whom so ever writes history

when the book gets released

on the history of…

should it not be preambled with the name of the author?

as burt lahr’s history of the 1930’s?

or perhaps ray bolger’s history of dance?

or mebe stan ross’s history of kelly’s cove

subtitled ’ before they removed the peir? ’

or bill hickey’s history of the lower great highway

before dianne finestein

the clarity of timelilne and motive

in this way would achieve necessary clarity.

the value of this kind of labeling

for historical credibility

would knock down the posibility of

self agrandising shamless promotional motives.

or at least put it up front.

perspective is a relative factor in rendering events

the ‘Life of Brian’ of monte python derivation

lays waste to the notion that a stilted social status

renders any semblance of credible and reasonable truth.

michael jacson’s history of the late twentieth century

will be considerably different

than friend who is working 2006

ductwork sheetmetal

down town L.A. 18 hours a day

falling asleep in his torrance driveway

waking up with bleeding hands.

the letters of Franklin Delano Roseveldt

depth and insight into the life of the well born

a stark contrast to Frank Mc Court.

Thanks to the richness of lives lived

in the elevated seats in the balcony.

But please lest we forget the proletariat

experiencing the richness of a life lived without the

trappings of shameless self promotion.

the trend to capitalizing on the

you missed it attitude

and I got it you dont

promotes growth

of an entirely different resonance

than the days of surfing’s adolescence

when the 'you can do it too

here let me help’

attitude was the driving force

in collective growth.

Spare the sensitive children

the oppression of the commerce

in identity peddling

so many brand affectations

so few individual growth oppertunities

where are the new argonauts

was Ulysses just a brand name for water closets?

the adventure of the nine year old

sliding on a cardboard box down a grassy hillside

does lead to riding tripple overhead

hawaiian surf

just as easily as being raised in a waikiki

condo riding the elevator before dawn.

no one owns history

it can be rewritten

infinitly as it should be

but when narrowly manipulated by

self serving motives

a generous serving of salt should be included.

…ambrose…

sea salt can be subtituted for

salt of the earth

in the case of surfing hisory.

Sea salt and the salt of the earth can be found together at the Salton Sea.

It’s trying to make a comeback from death…with help for others and myself…it just might live again!Herb

 

Bumping this up.

Hey Ambrose - I just went to an advanced screening of The Great Highway - the history of surfing in San Francisco by Mark Gunson and Krista Howell last night.  It was with a small group of oldtime SF guys who were featured in the film.  It’s a great look into the lives of some of the most core surfers I’ve ever come across.  Surfing OB on a kookbox with nothing but a speedo… then spending the rest of the day guarding at Flyshacker’s.  Jack O’Neill, Jack Lalane, Pee Wee, the Keatings, Fred Van Dyke, Michael Ho… Even though I’ve been following Mark’s work on this movie since he started seven years ago, I was still blown away by the history he captured.  The story is told by stringing together inteviews of those who were there.

When Dickie Keating - also in attendance - recalls the shift to shortboards, you come up as a game changer.  There’s talk of a board you shaped that ended up in the 6’ range that completely altered what could be ridden here.  

Props.

 

 

Oh yes and please spare me from seeing anymore books written on the history of surfing through the eyes of Matt Warshaw.

The truths of the past will always remain subjective

to the internal drivers of the interpreter.

Personal filters and experiences

defining what was back then.

Those that were not there,

substituting opinions for experience,

usually crafted to showcase how

Much They Know

about what they didn’t experience.

And among those that did,

some filtered thru rose colored glasses,

others blue or green maybe purple.

Regardless of which,

they all saw the same rainbow.

regardless, the past remains as fluid

and malleable as the future.

Because linear time is just a human construct

to help us comprehend our voyage.

Einstein claimed time is in fact non linear.

What happened is still happening,

what will happen is happening now.

Some understand that,

and can bend that straight line into more of a curve,

maybe suitable for a template.

Ambrose draws one hell of a template.

good job herb! i dig the salton sea. so sad to see the" ghost towns" of the great spots around the sea that were once a bussling hub-bub of activity. such a bitchin' place with a unique history...

Flock!!##@%    Has this place got this friggin' boring??????

Clear, concise, cogent arguments substantiated by facts are necessary for well written history.  At least that’s what I was taught while I earned my History degree; look where that has taken me- to the festering, bloated bowels of swaylocks, and where there are bowels, well…

… there is BS…  Piles of it…

At least somebody gets it.

Ghetto and Van Hel,

That was funny.