“Garage Soul”
P a r t O n e
Rocky,
Just got back from my trip down to Orange County to pick up my new custom EPS/poxy longboard.
I sent along those photos already so you’ve been able to check that out. I’m pretty stoked with it.
I went with a guy, Kirk Putnam, that’s got a very interesting background/history with surfing,
and his garage is the physical repository of a lot of his trail through the culture.
I thought you’d like to check it out, as it’s really pretty over the top…
(above) Kirk is the author of the article in the latest JOURNAL that details the ‘hull’ aficionados….
Like only a few truly dedicated surfers that we know, he’s truly a ‘board guy’. Most guys just ride ‘em, know a little bit about ‘em, and use ‘em to get what they need from surfing. Some guys, Kirk being one of them, have a truly special bond with their surfboards, and understand them on a level that transcends a mere rider and tool mentality.
This photo tour cannot hope to fully illuminate all that you’ll see here. As with many complex subjects, the more you know, the more you’ll get out of it…The same can be said of his surfboards. Each one is a talisman of the highest order,
and is a 20,000 word essay waiting for someone to expound. I cannot go into all that here, but if you’ve read that article,
even as a Northern Californian, I know that you can begin to sense some of the passion that went down (and still goes down) with these very specialized surfboards that seemed to be birthed in the Malibu area and the surrounding points. Liddle and the rest of the hull shapers (Gross, Bjorquez, Jones, Andreini, and a short list of others…) created something truly unique. Most surfboards are fairly generic and like-minded, but I think most agree that the hull breed was a breed apart, and a truly creative outgrowth from the main trunk of surfboard design. While they might not be my exact cup of
tea, I can appreciate the passion that they engender, and as perhaps the kinkiest design venue going in surfing right now, I can appreciate them for that. Lord knows surfing needs more creative thinkers and less ridigity as a whole.
(above) Kirk is the contact point for anyone wanting to buy a Liddle. He deals direct with Greg over on Kaui and all boards are shipped into him for dispersion either direct to customers or to a few hand selected retail outlets.
He’s held onto some of the Liddle detritus over the year, and his garage is really more museum/ongoing art project
than it is a place to store the freekin’ weed whacker string…
(above) The main influences are many, but among them? Malibu, Greenough, a bit of Dora, Santa Barbara, Yater, and everything western. Through it all, a total love of the surfboard, in all it’s forms but particularly in the forms he’s come to love. He’s into the cowboy’n thing, and does backcountry mule pack trips that are pretty interesting, with a lot of surfers engaging from all walks of the culture. While it sounds pretty fun and he’s totally into ‘em,
…Hulet from the JOURNAL went on
the last one back in the Sespe (behind Ventura), and when we saw him just recently he was claiming permanent ass scarring. As a background theme through all of it, are the boards. The hulls. His wall is a testament to his many close
friends that are also zealot – like adherents, and it’s all history, some seen but much of it unseen.