I’ve found over the years that surf literature and films have made notable mention of a movement that went on where psychedelics had a significant part/contribution to surfing history and most likely surfboard development.
I hope this isn’t too off subject for the forums, but with all the vast shaping and surfing history on this forum I’m curious, does anyone here have story’s, or ride / trip reports, maybe even a tall tale about this subject?
Some of the things that stick out in my mind, to give you an idea what I’m thinking about, is guys like Jock Sutherland that rode Waimea on a shortboard in the dark, and washed up miles down the beach. Or that big fiasco on Maui that Jimi Hendrix came to hang out and play.
Any stories or history shared would be fun! Thanks.
Psychedelics were present, but made NO worthy contribution to surfing. I lost a very good freind, and respected big wave rider, Mike McDonough, to suicide from a flash-back bummer in 1964. Mike was supplied LSD by a well known Haleiwa surf shop owner. Paul Gebaur was lost to surfing, because of it also. Many others too. A very sad blot, and part, of our sports’ history. A good example of what not to do, in my opinion. I’m amazed that there are defenders of that behavior/movement. I’m still saddened by the loss of Mike. He was an engineering student, and in 1963 postulated that board size should be inverse to wave size. Big boards for small waves, small boards for big waves. Time has proven him to be correct.
i watched a documentary on what the CIA was doing back then with LSD.
we think China is showing a complete disregard for human rights??? look in the rear view a couple decades.
scary stuff.
edit: my grandfather used to say regarding drinking (and i think this applies to other drugs as well)… regardless of how great you think you are, there’s nothing you do better under the influence than you do sober. i doubt doing drugs helped evolve surfing at all.
I was talking with JP about the Crystal Ship models he used to shape for Bahne. I wasn’t sure if they ever did a big vee pin tail so I asked. He said, “The Crystal Ship was a kind of diamond tail because of the heavy vee bottom. I don’t think it was ever shaped as a round pin except for the night I took a bunch of acid and templeted a half dozen of them backwards.” I almost fell out of my chair at his deadpan delivery.
Keep it related if you can to “Surfboard Design And Construction”…
Whoah ! Certainly a very volatile issue. Few of us have been spared the negative impact of drugs - legal or illegal - on ourselves and our loved ones.
Does this hint of censorship apply to all the other “social” or “economic” or “lifestyle” threads on such subjects as Surftech or offshore production or rising fuel costs or best place to live or guess that Swaylocker. Psychedelics and other recreational drugs have had their impact on surfing and surfboard design - particularly in the 60s and 70s. Whether or not that was a positive or negative or ambivalent affect on surfboard design seems a reasonable subject for discussion - as long as it is on point as to how psychedelics may have affected surfboard design and construction.
Some of the world’s great artists have had issues with drugs and alcohol yet we honor and admire their work - Van Gough, Hemingway to name a couple. Tragic lifestyles that made great contributions to the human race. Does Van Gough’s morphine addiction make his art less inspiring ? Does Hemingway’s alcoholism and suicide take away from the beauty of reading The Old Man and the Sea ? Did their addictions contribute or distract from their work ? Can we extend the discussion to some of the personalities and surfboards of the past ?
George Greenough, sober as an apple, had a wonderful influence on surfboard design. Michael Peterson, struggling with drugs, also had a wonderful influence on surfing and surfboard design. It’s important to separate lifestyle from performance, that we may observe the history of surfboard design without prejudice.
I don’t think this has any historical significance but it’s a funny story . Back in the summer of 1977 my buddies and I where living at the shoebox apartments by D street and 4th in Encinitas. It was Saturday night and everybody in the apartment was frying on Vitamin L. There was a full moon that night and somehow the idea of going night surfing came up. We piled into the station wagon and drove down to Cardiff reef. When we got there I realized that I had forgotten to bring my trunks. All I had was the wetsuit sleeves (which was essentially a wetsuit t shirt that covered your torso down to your belly button. I wasn’t going to try to surf in long pants so I went out bottomless. I been out for a while when I noticed that I wasn’t hearing any of my buddys voices and there was no sight of them. So I paddled in to find out that they had left- they left with my pants in the car! I had to figure out how to get back home without getting arrested. I walked up to some people who had a fire going to ask them if they could lend me some thing like a towel. Well it was a family with a bunch of kids and the adults started yelling at me so I ran. So I ended up walking back on the beach from Cardiff to D street. I walked in to the apartment to find my buddies sitting there watching SNL on the TV with the volume turned off and Pink Floyd playing on the stereo. Dude where you been?" Where your pants?
After reading some various articles and coming across parts of surf movies that talk directly about surfers and shapers of this 60’s and 70’s era using psychedelics and pushing the shortboard movement with all these different designs and thinking outside the box, literally.
I think it’s more important to look at this section of history in surfing/construction is from a surreal point of view.
Also, I figured with all the barnacles around these forums, someone might have some interesting insight on the happenings of the time.
Again, no harm intended… and I really don’t believe this to be off subject at all, on my behalf anyway. So please people that reply, not throw this out of whack.
Just a modern perspective here to put the “past into the present”. Some of the leading figures of the shortboard revolution, who are basically worshipped as historical figures, that took a lot of pyschedelic drugs, live around here. I see them surfing regularly. Most are successful businessmen with families.
I’ve had mates who have comitted suicide from marijuana induced schizophrenia. I see former pro surfers who are alcoholics. My next door neighbour was addicted to prescription painkillers.
It’s a shame that hysteria and moral panic can so often cloud this debate.
The fact is that psychedlic drugs and the shortboard movement/revolution are indelibly linked.
Nat Young’s biography “Nat’s Nat and that’s that” explains the ethos and the methodology very well.
Check out the closing sequences of “the Innermost Limits of Pure Fun”…what kind of mushrooms do you think they are?
Thanks SC for a bit of clarity on this.
as far as actual contribution to surfboard design goes i would be thinking less mechanically and more in terms of how natural forms could be incorporated into surfboard designs.
I guess I’ll throw in here,too. I have no idea the role of LSD or other drugs is in regard to surfboard design or surfboard riding. If others say it had a role I say maybe. My concern is the young guys who may be attracted to the ‘romance’ of that era and want to give it a try. LSD is a VERY powerful and DANGEROUS drug. I can’t imagine anyone doing ANYTHING productive other than tripping out and trying to keep it together. Maybe on the way up or somewhere on the way down. It has a powerful effect on your brain chemistry that could be permanent. Many did not make it. Listen to Bill Thraikill. Atomized story is very funny. But, he should NEVER have been left alone like that. Either in the ocean or his own living room. Those that know, know what I’m talking about. There are many risk that we can take in life. Playing with your brain chemistry with such a powerful drug is not a risk I recommend. There are other ways to alter your consciousness or have visions. But, they take a more effort than dropping a tab of acid. There is intense exercise, pain, fasting, sleep deprivation, etc. Mike
I have been on LSD. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago is beautiful during the 2.5 weeks of summer. Even though the body of water is massive the surf sucks. Lake Shore Drive or better known as the LSD has had no influence in surfing design or development.
A different turn of events could have resulted in a face to face with the local authorities and landed you in jail on indecent exposure charges and possible long term commitment in a mental institution for coming across as a lunatic.
I see people all the time who have been arrested for being out of control on drugs. I’ve watched spun out people play with, and even eat their own shit. It isn’t so funny.
It’s likely that more than a few users will have a distinctly negative experience. Some never come back. Mental institutions world wide have their share of long term psychedelic casualties… some are surfers. Some are famous surfers.
Think you would be surprised at how deeply the experimentation ran through many of the shapers and surfers during the late 60’s and on into the early 70’s. You could fill a large book with stories of the profound, funny, and tragic.
Then, much like riding one of the wide tailed heavy V bottom’s at Sunset, folks began to realize they were spinning out way too often, and it was time to bail on that particular ride.
The whole drug and it’s uses debate is a sore pint with most of society and its hierachy. Top tennis players have autobiographies detailing coke and speed habits. Surfers and surfboard designers , artists and politicons all have a drug story. I like most people have a good and bad tale to tell about drugs. and I like a lot have lost friends and friendships to drug abuse. Use and abuse are different trust me. It is an addiction the same as gambling. I personally gave hardcore pot smoking away when I started making boards. I had issues with customer service and the persona of the druggo surfie. This situation also changed with drug testing in the workplace.
I cannot see how a person ca do there best work under the influence of a mind altering substance what ever it is. The military have tales of battles in an acid induced trance . Artist have tales of wonderful moments of discovery . I used to drive my best after a few beers. (BULLSHIT)
I see this is snowballing the wrong direction real fast.
This thread was NOT intended for drug use / abuse affiliations.
Psychedelics is a loose term, that can incorporate a certain image and style also.
Think of all those resin swirls, far out airbrush designs, HEAVILY influenced by psychedelics.
Watch Pacific Vibrations… those guys were literally experimenting (NOT ABUSING) psychedelics surfing, surfing real well with style and would go in and shape a new board they dreamed up and glass and surf it the next day.
There’s a lot more substance that could be had on this thread.
Thanks to whom above that mentioned Nat Young… his biography spun a great insight on the whole scene.
No one’s here to romance this, advocate drug use or any of that garbage.
Next time you put on your Beatles album, doors or Zeppelin be WARNED those guys were way far out there ABUSING drugs and you might want to consider burning all your coveted rock albums.
Oh moderator, please pull this thread. It’s too far gone past anything positive, thanks to few.
