING IS NOT A COMPETITIVE SPORT MEANT FOR COMPETITION." What is don't understand is why you are here reading about it. I believe that Lady Gaga is not art or even worthwhile entertainment. Therefore, I do not buy her albums or even spend my time watching her videos on youtube and making negative comments about them.

You have demanded others answer your questions and I humbly ask you to answer mine.

What does surfing mean to you Mr. Blasphemy? What part does it play in your life?

I will answer first, to show that I am genuine in my curiosity, that I have no agenda or ulterior industry motive.

Surfing for me is about being in the ocean. I ride a boogie board. I am not good, can't perform technical modern moves but love being in the tube and I love seeing others riding waves as I paddle back out.

I live far from a coastline with regular waves. I return to my hometown, near the sea and get inside as many tubes as I can for about one month per year. I don't care about the surf industry. I surf in an old Slovenia soccer jersey that a friend bought me when they were on vacation and shorts that I use to run in at my local gym. I like dugongs. When I was a teenager I used to see one at my local. I think about them when I ride waves.

I like swellnet. Here, far from the South Pacific, I like seeing pictures of waves, reading conversations about wave riding and checking conditions in the region where I used to live (and still call home) and regions I have visited. I like reading the things written under the moniker of the Outsider.

Maybe I am drunk too Mr. Rottmouth, maybe not.
I would like to see you be sincere and not just bitter and vindictive.

the-roller
less than a minute
delete your comment
Professional surfing is based on judgement. And what's entertaining is all the hypocritical barnolds up in here are also doing nothing but passing off their judgments of the sport, and or people involved, as if they are fact.

Heh.

Face it, no one forces anyone to participate in any aspect of professional surfing....

Watch it online live, or on demand. Attend it live. Work yer arse off and participate in the comps. Buy any adverted product.... Not one single aspect of it all would happen if every side of it did not agree that it's in their own best interest.

@away, ando,

As to old rottkamp... don't you know?... just like that previous example Jim Jones and his Jonestown, that's the way paranoid schizophrenics who mix drugs and alcohol with their prescribed meds roll.

"Damien Oliver...jockey Stu...one of the best...loves to surf...so does Cameron Ling...cricket guru Hayden"

Dear Ando,

Way back when you started stalking me about this issue we, as in Blindboy and some others, were talking about making competition surfing more mainstream. The World Tour and World Qualifying Series. Not your average punter nabbing a few on their funboard. Damien Oliver???? Jeez...

100% and More are spot on, that one wave hail Marys don't make a 10.
Good competitive surfing is definitely Art and is about stringing a series of awesome moves together for the continuation of the wave that showcase the surfers talents and THE WAVE! (the canvas)
If you take off on a close out an throw a full rotor, great. But that ain't art, that's pop goes the weasel, look at me, I did the best I could do on a shit wave. Which is gr8 for shit waves. But surfing is also about showcasing the wave itself and throwing acrobatics on the closeouts an expecting big scores is narcissistic. IMHO RKS is not that, but he is playing to the physcophancies (spell check pls) of the judges bought about by the tenuousness of their career in the 2nd best job in the world and of course the 'mob rules' mentality as exhibited by the perfect row of 8's. It's also what can happen when you come out of the blocks awarding a 9.1 at any stage of an event.

Bornagainst has some gr8 stuff that exhibits the lack of structure in professional judging today.
As a member of a local Boardriders in Oz, I get to judge the odd heat. In the morning it may be in perfect 4ft drainers and by lunch it may be in 3ft mush burgers. If a barrel , cuttie , fins out lip glide to close out early in the morning got say a 9 then my question is (continuously, as I obviously don't understand) at 11.30am in the onshore slop that has over run us, "why is an underpowered lip turn to halfa reo to the hot dog section and a lazy slidey threeo at the end now an 8.5??"
The answer is always the same. "We're judging relative to the conditions. In the present conditions, that was an 8.5" Ah, how does BullShit! sound, I always think. Because what will happen is, somehow, a wave will throw a tube and present a nice wall and someone like Dan the man will take the tube and throw down some big spray on the exit and bust some air to finish. How does your stupid 8.5 look now? Dan gets a 9.5 (we don't give 10s to our m8s!) Are we now judging the conditions based on every single wave ridden is in it's separate own private Idaho of present conditions and what the surfer managed in that small realm of possibilities is the playing field in which we're judging? Yes! according to the current judging 'system'. Bullshit! A contest based in 1-2 foot onshore slop should be categorized in the anals of surfing history for what it is worth. 2's, 3's & 4's being the pinnacle. Why go to 8's for junk when you can do it with sub 5's ? Don't waste your top end! Wnen it's needed, it won't be there!

*Swellnet tip of the day
The best way to read the Rott is not to. Just look at the sheer quantity of posts = wanker, and simply ignore the content and move on to read the posts that deal with the actual subject of Stu's article = happier swellnetting ;)
Cheers All

Yes Sheepy...but it's not "mainstream"....not to core surfers ...and all those above, they not core so they don't really count...just ask Stunett!.....Stalking...no..just querying and making accountable to comments......now Sheepy, please start your research and please revisit your comments on govt funding sustainability

Hey Rotty, I've got some happiness u can buy.
Hahahahaha

Yeah theres is plenty of famous guys that can hold their own . And thats probably a CROSSOVER moment .

It maybe more mainstream like places like the SEQ or even Sydney itself .....

But generally speaking , only the Famous ones that live in the Southern States could be called genuine core surfers . You know the ones that will be on a Dawn Patrol in July , when its colder than 5 airtemp , and the water is struggling just above 10 . Ollie's the Real Deal , maybe you could put Gerard Healy in that category too . Even if the Seat heaters are cranked to Fullbore in the BM's they might be Driven ..... Surfed with Damien in decent Surf , and Gerard was there abouts on the Fifth of April ...... The latter holding court with an older Southern Charger .

Interesting Steve... I enjoyed it

Brew obviously did too... he's still gnashing the stumps where his teeth used to be over on Twitter

Re Kelly... when someone of his standing turns up at the MP Paddle Out and mixes, unassumingly with the people, gives comfort to MP's Mum sister Dot and family... has a chat out in the surf (Rabbit dropped in on him and he laughed)
I cant help but be impressed...
Mick, Joel, Rabbit, PT and many many others there too... Tommy came later... saw him at the Sands.
Big Kudos to Andy Mac, Bruce Lee, Wayne Dean and a cast of hundreds Surfing Qld, Surfing Aust who volunteered there time to make it a great day...
Worthy of MP's legacy and memory

Some nice pics at the Michael Peterson Paddle Out fb page

https://www.facebook.com/events/420721264609211/423444571003547/?ref=not...

@PattieCannon: This was not Stu's Article fuckface.

@Roller: You love Gonzo journalism and make fun of my supposed drug taking... have you ever read the definition of a Gonzo journalist?

Ando: If you think I idolize a SINGLE pro surfer, you need comprehension or history lessons... pronto. I ripped Andy Irons more assholes than anyone... including Slater and Dane Reynolds. Stop reading blogs like this that represent NOTHING and read NOW.

Freeride: Yeah. Well. We all know where you fucked up. So let's move on. Your access. Exactly HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO TELL US WATCHIN IT LIVE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE WEBCAST? And is it possibly for you to say ANYTHING differently than Nick Carroll?

You try so hard to sound different by quoting famous philosophers, rock stars, etc... but all in all... it's just a contest recap of two guys riding mediocre waves being judged by monkeys that everyone constantly feels the need to JUSTIFY... while throwing in the word ART.

PattieCannon should be banished from ever riding a surfboard again if he'she/it thinks surfing under 80 pages of rules and incompetent judges could produce even a glimpse of surfing's real capabilities. You're a fucking delusional Industry fed monkey Patty. A patsy fucking lap dog. Grow up. Grow some balls Patty. The ASP is bullshit.

If I was looking for followers, The Roller, I never would have called myself Blasphemy Rottmouth and blocked all Google searches and declined EVERY SINGLE offer to write for a surf rag.

I edited Jamie O'Brien.

Wow. He's fucking smarter than everyone here. Combined. WHudda thunk?!

So Shep Shearer... 2.3 million viewers. Let's blow the world's mind.

The only ART that could possibly exist in a 30 minute heat, subjected to 80 pages of rules and judges with less combined education than your average NFL Football player, is whatever they wipe their asses with in the outhouse.

That final at Bell's wasn't world class. It was the death throes of The Industry... lead by their newest goofball: Steve Shearer.

Instead of admitting surfing writing was a farce like Nick Carroll and Tim Baker... Steve actually thinks he's writing something serious. And the ten of you here believe it.

I love it.

I love watching train wrecks. I love commenting on them. Watching you argue over whether a guy got an 8 or a 9 is copied and pasted straight from the gymnastics and ice skating websites. Bunch of girls arguing over bullshit.

I propose a new movie called The Lord of the Wristbands.

Where Steve Shearer goes on independent blogs making fun of all those who have The Precious... until he get access to the precious. Suddenly, all his questions about the industry are thrown out the door, and his interviews become "So, mate, you seemed to be playing mind games out there blar blar blar... Nietsche quote... blar blar blar... Hoobastank quote..." The balls ascend into his colon... never to be seen again.

Steve.

Ask.

A.
Fucking.
Real.
Question.

I am obsessed because you spent 6 solid months commenting on my blog about how independent you were and how you hated The Industry. Now, you've become their number one puppet.

Whether you know it or not.

C'mon Pattie Cannon,

Let's hear your dire defense of everything Corporate. You suck the gaseous fumes of everything they emit, so why do you buy the narrative of surfing fed to you by 30 years of complete comtrol by QuikBillaHurl. Everything in your "War & Peace" comment was right out of their playbook.

Patty,

Is surfing a team sport or an individual sport?

I either comment too much, or you can't think fast enough. Or you're asleep. What time is it in Retard Land right now?

Here's thought for you sheep who buy surfing as a "sport." Regarding judges...

“Mostly they do get it right. Mostly.”

For my eyes, the most interesting line in this article mostly because it clearly indicates and wraps up the sentiment of most of us, most of the time. Mostly.

That is to say that for most of us, there’s no judging required. The majority of us can see who won, performed better, was best etc… It’s obvious… because we all mostly know most of what is surfing.

We’re not ignorant team sports fans in bleachers caring more who wins than the state of the game. We all deeply care about the state of progress of the game, the style of those that play, the waves they play on and the narrative we all share most of the time about it.

We mostly care about the quality of the waves and the quality of the surfing, not only in our own lives, but in that that we choose to watch. We’re inherently knowledgeable enough to discern great waves and great surfing from just common variety good, most of time. Mostly.

There’s no need for judges, and when it’s too close to call, leave it to the best surfers in the world to judge the best surfing in the world, via video evidence, later that night, over beers and dinner.

Have them let us know what they decided the next day, with video of their discussions and the footage being examined. In this manner we, the audience, maintain this level of ongoing understanding of what constitutes great surfing by and of great surfers (ideally in great waves) and an ongoing conversation evolves between the audience and the best of the best.

Surfing doesn’t have to be a sport as we know judged sport to be in figure skating or gymnastics. There’s no imperative from the world governing body of all things sports and media saying surfing must conform to some external idea of what constitutes a formal sport.

Surfing could very easily simply be about surfing. And it really could be a family of expressive wave riders. There’s really no need for competition in an externally organised manner, because we’re all competing for waves all the time.

Surf vision beamed live (or just after the fact) doesn’t need to have a contest format – if the waves are great and there’s great surfers out – we’re going to want to watch. Mostly the best are going to want the best waves, get them, and do their best on them.

That’s surfing, and that’s all there needs to be to it. That’s as “sporting” and organized as it needs to get. Most definitely.

How it got so contrived and ridiculous as the current abysmal state of affairs and narrative is beyond my comprehension, reflects poorly on everyone involved, including those interviewing judges as if they matter, and is inevitably leading to mostly discrepancies and idiocy. Mostly at the most crucial of times, most often even more idiotically defended.

Burn it down, all of it, mostly to the ground. Just leave the cameras and live internet feed to follow the real best waves. I think its mostly safe to assume the real best surfers are going to seek those real best waves anyways.

Probably wouldn’t ever see Bells again in this vision of a “world tour”, but that won’t bother me in the slightest. You?

Think someone's hacked into your account rotty. Seems to be a lot of shit coming out of it. Keep em' short cobber, your lengthy letters are not worth wasting the time it takes to read.....

Your absolutely right Rotty, we don't need surfing as a sport. There is so much more important shit going down in our world, & it will always be that way. I totally get it.
However, I do WANT surfing as a sport. It's just one part of the recipe that adds to the flavour. It's that simple.

rottmouthed rottkamp,....

there's always hope, but only if you listen to your health professionals.

may you eventually find peace thru your prescriptions.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/schizo...

http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&q=famou...

Bi polar and you....

You're in good company, Rottkamp,... As it appears there are heaps of artists on that list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_bipolar_disorder

Again, may you and others affected by this disorder find peace thru prescriptions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

thanks rotty im mostly with you 100%

comps are born out of insecurity. am i really that good please tell me im good PLEASE.

the rest of you who cant see what rotty is saying need to just keep doing what you are told. stop trying to think for yourselves your not good at it.

Nothing to do with surfing for a living, eh Thunderwood?

Yep, I'd rather work than surf too.

I saw on another thread that some others said B+R's final post on this thread was worth reading, so I read it. And I thought I'd throw my rambling two cents in.

I think people like B+R and this thunderwood character take it all too seriously. Contest surfing is entertainment and nothing more. Free surfing on videos is the same. It's all just a bit of a giggle for us and a chance for the corpos to sell some merch and get some exposure. It's not a serious thing for the rest of us and I reckon 90% of people watching realise this. These two don't seem to. I've watched a few heats over the years and it's a great break from the humdrum of the day watching a couple of guys surfing great waves and witnessing the occasional last minute victory or amazing ride.

Of course, as B+R says surfing doesn't have to be like this. Well of course not, but it suits the corpos for the moment, and the reason for that is because it suits the masses too. Competition is natural. It's largely a part of who we are. Format doesn't matter. Set up a competition and if enough people are interested in watching, it'll bloom. If someone doesn't like it, a rival competition can be set up, it might work or it might not. The rule changes over time of rugby league has led to an example of two slightly different formats of the same thing that worked. We humans love to see a contest and a winner.

There are probably lots of formats that might work as a competition, and some day one will probably come along and usurp the current one. It won't be the format that B+R described above, but there'll probably be some change along the way. But one thing's for sure, the nature of that next format will be decided by the teenage groms around the world and no one else. Their interest (and dollars spent) is what keeps it all afloat. As soon as they tune out of any format, it's dead. Til then, this is what we have. It ain't exactly rocket science.

Surfing isn't special in its own right. It's something selfish bastards do to pass as much time as possible. That's it. Continued pontificating about it as though it's some kind of mystical or spiritual pursuit that deserves some kind of higher vessel than the ASP is comical and a tad naive. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic passtime, and there can be personal moments of revelation etc when you're sitting out the back on your own at dawn in a perfect swell or when share a wave with a dolphin. It's great. But surfing itself isn't special and surfing competitions are just a bit of fun. They don't reflect poorly on anyone. They just reflect human nature and the need to make a buck.

Big deal.

And it would be good to see the bux go to the right bloke/shiela by overhauling the current umpires/refs/judges score giving format.

P.s. I hope no one ever has to endure giving me a score for the crap I do on a wave... :(

What?

I am shocked, shocked I say,... to learn that this old B. Rottkamp bloke has been "proofreading" for Jamie O'Brian, and many others.... Those minor league/"underground" players that are sponno'd by the VERY SAME multi national companies who sponno the top shelf touting pros?

Now knowing these facts, what is it that this that this rottkamp guy, (who BTW, pulls HIS MAJOR million dollar checks from working in the entertainment sector that goes by the name of "corporate Hollywood"), what is it that he's is all bent over?...

The fact that he THINKS that people who freely MAKE THE CHOOSE to attend live, or tune into these surfing online streaming webcasts are stupid?

So, in place of, or instead of, what is it that this old rottkamp guy's pumping on behalf of? ... Spending his days prompting on various internet sites in favor of?...

Multinational corps who just might be looking into selling us Pay Per View webcasts of surfing.

So, how funny is it to see clearly,... this old extremely neggie, any day now, end of the world, B. Rottkamp is a hypocrite?

Oh, and top of it all, the old mental patient who goes by the name of "Rottkamp" thinks he's bigger than Jesus!..

Yup,... surfing's own reincarnation of Chuck Manson!

BOOYAH!

Good job, Mr. Steve Shearer... Very good job.

Like a fine curry shop,.... Very spicy online series of articles, mate.

Benski,

You missed the "almost" point by almost the entire point. Who runs pro surfing?

Roller,

Can you cut and paste the definition of a Gonzo Journalist (Steve Shearer's self proclaimed title) here for us all to see. Then repeat your drug comments about me.

Has it ever occured to you capitalistic retards that the reason no rebel tour has risen is because THERE IS NO INTEREST OR MONEY IN IT?

Has it ever occurred to you capitalistic retards that the reason no rebel tour has risen is because THERE IS NO INTEREST OR MONEY IN IT?

Reread my post mate, the answers to both your questions are in there.

@Benski,

So what are YOUR thoughts on The Industry? Why are you silent every time someone like Shearer propagates their existence?

My thoughts on The Industry? I presume you mean the surf industry. I thought it would be pretty clear from my post above but I'll go ahead. I don't pay much attention to it to be honest with you. Like I've said before, I have way more important things going on in my life to worry about it. It exists to perpetuate itself, as does any industry. So I don't really care for or against it.

But if I interrogate myself on some specifics...as I said above surf contests are a bit of fun to me. I tune in every now and then to watch a heat or two if I have time for a bit of entertainment.

But thinking beyond surf contests, I like the fact that the boards I ride now are way more fun than the first board I bought all those years ago. The progression in high performance board design is largely thanks to the existence of the surf industry. I'm pleased we have wetsuits that are waaaaay better than they were many years ago. That's thanks in part to the existence of a healthy surf industry.

My main issue with the surf industry is that its existence results in more surfers leading to more crowds. While that's a bit of a pain, I've actually found it quite easy to surf uncrowded waves over the years so I guess that doesn't really bother me either.

So there's good and bad but frankly, it doesn't warrant the time and energy for me to give it any more consideration than that.

Why am I silent every time someone like Shearer propagates their existence? Because it just ain't a priority mate. If I were to pick an "industry" to fight with on the grounds of ethics or validity it wouldn't be the surf industry. In my opinion, there are far more important fights in this world than one with an insignificant number of people and companies making money off the idea of catching waves.

@Benski,

So the idea that this insular little industry we fondly refer to as the Surf Industry, had NOTHING to do with the ONLY 3 Time World Champion in ANY sport to die of an overdose? This industry had NOTHING to do with trying to cover up the indiscretions of Paul Sargeant? This Industry had NOTHING to do with throwing a blanket over Matt Branson?

You act like you have more important things to worry about.

What, exactly, is more important to you than surfing?

@Benski,

You main concerns: crowding, the tiny amount of board design progression since the 80's, and wetsuits, is EXACTLY what THE INDUSTRY wants you to focus on. You are feeding right out of their hand. It's like you read every magazine front to back, and every sponsored blog and repeated every marketers dream.

You, like Steve Shearer, don't want to confront the dark side of surfing.

You'd like to think it's just a bunch of corporate capitalists running surfing corporations like any other Wall Street Corpo. That's HALF right. The other HALF lies in the fact that they have been immune to ANY criticism for years because all the surf journo's did was suck their cock.

Like the coverage of the Bell's event. "Best ever." "Epic." "Best final ever." All the same bullshit you hear after EVERY contest except RIO. No real questions for the people that matter. ASking judges to explain themselves will get you nowhere. Asking marketing people how many people tuned in gets you nowhere. Asking surfers who have no career besides 3 to the beach (like Mick Fanning)how they feel gets you nowhere.

Where are the questions from the people who RUN SURFING.

The ASP doesn't run shit. Neither do the judges.

Billabong, Quiksilver, and Rip Curl... along with Le Volcom run the show. So it's beyond a subjective sport. Ice Skating laughs at surfing.

And Roller,

You can NEVER answer this question: If the ASP was such a valuable enterprise... or any alternate format... then why is there zero umbrella sponsorship interest?

Let's not forget, Brewser, that up till last August you ran an open thread for EVERY SINGLE CONTEST DAY on your blog. They were the most popular threads and you did most of the commenting about how good the surfing was. You were AN INDUSTRY PROPAGATOR YOURSELF.

Sorry about the BOBOCASE.

Then, last August, you had an epiphany in the form of emails from a person best left unnamed (nudge, nudge) and started calling anyone who didn't agree with you a simpleton. Rather than telling us about your epiphany you started with allusions and dots and swimming lessons and 'Andy Irons was a beautiful man'. All that horseshit.

But let's not forget that up until last August you were the LARGEST INDEPENDENT INDUSTRY PROPAGATOR ON THE INTERNET.

And myself and BOBBY MARTINEZ and a great many other people besides WILL NOT FORGET THAT!

Firstly, you're putting words in my mouth, I didn't the industry had nothing to do with those things. I didn't even mention them. I imagine there was some element of the surf industry that was involved or has some responsibility. But yes, since you asked, there are more important things for me to worry about than those things. What is more important to me than surfing? I'd have to say that's not your concern.

But I'm not just talking about me. You want me to get outraged over that stuff? How bout we get outraged over the exploitation of child soldiers in places like Uganda, Sierra Leone and Liberia first. How bout we get outraged at the dispossession of indigenous peoples' lands all over the world. How bout we get outraged at the continued inaction of the globe on climate change despite the very high probability that the land and livelihoods of thousands of people will literally disappear under the sea. How bout we get outraged at the continued oppression of the people of North Korea by a deranged dictatorship that has, in 60 years, led to stunted growth among its people from malnutrition. How bout closer to home, how bout the ridiculous rate of bankruptcy in the USA due to medical bills. Bloody medical bills.

All this stuff is going on in the world and you want people to prioritise the tragic death of a privileged individual that arose from what was probably an initially self induced drug addiction. Yes AI's death was tragic. And yes it and the other stuff you mention is important, to some people - like their family and friends. But there are other causes in this world too. And whether people get behind this barrow you push is a matter for them. But it's not a relevant barrow for me.

And does it condemn an entire industry? No. Not any more than the tragic and suspicious death of Bob Woolmer condemns the sport of cricket.

Stuart,

Snore. You're right. Thanks for pointing that out AGAIN. Like for the tenth time. I've explained that a zillion times on Twitter and in my last few blog posts why that happened. You forget that since those days, I've slowly opened my third eye...

... you, obviously, choose to live in the dark ages. You act like it's a bad thing to change your mind about something. Which fits The Industry group think perfectly. I stated earlier my thoughts on Andy. He was an arrogant fucking asshole.

WHAT DON'T YOU GET ABOUT THIS BEING MORE THAN ABOUT ANDY YOU FUCKING DOLT!!!!!!!!>?????????

Sorry,

I just wonder if you could even keep up cleaning toilets with Shearer if you didn't write this Industry Blowjob blog.

Benski,

Your logic is so flawed it's not worth discussing.

During the 80's, there was Iran Contra, The Cold War, and genocide all over Eastern Europe in the Baltics. Did you say shit to the surf writer's then?

Yawn. You've bored me again.

Sorry I prodded him again everyone.

Benski,

Is this a surf blog or not? What's the biggest story in surfing history?

If you don't say AI, then you should shoot yourself or let Axel Irons do it in 10 years.

Asshole.

"Your logic is so flawed it's not worth discussing."

hehehe. Maybe so, but i bet that won't stop you from spamming this page with verbose replies!

Yawn... the response of a typical non-thinking surfer who can't find the balls to fight the system.

Fucking sheep.

That's who pays for The Industry. Benski.

Assholes like YOU.

Stu,

Can you tell me is surfing is an individual or a team sport?

Maybe THAT will help you explain my stance on Andrew Irons. Since you've not got one single point I've made so far.

By the way, did you pass English 101 in community college?

I am willing to have a civil discussion with anyone who wants to tackle the Andy Irons case and the Individual vs. The Collective.

That's where the fulcrum of the matter is.

And why my opinions shifted over the last year...

But I don't see any guts here.

Sorry Brewser, we knew a long time ago the Surf Industry was insular, self-interested and corrupt. Figured you must've known too? Apparently not...

As you only figured this out recently you've got a bit of catching up to do, Brother. We're all far ahead of you. Far ahead.

But alas, there's time to catch up! Just leave your hysterical histrionics on the rumpus room floor, pick up a sense of humour and join in.

So Stu,

If you KNEW... then why did you say NOTHING?

Your comment is a condemnation of what every other surf editor has told me via email. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

And NONE can answer.

Can you?

Stu,

Tell me what you did to stop the Andy Irons situation if you KNEW the dark side of surfing.

Yeah Stu,

You just stepped in a pile of shit.

Brewser: "I am willing to have a civil discussion"

Ha ha...and Rev. Fred Nile is willing to discuss evolution.

I said leave the hysterics at home.

Civil discussion remember...?

Myself?

I had no idea how dark surfing industry was until Andy died. Hence my change of opinion.

Stu,

Are you Australian or a Puritan?

First question:

Is professional competitive surfing a team sport or an individual sport?

During competition - as in, whilst in the water - individual.

The longer you have to think about it, the more damning the evidence becomes.

Except for ISA which is team.

No Stu,

Professional competitive surfing doesn't start and end in the water. Or... does it?

What evidence?

So Stu,

Who are the trainers, managers, coaches, and agents for these surfers?

And what role do the sponsors play... when they call it a surf "team?"

Do you look like Robin Williams by any chance?

Cos I feel like Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, getting my broad knowledge fine-tuned (perhaps blunted?) by a professor.

I could really care less about the questions and where they are leading. But answer me this: do you look like Robin Williams?

No.

Do you wear John Lennon spectacles?

You suddenly care less eh? Heh heh. Tethered to your Industry Lifeline... afraid where this leads?

Stu,

Read my blog if you want to know what I look like.

Act like a man and answer my questions you fuck off, you pissant.

YOU brought up the Andy Irons issue and why I changed my mind. So if you want to know why... answer my questions big boy.

If you don't wear John Lennon glasses you should. I reckon it'd fit the role. Grow a beard too, then stroke it a lot and go, "Hmmmm....I see."

Straight from Central Casting.

"Act like a man and answer my questions you fuck off, you pissant."

Did you just call me a 'fuck off'?

Okay. I get it. You can't answer my questions.

I've crossed your line.

Shame.

Maybe I should brag about 2.3 million Teahupo'o viewers instead so you all can lap that shit up like the fucking bitches you are.

You answer the Goddamn question you bespectacled hippy professor!

Did you or did you not call me a 'fuck off'?

Fuck this shit. Carpe diem! I'm gonna make it in this world without you professor.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES???

Yes. Your turn.

Just as it has been in your chosen filed of endeavor, "hollywood, it is a shame that Andy, as well as MP went out they way they did.

So, let's look at the list... Similar to old rottkamp, (who at the end of the day, pulls his major checks from these corporations)... many folks succumbing to their addictions.

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

yet not one single Hollywood exe was ever blamed....

Yes friends, even rehab, cannot cure stupid.

OK, cool. Now, enough with the questions. We're getting all out of turn and shit.

Stu,

John Lennon Glasses?

That's for his brother.

Hows about a version - a truncated one preferably - of how Billabong enabled Andy? Drop the grudges, deliberate mistruths and logical gaps. Pretend you're writing for the New York Times, or even just the Gazette. Simply put some evidence in there.

Me, I don't have any evidence so can't put my name to anything.

Kaiborg, Blair Marlin, Michael Tompson.

OK, names. And now the evidence...?

Andy's best friends... need more dots? Or are you retarded?

Where those guys part of Andy's team or not?

Where those guys part of Andy's team or not?

You know, I've never done lines with Kai Borg. Never shared a needle with Blair Marlin. I know fuck all about these people. Inform me.

I know MT ran MCD, what'd he have to do with AI in the last 10 years?

Where those guys part of Andy's team or not?

Where those guys part of Andy's team or not?

c'mon rotty.....cant join the dots-we are retarded...tell us what you know.......or fuck off go pull ya seppo septic knob on another forum...loser...

So why haven't you interviewed any of those guys?

Stu, asking rottkamp to drop the "grudges, deliberate mistruths, and logic gaps" is like asking Jim Jones or Chuck Manson to do the same...

On a second note, shocking innit?... that people who may use or become addicted, hang out with druggies? What will we learn next, that drug dealers make special deliveries to people in rehab?...

lil ms rottkamp,... May you find Peace thru Your Prescriptions.

Roller,

You're in over head...

"So why haven't you interviewed any of those guys?"

What a fucking stupid thing to ask. I mean, what would you expect them to tell me? Thought you were smarter than this...

A little-known editor comes asking me about my friends drug habits, what the hell do you think I'm gonna tell him??

rottkamp,

at the end of the day, who signs your checks?

who enables you?

Make that 'dead' friend.

I'm going out to have something to eat, Professor.

If I don't reply for a while it ain't because I'm afraid but because in 2 minutes I'll be tonsil deep in a falafel roll.

Weller: said in an interview,... 'Drugs can be creative'.

Be sure to read the whole thing....

http://www.nme.com/news/paul-weller/62900

A Man Of Great Promise.

Yea, review the list.

Heaps of entertainers....

Yet, after the hundreds if not thousands of drug addicted and overdosed artists/entertainers,.... the entertainment business is still in business!...

And able to find the crumbs to make good old rottkamps checks!

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

Thanks Stu... Thanks Brew.. Thanks Bob

Thats Entertainment

A police car and a screaming siren
Pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete
A baby wailing, a stray dog howling
The screech of brakes and lamplights blinking

That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

A smash of glass and the rumble of boots
An electric train and a ripped up phone booth
Paint splattered walls and the cry of a tom cat
Lights going out and a kick in the balls

I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment

Stu,

You asked "what am I going to tell him?" Is that what Journalists do? Tell people stuff? That's what we do on Twitter and here.

You are supposed to ASK questions. Assuming you pretend to be a journalist.

If you can't figure out what questions to ask based on what you've heard on Twitter and here... then you have NO PLACE in journalism ANYWHERE.

Fact.

"what am I going to tell him?"

Brewser,

Read the post you took that line from. POV. You know what it stands for, right? In case you don't I was speaking from Kai Borg's 'Point of View.'

BTW...that stands for By The Way...the falafel roll was delish.

Stu,

Is that not a story?

If you approached every story anticipating the answer... how far would you get? Of yeah... you call yourself a surf journalist. You already are supposed to know the answers.

Stu,

At what point are you going to at least pretend to do journalism? Ever?

If you think you already know what everyone is going to say before you ask them... what does that say about WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW?

To me, it sounds like Steve Shearer could write his biggest story ever by just interviewing Stu Nettles, based on what Stu has told us he already knows this evening.

Woodward: "Hey Bernstein, let's go investigate some shit at Watergate."

Bernstein: "What, like they are going to tell us anything."

Woodward: "You're right, we journalist shouldn't dig for stories, we should just be told them."

*everyone lives happily ever after*

Don't be fucking stupid. Brad Melekian interviewed 50 people to get the slim pieces of info he did and even they were from bit players (some bloke I'd never heard of in Fla., Art Brewer relaying a 10 year old story). I'm not stupid enough to think I could elicit sensitive info from a manager and friend I've never spoken to in my life.

Wake up chump.

Stu,

This is surfing. The minor of the minorist leagues. You call ME a chump?

This is YOUR blog.

This is YOUR life.

This is YOUR bullshit.

Way to bend over and walk away.

Chump

Brad Melekian is never going to win a Pulitzer, Stu.

If you think he told the whole story, fine.

But I NEVER want you calling ME out for stating what The Industry is... a corrupt bunch of assholes in collusion with each other... When YOU are a part of that whole fucking gang bang.

And all your readers saw it too. I've got the screen caption to prove it.

Stu Nettles is part of the whole big bullshit parade... to afraid to push the buttons.

And all you fuckfaces that laughed at me can suck your own cocks for eternity knowing Stu played you like a fiddle. He's just another piece of the whole fucking incestuous puzzle.

Fellate on amigos.

Brewser the Chump,

I'm off now, got some work to do. It's obvious you've got no game and nothing new to say. No-one has bitten,and I don't just mean the surf media. Not a single mainstream newspaper or magazine has picked up on your 'dots' despite you remonstrating across Twitter 17,000 + times.

Don't let that stop you though...

Stu calls me a chump.

Yet he's the one who admits to knowing the dark side of surfing for years and did nothing about it.

He's the one who won't bother interviewing anyone associated with Andy Irons... the biggest story in surfing history.

He's the one who never even reported Michael Tompson being arrested multiple times in Laguna Beach for drug possession.

He's the one asking ME why the mainstream media hasn't picked up on the story.

You are bird with no worms... Stu.

Grow up.

Cheep

Stu,

Have you ever made a documentary?

Do you know how long it takes?

Thought so.

Keep the mainstream shit to people who know mainstream shit.

You keep your head in the sand, firmly.

Who was too afraid to follow the Andy Irons Team vs. Individual questioning: Stuart Nettles.

Pussy.

Oh fuck man, enough with the name calling.

Just Rick Roll me or do something equally tedious, but calling me playground names is a terrible look.

Andy Irons Enabler.

Who you callin' Kai Borg?!

You.

You said you knew all about surfing's dark side way before I did. That I needed to catch up. Well. I did. Now you're IT, Mutherfucker!

Playing catch-up's a bitch, ain't it...?

I'm the dark side?

OK, so I suppose you're my son then?

Now.

Who is playing catch up?

Eh Stu?

Stu's on the ropes... will he fall to the Ben Matson, or will he stand like a sheep before his 2.3 million shearers?

You guys are a fucking hoot!

Luke Skywalker?

Darth Vader?

I don't know, it's all getting a bit cryptic.

You see, I thought YOU were Luke and I was Darth.

I can type retorts here while writing episodes for shows that will earn me more money than Kelly Slater in a year.

Now who's stupid?

Yeah. Me.

Because I could be in the pool right now. L8.

We can swap if you wanna wear the cape and do the voice.

OK. A coupla preliminary observations before i get to the main item.

1. Idiot Bunny. "Don't be fucking stupid. Brad Melekian interviewed 50 people to get the slim pieces of info he did and even they were from bit players (some bloke I'd never heard of in Fla., Art Brewer relaying a 10 year old story). I'm not stupid enough to think I could elicit sensitive info from a manager and friend I've never spoken to in my life."

OMFG!!!!!! Do you actually re-read any of the drivel that comes out of your fucked imagination?????????????? Don't bother answering that. You are a fucking fucked fucker.

2. Benski. I think I've had to scold you previously about this very thing: if you're gonna be logical, we have no place for you here. Don't let it happen again.

3. Stu. What, precisely, has got into you? One definition of madness I've heard about is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result. Let it go. No. Don't reach for the mouse. Let it go.

OK. MY MAIN POINT. CAPS ARE LOCKED AND LOADED. FOOL, WHEN IS LYNDI IRONS BRINGING SUIT FOR WRONGFUL DEATH? EH? PLEASE PUT YOUR MOUTH WHERE YOUR ANUS IS AND TELL US. YOU PREDICTED IT 12 MONTHS AGO, AND AGAIN THIS JANUARY. SO? WHAT'S GOING ON? SURELY SHE CAN'T BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT TINY THING, ERM, EVIDENCE? YOU'LL GIVE EXPERT EVIDENCE, I'M SURE, HAVING BEEN THERE AND ALL THAT. HAVING SAT IN AT THE MEETINGS WITH KAIBORG, BLAIR, MICHAEL T ET AL AND ALL THAT? SURELY THAT'S ENOUGH FOR THE CASE?!! I MEAN TO SAY, WADDYA WANT, YER HONOUR?? ACTSHULL PROOOOF???

Wake up chump. Or bend over and walk away (WTF??).

we all don't give a shit, one way or t'other.

It's quite amazing that not a single journalist outside of the surf industry also hasn't picked up this story. I mean, as blasphemy-rottmouth has told us over the last year and a half, the story has already written itself, so all the journo has to do is 'join the dots'. Surely there's an intern from The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune or The Boston Globe wanting to fast track their careers with such an easy story! There has to be tens of thousands of prospective journalists right around the world ready to put pen to paper. Why has no-one decided to tackle it?

Fuck, there you go again. Sandspit, this time. Logic. Reason. Reasonableness.

You're all fucking sheep, I tells yer, following Voltaire and all those other bastard fathers of the Enlightenment down the path that leads to ... Where??

Oh, I don't know - a civil society, rule of law, civilised debate.

Fuck# Where will it all end?????

Please someone join the dots I can't handle this suspense anymore....

Ok, lets connect them dots....

Is that it? The real reasons why this self described "evil" bunny eared rottkamp bloke is up in here is to big note himself, his twit page, and how much more money he makes than Kelly Slater?

Funny thing is, isn't that the same proven style used by Charlie Manson... Same way Jim Jones rolled?

The same old Rottkamp looped.... may as well spend your time listening to this....

@Whaaaat:

Bullet point number one was a quote from Stu Nettles.

So I don't think I need to read anything else you said to know your level of IQ.

Bullet point #2,

old bunny eared rottkamp the hypocrite is up in here strictly as a spruiker. attempting nothing more than to big note himself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tout

Booyah!

Lest any of you impatient little dimwits wonder why nothing has happened in court... allow me to explain something: due process takes years and years. Finding evidence that is admissible takes years and years. Getting witnesses to come forward takes years.

Sandusky raped little boys for TEN FUCKING YEARS at Penn State, one of the top colleges in the world while people knew about it the WHOLE time. Yet it took 10 years for the truth to come out because... here it comes... the big connection to the Surf Industry:

PEOPLE WERE AFRAID TO LOSE THEIR JOBS!

People in the surf industry are 10x more fucked than people working in academia as they have nowhere besides Burger King to go if they fall out of The Industry Graces. That's why no one will talk. That's why Stu has already given up on the AI story when he admitted earlier that it's not even worth it to him since Melekian already tried real hardest and only scratched the surface.

The dots don't need to be joined. They exist. And most here would rather ignore them and "not be bothered" so they can continue to think their surfy little bubble is fine and none of this will ever effect them.

Please don't procreate if you think that way.

Idiocracy, the movie, HAD to have been based on the Surf Industry.

There is no further explanation.

Sandspit,

They are.

"What a fucking stupid thing to ask. I mean, what would you expect them to tell me? Thought you were smarter than this..." ~ Stu Nettles

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why surf journalism has never truly existed.

those who are of the opinion that professional surfing in all of it's incarnations is a bore fest are in for a surprise, when this old loser bunny eared rottmouth hypocrite keeps big noting his noise over the next 10.

in the short term, 10 years is a rather long time...

have to wonder how many surf contests will be produced, how many winners crowned over the next ten yrs?

thousands i'd guess.

The next ten years...

While old rottkamp bunny ears spends his time obsessing over the past, and big noting his meaningless noise, have to wonder.... ever since Kelly Staler kicked off the new by riding 5'4"'s, how far others go with new forms of surfing over the next ten.

http://vimeo.com/40385304

@Sandspit,

You might also keep an eye out for Charlie Smith's book later this year regarding the culture of the North Shore... funny how someone like Charlie Smith can make fools out of surf writers everywhere... setting them up... and them BLAMO!

Oh really? "They are". That's quite a broad statement with no time frame. Whoever "they" may be, this means that they can take as long as they like to write and publish the article. I presume that therefore justifies your ongoing rants indefinitely?

Sandspit,

I've argued for over a year that no one cares about surfing, let along competitive pro surfing besides a tiny number of people. They show tractor pulling on ESPN for a full half hour before they would even consider showing a surfing contest. G-Mac got more ESPN time (30 seconds) than Kelly Slater did for winning a title.

Most here laughed at me and scoffed when I said Steve Shearer's claim of 2.3 million viewers at Teahupo'o would be thrashed.

He ain't laughing anymore.

And the fact the the death of a 3 time word champion due to OD (unprecedented in ANY sport) - barely makes any news anywhere also supports this claim. No one cares about surfing... even when it's best dies under very suspicious circumstances. If it were Cristiano Ronaldo the amount of coverage would have been huge - not just because the sport is a million times more popular, but because it's actually covered by real journalists. Unlike surfing, whose journalists all use the Stu Nettles excuse "why ask when we know what the answer is going to be?" You know where that excuse gets you if you work for the NY Times: FIRED.

So, put your foil cap on, and try to guess why this story may take some time to be told in full.

Good Morning Darth Rottmouth!

Lemme repeat a quote of yours: "And the fact the the death of a 3 time word champion due to OD (unprecedented in ANY sport) - barely makes any news anywhere also supports this claim. No one cares about surfing... even when it's best dies under very suspicious circumstances. "

That sounds like an insular American speaking if you ask me.

AI's death was front page news here in Australia - repeatedly. It was SMH.coms highest rating story the week it happened. The subsequent coroner reports (delayed and finally revealed) scored similar attention.

So no-one cares, eh? Maybe not in your country but journalists here have looked at it - a surefire scoop if it was true - yet no-one has touched it. Why?

Answer me, Darth....why?

Front page in Australia? A nation of 20 million, mostly near-ocean dwelling people. In America (Andy Irons is American by the way) - it made news in the back pages of the sports mags. Same with the coroner's reports. It was big news on Google because it was a drug overdose... people eat that shit up (a no Americans care about midterm elections)... then forget about it the next day unless it's someone really famous like Whitney Houston.

No one cared in the long term. And Surf Writers have gone out of their way to keep sweeping it back under the rug anytime remotely related to AI's Brand. No surf blogs posted the stories of Michael Tompson's recent arrests for Coke possession. Only a few ran pictures of Lindsay Lohan sitting with Blair Marlin on the Billabong balcony during the Pipe contest. No one bothers to ask Kaiborg (Andy's best friend) any questions. Sweep sweep sweep...

Stu, you say "no one has touched it. Why?" Are you absolutely sure of this? I can name two movie directors right now who refute that. I also know of several journalists who are working on the story.

Hell, Charlie Smith's book might even beat everyone else.

"I can name two movie directors right now who refute that."

OK then, name them.

The question is this:

Why does Steve Shearer or Stu Nettles have to ask people like Fred Pawle for stories when I can list three right there.

Oh... right... you "already know the answers."

Sage.

Name them?

That would land me in court.

I find it funny that "journalists" are asking an Anonymous rabbit for evidence, questions, and all the things YOU should be doing. It's YOUR job to ask questions.

My job is to write a TV Show my regular Twitter account and get the hell back up to Oregon.

I do this stuff for shits and giggles (I only sleep 3 hours a day).

And nothing is funnier than watching the incompetency of The Surf Industry and its sycophants.

I am just a wrecking ball.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

"I am just a wrecking ball."

Mate, I think you've mistaken iron for Nerf. Name one thing you've wrecked.

Stu,

Your reputation, Stu.

@ idiot bunny

(*deep, resigned sigh)

So you're determined to be obtuse.

Stu presents a utterly compelling case for the story that never was, but your sole response is to shoot Melekian down as some lame-ass who can't do his job properly. 50 people were interviewed!!!!!!!! Fuck, that's more than Bernstein and Woodward did on the Watergate story. You don't say who Melekian ought have interviewed but didn't; you don't specify which part of his story is incomplete. You cite him and Pawle when it suits your 'argument'; you trash them when it doesn't.

When put to proof on your unequivocal pronouncement about Lyndi Irons and her intentions to sue Billabong, you come back with some mealy mouthed bullshit about the speed of evidence gathering and the court process at large.

Wrecking ball? Fuck off. You, motherfucker, are just a snake oil salesman, a fraudster, a pentecostal preacher without a congregation.

Stu,

Not that he had much of one, but Shearer's been exposed as a fraud.

Whaat,

Melekian did not tell us who employed Andy's "team" of people who were ALL absent when he died. Melekian did not tell us who provided Andy with drugs. Melekian did not tell us when Andy first started using (was it at MCD under Michael Tompson - Kelly Slater knows that answer).

There are fifty more questions I could come up with right now that weren't answered in that interview.

It's more than just about Andy. What about Paul Naude? Why did he pull out several hundred million dollars from Bong right before their stock crashed? Why did he buy a mansion on the North Shore and then rent it back to his own company?

Who owns most of the homes on the North Shore?

You know nothing about the American procedure of law if you think Lindy would be in court by now. I doubt you know a goddamn thing about law period, based on your logic.

I am a wrecking ball because I've shown that almost everyone that comments in surf blogs eventually starts defending The Industry and I suspect that's because a large majority of people on these blogs have jobs that depend on it. Or they're just too afraid of a world without the Big Three in their lives.

Lewis Samuels alluded to that after he quit his blog. Then he called out Surfline for inflating their numbers (wow - what a surprise)!

Not everyone, of course, but most.

Funny, what gets people riled up the most in the ultra-clean world of surf blogging... is threatening the Corpos that run surfing.

I remember when it was cool and dangerous to be a surfer.

Now, we've become a pussified bunch of clowns too afraid of revolution and obsessed with inclusion.

One thing is for sure.
Personally, I would like to see/read the article/story once it is written/filmed/posted on you tube/scibbled on dunny wrappers. I suppose, so would most patrons of swellnet.

"Rott the Baptist" seems to be "preparing the way" for the story to gain as much of an audience as possible.

Whatever the outcome,
when I need a towel or pair of swimming trunks, I will still walk into a surf shop and buy them. OR Target, now that they sponsor KA and CM of course.

Nerf Ball said: "Funny, what gets people riled up the most in the ultra-clean world of surf blogging... is threatening the Corpos that run surfing"

Really? Is that what you think? My take is that people get most riled up about being fed bullshit. If Billabong has a case to answer then bring it on, I've already told you I'll run the story whoever writes it. Reckon our visitors will love to read it - if it's true.

As for Shearer being a fraud: We already know about that but can't comment further. At least not until the court case is over.

Yes!!...
I vote for Nirvana & smokin chillums on the beach naked
and yes the occassional trip and the enlightening Kaya will be sanctioned by the Governing Body...

Stu,

The AI story, when told, deserves a platform much larger than this place. And it will. The reason? A.I. is only the beginning. It involves lawyers, drugs, racketeering, and the scariest part: The Banks.

Which is why I'm guessing you blokes have steered clear of this shitstorm.

A.I. is the symptom... not the disease. His death should have made you, me, and everyone else open up their third eye and realize where this fuckery is leading.

Instead, we get men who used to pose as tough guys on comments forums now writing contest recaps like he was the second coming of Hunter Thompson's retarded garden millipede. Men you used to say Melekian only scratched the surface... but after a few swigs of the INSIDE life, has now said "Melekian said it all." Move along. Nothing to see here.

Where went your balls Shearer?

All that shit you talked on my blog?

And you have yet to ask ONE. SINGLE. GODDAMN. IMPORTANT. QUESTION.

At how many contests now?

"It's a pleasure meeting you." "Five fins or four." "Is he in your head." Blah blah blah.

You weren't born a journalist Shearer. You were born a toilet cleaner. One that can Google philosophy quotes. You think what you write means something. Poor feller.

No. The revolution will not be televised. At first. The revolutions roots started a while back, and will end with The Industry and its sycophants (sorry Stu) burnt to the ground.

Why wait for someone else to tell the story Stu?

I've given you a list of people to talk to. Why wait? Why ask? Why beg?

Or, like Steve Shearer, are you going to hop on the train when another journalist breaks shit open and claim it as your own?

now the scariest part....the banks are involved, for fucks sake.....give us a quick read of your psychiatric history....TOOL.

Rotty I joined the dots.....you are right ITS ARMAGEDDON.

Armageddon?... Funny, that's what kooked out barnolds the like of Jim Jones said.

http://www.caic.org.au/general/arma_syn.htm

Andy's untimely death from unrealized genetic factors, apparently complications enhanced from drug abuse was not only huge news in Australia... It was even bigger news in every costal city stateside... not to mention more than massive in the great state of Hawaii. Huge turnout for Andy's dedication.

So, who is not surprised to see b. rottkamp was too busy to notice these facts?

Oh, he was much too busy pulling massive checks for writing junk fantasy, locked in his Studio City cubicle performing re-writes, banging the computer on behalf of corporate Hollywood.

Who is going to tell this story of dots being joined to form armageddon? Are you just arguing for the sake of arguing Rott or have you started putting the dots together in what will no doubt be an international best seller, unravelling like the Davinci Code?

Nerf Ball,

The thing is, I told you why I didn't contact Kai Garcia and Blair Marlin when researching the story yet you seem to assume that I contacted no-one at all.

You do have a knack of getting far ahead of yourself.

Suppose it's a good trait for a fiction writer, though. Keep it up.

Stu,

No. You never gace a SINGLE VALID excuse as to why you never interviewed Blair Marlin or Kaiborg.

And isn't the rejections a story?

Stu,

How much Journalism school did you go to?

No, they're not. Unless you're making assumptions that is.

Nerf Ball said: "How much Journalism school did you go to?"

Yes, yes, you've got the biggest cock.

And can we all just agree that The Roller has NOTHING to add... EVER?

Stu,

Why did you not interview Kaiborg or Blair Marlin (Graham Stapelborg or even Paul Naude) at all last year?

Answer that:

I was asked to what my questions pertained and was gently let down (Billabong USA). I think a few journos would've had the same response. Anything else...?

Something fresh and new would be appreciated.

And maybe delivered in a funny accent. Use umlauts if necessary,

http://turkeymelt.com/2012/03/kaiborg-gets-clean-and-comes-clean/

I don't think you'll get much outa Kai.

Steve Shearer,

Spring time is in full bloom here. The summer veggie garden has been cleared of, and planted right in time of last weeks rains. Settling in nicely.

Today, light winds 'till 2 pm, clean as 4 ft combo swell.... And my first two-a-day of 2012.

Oh, and look who missed it all.... Apparently too busy banging away in his Studio City/Hollywood corporate cubicle.

Old rottkamp.

Lesane Parish Crooks... best known as Tupac Shakur..

here's a link to Tup and Shock G's live version.

@zen

Great Link... Borg is inspiring

Stu,

I thought Kaiborg ran the Volcom house??????????????

??????

????????

??????

?????

Get it now????

?????

Roller,

There is a great preschool playground called "The Inertia" if you want to go comment there and be heard.

Stu,

Is there a creative bone in your body that could at least tell the story of you getting shut down by one of the biggest Surfing Corporations in existence? To me... us... regular joes... THAT is a fucking story.

"Guys, I wanted to call up Kaiborg, Andy's best friend and ask him a few questions about Andy's death. Sure, some of the questions touched on drugs, dealing, purchasing, and supplying... but I was hoping maybe Kai would tell us what he knew... if anything. Unfortunately, Billabong's (Volcom's) rep blew me away."

Tell me why that couldn't be a story here?

Oh... yeah... I forgot Ben Matson wants Billabong logos on his site.

Forgive me.

Let the incest continue.

Fruitcakes.

@ i-b

C.R.I.M.I.N.A.L D.E.F.A.M.A.T.I.O.N

U.N.F.A.I.R. I.M.P.U.T.A.T.I.O.N.S

P.R.O.O.F.

F.O.O.L

Dearest Nerf Ball,

Yes, you're right that would be a story. A fictitious one full of allusion, innuendo and ultimately leading nowhere.

In other words, right up your alley.

Clearly you've got no game, no evidence, and not a revolutionary film director to save your sorry soul. Roll on!

Dunno why I'm doing this, but here goes - an explanation!

As anyone who works in the surf media knows Billabong don't talk out of school about non surf matters, and this is a stance they took long before AI kicked it. It is their standard media position.

So what your 'story' isn't is an ipso facto condemnation implicating people of serious crimes simply because they didn't answer the phone. Billabong has attempted to control the media (and hence the narrative) for years. Part of that is only communicating through press releases and not talking to journalists on the record. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has read my articles, it's been mentioned repeatedly over the last three years, both in stories and comments.

Every now and again they'll provide a quote but it is truly the exception. As it stands, I've had a few off the record chats, none of them will be printed.

OK? Cool...

Cool, Stu. Most all publicly owned and traded companies do the same.

Here is something else our own Dork Diva does not quite get it..... that no one is anonymous.

Not even his beloved anonymous hackers.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=anonymous+busted&ie=...

Quite a good read...

http://dumbthchronicles.com/2012/04/random-thoughts-on-art-and-surfing/

Stu,

You've missed the point by a football field.

Stu,

I ask once more, have you taken a single journalism class?

I'm 3 inches on the flop but a solid 5 when I give it a rub. You?

Stu,

Why did BILLABONG blow you off if KaiBorg runs the VOLCOM house?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Stu,

Jesus Christ!

How dense are you people?

I only took a few journalism classes and I feel like I'm lecturing a toddler right now...

@Whaaaat,

You and Roller need to take a seat in the same playground.

"A fictitious one full of allusion, innuendo and ultimately leading nowhere"

Sounds like every Steve Shearer wrap up on here.

Why deviate now Captain?

Stu,

What would a NY Times reporter do?

Six posts in a row is a personal best, Nerf Ball. Congratulations!

Go for seven?

Get real irate now. Squeeze your bum cheeks and think bad thoughts. Pretty easy for you I'd imagine.

Stu,

Why did you call Billabong to get access to KaiBorg?

Kai runs the Volcom House.

Answer THAT

Are you drinking or are you only reading every second post of mine? Don't worry, I won't be offended, I'm only reading every third one of yours.

But...aaaah...that has already been answered, you know, up above somewhere.

I read through everything Stu.

I don't drink.

Why did you call Billabong to get a hold of Kai Garcia?

Nerf Ball says: "I read through everything Stu."

So point to the bit where I said I called Billabong to speak to Kai Garcia?

Take your time. Take seven posts if you like. Go for it!

Stu,

So you HAVEN'T tried to speak to Kai Garcia?

"The thing is, I told you why I didn't contact Kai Garcia and Blair Marlin when researching the story yet you seem to assume that I contacted no-one at all." ~ Stu Nettles

Nah, you are drinking. This is old territory, Nerf Ball.

Pour yourself another one. Come back tomorrow when you're sober and clear-of-mind. Who knows, you might even have a coherent argument?

"The thing is, I told you why I didn't contact Kai Garcia and Blair Marlin when researching the story yet you seem to assume that I contacted no-one at all." ~ Stu Nettles

Next answer by Stuart Nettles:

"I was asked to what my questions pertained and was gently let down (Billabong USA). I think a few journos would've had the same response. Anything else...?" ~ Stu Nettles

You tell me Stu.

Who DID you talk to?

Not a drop Stu.

Those are direct quotes from you 3 house ago. Look them up dipshit.

If it wasn't Billabong, then WHO told you not to talk to Kai Garcia?

Funny thing is this...

I don't know either Stu.

I don't know who Kaiborg works for. All I know is that he was Andy's best friend, worked at both the Volcom and Billabong houses, delivered narcotics to whoever needed them, admitted to being an addict himself, and was nowhere near Andy when he died.

Seems like a guy worth interviewing.

But that's just me.

Anyone else think this is frivolous?

I mean... it's not like someone died or anything. Or that some kid was born without a dad. Or that some Corporation continues to exist on the most relished real estate in surfing.

Let's all just put our heads in the sand, sing cumbaya, and WISH we could make a difference.

Don't forget the revolutionary film directors. Couldn't they film us doing that?

Then go and interview him yourself.