twenty twenty twenty four hours to go!

I feel like in in prison with a day to go, but really:

Another Saturday on Cape Ann, and some fun waist hi lines are coming through. I missed it, why, you ask? I’m too busy packing for my week trip to Montauk.

Yahoo!

I hope this is an omen of fun waves to come.

But what’s a Hye Tyde blog post without a gripe?

Just 2 today since I'm in a good mood:
1. Dudes, don’t blow weed in front of everyone at the beach. Especially you blokes in your 40’s. Trust me, it’s more fun when it’s off the record, on the q.t., and very hush hush. There are families with kids around, show some class!
2. Would the dill weed who puts up those little “gloucestersingles.com” road signs on public land please stop. It’s litter and against city ordinances. Besides, NO ONE will ever log on! OK, I’m better now.

My goals for this trip:
1. Have fun. The weather forecast is perfect, and the wave outlook is for 3’ waves for most of the week. Yahoo!
2. Gain some clarity on my life direction. It’s been 4 years since living here, a life cycle. I always gain clarity on these trips; I want this to be a good one.

Here’s a good problem, which board(s) shall I bring to Montauk?

See y’all when I get back!

Ripping in Italy

As you all know, I have the great honor of being the web guy for Tyler Surfboards.

I love it when folks e-mail me photos to be added to the website. The quality of the images run from piss-poor to very nicely done. Well these photos were a most welcome surprise.

An Italian Tyler surfboard rider/owner/enthusiast was very kind to send in these photographs.

• I had no idea the waves were so nice in the Mediterranean!


• I had no idea there was a longboard scene in Italy, I know they surf over there, but I thought it was for the occasional wind swell but otherwise wishful grovelling.


• Thee guys rip! Amazing for a place that's notoriously inconsistent.


• Good on ya Maties!


• I gotta hook up with this scene, Italian girls, cars, architecture, music, film, design, food, fun, and folks rule. I'll never forget my trip there in '86.

Thanks, mahalo, grazie, e aloha Zion! Keep them coming!

Jon Sarkin Show

Why this is special:

First it’s important to give a quick background then I’ll cut to the chase:

Ivy league educated, former chiropractor

Suffered a major stroke. Picked up the pieces, prevailed and raised a family, became a great artist.

Family man

Makes amazing art - I’ll quote his website:

“I create in a fever, in a mad torrent of ideas and images. This directly relates to my inability to censor the floodgates of my imagination. Another part of my work is its stream-of-consciousness "texture." This correlates with how my neural architecture has been scrambled by my stroke, resulting in an inability to think linearly and logically.”

His Website

He was featured in the prestigious 2006 DeCordova Annual

DeCordoba site

It was certainly a treat having this reception. The music was especially excellent. New Yorker magazine had a crew up to cover the event. They even interviewed me. Eee-gads!

Please take a moment to check out the links and more importantly see his art at the Shrine Gallery, 77 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester.

The Dude:

Let me explain something to you. Um, I am not "Mr. Lebowski". You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Fun Point Judith Session

Nothing epic, kinda crappy, but it’s all about breaking up the routine. I Met up ith Johna at pt Judith Lighthouse for a late summer surf.

The trip down put me in a bad space, there was a WAAF motorcycle run. Great, I love bikes, everyone knows that. I love charity, everyone knows that too (ahem). But seriously, why does the state police block 3 lanes of highway on Summer weekend when all the bikers are using just one lane? It was like a motorcade for cryin’ out loud. WAAF – a has been station anyway.

So I finally get there, quite the crowd – it was a warm Sunday after all. Johna and I surfed Gazebos, The Tyler 305 (aka Yellow) was doing her thing, long easy trim rides, but WATCH THE ROCKS! No incidents, but surfing Judith is for surfers who think.

I got totally snaked on a ride, but it was by mistake, and it was a crap wave too – no bigs. The young lady was sorry, and since I’m not a local dude, why not be gracious about things? It went far, other dudes in the lineup were appreciative. A little aloha goes a long way.

The place has the mellowest vibe. It does more for my head than all the antidepressants in Boston.

Later at Pilgrim, we watched the funnest glass off thigh highs in the world. ‘Green Board Guy’ was killing it, and he had the place all to himself. Remind me friends, why do I live here?

The Mews Tavern in Wakefield is a great place for après surf grinds. Nice menu, great service, and 69 varieties of drafts on tap. Can’t beat that!

I’m gearing up for the big Montauk trip. A few more mid-week tune up sessions would be super.

Derrick's Carriage House

Derrick is one of my cloeset & oldest friends. Apart from being a talented contractor, he's an amazing painter as well. Derrick can add writer to his list of talents, here's what he has to say about Mc Mansions & Neo-traditionalism:

"Boy, is it hard to restore the exterior of a long neglected structure to what it once was in another time, when taste and bling were not synonymous.

One good aspect of the housing collapse that we can all celebrate is that it increasingly seems as if the McMansion in the faux chateau style has been relegated to the dustbin of History. The SUV version of a house, big ugly and only appealing to the nouveau riche as a billboard of their perceived success.

Unfortunately the style that seems to be replacing it is almost as insulting to a person with a sense of taste and an architectural education. It is called Neo-Traditionalism and it basically consists of faux victorians and sidewalks. Porches are a must except for the most budget conscious and smaller lot sizes are part of the picture. They are supposed to foster a sense of community in a nostalgic, Hollywood inspired way, with neighbors gathering for iced tea on the porches while kids jump rope on the sidewalks etc.

At first, as repulsive as it is you would think this infinitely superior to the McMansion, and it probably is, but to quote LeCorbusier "God is in the details" which all are made of PVC. PVC columns, PVC sidewall shingles and siding, PVC moldings galore. All a bastardized mix of every architectural style from Federal through Arts and Crafts. Used, of course, indiscriminately. I think that I could stomach them if they were not completely sheathed in obnoxiously ornate skins of plastic, all in the beige, piss yellow, light gray or sky blue, conservative and bland color schemes so typical of the plastic industry and appealing to those with a lemming-like sense of conformity.

At least you NEVER have to paint them."

I could not have said it better. But your carriage house in gorgeous. I'd live in upsate New York if I didn'e surf.

Summer Gold

IMG_2017.JPG
Originally uploaded by hye tyde

It's been an absolutley gorgeous week up here on Cape Ann. Bittersweet in a way, it's labor day in a week. This time in August he livin' is 'gracious'. The water is warm, the weather is perfect, we're expecting waves. Attitudes seem to be a lot more laid back. Like the poem goes: "Nothing Gold Can Stay". I'll be griping about the snow soon enough.

the End of American Exceptionalism

This man gets it, he speaks the unequivocal truth about what were up against as a nation. This is just an excerpt. Please take a moment to watch. You can view the entire interview here.

College & Independent Radio

Ever since my college days way back when I’ve always been fascinated with college and independent radio. Even as a high school weekend new waver/punk rocker lite, I’d tune into WLYN in Lynn (which later morphed into WFNX – another k-rock monolith). Was it the poor signals? Maybe, but it was the fact that I was, as now, treated like a listener rather than a consumer.

The real seeds were sown back in my UVM days, hanging out at WRUV. Fun times.

Nowadays the stations air shows with brilliant names like McAllister’s Hostile Makeover, Gorilla Got Me, the James Dean Death Car Experience, the Pontoon Palace, Music for Nimrods, Coffee Time, Mélodie du Jour, Alma del Barrio, etc. Most importantly, these DJ’s totally know their shit; I come away having learned about a new album or artist every time.

I appreciate that. But I really appreciate that you have no commercials (I'll say it again, no commercials), and you hear music and programming that you cannot hear anywhere else. And save for the occasional fundraiser week (hey they need money, and you might just score a hip t shirt or sticker), Yah-hoo!

So if you are into indie* rock, jazz, punk, garage, underground 60’s (not oldies), please check out these stations:

WMBR:
Yup, MIT sets the gold standard. There are programs for indie rock*/pop, punk, jazz, electronic, house, funk, soul, roots, reggae, bluegrass, and even pub rock. The concert reports are most welcome, and they give out tickets most liberally. First on the FM dial, and first in my heart. My favorite shows are Breakfast of Champions, Late Risers Club, Lost and Found, Gorilla Got Me. Do yourself a huge favor and listen to this station.

KXLU:
Out in Los Angeles. Loyola Marymount University’s station. Super fun, great programming, and the DJ’s have no idea how cool they are (for the most part). Lost of indie* pop, rock, shoegazer, twee, with a healthy dose of garage, surf and hip-hop.


WZBC:
Very similar to KXLU, with a slightly more electronic edge. Straight outta my alma mater, Boston College, they are a great alternative to MBR. You’ll here indie* pop, rock, shoegazer, twee, with another healthy dose of garage. Warning: at noon is Democracy Now! It sucks – Amy Goodman sucks. If those Jesuits ever heard the bullcrap that miserable hag spews they’d shut the whole station down. And I’m an Obama supporter! Seriously, as soon as you hear that wench, it’s time to tune in WMBR! OK, I'm better now. Alex's Mélodie du Jour on Friday mornings is not to be missed. After listening to her I have a list of songs I by on iTunes. Thanks Alex.


KKJZ:
Yes, the jazzy side of yours truly. KKJZ: It's Cal State Long Beach’s very own, and America's Jazz and Blues Station. Amazing jazz programming. One outstanding show is Jazz on the Latin side hosted by José Rizo. Wow! And on the weekends it’s nothin’ but the blues. Tune in here: jazzandblues.org. You won't be disappointed.

WGBH:
For more jazz, Eric in the evening is great. Otherwise GBH is yet another fallen NPR affiliate. NPR: it ain’t what it used to be. A pity.

WHRB:
I run hot & cold on these guys. It's Harvard after all, what should I expect? There’s a good HRB and a bad HRB. The Jungian thing, the duality of radio? When HRB is good, it’s sublime, incredible, tops! When HRB is bad it’s bloody awful. But let’s focus on the good. Super jazz and garage shows. And classical if you like that. And their orgies (!!): 18-24 hours of one artist. Can they do that now? Back in ’94 they did an Orgy for Sky Saxon and the Seeds, an orgy for the books! Tune out for the Harvard football & hockey games unless that’s your bag. Harvard is like life, you must take your good with your bad.

WERS:
Great reggae, the only time I tune in, really. BUT why did they move it from the 5-8 evening commute timeslot? Nothing was better than chilling out with some rankin’ skankin’ reggae while dealing with Boston area traffic. Outside of reggae programming they try so hard, lots of spirit, they are always worth checking out.

There are loads of honorable mentions, like WRUV (UVM), WUNH (UNH), and I think Penn had a great station too (WXPN).

So whatever your preference, take some time and tune in at the bottom of the f.m. dial, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. All these stations steam over the web, so you can hear them via iTunes or WinAmp.

*Indie: that word has been hijacked by the man. It means music form smaller independent record labels, or music you wouldn’t normally hear on the big corporate commercial stations up the dial. The man is cunning, a master of linguistics to keep us blind, to define happiness for us, the consuming sheep.

Stay trim! - HT.

Rhody Surf - Fun City

As a supposed “soul surfer”’ I don’t do too much traveling for surf. I talk the talk, but do I walk the walk? Well Friday I scored at Point Judith. More than scored, I hit the jackpot, a grand slam!

The picture below does it no justice, it was too fun to sit around waiting for the set waves to photograph.



Long story short, it’s been ages since I’ve been to Rhode Island, I drove straight to point Judith, described in wannasurf.com as a “world class break”. It’s unique for New England in that it’s a point break. A right, and when it works you get long long rides.

In my 2 sessions, I lost count of how many world-class rides I got. I savoured Long rights and fun cutbacks. So I’ll spare you the long saga and give you some bullet points, we’ll see how it goes.

• The yellow 305 is back! Not just for groveling anymore, she rips big 180 degree cutbacks, sweet bottom turns, sweet off-the-lips, I even threw some spray!



• There were 3 waves of the day, and I was on all three, beeeyothches! And to toot my horn a bit more, I rocked those waves with total command & style, dropping my knee, cross stepping, and pulling out. And get this, all with out a leash.


• No more than 5 people out, only 3 for the longest time


• The folks who were out were so mellow, gotta love the mellow Summer vibe


• A dude & his son were out, he was on his SUP, and the boy was on a 7’11” Hunt Customs pintail in pistachio green. I wish I had a picture, it was that groovy. And the boy, 12 at the most, was super good, and a nice kid to boot. His dad was very cool.


• The girl in hospital scrubs showed up just as I was getting out, she was so amped to surf in the 20 minutes of light that remained. Talk about stoke, she had it, (and much more! ). Who are you? Could you hear my heart going bumpa bumpa bumpa bump?


• Johna made the trek, it’s her spot, she has it wired. Her first wave of the day was tremendous, I wish I had a picture – she’s in command on a 10 footer (8 inches too long in my opinion, so I’ll know if you read this). But like I say, ride what you like, like what you ride.


• For the rest of the night and the next day, I’ve had a certain swagger. BS that’s been bugging me just doesn’t matter. It’s small stuff, and we don’t sweat that, right?


• "catch a wave and you're sittin' on top of the world" - Brian Wilson

It was another great New England session, worth every drop of the $3.77/gallon gas. Rhode Island the tine state came up big yet again! Maybe I should live there & work in Providence? That’s a happening kinda town.

To think I was hoping for flatness so I wouldn’t have to drive. Not drive! Are you effing kidding me? Not drive and do what, grovel for knee high waves here? On a day off no less? Hey, groveling is fine (read my earlier post), but after today, who needs it?

Eugene Quinn's website is a go!

Hey listen up spuds, enough about Gerry Ford already.

I finished Eugene Quinn's website. We've been kicking this around for damn near 2 years and it's finally up & running

So check it out, drop in his gallery in Rocky Neck, Gloucester, and buy some of his bitchen paintings.

www.eugenejquinn.com

70's take me away

Still no surf, Yikes.

That 70’s nostalgia continues. Any possible reasons?

It’s like a mental fetal position for me – a retreat to my earlier times, the 70’s.

It seems like everything was better back then, but I know that’s not true. But cars, movies, TV, music, were better. Gerry Ford - he was the biggest heavyweight the GOP could dish out back then. Talk about the good 'ole days. Gimme a centrist and consensus builder like Gerry Ford any day over those glorified frat boys we must endure today.

Even dorky t-shirts weren’t that dorky. Hipsters from Venice to McCarren Park are still rocking the vintage.

I’m sure when the work & waves pick up the tone of these posts wont be so wistful, there’s a lot to look forward to.

Next time: A rundown of good radio stations (yup, they’re still around friends), now that the man has hijacked the word Indie.

Herbie Hancock & Children’s Television in the early 70’s

1971. That’s when I was 6. Sesame Street had just gone on air about a year or so before on PBS. It was hip, it was original, it treated its young viewership like an audience, not as consumers (like today). It was diverse too, without clobbering you over the head with tokenism (like today).

The opening theme was scored by Belgian jazz great Toots Thielemans. Sesame Street featured guests like Herbie Hancock showing kids around his studio, and the recording process, John Cassavetes (!!!), Mohammed Ali, Jose Feliciano, Carol Burnett, Peter Fonda, Jose Ferrer, -- the list goes on. Quality stuff for us kids. Heck, I'd watch that now, sure beats bloggin!

If they aired this today, it would be slammed as pro drug and subversive, I see it as a young person's introduction to surrealism and the number 2:


Fat Albert, Cosby’s masterpiece rocked, its theme was penned by Herbie Hancock (him again), it started in 1969. Cosby presented us with ethical dilemmas, and touched on issues like race, social class, drugs, violence, all in a manner perfectly appropriate for kids, this is Cosby after all.

So daring when you think the Watts riots, the Dr. King & Bobby Kennedy assassinations, the Manson murders, Kent State, and Altamont were so recent, and the war in Vietnam was still raging.

As an aside, if your into jazz, check out Herbie Hancock’s “Fat Albert Rotunda”. Think about it, a soundtrack to a Saturday morning cartoon as a seminal jazz classic.

I was a bit too old for the Electric Company, but looking at old videos, this was another great show with an all-star cast, like a young Morgan Freeman. None of these shows talked down to the audience. More importantly, these shows made you think without it being a chore. We were spoiled, I feel sorry for kids today, as the saying goes, “suffer the little children”.

Finally, as for more commercial TV in the early 70’s; don’t get me started on the original Warner Brother’s Cartoons. They were the Dutch Masters of cartoonists; hold overs from the 50’s & 60’s. The music was my Carl Stalling. It was violent, but c’mon. When the coyote goes over a cliff, or when Moe hit Curly in the head with a hammer, we 6 years olds knew it was just TV, it wasn’t real. We sure have been dumbed down since then.

So kick back, relax, and have a nice hot cup of lighten up.