thought y’all might be interested in this
cool !
I hope THIS
“original Op team rider Larry Bertlemann is back on the Op program, serving in his rightful place as a legendary icon of the sport of surfing”
means he will be SURFING again , and not just doing book / autograph signings in book shops in malls , or something ? [hopefully not writing ‘I used to RIP’ ]
maybe his ‘protege’ , ‘buttons’ , can school him on how to still rip into “middle age” …god knows , they have both been through a lot , from what I’ve [mainly] read . They can hopefully spur one another on towards good surfing
glad to read the news …let’s hope Larry keeps it together THIS time [how many more chances can people have ?]
cheers !
ben
A great surfer, a potentially valuable asset for OP and I like the idea OP would offer him a chance (bearing in mind they’ve been using his “outline” in ads)…BUT…
…this seems to gloss over the life he’s lived, and that life disqualifies him from being an “icon of the surfing lifestyle” or whatever gibberish I read. Final judgement depends on how OP markets this. They themselves commented “Larry is free” and they need to acknowledge what that means. If they try to sell him as just another free and easy surfer living the free and easy life without acknowledging certain aspects of his past, then they will be hitting a new low even for the surf industry.
He has some severe problems with his back fused spine and all.
the pain killers and drinking to ease the physical and emotional pain probably did him in.
I hope the crew he’s surrounded by will keep an eye out for him he deserves better.
I doubt if he can spend any real time in the water outside of a longboard which I’m seen him use.
Saw Buttons on a show recently too and he looks real bad too not sure if he’s burnt out, drugged out, sick or just getting old. I’m surprised he doesn’t have melanoma but he’s getting pretty wrinkley. Million dollar smile though just like Larry.
I bet he can still tear a new one for you though…
You’re right though Chip, he did used to rip. He won an Alan Oke Memorial contest down PI many years ago, on their way to Bells. He and the other Hawaiians with him tore up waves like I’d never seen at the time. Inspirational surfing and attitude, cool and happy. Did I mention powerful, those guys pushed.
Hope he gets back into surfing again.
Hope he gets back into surfing again.
I second that !!
I guess it’s hard though …guys like M.P. just know they won’t rip like they used to in their heyday , and I’m not sure how trhey market ‘washed up’ surfers nowadays . Sorry to hear Larry’s back is stuffed …it would be strange if they market him as “a former rubberman” , in my mind , anyway ?
Hopefully his new role might be to visit high schools , warning kiddies today of the danger[s] of the ‘lifestyle’ of stardom … the money , drugs/alcohol , sex , "rock’n’roll lifestyle’'… when people are too young to be able to handle it …occy , david eggers , m.p., shane herring , matt archbold , christian fletcher , keith paull …and numerous others serve as examples , surely !
it will be “interesting” to see …I agree with Nels …how they portray their new / old stablemate …
I really hope he gets out in the water , and is able to loosen up the spine somehow , sohe can enjoy surfing again , as much as I enjoyed / enjoy watching him surf …live , and in movies …
cheers !
ben
Quote:
He has some severe problems with his back fused spine and all.
the pain killers and drinking to ease the physical and emotional pain probably did him in.
I wasn’t writing about that aspect… he apparently lived quite outside the law for some time…“living large” they sometimes call it now…there was a Kampion article about him in Surfer’s Journal some years ago which typically skirted around the situation if anybody wants a glimmer.
I don’t know that I give a rat’s ass about drugs and dealing them to grown-ups, but I get profoundly pissed off when “surfing” covers a lot of that shit up for industry protection.
Quote:
I hope the crew he’s surrounded by will keep an eye out for him he deserves better.
Amen to that. To have seen the Town crew of that era in that era- Bertleman, Buttons, Liddel, others - was a huge thing for me. Totally unlike the media-run BS of today, they were kids and they were leading the world. Maybe that was one of the last free and real eras in Hawaiian surfing? Maybe having money come into the picture soon after sent them off in other directions?
I hope all those guys fare well in life, and they earned maybe more breaks than the rest of us might get…but the whole deal requires some honesty and I guess value from both ends of any professional deals. Anything less is dishonest to the rest of surfing.