bl!sss magazine | july 2012 | #59

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S A M M Y W I N T E R

design unlikely futures / analogclothing.com

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T H E B A L A N C E O F O P P O S I T E S

R V C A . C O M

L O C A T I O N / L O S A N G E L E S

C O M E S W I T H E X T R A S E T O F I N T E R C H A N G E A B L E A R M S

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quarters aws/ black-silver/ gravisskateboarding.com

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Artist: Richard Phillips

2012 WeAct iv is t MOLEY TALHAOUI SHOT BYANTON RENBORGwww.wesc.com

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W W W . E Z E K I E L U S A . C O M

ALL WE HAVEIS NOW

STARFISH 18 BOARDSHORT

SUMMER 12 AVAILABLE AT KARMALOOP.COM

EZEKIEL CLOTHING CO X JAY DIEBEL

INSTAGRAM: EZEKIELUSA

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Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressedinthismagazinereecttheopinionsoftheir respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reect negativelyon the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.

If your favorite shop isnt receiving BL!SSS Magazine please contact [email protected]

July 2012

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFnick [email protected]

EDITORjoey [email protected]

CREATIVE DIRECTORmark paul [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITORspencer [email protected]

EDITOR AT LARGEliz rice [email protected]

SKATE EDITORchris [email protected]

SNOW EDITORjon [email protected]

MUSIC EDITORmax [email protected]

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSJason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning

CONTRIBUTORSMatt Patterson, Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Spencer Pirdy, Richie Olivares, Eric MeyersVaughan Blakey

BL!SSS Magazine413 31st StreetNewport Beach, CA 92663www.blisssmag.com

Cover Artist: Richard Phillips

RAEN.COM

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Eric Koston has always been leading the way when it comes to street style and innovation on and off of a skateboard. The California born-and-bred Koston has had an esteemed appreciation for the life and times that have molded him into the icon he is today, and now hes come out with an all new collection of shades from Oakley that pay homage to those roots. Erics signature series from Oakley feature special renditions of the Frogskin, the Holbrook and the Plaintiff frames. Both the Frogskins and the Holbrook celebrate the tortoise shell frames of yesterday, while the Plaintiffcomesinabrown-camonish.Allthreeshadescomewithdarkbronze lenses and are honed with the patented high-def optics for which Oakley is known. Kostons glasses come with a collectible bag, and each shade offers a different avenue for you to express yourself, so why not get all three? These shades will be on the shelves by the time you read this, so make sure to snag the trio today.

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Without a doubt, Professor Slater has to be one of the most comfortable surfers on the planet in the reefs surrounding the island of Tavarua. It showed in the way he navigated himself to the top of the podium at the 2012 Fiji Volcom Pro. Whether it was his tightly tucked barrel technique at Restaurants, or his in-tune wave selection at Cloudbreak that had him weaving through sections at mach-10 only pausing to perform blistering backhand turns that seemed unreal, he was rightfully the man to take home the $75k. In fact, the whole contest was unreal. The opening rounds, the historical big-wave free-surf session that went down,andtotopitoffthenalssawpumpingCloudbreak.Wereprettysure that even Richard Woolcott couldnt have ever believed in his wildest dreams that Volcom would score this hard, but sure enough, they did. Thank you Mother Nature. Heres hoping that next year is a fraction of the entertainment we witnessed this year!

Body Glove will be hitting the road from July 20th -24th for their California 1nvasion Episode II and theyll be making their very rst stop right here atBL!SSS headquarters. We dont do this very often, but right now were inviting everyone to come on down to the BL!SSS ofcesat 413 31st street in Newport Beach, on Friday, July 20th at 9 a.m. to have donuts and coffee with Jamie Obrien, Alex Gray, Nate Yeomans, Cheyne Magnusson and many more ofBodyGlovesnest.Thetourwill also make stops at ET Surf, Katin, Jacks, Newport Surf, Republik of Kalifornia, Surf Ride, Mission Surf and many others being added daily. Come on out for free food, free product and good times. Log on to bodyglove.com for tour updates and post coverage.

Hurley is proud to present Stabilimentum, an art installation created by Hurley brand artist James Marshall (Dalek). The installation was built for the USOpenofSurng and is inspired and driven by Phantom Fuse, the newest generation of Hurleys 4-time SIMA award-winning board short. In case you havent tried the Phantom Fuse boardshorts, lets just say that the folks at Hurley design have really hit the ball out of the park. Whether youre looking for comfort, trying to stand out in the crowd or throwing hacks in the lineup, we feel that the Phantom Fuse is the answer to everyones boardshort needs this summer. As if theyre not already giving us enough by way of their superior products, the Hurley heads have decided to throw a little party honoring their new installation for the US Open and everyone is invited. Thats right, Stabilimentum will be going down on Tuesday, July 31st from 6-9 p.m. at H Space Gallery located on 1945 Placentia Avenue. Mark it on your calendars and well see you there!

SLATER LOVES FIJI

EK COLLECTION

Were you intrigued by cover artist Barry McGee last issue? Well, whether youre a brand new Barry fan or have been a longtime apostle, we suggest that you check out the new iPhone case that RVCA and Barry are putting out. Its a snap case with Barrys signature artwork brought to you by RVCAs Artist Network Program. Grab yourself one and in no time your iPhone will make the transformation from an ordinary old phone into a replication of one of Barry McGees pieces of art. So, kill two birds with one stone by protecting and decorating your iPhone by logging onto rvca.com and buying yourself one now!

BARRY MCGEE iPHONE CASE

STABILIMENTUM

BREAKFAST WITH BL!SSS

The makers of the best threads around are mixing things up quite a bit with some red-hot talent on both their skate and surf teams. Stance has just recently added teenage phenom Nyjah Huston, along with all three of the Florence brothers John John, Nathan and Ivan to the Stance family. As if the brand didnt already have enough innovative mojo going for itself, now Stance can rest easy knowing that theyve got four of the brightest young stars in the surf/skate scene that anyone could hope to have waving their colors. So, whats next up for these Stance newcomers? Expect them all to blow minds wherever they happen to be. For all the latest news and collaborations head over to stance.com.

Shark Watchs very own Chad Labasswas inourofcetheotherdayandbrought with him some of the latest additions to the Shark family. He unveiled to us the Killer Shark Metal Collection, which takes the iconic Shark silhouette and wraps it in a full metal jacket. The watch is stainless steel and ready to be rocked in whatever situation you deem worthy. The Killer Shark Metals come in colors that will accommodate anyones taste, and true to the Sharks nature its water resistant up to 30 meters and comes backed with a lifetime warranty. Head on over to your friendly Shark Watch dealer and add a Killer Shark Metal to the ensemble.

One of the perks of not being on the World Tour is having some extra time to design and get creative with some of your sponsors. Dane Reynolds has been doing a lot of this as of late, and one of the newer released products hes come out with are signature nsfromCaptain Fin Co. and Summer Teeth.ThenistheAl Merrick template with Danes favorite 5.5 degree cant and mega foil, which allow him to lay it on rail as hard as ever. If youre thinkingthatthesearejustanotherdull-coloredsetofnsthenyoull be delighted to know that Danes good friend, Alex Knost, added his own personal touch by drawing some cool graphics. So there you have it Danes newest creation, with a sprinkle of Knosts creativity thrown in, and youve got every hipster up and down the West Coast frothing to get their hands on a set. Keep your eyes peeled, as theyll be hitting stores soon.

In 1992 a group of DJs emerged from the depths of Los Angeles and the Bay Area that came to be known as the Beat Junkies.TheBeatJunkiesareoneofthemostinuentialDJ crews known to man, with members such as Curse, Rhettmatic, Melo-D, Icy Ice, Symphony, and What?!.Theyve collaborated with countless artists, produced mind-blowing tracks and have inspired generations past and present. Now, LRG has honored the crew with a documentary commemorating the Beat Junkies 20th anniversary. The short lm,titledFor the Record, will be released on July 2nd. You can view the documentary in its entirety at both blisssmag.com and lrg.com. In addition, LRG is releasing a collaboration Beat Junkies tee and New Erasnapbackthatwillbeavailableinnerretaillocations.Sopay tribute to the beat masters by getting some gear and showing your support.

Uppercut Deluxe is an emerging company that provides men with the highest quality barber supplies around. Uppercut is coming to the states straight out of Australia, and luckily for us, our girl Kiera Purcell was able to hook us up with some promotional gifts so that we could put the products to the test. They offer a wide range of hair wax products Matt Clay, Deluxe Pomade, Featherweight and Monster hold and have something for everyone, depending upon the look you want. Then, we tried the shampoo, conditioner, shave cream and moisturizer and we reached a whole new level of cleanliness. All of the productsaremadewiththenestingredientsandare formulated to leave you feeling polished and ready for whatever comes your way. Were not sure how the folks at Uppercut Deluxe tapped into the knowledge of the barber gods, but were glad we got to experience the hygienic bliss theyre supplying and we hope to see more of Uppercut Deluxe spread all over the world. For now, head to uppercutdeluxe.com to get your own.

KILLER SHARK

UPPERCUT DELUXE

STANCE IS STACKED

DANES NEW FIN

BEAT JUNKIES - FOR THE RECORD

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THOM PRINGLE

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Summer is on full blast and were feeling like its about time for another BL!SSS/Instagram giveaway. This time weve teamed up with Reef and theyve given us two pairs of new kicks from their newly released RESRV Collection. The RESRV collection is premiumfootwearwitharenedlookthatllhaveyoustyledforanight out, but they can still be worn while trekking through rocky coastalregionsthankstotheirall-newswellular traction sole. Its the perfect blend of style and durability and is the backbone of what the RESRV collection represents. All you have to do is keep an eye on our Instagram page @blisssmag and like this photo whenever its posted in the month of July. The winner will be chosen at random the following week and will be contacted via Instagram. Keep your eyes on the prize and good luck to all.

The boys at Famous Wax have just added a couple new young guns to their stellar roster. New to the team is Hawaiian heavyweight Kekoa Bacalso and Californias Josh Benjoya. These boys are top-of-their-class, action-packed surfers and will represent the Famous brand well. Whether charging big Hawaiian surf or tearing apart the Lowers lineup, dont expect either of these two to come unglued, as Famous still has the stickiest wax weve ever come across. Combine that with their killer tail pads and leashes and youve pretty much got everything you could ever want for your shred stick. Click on over to famouswax.com and get yours today.

PureGlasshasalwaysbeengroundzeroforsomeofthenestboardbuildersintheindustry. It has also become the one-stop shop for everything to satisfy the needs of both surfers and shapers. Whether its a classic Dano log, a high-performance Haydenshapes, Uhuru, J7, or Robertsstick,anewsetofns,apadorsurfboardbuilding materials like blanks or resin, Jim and the boys have got it all. Now, PureGlass has made shopping that much easier with their new online store at pureglass.com. Log on and surf through the latest and greatest items in the online store, and check out their frequently updated blog with all the surf content your surf turkey brain can handle. The best part about the online store is that shipping and sales tax are free of charge. Pureglass.com is bringing highly sought after goods right to your ngertips, literally. Youcan also stop by PureGlass at 1777 Placentia in Costa Mesa and get all of the above or order the custom board you have always been dreaming of.

Nixon has been continually pumping out the worlds best watches for quite some time, and theyre experts at keeping our wrists fashionable, functional and always a step ahead of the rest. A prime example of this comes in their newest tide watch the Supertide. The Supertide is your go-to watch for making those quick lunchtime sessions from the ofce worth it. TheSupertide comes equipped with tide charts and sunrise/sunset data for over 230 beaches, but what caught our attention the most was the vivid high-resolution detail of the screen, making it much easier, and less straining on the eyes, to read. Hands down, this watch is a must-have for the avid surfer or waterman and we recommend everyone snag one.

The nose maestro himself is now wearing shades crafted by the folks at Spy Sunglasses. Thats right, were talking about none other than Joel Tudorhimself.Joelislikeanewineandjustseems to be getting better and better with age. Whether hes perched up on the nose for hours at a time on a clean Cardiff wall or throwing down on the mats with fellow jiu-jitsu world champs, Joel has just about every facet of life covered. Hes as straight up as they come and will go down in the books of history asoneofsurngselite.Wereexcitedtoseethathesfoundthepropertforasunglasssponsor,andwelookforwardtoseeinghis own signature shade very soon!

PUREGLASS ONLINE

SUPERTIDE

INSTA REEF GIVEAWAY

I SPY TUDOR

FAMOUS ADDITIONS

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RVCA :: rvca.com VOLCOM :: volcom.com NIKE :: nike.com QUIKSILVER :: quiksilver.com RIP CURL :: ripcurl.com

INSIGHT :: insight51.com HURLEY :: hurley.com VSTR :: vstr.com GLOBE :: globe.tv OAKLEY :: oakley.com

VANS :: vans.com LRG :: l-r-g.com ANALOG :: analogclothing.com ALPINESTARS :: alpinestars.com EZEKIEL :: ezekielusa.com

BRIXTON :: brixton.com LIRA :: liraclothing.com ROARK :: roarkrevival.com REEF :: reef.com FOX :: foxhead.com

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For quite awhile the bow tie had been lost and frozen in time, all but forgotten. There was a time when the bow was worn quite consistently. Back when ga-las and balls required them and when the majority of black tie event attend-ees rocked the bow with pride and not some skinny pencil tie from the Mens Warehouse. We are in new times now though, and the bow tie seems to be making a comeback, as celebrities and common folk alike have added the bow to their ensembles. There has been a surge of bow-lovers from all over sig-nifying a strengthening for the love of the bow tie. Plenty of big-name design-ers will probably tap into this emerging trend, but their over production and commercialized feel will be seen and send the consumer looking elsewhere. Where will people be able to nd the

bow tie of their dreams? Well, weve found a local entrepreneur by the name of Matt Baker whos quietly sewing him-self into the hearts, or shall I say necks, of many. He just might be the solution to the bow tie niche. His attention to detail, old-fashioned approach and unadulter-ated love of the bow tie has helped him give birth to M.G. BAKER CO.

For Matt, his infatuation with construct-ing clothes all started in middle school. He loved making his own outts and had an esteemed appreciation for the fabrics used as well as the polished look he would strive to produce. This past October, when Matt was putting the n-ishing touches on a suit he was building for himself, he struggled to nd a bow tie of his liking. I couldnt nd anything with good material or that had the col-

ors I was looking for, he said. So, he took matters into his own hands and thus began the process of research-ing how to make his own bow tie. He uncovered vintage 1940s sewing ma-chines (which he feels work better and last longer than modern-day ones) and ventured into the concrete jungle of Los Angeles on a weekly basis to seek out and buy the nest of fabrics made of 100% cotton that any normally trained eye might overlook. Less than a year later, mgbakerco.com is up and running with a diverse range of custom-made bow ties. The unique and exciting colors are enough to turn a few heads, or the more subtle designs will ease you into the bow tie revolution. Now, many of you might feel a bit hesitant about get-ting a bow tie because youre unfamil-iar with how to tie one. But dont worry.

Matt, being as wise as he is at the ripe old age of 23, has solved that for us. Each bow tie purchased comes in a box that features hand-written instructions on how to tie your bow tie as well as how to t it around your neck properly.

Whether youre looking to wear one for a formal event or just looking to casu-ally throw one on with a button-up and jeans, M.G. BAKER CO. will have you dialed. Matt is bringing back a lost love and doing it with his own two hands, and his minimalist attitude means consistent perfection across the board. So, there you have it. Now, log onto mgbakerco.com today and order yours before the secret gets out and youre left wearing that hideous ascot tucked deep inside your closet.

Words: Spencer Pirdy

Photo: Drew Trizinsky

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BACKPACKSFOR EVERY SITUATIONQUIKSILVER.COM

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Known Gallery presented another hit show,LovelyDay,asoloexhibitionbycontemporary artist Patrick Martinez. The crowd poured in opening night and buzzed around Martinezs artwork the neon lights generating a high energy. His show was inspired by the collocations/contrastsofLA,thebeautifuldaysandtheevilsthatsubsideinthebelovedcityof Los Angeles. Known Gallery, located on 441 North Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, will beexhibitingLovelyDaybyPatrickMar-tinez until July 7th, 2012, so make sure to go check out Martinezs artwork and Known Gallery if you havent been.

Patrick Martinez, a diverse young artist, is known for his lush, colorful paintings and portraits set in the streets of Los Angeles. His neon works play on hip-hop themes, his sculptures and his limited-edition ob-

jects.ForLovelyDay,herevisitstheLosAngeleslandscape.ItscrazytomethatI wake up to beautiful days here in LA, but they are juxtaposed with the evil things that happen in this sublime city. Thats the inspiration for the show, says Martinez.

For the piece upon which the exhibition is based, a still-life painting with a layer of neon, spelling Lovely Day on top, Marti-nezsays,Ipaintedabedofowerstypi-cal to Los Angeles and took what I was doing with neon, which is inspired by LA store fronts, and combined the two. The result was the piece Lovely Day, which wasalsotherstpieceIcreated inthisbody of work. The theme is seldom ad-dressed in contemporary art and one that intrigued Martinez. Many of his new works have similarly glossy exteriors with dark undertones.

Another paradox Martinez explores is the malepsyche,asexempliedinhispaint-ing Culture of Honor, which depicts athuggishmanfestoonedwithachildso-tationdeviceoroatie.Martinezsays,Iwanted to use a Los Angeles male arche-type to present this idea. Its a beach set-ting, the proud male doesnt know how to swim, but hes sporting this I dont give a shit attitude but he really does care. Moreover, he doesnt want to drown.

Culture ofHonor is one of the showshighlights, as are two vending machines that are like those typically found in LA car washes, laundromats and liquor stores. They have been loaded with cus-tom-sculpted toys in plastic capsules cast in various materials. One of the items is a stickyhand WestCoast version, the

other is a piece of cheese and a plastic pig ngerpuppet.Thevendingmachinesalsovend prismatic stickers with images of Martinezs new neon pieces. Patrick Mar-tinez is one of the most exciting young artists in Los Angeles at the moment. He has exhibited in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, The Netherlands, Toronto and Hawaii. Complex magazine recentlynamedMartinezoneofitsMostImportant Artists of 2011 and one of its Most Inuential Artists of the ComplexDecade.

To check out upcoming shows at Known Gallery and more images from LovelyDay by Patrick Martinez log onto known-gallery.com, or to see more of Patrick Marti-nezs art click over to patrickmartinez.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Known Gallery

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I am a hater. I hate most food, art, people, architecture, cars, magazines, movies, TV shows you get my point. Even if you dont get my point I dont care because most likely I hate the cadence you use when you read my words. Its not because I think I am above everything or can do it better; it is for the sole reason that things never really go as well as you hope they will. Perhaps my expectations are always too high. For example, I went to the Bikini Bar recently. Firstly, I was expecting for it to be a strip bar with girls in bikinis, and secondly, that it would be a bar in general. My expectations were blown on both counts. No strippers, stages or poles to be had, and they only serve beer and wine. I ended up drinking fake tequila, which didnt really get me drunk so much as it just made me lose my capacity to talk, all the while making me feel like I was on the boat in the tunnel scene of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory. To add insulttoinjury,Ioppedoutonmygirlfriendwhen I got home. You have to empathize with my hate at this point.

Music is the source of the most arguments I have,secondonlytotheouttsroadcyclistswear. It is also the thing that has had the most impact on my life. I grew up in New

Jersey completely immersed in the NY/NJ/DC hardcore/punk and metal scene. I am pretty narrow-minded when it comes to music, but I do know this scene and was a part of it since the early 80s. This makes me an expert.

In the late 80s, Revelation Records was started and a slew of new hardcore bands recorded with the label bands like Warzone, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Sick of it All, etc. The most important band, in my opinion, to come out of this label was Quicksand. Quicksand was started by Gorilla Biscuits guitarist/writer Walter Schreifels. I have to be honest, I thought most of these bands were a bit hokey and way too fucking preachy. Most concerts had the front men spending more time preaching positivity and other rhetoric than actually singing. Walter was not that guy. Instead of talking he along with Tom Capone (guitar), Alan Cage (drums) and Sergio Vega (bass) formed what was essentially a super-group of sorts for that scene. Quicksand was the band that changed the sound of New York hardcore period. I am not going to explain how they sound, because you can look them up and hear what I am talking about. The albumSlipisoneyoushoulddenitelyaddtoyour collection.

On June 8th, Revelation Records held a three-day event in honor of their 25th year anniversary at The Glass House in Pomona. A bunch of Revelations key bands played throughout the weekend. Night three promised a surpriseguest performance and the buzz was that it was going to be Quicksand. I was let in on the secret a few days prior and wasnt going to miss it. The last time I saw Quicksand play was in the early 90s when they headlined the Warpedtour.ItwasalsothersttimeIsawthem play on a big stage. Most bands have a hard time transitioning from small clubs to bigger stages. Quicksand took it in stride. So the question for most of us was could they pull it off almost 20 years later? My friend Jon and I were speculating about how it would go. We knew they only had two days to practice, and after almost 20 years that seems like a tough hurdle. We expected them to be even better than before merely because these guys individually never stopped playing music, so if you think about it, they should be better. Rumors of Walter walking out of practice and inghtingwereallovertheclub,noneofwhichwere true to the best of my knowledge.

The lights went off and dramatic, synthesized music came on and we knew this was the

moment of truth. I have only one problem with the Glass House and that is the sound. It never seems loud or clean enough for the space, so when I heard the baseline of Omission I waited, almost nervous for the band, about how it would sound when the song kicked in. When it did it blew a hole in my chest. I have been to hundreds of concerts over the years but I have never had this kind of reaction to a band live. It may have been the best performance I have ever seen. They were louder and tighter than I could have ever expected. The entire set only lasted about 30 minutes, but is was 30 minutes of pure hatelessness. I do, however, hate the fact that you just questioned whether or not I knew if hatelessness was a real word or not. I know Quicksand wasnt nearly as big here as they were on the East Coast. That is your loss. You would have traded Sublime any day for these guys. Revelation will be doing a reunion in the near future in NYC, and it is safe to say that Quicksand will make another appearance. If you have the means, get on a plane and go see them play. It may just be your last chance.

Words: Lee Loughridge

Photo: Lenny Zimkus

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Emma Hack is the Australian artist behind the artwork in Gotyesmusic video, Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra). Emmas art is documented in a time lapse, as the phrasesshe didnt have to cut me off and you can be addicted to a certain kind of sadness, sing through your head and the song becomes alive. Emma strategically paints Wally (Gotye) and Kimbra into the picture, creating a human, multi-dimensional piece of art. Emmas work has reached a new level of awareness and admiration and has been viewed on an astounding global level with growing obsession with over 250 million views on YouTube (growing daily and reaching a crazy cult-like status). The words somebody that I used to know repeat and Emmas art starts to unfold, transforming and mesmerizing the viewer. Gotye and Kimbra are in essence the canvas, and as the video starts to lapse Kimbra sheds her paint standing bare leaving Gotye standing alone in a magical and surreal backdrop, an image where he becomes his own personal painting. Emma Hack has been perfecting this technique/style of artwork since 2005 - she is multi-faceted and works with animals, models, and photographic artwork. Make sure to check out the video (if you havent already) on YouTube and see more of Emma Hacks work, including her recent portrait of Gotye at, emmahackartist.com.

So Emma, your art is featured in the hit by Gotye Somebody That I Used To Know music video. How does it feel to have over 250 million views of your art?Quite surreal. I almost feel detached from it now as we created it over a year ago. But in

saying this, it is pretty amazing and exciting that people are appreciating what I do as well as a great song.

Will you tell us the story about how this video featuring your art came about?Natasha Pincus, the director/producer, contacted me, as she wanted to blend Wally into a wall. The design is actually one of Wallys (Gotye) fathers works from the 80s, a sketch as such. I was offered free rein but feltitwasntrighttomakeitanEmmaHack,it had to be about Wally. I worked with him on reconguring it slightly to work best forthe blend.

What was it like working with Wally (Goyte) and Kimbra?The process is quite painful, to be honest, so there were many obstacles, but they wanted it to work as much as I did. And after all, it was for them so they did their best. Both are such lovely people. Wally is a humble, genuine man.

How long did it take to paint them and create the video?The painting took 23 hours to complete. It was stop motion so I was literally painting a spot, lining them up, taking a photo, then repeatingitwasverytechnicallydifcult!

Will you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from, etcetera?I am from Adelaide, South Australia. It is all about lifestyle here. Surrounded by two major wine regions, beautiful landscape and beaches, its a great place to feel inspired.

You began your career as a make-up artist. How did you move into body painting?It was suggested by my make-up teacher at the time, Bill Peacock. He noticed my gift for creating illusion with face painting and told me to start carrying it onto the human form. I entered a fantasy make-up competition, won, and was hooked!

What inspired your unique style of blending body painting, paint on canvas and photography?In the early 2000s a friend suggested I look at the work of Verushka. She had blended herself into rustic walls and natural backgrounds; I loved the illusion but didnt know how to relate it to my work until I saw the wallpaper designs of the late Florence Broadhurst. It was an instantaneous connection so I grabbed some off-cuts and started painting my models into them. It worked as very strong work from the beginning, and this was 2005.

How long have some of your longest works taken to paint?Therstwallpaperwork,Wallpaper1,took19hours to create. I then went back the next day and created the next one at 17 hours. I had no idea it would take so long!

Did you always want to be an artist? Are you formally trained as an artist or self-taught? Are their any artists that you feel inuenceyourworkorinspireyou?Yes, I always loved drawing and painting. Youhave tondyournicheasanartist, asthere are so many out there, and just believe in what you do. I started painting bodies 22

years ago and had the vision of where I am today. It hasnt been easy but you appreciate the things that happen even more now because of that. I have no formal training.

Do you work with animals and other subject matter beside people?I found a Broadhurst wallpaper back in 2008 that was named Crocodile Skin. I had the ideatondacrocodiletofeatureinit.Whenshooting this image the handler mentioned he had many other birds and animals, so I started featuring them within the works. I continue this as they are beautiful, fun to work with and send an environmental message.

Soweheardyoujustnishedaportraitof Wally (Gotye). Where can people check it out? Do you sell prints of it, and if so, where?You can check out the short lm on themaking of the image on Vimeo (vimeo.com/lmtraits). The image is also up onmy website, emmahackartist.com, and you can order prints by emailing me at [email protected].

Where can people check out more of your artwork? You can check out more of my work at emmahackartist.com. There are some documentaries of me working and creating on there as well as interviews. I am represented by Rebecca Hossack Gallery in NYC. I am looking for gallery representation in California, so if anyone is interested please message me.

Interview: Liz Rice McCray

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/ RYAN BURCH wears the HELM

O F T H E U S U A L

spyoptic.com/blackice

spy_BLISSS_burch_0912.indd 2 6/12/12 12:42 PM

Photo: Dominic Petruzzi : dominicpetruzziphoto.com // Model: Sophia

Withagorgeousgazeandawlessgure,SophiacomespouncinginasJulysSuperTaste.Sophiaisthekindofgirlthatwedalllovetostumbleuponwhilewalking in the sand this summer. One should always be prepared for an encounter with a lady of this caliber, whether youre at the beach, out on the town or waiting in line for coffee. Just remember to take a deep breath and trust your instincts. But seriously guys, no lame pickup lines, because girls like Sophia will use those seductive eyes and see right through you.

Hair & Makeup: Morgan Fallon :: morganfallon.com // Retouch: JasonSchorle.com

Gareth Stehr is one of the nest lads I know. This beardedgentleman from New Zealand is not just a radical professional skateboarder, but hes also a very talented artist. The term artist is loosely thrown around in this day and age. It seems like every professional athlete is adding the wordartist tohisorher listoftalents. Gareth is not jumping on this bandwagon. He has been creating art for years, well before it was the cool thing to do. Theres no mistaking Gareths art, as your attention is immediately grabbed by the use of bright, neon colors contrasting the really dark subjects or situations. Instead of buying his canvases from your run-of-the-mill art stores, he typically creates original wood panels or stretches his own canvases. His inspirations come

from his attraction of the occult, witchcraft, heavy metal, and psychedelic stoner rock. He isnt blatant and cheesy when it comes to his dark and satanic pieces either, but rather he depicts the imagery as he sees it, leaving the viewer with feelings of joy and happiness. Besides his artwork and skateboarding, Gareth is also atruemotorcycleacionadoandfabricator. He incorporates this uniqueness of his metal work and fabrication in pieces of his art as well. We were able to track him down for a few simple questions, and this is what he had to say.

How long have you been creating art?Ive been doing art ever since I was a young kid back in New Zealand. I always chose art as a subject in school and took

photography up until the time I moved here to the US.

Where does your inspiration come from?I draw my inspiration from everything. I believe its hard for an artist, or anyone for that matter, not to absorb the stimuli occurring around them every day. I guess to break it down more specically, I like to drawinspiration from occult imagery and the notion of good and evil.

It is very visible from your art that you put a ton of thought into it. Its not supercial,generic and youre not trying to emulate what everyone else is doing. Especially with what you choose for your medium. I think your inspiration, when it comes to art, is very visible

in the way you skate. Do you have any plans for any art shows in the future?Yeah, I recently started working with a new agency called Nightseid. We will be looking for a galleryspaceandholdingourrstopening hopefully within the next couple of months. It should be a really exciting show; they have a lot of great artists in the roster, so keep an eye out.

What do you think about all the skateboarders that are calling themselves artists these days?I believe that skateboarding is such a creative sport that we are all artists anyways. Its only natural that some of us branch out into other mediums and explore our creativity. I also think it is becoming increasingly amazing

Interview: Raul Montoya

56

that the community of skaters is banding together to create more group shows and events showcasing skateboarders and their art.

Whats your favorite gallery and why?There are so many galleries I cant really pick a favorite, but I enjoy the shows at Known Gallery on Fairfax. They always have some really talented artists there. You can

never miss a show at the R&R gallery. Its a guaranteed good time with good friends and topnotch pieces as well.

How much have you received for your most expensive piece?I dunno if I need to be chatting it up about that kinda stuff. Lets just say it paid my rent for a bit.

I think that speaks volumes of the type of guy you really are. Thank you for your time and looking forward to seeing more of your work in the near future.

To stay current on everything Gareth is up to, be sure to check out his website at garethstehr.com.

Chief Druku :: Photo: ASP

Slater :: Photo: Bielmann

Healys 90 in the lip :: Photo: Courtesy of ASP

Judging Tower :: Photo: ASP

I saw a lion up close in Africa. I was at the lion enclosure at a game reserve. I walked over to a giant fence that was about 20 feet high. The lions lived on the other side of it. The fence was not very impressive. It was made of wire squares. Man, you could tyour head through one of those squares, I said out loud to myself. I wouldnt dothat if I were you, said a park ranger who happenedtohearme.Thefencehasquitea bit of electricity running through it, bru. And the cat can move pretty quick when he

wantsto.Justsayinisall,Isaid.

I walked over to where an adult male lay on the grass. The big cat sat quietly. A gust of wind teased his mane. He didnt look at me as I approached. He looked off into the distance. It looked like he was thinking about a memory. I stood no more than a few feet from him. I took in the size of his paws, the mass of his skull. I looked at the muscles twitching under his pelt warding off the tsetseies.Iwatchedtheickofhistail.It

made a heavy sound on the air. It sounded like if he whipped you with that tail itd hurt. It might even leave a bruise.

The lion yawned. His teeth were huge and his gape immense. I knew that this animal could kill me easily. I would provide little resistance compared to even his tamest prey. Chased down and clamped in his jaws, my bones would explode into splinters and my blood would spill onto the grass. Hed stand over my lifeless remains as the rightful king of the

jungle and Id be dead as dead can be.

But that would never happen. I was perfectly safe. And I knew I was perfectly safe because of that thin electried line. A linethat separated man from man-eater. A line I would have no cause to cross. Not now. Not Ever. We may have only been a few feet apart, but the lion and I were in entirely different worlds. Worlds I believed could never converge. And then I went to Fiji.

THE LINE AND THE LIONFolly of the Average Man on That Day Words: Vaughan Blakey

Slater & Wooly :: Photo: BielmannBlakey & Big Tony :: Photo: Bielmann Kava time Photo: ASP Ceremony :: Photo: ASP

Kelly Slater :: Photo: Courtesy of ASP

CJ Hobgood :: Photo: Bielmann

Today the surf was massive. Like... 20-foot. Proper 20-foot surf. Bigger even. I saw shit I still cannot believe. I watched from a boat in the channel from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. I watched six-foot men ride ten-foot boards through 20-foot barrels. I watched and watched.

Nathan Fletcher was out in the morning on a 1010. When he paddled past Ace Buchan, Ace said he felt like an ant. Melling and Bede and Otto and Raoni surfed two heats in the biggest waves Ive ever seen for an ASP comp. Warriors. Hell men. Lambs to the slaughter. Two heats and that wasthat.Theeventwentonhold.Thentheycalleditoff.Toodangerous,theysaid.Wrongwind, they said. But still the freesurfers paddled out. I watched and watched.

I sat and saw the craziest tuberides to ever go down, man. Ian Walsh got an 18-second 18-foot barrel. Reef McIntosh rode a tube so big it popped my ears when it spat him into the channel near our boat. Pat Gudauskas fell out of the sky sideways and somehow stuck it long enough to not get pulverized to dust. Ramon Navarro tail-wheelied his way over a foam ball to make the deepest pit of theday.Ofanyday.Inhistoryeven.Itseemedlikeeverymomentredenedtheonebeforeit.Everywaveraised the bar. The swell was still picking up and I watched and watched.

60

Atabout3:30IguredIshouldatleastgoandwatch from in the water. I wanted to suck up more of the energy of the day. I wanted to hear the banter of big wave surfers. What did they talk aboutinbetweensets?Inatablewetsuits?Oxygencanisters? Jersey Shore? I wanted to hear that shit and I wanted to feel the swells, the weight of history, move through me.

There had been no cleanup sets and no wash-throughs. The swell was true to the line of the reef. Andthatlinewasaseasytoseeasanelectried

fence at a lion enclosure. I knew on which side of that line I belonged. The side with no man-eaters. The swell was true. I knew Id be safe.I borrowed a 70 from an Aussie guy named Nick. I dived over the side and into warm water. It felt soft and inviting. As I paddled toward the pack, sets continued to roll in and surfers continued to ride inside them. The scale of the waves took on an entirely different dimension. How big was that last one? I dont know. How doyoumeasureawingofjetsyingatyou?In speed? In height? In width? In volume? In

power? I dont know It was massive.

The whole place was buzzing. Whistles. Hoots. Cheers. Clapping. Laughter. Swearing. Disbelief. I saw Josh Kerr and Ace sitting on the edge of the pack. Friendly familiar faces. I paddled over and sat with them. CJ Hobgood joined us on one of Kelly Slaters 90s. Then he quickly turned and stole one that missed the guys on the ledge. The wave rolled under me. I felt the heavy rain of the spray coming off its roof as it passed. I was in the thick of it.

But the line was clear. I felt safe and I watched and watched.

I listened to the banter. It was as warm as thewater.Thisispumping.Thisisperfect.Can you believe this? Ian Walsh paddledpast and everyone asked him about his earlier barrel. The talk was familiar. Surf talk. And then in an instant everything changed. The air. The mood. The line. My line. My line had moved. My line had betrayed me. And then I was looking from the wrong side of the line

Gabriel Medina :: Photo: Bielmann

Fanning :: Photo: Bielmann

Owen Wright :: Photo: BielmannKolohe :: Photo: Bielmann

Jordy :: Photo: ASP

Photo: Bielmann

Pat Gudauskas :: Photo: ASP

And then I was moving up the face and my entire lifetime of surngtold me I was safe. I had crossed over. The monster had stayed true to the reef. I was back on my side. The natural order of things had been restored. The wave roared as it ran under me, like a lion would roar. And then it was gone, on its way to Restaurants (where as an angry 10-footer it would clean up everyone out there and wash three guys onto dry reef).

The entire lineup was screaming and cheering in the wake of this set. Healey had ditched his board and just made it through. He was alive and safe. Kai Garcia was already motoring out on the ski to get him. There was celebration in the air. Excitement. Kerrsy and I looked at each other. He was laughing.

Were you scared just then? heaskedme.Iwasshittingmyself!

Ididntcomeheretodie,Icamehere to watch. I told him, Ivenever been more scared in my life.

Tonight photographs of the rogue set began appearing on computer screens in the media room, with Healys board caught up on the lip and a familiar shape in the bottom left hand corner frantically scratching for life and limb. I had to laugh when I saw it. Its a strange feeling to look at yourself knowing that at that very moment you thought you might die. And then also having to admit that I was almost always certainly wide enough to avoid being eaten alive. Everyone on this island is asking questions of themselves tonight. People online are asking questions too. And Im sitting here asking myself: Did I really cross the line today? I cant say for sure. But I do know that of all the really stupid things Ive done in my life, paddling out into that surf is not one of them.

as a thing rose from deep and from the deep. Top to bottom, heaven to hell, ocean folding in half. Disgusting and incredible and truly frightening.

Healey sat deepest. He had a quick look at this thing then changed his mind. I watched (and paddled) as he just scratched over an avalanche. Then I watched (and paddled) as the biggest big-wave hell men in the

world scratched over it too. I watched their reaction as they breached the lip and saw the wave behind it. I watched them gunning for the channel. I watched (and paddled) and watched (and paddled).

WhenIreachedthetopofthatrstwaveI felt a hard kick to my chest. What I saw was hard to take in. The entire ocean was going skyward. No matter where I looked

there was rising water. Panic. Kids. Dry mouth. Home. Adrenalin. Life. Sickness. Death. The line I buried my arms to the earlobes. I clawed and scratched and kicked. I put in every last bit of energy I had in my body. I had to get back to my side of the line and I feared in the deepest part of me I wouldnt.

The wave doubled up and started projectile

vomiting across the deepest part of the reef. I had never seen anything so big move so fast so loud. I watched Healy scramble. He was directly in its path. I saw his board go up and over. Did he go with it? If he did hes dead. I dont know. I couldnt think straight. MymindwasscreamingatmeWHATHAVEI DONE? WHAY AM I OUT HERE? THIS IS A NIGHTMARE. I kicked and clawed and scratched for the line.

Reef McIntosh :: Photo: Courtesy of ASP

Damien Hobgood Photo: Courtesy of ASP

Oh yeah, by the way one of the best World Tour competitions of all-time went down as well. Tavarua island was host to the best in the world and they shined at Cloudbreak and Restaurants. None other than Robert Kelly Slater took top honors, but not without having to fend off a red-hot young Brazilian Gabriel Medina in thenal.

Here is where everyone stood after the dust settled:VOLCOM FIJI PRO FINAL RESULTS:1 Kelly Slater (USA) 18.162 Gabriel Medina (BRA) 10.87

VOLCOM FIJI PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:SF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.93 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 6.57SF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.50 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.50

VOLCOM FIJI PRO REMAINING QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:QF 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.60 def. John John Florence (HAW) 9.10QF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.60 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.46QF 3: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.57 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 7.76QF 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.14 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.76

CURRENT ASP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR TOP 5 (After Volcom Fiji Pro):1. Mick Fanning (AUS) 24,750 pts2. Kelly Slater (USA) 23,700 pts3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 23,700 pts4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 22,400 pts5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 20,950 pts

John Florence :: Photo: Courtesy of ASP

Parko :: Photo: Courtesy of ASP

Ian Walsh :: Photo: Courtesy of ASP

ST_Advert_BlisssJune2012_2PS.indd 1 6/5/12 10:03 AM

I dont know what it is about some people, but for some strange reason certain types of people attract abuse. Most of the time it is brought on by something goofy that they did, but sometimes its just because they can take it. Chris Mathis is that guy. If you havethechancetomeethim,therstthing youll notice is that he is loud. Why? Is he hearing impaired? No, its because Mathis is excited. About what? Well, pretty much everything.

Ive known Chris since he was a preteen. He comes from a good home and a town where everyone wants to see him succeed, myself included. After taking a semester off of college, he moved out west and took residence in one of our guest bedrooms in an attempt to live the dream. Although he still has a ways to go, Chris Mathis is really coming into his own.

Give us the rundown: age, sponsors and where youre from? Im 21 years old. Im from Media, Pennsylvania, and I ride for World Industries, Ergo Clothing, Theeve Trucks and Fairmans Skate Shop. Tell us the worst story you have about you losing someones stuff. Im terrible. I guess I have a bad memory or something, but ever since I was little I was good at losing stuff. Not intentionally, of course, but Ive lost clothes, money, phones, house keys you name it. Recently, I took the bus from Arizona to Long Beach to stay with Charlie Thomas (World Team Manager). All the dudes at World give me shit for being owtrash, consistently blowing it one way or another. So I was convinced this time that there was no way I could screw up. I had it all guredout - skate hard, dont complain and dont blow it. My plan was foolproof,

until that rst night I took Charliescruiser board to the skate bar down the street. Long story short, I checked on the board once or twice and the third time it was gone. I had to take the walk of shame back to his house knowing I was in deep shit and wasnt going to live this one down. The next morning before we took our seven-hour drive up to San Francisco I had to break it to him that I lost his cruiser board, his best one at that. Ever since, thats all I hear from everyone on the team. I think Im learning slowly but surely. Sorry, Chuck, I owe you. What is the coolest trip youve been on so far for skateboarding? By far the coolest trip Ive ever been on was an 11-day trip to Guangzhou, China. It was me, Andrew Cannon, Mark Del Negro, Chris Haslam and our buddy Tommy Zhou translating, lming and showing us around thecity. I had never been out of the country before and didnt really know what to expect. It was amazing, such a culture shock from my little suburb town outside of Philadelphia. Seeing full families ride down the street on a moped with their kids hanging off the side,dodgingthecraziest trafcandseeing slaughtered animals hang off thebackofmotorcyclesybyyou.Itwas truly amazing to y around theworld and see a completely different culture, and even better to go skate the best spots Ive ever seen. That was the best trip of my life. We had a great crew, skated as much as we possibly could and got pampered with delicious food, beer, massages and skate spots everything a man could want. I had the time of my life and couldnt sum it all into one paragraph. If I could do it all again I would in a heartbeat, and I might possibly consider getting a little Chinese sugar momma to prolong my adventure.

Interview: Andrew Cannon

68

F.S Crooks :: Photo: Mikendo

B.S 360 :: Seq : Ortiz

Have you ever rapped in another country? If so, please explain. Yeah, when we were in China I somehowendedupsingingGimmieThe Loot by Biggie Smalls in front of a huge crowd of people. Some poor guy and his kid were trying to raise money for his sick wife in the streets of Guangzhou. He was singing some terrible sounding Chinese song with a microphone and speaker and didnt seem to be collecting much money. I had never sung karaoke before that in my life but I guess it was my time to shine. Next thing I know Im scrolling through songs on my phone with a mic in my hand. I didnt realize until

midway through the song that a big-ass crowd formed and people were giving a bunch of donations and lming on their phones. Maybe itwas a little liquid courage but I was in the zone. The next day our friend found a picture of me on Chinese Google singing my heart out, so Im pretty hyped on that photo. Who inspired you as a skateboarder growing up? Kerry Getz, Danny Renaud, Anthony Pappalardo, Arto Saari, Josh Kalis, a bunch of Philly dudes that killed it, probably because I could go downtown and skate the same spots as they did and fan out.

Who do you like now? Everyone I get to skate with on a daily basis hypes me up. Outside that, Jake Johnson, Austin Gillette, Ishod Wair, Mark Suciu, Kyle Nicholson anyone who is raising the bar and isnt a kook. What is it about you that makes you such a good whipping boy for everyone at World? Why does everyone give you such a hard time? I dont know. They love to put me through hell, but I guess I deserve it because I like to give people a hard time as well. So I now have the reputation of constantly

blowing it and end up at the shit end of everyones jokes, or getting punched or told to clean the van or something. Its good though its like a brotherly love kinda thing, like if your brother wants to beat the shit out of you. I think, or at least I hope, they still like me or else theyd be giving someone else a hard time. So thank you and keep it coming. Which 90s cartoon character did you look like before you cut your hair? Rodger Klotz from Doug. How did being such a lady-killer almost get you killed

B.S 360 :: Seq : Ortiz

Ollie :: Photo: Ortiz B.S Smith :: Photo: Ortiz

K Grind :: Photo: Ortiz Pop Shuv it :: Photo: Ortiz

at a party in Arizona? Ha, I wouldnt say almost killed, but I went to some random bro party in AZ with a couple of my skate homies from the local park and everything was cool for a while, despite the room full of TapOut t-shirts. I ended up getting pretty drunk and making out with some chick there who seemed to be single. Then, like two hours later, me, my homies and the chick are sitting on the couch and the front door swings open and its these two meathead dudes roll in with all these shitty tattoos and starts yelling at me to get up off the couch. I thought he

was joking at rst, and thennext thing I know the one dude starts punching my friend in the head sitting next to me so I grab him to try and break it up and the bro pulls out a sketchy little switchblade and is screaming to let him go or he was gonna stab him. He had the knife like six inches above my buddys knee; I swore he was gonna stab him right then and there. Everyone at the party started freaking out and it eventually ended. The dude wanted to ghtmeone-on-onefortalkingto his girl. At this point thegirl disappeared and I told him I have no idea who anyone

was at that party, and Im not about to ght someone whojust pulled a knife out because he got in a headlock. What do we have to look forward to seeing from you in the future? A bunch of skateboarding. My plan is to skate as hard as I can, learn new tricks, lm abunch and take it day by day. Im fortunate to have done all the things in my life so far and Im having fun. I cant ask for much more than that. Who do you want to thank?

I would like to thank my mom and dad for being so supportive, Andrew Cannon for having my back since day one, Dave Fairman, Charlie Thomas, Joe Hammeke and Chris Ortiz for making this interview happen. My sponsors, everyone at World for putting up with all my shit and pushing me to do the best I can, and all the homies back on the East Coast. Everyone that has helped me out I owe everything in my life to skateboarding. It has made me who I am, and it gives me a reason to go out everyday and do something I love.

Is all of what youve been working on lately going to be for your show at Gagosian in the fall?Um,ideally(laughs).Ihavebenetsandalloftheseotherthings,butyouknow people want to donate money to art organizations and get art for free, ya know.

I know that you really enjoy and love painting, but sometimes do youndyourselfsayingWow,thisisreallywork?Um, no. Painting is what I love to do. Im really happy to be able to do itandwhenpaintingbecomesdifcultandtherearehardthingstoaccomplishitslikeanythingelse.Itbecomesextremelydifcultwork.Itshard to complain though because its being able to do what you love and for me thats the ultimate. For a long time I had to do everything else but paint to afford to paint. I always keep that very clearly in mind, and that sense is never lost.

Never forget those days, right?(Laughs) Yeah, never ever-ever. Its always at your doorstep. Its a balance, and I always feel like its right on the edge.

Were you born and raised in Marblehead, Massachusetts?Amazingly, yes. They closed the hospitals and maternity wards shortly after I was born, but yeah, I was one of the last people to be born in a hospital in Marblehead and then grew up there until I went to college.

What was it like growing up there as a kid?Well, its like a peninsula and one of the older towns in the country that was founded in 1629. So for this country thats old. And with the coastline there it was really about growing up in the water. I was near the water and in the water at a very early age and was able to explore independently from a pretty young age, and we had all of the islands that us kids would explore.

Didyoundsurngwhenyouwereakidthereordidyoundthatlater on?Lateron,denitely.Iwitnessedit.Therewasonereallyhugestorm,andIthinkthatwasin78,andareefhadformedthatpeoplestartedsurngat.Therewasreallynotraditionofsurnginthewholearea,notthatIknew of, even though I was a member of the surf club in my high school (laughs).Mainlyitwasskateboarding.Thatwasthewholething,surngwasnt; it was skating. This was in the 70s so it was like Tony Alvas time and Jay Adams and all of that was happening while I was in high school because Im their same age. Those are the people I really looked up to, sosurngwasntreallyaconstantthingwhereIwas.Didwakesurngthough, because I was really competitive in yacht racing and sailboat racing from a very early age. I was actually a sail maker when I went to highschoolandinmyrstfewyearsofcollegethatswhatIdidforwork.

Wow,soifwereeverstuckintheSouthPacicIdbesafewithyou? (Laughs) Yeah, Im good with sailboats but Im not good with motors, and its hard for me to really trust going out in motorboats. I trust myself in a sailboat no matter how bad it gets in terms of conditions. Like, it can get pretty bad and Im still okay with that, but when youre relying on an engine and fuel and all that out in the middle of the ocean thats not something thats particularly appealing to me. So sailboats are something I know very well and from racing them at a very early age.

Have you always been interested in painting? In high school were you taking art classes, or was it something that you naturally had the ability for from an early age?Yeah,itwasdenitelyfromanearlyagefordrawingandallmygrandparentswereSundaypainters,Iguessistheterm.Inretirementtheyallpainted.And so whenever I went over to whoevers side of the familys house they always had all of these oil paintings of the landscapes and paintings from the town. My grandfather was really the one who actually every time I came over hed give me a little drawing lesson, make sure I had the supplies and then would check up on my drawings each time. That was from a young age. In high school I was at a public school, and surprisingly for a small New England town they had an amazing art program. They had an excellent teacher and art history classes in a public high school, which is now basically non-existent. Now throughout the country that type ofeducation isveryhardtond.Inthe 70sIwasvery luckytohavethat. I used drawing as basically a way of communicating with friends, because I had a knack for it and I could draw basically anything and people would ask me to draw things in the study halls or cafeterias or whatever. I was always drawing things and entertaining friends so it has pretty much stayed the same since then.

I like the Sundays with Grandpa.Yeah, he would always make sure to check up on my drawing, but I didnt really start painting until college. Painting wasnt really an issue for me because oil painting seemed to be something I just did. The whole idea

Interview: Danny Fuller

Images: Courtesy of Richard Phillips Studio

of using oil and oil paint and then the fact that you had to wait for it to dry and all that stuff seemed very unappealing to me. So, I made acrylic paintings in high school, none of which were very good (laughs), but it was fun. There were vastly more talented students in my high school whose work were very inspiring to me because they were uentinoilpaintandcoulddrawamazinglywell. So, the other students really were a big inspiration to me as well.

Have you kept any of that early work from high school by chance?I dont have it with me. It would probably be in some kind of storage facility. My mom might have some kind of a print or something that I made in junior high school put up in the house, but I dont have any images of that stuff. It was pretty much like a cross between Salvador Dali and Ed Budmunk (laughs).

Back in those days it was awesome. I really had no understanding of modern or contemporary art in the least bit. Art history was only up to you know, it was a sketchy knowledge. Contemporary art wasnt something I even knew about until like sophomore year in college and I was pretty much like, What? That changedeverything.

Did you move to New York before you went to college?I pretty much did in a straight line a migration south from my hometown. Meaning I went from Marblehead and moved into Boston in 1980 and did my undergrad at Boston University. And whats notable about that is thatitwasavery,verytraditionalgurativepainting curriculum in the sense that we drew and painted and sculpted from the live model and also had to be very well schooled in anatomy, as well as in the techniques of painting and sculpture and so forth. So it was a very traditional school. From that point, my senior year I ended up going to Massachusetts College of Art, which was far more liberal and progressive in their teaching. Thats what really prepared me to go to Yale, where I did my graduate work from 84-86. At that time thats where I met friends: John Currin, Sean Landers and more, all whom I remain extremely close with to this day. Thats where I threw the whole idea of gurative painting out thewindow to do sculpture, which I continued to do until about 1990 and did not make paintings. So, I didnt really resume painting until 1992. Then, in a way, 92-94 was kind of a period of experimentation and then in95Ibeganthekindofplatformfromwhich my work has developed since.

Do you see yourself ever doing sculptures again?I do. Absolutely. I mean, I never thought Iwasgoingtomakelmsorphotographs,honestly. That didnt even seem to be a possibility. The only way that that came about was that someone asked me to do it. I would never say no. So, if youasked me to do sculptures Id say yes(laughs). In fact, I have boxes of elements for sculptures in my studio right now; its just to the point where I dont know what to do. With any type of forum its a matter ofndingwhatyouwanttocommunicateto the forum, because otherwise it really isnt art or anything at all, except for stuff. When you can give life to it and have it be a potential carrier of an art experience thats when youve got something. I feel like that sculptural element is really emerging to me again and I dont know what form its actually going to take yet.

Maybe after your next trip to Hawaii it will come clear to you. (Laughs)See thats the thing, when I did live in Hawaii for a year, that experience that you have changes your thinking about art and sculpture and painting and everything for that matter. When I see the type of great work that people do, like the shapers or surfers or surfboards and all of that, it really throws into question, to me, what a sculpture could really mean. Because its just on such a different level. Just the imagining of those types of things. Its a relationship to form thatIguessitsquantiableseeingSceneMachines and all of that, but it is based on a very abstract and very complex and very beautiful level.

Wherewasyourrstexhibition?Myrsttimeshowingaworkinpublic,theperson who did it was a guy named Bill Arrning and he was the curator of White Collumns, and I had one of my sculptures in a show about new sculpture. That was very early on. That was my rst groupexhibition.Then,myrstsoloshowwasatthe Holly Solomon Gallery on 5th Avenue in NewYork,andthatwasmyrstsoloshowin 1987, about a year out of art school.

When and where did you actually start surng?I started surng in New York when Imoved back from Hawaii. In Hawaii I was rehabilitating from an illness, and when I was there I was living in Kona and working out, getting t again and getting mystrength back. At that point I was basically bodyboarding. I didnt know anyone at that time who could teach me to surf, so I just grabbed a bodyboard and went out there in the beach breaks and got the daylights

pounded out of me. And then I started learning about the waves. Which, in a way, is a good way to begin. It gives you an awareness of the ocean. So, when I got back to New York this friend of mine at thetimesaid,Thisbodyboardthingisntgoing to do. Youre going to have to get a surfboard. Essentially in 2000 I went to a local surf shop and got a board and in the fall started taking the train to Rockaway. I got my rst wave on my birthday inOctober, and heading into winter I got a thick wetsuit and took the train to the beach all winter. I mean hardcore. It really gave me a sense of what it took to do it. Learning inthewintertimewilldenitelygive you a sense for whether youre up for it or not. I also went out to California that winter and met up with a friend and he took me to some LA spots. That was abigeye-openercomparedtosurnginNew York.

Do you see many similarities in the expressionsofsurngandpainting?I feel they both require a certain commitment. Both are forms of art where you have to commit. On the expressive level, I think they are very similar. But also as far as performance, you have this element so now what are you going to do with it? Its understanding the method and material that youre working with. Its about understanding the relationships of time as well, and both of those are really bigelementsinsurngandpainting.Bothmediums, where the studio is as critical of a dimensional place you could be. In painting, you can go to museums and see thatnextlevelofart.Insurng,beinginHawaii and seeing people perform at that top level was one of the most incredible experiences Ive ever had.

What artists from your younger days hadthebiggestinuenceonyou?The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston was very important to me and also the Institute of Contemporary Art. Thats where I was able to see all of the contemporary art from New York being imported to Boston in this great space. And the curator at the time, David Ross, was getting all of this good stuff. This kind of great distillation of all of the coolest stuff happening at that time. There was just a lot of great art to look at and be inspired by in Boston.

Do you agree that this was crucial for you to see all of this as a maturing artist?I do agree. I mean, now we have all of these types of ways of interacting with social media, but nothing is going to replace, not even some type of virtual experience is going to replace, being in front of the work made by people from hundreds of years ago up to like three daysago.Itsthesamethingassurng;you cannot tell what the beach is like at Pipelineuntilyouexperienceitrsthand.Theres nothing that can communicate that to you besides being there.

Youve become quite the lmmakerin the past year. What was that experience like for you stepping out of your element and into the directors chair?As you correctly stated, I have not had anyexperienceinlmmaking.ImadenolmsinartschoolandnoiPhonelmsatall (laughs). So, to be able to step into that realm and to be able to work with such experienced people immediately it was a huge experience and a transformative one. It has opened my mind to the idea of how different forms can carry different meanings. Ive just nished editing mynewlmandtheideathatImnowcloseto nishingmy third short lm, even ayear ago, would be unthinkable. So, it is about one saying yes to opening up your mind to different forms of expression.

Do you ever see yourself directing a feature lm or documentarysomewhere down the road?Yeah, I do. Somebody did approach me afterthelmscameoutabouttheideaofmakinganindependentlm.Wegotreallyclose to having it work out, but it became an issue of timing with my show. But Im still in communication with those people andthepossibilityisdenitelythere.

Any last words youd like to share or advice youd like to give to emerging artists who are reading this article?I would say to be open to all the different kinds of mediums to ones work and that includes the misreadings. Because sometimes its the productive misreading of ones work where the greatest area of creative possibility exists.

Matt, tell us a few things about yourself. How old are you, where were you born and who are your sponsors? I just turned 23 and Im from Maui, Hawaii. My sponsors are Oxbow, Sanuk, Rockstar, Dakine, Kaenon and Sos Shapes.

Where are you at right now and what are you up to there? At the moment Im Relaxing in Bali. I had about a week in between two Mentawai boat trips and thought I would come here to pass the time and take a real shower.

Who are you with?Ive actually been by myself. I was stoked to meet up with a few friends from Maui yesterday, but other than that its been pretty lonely. I kinda enjoy my alone time. It was my birthday the other day. It was kinda weird being by myself for that. I spent all day traveling then

nallygottomyhotelinBali.Igotchecked in, went to the bar and I was the only one there. I ordered a glass of whiskey, a few Bintangs, and watched a terrible live cover band. There was also a huge rat crawling backand forthacross thebaroor.It was an interesting birthday but a memorable one for sure.

It seems safe to say youre a perfect example of a do-it-yourself, self-established surfer. Would you say this is accurate?As far as making my own choices and not following a tour, yeah, thats accurate. Ive realized that there is also a lot of work that comes with being a professional surfer, and I could never do it alone. You need good backing sponsors, and in my case, a momager [mom manager]. Its a full on team effort. Without them there is no you, and vice versa.

Photos & Interview: Tom Carey

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Whats it like coming from a small island like Maui?Its amazing. I feel so lucky to call Maui my home. After all the traveling Ive done I havent come across a place that even compares. Its probably hard for most people to imagine, but for me, going home is the best vacation in the world. Its beautiful. I got my favorite waves on earth, and the best group of friends I can think of.

Do you think it has its advantages as well as disadvantages? For instance, you guys seem to always have some waves to surf and some crazy winds to launch into. I dont think youd be putting those videos out if you lived in Cali.For sure, we have a few advantages. Its Hawaii, we get every condition you can think of from 1-foot slop to 50-foot barrels. So as far as collecting content and becoming a well-rounded surfer, we are at an advantage. We also have disadvantages.

We are so far from everywhere, so traveling is always expensive and we are not in the middle of the media. We cant just stop by oursponsorsofcewheneverwewant.Wecant just go to the mags to check in and see whats up. There are still tons of guys from Maui who rip and charge that nobody even knows about it. Where say, in Cali, if somebody was doing what they were, they would be sponsored from head to toe.

How strong is your support group over thereoflmers,surfersandfriends?In Maui its like a huge family everybody is super supportive of each other. I couldnt do anythingIdowithouttheguyslmingme,or my friends in the water pushing me.

How did it feel to win the inaugural Innersection Competition?Winning Innersection was the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me. It basically changed the direction my life was going. I was thinking about getting a real

job and just surng for fun before that.Now, Im living this insane life, constantly traveling and doing what I love for a living.

Did you think youd pull it off?Before the contest I just thought it would be cool to make it in to the movie. I thought there was no way in hell I would actually win the whole thing. After seeing thenalproductIwaslikewow,thereisachance I could maybe do this.

How much did you actually win and how long did it take to get paid?I won 100k. The guys at Innersection and I decided to work out a payment plan. I have received all the money as of a few months back.

How much of that did you end up keeping?I gave 25% to my editor and paid a few other people for some things. Then there are taxes and shit like that. Im

not even sure what the numbers are.

Have you been lming for a newInnersection video?No,Ihaventgotthetime.Ivebeenlmingfor a Rock Star Web series Albee Layer and I are doing called The Isle. All of our footage has been going to that.

What are some goals of yours this year?Im going on the Kustom Air Strike trip in a few days. I would love to win that. Same withtheSurinepuntoftheyearwouldntmind winning that either. Other than that, I just wanna keep getting good footage and hopefully get some huge waves this coming winter.

I saw some footage of you at Jaws, I think. Have big waves always been your deal or does that come with the territory in Maui?For the past ve years Ive been surng

Jaws, but I just started paddling it last year. I love big waves. Im more known for my airs and stuff but I look forward to Jaws every year. Jaws is in my backyard, it had to happen, it was just a matter of time. Plus, there is no way Im gonna let my friends go out there and not be a part of it.

How important is it to you to be a well-rounded surfer?Im not trying to be a perfect surfer or anything. Im just doing what I love and Jaws is part of it. Are there any other things youre good at, like jamming on the guitar, shooting hoops or anything bizarre?Yeah, I can jam the guitar a little bit. Other than that I really like hunting and spearshing.

Isnt your sister a talented singer? I think I remember hearing some songs in Indo last year.

My sister is an amazing singer. Her name is Lily Meola, and she Just recently got a deal withe Verve Records. Keep your ears open, Im pretty sure she is gonna blow up in the next couple years.

Are there any new moves youve been thinking about?Im always trying to think of new moves. Sometimes before I go to sleep I will just lay thereand try to imaginenewipsandspins and stuff like that. I have a few Im gonna be working on.

I remember one weird alley oop varial thing in Mexico a while back.Yeah, I made that one up the night before. I havent had the chance to try it much. You need the perfect section. Lets go back to Mex so I can try it again.

Do you think most everything has been accomplished on a surfboard and new tricks are less likely to be conjured up?

No way, but its gonna get nutser and nutser every year.

What would you like to see be done in the future?It would be crazy to see people doing airs on bigger waves. The bigger the wave the faster you go. The faster you go the higher you go.

Do you credit the Internet for a lot of your success?My carrier is an Internet-based carrier. I owe it all to the Internet.

Do you think the Internet is the key to underground surfers?For sure. Nowadays with the Internet, if you really wanna get out there, its as simple as lming,puttinganedittogetherandgettingit on the Web. If its good enough, something will come of it.

Whats your plan for the rest of the

year?After this next Mentawais trip Im going home and waiting for the next trip to pop up. I might be headed to Europe in September or something. Besides that, Im free. If anybody has any sick trips lined up let me know.

What have you done so far this year?I was shooting in West Oz a few months back. Thendid a lot of lming at home. Ijust went to Peru with Sanuk. We did a thing called Operation Smile where surgeons go to third world countries and give free operations to kids with cleft lips and pallets. SoIwashelpingoutwiththatandsurngonour spare time. After that trip I went out to the Mentawais on a boat trip, and now Im in Bali waiting for the next.

Anyone you want to thank? My parents and sponsors.

Any last words?Spindlecorn.

B.S Crail-Slide

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If I were given only three words to describe Mason Merlino the ones that come to mind would be tenacious, gnarly, and gullible. When this young gun, living in Portland, Oregon, is out skateboarding he regularly gives it an all-or-nothing type of approach. Meaning, Masons determination and tough ghtfortricksinanygivensituationcarriesamakeitorslamethos.Thisapproachseemsto work for him 99% of the time. But when Mason slams, he takes some of the biggest ones for sure. As far as being gullible, well that characteristic comes with his youth and being a bit naive in a sense. You can easily fool Mason, due to his inexperience and growing up in a small rural town. His friend and teammate Scott Koerner sat Mason down while on the road in San Francisco and heres what he had to say.

Masons current sponsors include Lifeblood Skateboards, CCS, Vans (ow), Brixton,VentureTrucks,andBonesWheels(ow).

Tell us about growing up in Roseburg, Oregon, and how you got into skateboarding.I was a young kid playing soccer and doing other mainstream sports. Around the age of 12 I was always riding my bike and jumping stuff. Roseburg is a small town in central Oregon. If you werent doing some kind of

sport or any of those sorts of activities you were most likely doing drugs or something as a teen. There was really nothing else to do there.

I eventually got a skateboard around 2005 and went to the local skatepark and loved it. I would skate the park from like 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. learning tricks and meeting new friends. I thought it was sick and it just kind of went from there. I pretty much realized that it was fun and there were no rules or coaches. Skateboarding is about learning on your own and I thought it was sick. MyrstboardwasashittyMongoosedeckwith generic trucks and wheels. It was super slow. Then I saw my all of my friends began getting good skateboards and I got a SkateboardingIsNotACrimeSantaCruzdeck with Indys and Bones Wheels as my rstfunctionalskateboard.Iwashyped!

Where are you living now?Im currently living in Portland, Oregon, in a house with a lot of roommates. Theres a total of seven of them. Its kind of crazy living with so many people. Im not really used to it, but I have my own room upstairs away from everything. But I need to get a lock because my laptop and other things wind up getting used and abused when Im not there.

Intro & Photos: Bryce Kanights

Interview: Scott Koerner

F.S Tail Block

F.S Nose Blunt Revert

What is the best thing about living in Portland?Portland and the surrounding towns have the best skateparks for sure. And the skate scene is great. The skateparks are 10-20 minutes away from each other. Theres so many DIY and indoor spots too! Its awesome to go downtown at night with friends and you dont have to worry about getting hassled like you do in a small town. Theres a lot of activity and people where you can blend in and enjoy yourself.

Do you have any favorite spots to hang out in Portland? Well there are some great restaurants for sure and lots of great things to do in general in Portland. One of my favorites is Brder, which is a great place to have a Scandinavian-style breakfast. A place called Toast is another for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Otherwise, when its raining outside I like to hangout and kickback with my friends and skate some of the indoor skate spots that have recently popped up around the city. What is your top ve list ofskateparks?Windells is for sure one of the best out there today. The St. Helena skatepark in Northern California isdenitelyupthereonmylisttoo. Battle Ground, Washington, has a great one with all of the terrain available. Potrero Del Sol in San Francisco is another great one and Winston, Oregon, which is my home park near Roseburg, is an all-time favorite.

What have been your biggest inuenceinlife,bothoffandon your skateboard?My main inuences have beenskaters. When I rst startedskating, two of Roseburgs older skaters, Lance Lesher and Rion Linderman denitely had animpact on me as a kid. When I

would show up at the skatepark they were always killing it. It was really cool watching them as I got more and more into skateboarding. They pushed me to learn new tricks for sure. I rememberat therstOregonTrifecta contest that I went to, I saw Omar Hassan, Otavio Neto and Mark Red Scottcharging around the bowls and seeing them rip in person had a profound inuence on me.Peter Hewitt is probably one of my favorite skaters with just the way that he barges everything.

Tell us about Kevin Kowalskis bowl. Did you help with that?Kevins bowl is gnarly, and no I didnt help. I mean, I wanted to, but I never actually made it out to the coast. He lives pretty deep out there so if he wouldve askedmelike,Heyyouwannacome help? I wouldve. But, he had plenty of people helping him already too. Just with the timing I wasnt able to help. But I did get to skate it. Hes gonna be juicing all over the place in no time!

Tell us a bit about riding for Lifeblood.The team is super sick and Ive been riding for them for about a year and a half. Bryce hit me up to ride for them about a year and a half ago. Everyone on the team is great and were all good friends, and we hang out a lot outside of skateboarding too. Its a super cool company out of Portland and everything that it represents is what skateboarding should be, meaning that we ride everything. The boards are solid with great shapes made by PS Stix, which is owned by Paul Schmitt.

What has been your approach to learning new tricks?I just barge it until it works.

Dog Pisser

F.S Tail Block

F.S Blunt

Sometimes it works out; other times it doesnt.

You possess the make it or slam mentality, right?I took two slams recently. I guess Im always ready to slam. Its denitely a part of skateboarding.You gotta pay-to-play to skateboard.

Whats you favorite thing to skate? Backyard pools are at the top for sure. Skateparks with pools are usually a good time and full of fun lines.Idenitelylikerailsinthestreetstoo.Flatbars or bumps to rails are awesome.

What are your favorite tricks?Thrusters. I denitely like back bonelesses.Frontblunts, Noseblunts, smoking blunts most blunt variations are my favorites really. Feebles on rails are great too. Backside over crooks.

What has been one of your favorite road trips so far as a skateboarder?We went on an 18-day trip across the country to Chicago and parts of Michigan. That was probably my favorite trip since we got to skate so many spots and skateparks. It was super fun.

On a long trip what is the music that you mostly listen to on your iPod?Most often I listen to Witchcraft. WitchnderGeneral is a good one. Graveyard, Beck is good to kick back to while on the road, and Johnny Cash is always great to listen to. There are so many really that its hard to pin them all down.

Word around town is that you were in the food court at the mall and a girl came up to you and asked you if you wanted to model. Why did you turn her down?I dont know. Its just seemed kind of gay.

Yeah, but, being around lots of hot chicks and making a bit of money is cool right?Yeah, but I dont know, the whole modeling thing just seems kind of lame to me. Staring at a camera being pretentious and really serious is a bit too much for me.

How did you get the nickname Captain Cupcake?(Laughs) Oh, are we really bringing this up? This is going to follow me everywhere. I dont even really know how I got it. This is bullshit. First of all, I had a girlfriend and I would talk to her often. I dont know why it is bad to talk to your girlfriend because thats what youre supposed to do. But sooneveryonebegantocallmecupcake.Iwasthe one that used to call other friends that and it gets totally turned around on me and now everyone roastsmeforit.Talkaboutatotalbackre,damn.Everyone used to callme mittens because ofthe way that I position my hands when I skate andIwasnewiththat.Like,Illtakeit.ItswaybetterthatCaptainCupcake.

Now that youre single again were going to call you mittens then?Yeah, I dont even talk to chicks anymore. Im just skating now (laughs).

What is a basic day in the life of Mason Merlino, given that its a sunny day?Usually I start

bl!sss magazine | july 2012 | #59

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