Ku and Kipapa

Essential read in the latest Surfers Journal on paipo innovator/ohana man Val Ching by legendary surf matriarch Cher Pendarvis. Content reminscent of when they only did four articles a year. Proper!

Cher recently sent this foto of her old friend from New York, Leslie Gallo O'Brien. She's in the dark blue lifeguard tee.

"Leslie is a former East Coast Surf Champion and NY lifeguard who lived In North San Diego county for about 10 years, in the 70s and early 80s. We had great times surfing San Miguel and other spots in Baja and in San Diego county in the mid-to- late 70s. Gas was about sixty-five cents a gallon then. Her son surfs, he's in the picture behind her."

Chris From Queens

Not For School But For Life

Dorado as The Manchild! Homeboy hasn't been the same since hitting that jetty in New Jersey last winter when he attempted to paddle-battle the 'real' Manchild. Now he rides twin keels almost exclusively and has grown one of the finer coifs west of the Cross Island Parkway. Non Scholae Sed Vitae!

Here he is on a '20 foot' wave somewhere East of The Dirty. Apparently the waves were too small to ride his twin keel so he was forced to ride a thruster.

Gene Vilma Vera Gene

Graceful no nonsense 'ruff cookie' G. V. inspiration for V.G. and overall old school styles. If you're not offered an egg in the morning you know something's up!

Today On The Train

Thanks For Reading

New York, Everybody Drinks Champagne

Mental piece on Raymond Pettibon by former pro surfer, SURFING editor, Search Member, and Fullbright Scholar, handsome James Brisick. Look for the paper version in an upcoming Surfers Journal...

“My favorites are the ones that have some lyrical space beyond a strict interpretation,” he says, “the ones that I couldn’t put into any descriptive terms of what I was doing.”

-RP

Bruders Des Schattens, Sohne Des Lichts

KESS 1 spread in this week's New York Mag and un-fucken-credited as always! A moment in 1979 as real estate in 2010. Swaggerjack 'The Rebels' rep, homeboy still lives it which is why you still gotta pay for it. Sidebust Your Future Self, Sidebust A Swaggerjacker, Sidebust The Dead? KESS LIVES KUNST!

GW Blackpool taco time on the Eastern Front which is not far from Eastern Europe

'Infest my hood with crack cuz I'm the mack, it takes a nation of millions to hold my people back'

Frank the 'Irishman'  on Uptown, Midtown, Downtown, Crosstown, Newtown lookout...

Heidi D'Awg on red 4 alert, a tale of two Cities...

City Wears A Slouch Cap

Dubstar lost his cap on the paddle out and then nearly lacerated someone who'd just fallen out of the sky. A few waves later he pulled into a 47 second closeout barrel and got skull-blasted by his 6'7 Pavel. Although he was wearing a cap he also had on boots and gloves.

Fotos by Bob Arkow

On the West Loop with a Christmas Tree

AP Smith reflecting on great 60's pizzas found in East Meadow, Baldwin and Merrick. How oregano was more prominent in the sauce and how important it is to use olive oil! When you know where to turn you don't need to know the name of the street. Which is like saying the expression 'Gruff Respect' indirectly relates to him.

More Delay

Rush hour and a half on the FDR and later regretting not getting off at 135th and taking St. Nick's to the Polo Grounds Skyway. Home for a minute and gaslit by Camaro as if the burners had been on all day! Gotta post the foto of the Brothers, they were all Bakers and had great hair...

Andrew Manchild, another Kidman with great hair. Internationally recognized in the Howard Beach area as one of America's Top Wig Makers. (Trefz, Patrick Trefz still)

The Garde Attacks

12 Rose Lane

Birthday Bells

Bella Kidman forward trimming a Happy Bday speed blur and reflecting her old man's arms upon exiting a 7 second Jersey bagel. Minutes before a representative from an eco-minded 'surf' company told him he had the 'the wrong board.'  He was on a Steve Lis fish. 

Gus Manfred with maybe more style than the Manchild? No doubt inspired by Spiderman and San Marco. Andrew surfs like me better than I surf like myself.

Andrew has a new movie and book project 'Lost in the Ether' scheduled for December release.

Pop Pop

Elio Camaro and great hair inna early East New York bakery style. Many of his customers went on to become the topic of various 'true crime' best-selling books and award-winning movies. A bunch of kids ordering sambos while ACONES was out on the truck delivering bread to the Canarsie Indians....

Making pizza in the 93rd Street kitchen with his great haired grandson

The Newtown Knight

"Corner Slice in the 80's" an expression coined by local nomadic surf legend Francis M. O'Rourke in response to carpet-bagged nonsense he spouted, 'None of these people ever ate a corner slice in the 80's.' If they never had a corner slice they never had a Center! Twenty some odd years later...

One in the Left Lane, One in the Right

It's better to go to the beach and not paddle out than to make excuses for not going to the beach and not paddling out. One person out, I thought that was you?

Although it may have been CUPS!


But the following day it was definitely these two, SUPPERS burnin' SUPPERS...THATSWHATSUP!


Before I was born and while I'm alive

***Tommy Brull Benefit #3 in full effect, NO REQUESTS!

Matt Barthel keeping it fresh each time around, 3 sets under the tracks just north of the Sunrise...

Moody Interval

The period jumped from 8 to 15 seconds increasing wait times and allowing for the 'badness' or 'demons' to start creeping in. Like staying in bed too long, should I be doing something else?

You Need Good Equipment

 According to Elwellian legend, in 1953 Flippy Hoffman bodysurfed the 'Banzai' while Bob Simmons rode in a non-'shoulder-hugging chicken' style. Flippy was an early Islands pioneer and first mainland surfer to hold it down on the North Shore. Here they are riding Makaha...RIP GRUFF LEGEND RESPECT!

Luck Be A Ladybug

Tommy Brull Foundation's 3rd Annual Benefit will be held this Saturday November 13th, 3-6pm at Cannon's Blackthorn: 49 N. Centre Avenue in Rockville Centre, New York. Tommy was a writer, goofy-foot, underground NY kat and Brother to Martin "The Militant One" and "Salt Stained Eyes" Jack. He passed under tragic circumstances at age 23 in the Williamsburgh section of Brooklyn 10 years ago. Homeboy has still probably seen Litmus more times than most! Waves too this weekend as always, the spirit of Ohana in the Shorey...

*Irie Action by Soussol Selectah, DJ Scratchy Matchy, Cheadle's Smile & Crime in the Centre

150 Pennies

Stopped on the street by the kindess of Blanche DuBois's uncle, also an Authority:

'Do you know how much this war costs? Like three trillion dollars. Do you know what that kinda money could do back home, right here? The people would be taken care of. It's that damn pork barrel. We should all be eating chicken dinners but instead we're eating pork and beans...hot dogs and beans.'

World War/Corner Slice: 1980-2010 in the spirit of grandparents and Rosa's. Made on an island with mainland dough