E's Surf Report: white-capped

Hard onshores.
Rollicking white-caps.
Maybe a few olas for the desperate or optimistic?

Currently reading "Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers." by William Duckworth.

William Duckworth, who is a musician/composer himself, conducted 20 or so interviews and transcribes them in this book. John Cage, who is famous for his piece 4'33", which is 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence, talks about the beginnings of his use of indeterminacy and chance in his compositions. A deep subversiveness can be felt through his answers. "Almost anything I would say is going to be misunderstood. And if we say that, then maybe somebody will understand." "I'm positive. I think the world is only part of creation, and that creation is going to continue willy-nilly. If we destroy this earth, which we may very likely do, it would be like destroying one leaf on a tree. So why should i feel pessimistic about that?"

All the composers discuss their influences, usually a melding of Shoenberg, Stockhausen, Boulez, Cage, Bach, Stravinsky, Eric Satie and others. Terry Riley and La Monte Young outline the philosophy of minimalism. Young describes his "dream house" installation in NYC, where a patron paid a few million for he and a bevy of musicians to set up a permanent, ongoing, drone-oriented musical/visual experience. Later the patron lost control of his family's fortune and the "dream house" was shut down. Instead of your typical 10-minute classical piece, Young's compositions would often stretch for 5 or 6 hours.

Conlon Nancorrow is denied a US passport because of his affiliations with the communist party. He moves to Mexico and composes ridiculously complex and intricate orchestrations. He struggles to find anyone willing to play them so he begins tinkering with and doctoring player-pianos. Eventually he feeds his compositions into these customized player-pianos and some amazing music happens. He eventually gets a Guggenheim grant to continue doing his work.

Many of the composers talk about "just intonation" vs "equal temperament." In most Western music since the middle-ages, the octave has been divided into 12 steps. Doing so is a somewhat arbitrary/somewhat mathematical decision. Other musical cultures have divided the octave into 16 steps or more... or less. Equal temperament is the name of the specific divisions chosen mostly for the piano/organ in Europe in the 15th century or thereabouts. It turns out that some of the notes within that twelve-tone system are actually slightly out of true tune, especially the major third. The composers discuss how you might not even notice it until you've heard what a truly in-tune major third sounds like, then you'll realize that equal temperament is slightly blurry, not in focus. So.. many of these guys re-tune their instruments to just-intonation, or create their own divisions of the octave and tuning systems. Some of them painstakingly retune an entire orchestra, section by section, before beginning a piece.

The last interview in the book is with John Zorn. He talks about his "game pieces," which are compositional tools he uses to weave performer-improvisation into meta-compositional structures. As a performer you'd follow a series of commands spelled out by zorn. Maybe at a certain point you're supposed to improvise for a specific length of time within a proscribed 4 notes. You might have some direction such as, "play soft staccato." You do that until you hear a certain cue from another performer.. like.. when the saxophone hits three high notes in succession, move on to the next command. Soo.. the whole system is quasi-composed.. but every performance is different.

Pretty inspiring book.

niceness

Longboards and leashes? If the waves are over 3ft do you really need a longboard? If the waves are small and you are riding a longboard, do you really need a leash? I think not. I believe part of being the 'guy on the longboard' requires not wearing a leash. what do you think??

Posted by: sd rider

at June 7, 2006 10:48 AM

agreed, though you may only think that until you are the one getting hit by the loose longboard. people today are unprepared for loose boards in the line-up. surfing with out a leash and not losing your board as well as dodging loose boards is a lost art.

I do not wear a leash when longboarding.

Posted by: fanboy critic

at June 7, 2006 10:53 AM

One day with the family at Lindy a board came ashore for the second time, and nearly whacked a toddler. Presumably the guy had deep soul and was not hostage to lame leash trends promoted by the fascio-capitalist lifestyle-mag establishment.

Posted by: kloo

at June 7, 2006 10:58 AM

disagreed
if you are out at an even semi-crowded spot and you cannot surf well enough to control your board at ALL TIMES, then you should not be surfing without a leash. period. 9-10 ft. boards are extremely heavy with the added force of wave behind them and there are children and others who don't like bruises sharing the ocean with you. a friend of mine who surfs quite well got hit 3 times by loose longboards in one session at 38th. idiots who think it's cool and/or liberating to surf without leashes and injure others. i don't get it. i've surfed without a leash when mine has broken or i forgot it, but never by choice. why surf without a leash? talk about retro for retro's sake.

Posted by: steamwand

at June 7, 2006 11:03 AM

who would ever leave their toddler un supervised in a surfing area? Same kind of parent that would give there kid ADD drugs? According to this 8 yr olds can now us prozac in parts of Europe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5054774.stm

at June 7, 2006 11:06 AM

Me, I tend to blame the toddler.

at June 7, 2006 11:07 AM

no real surfer surfs where there are toddlers and kooks anyway.

at June 7, 2006 11:10 AM

Why make a destinction for Longboards, shouldn't everyone be leashless.

The reason for not wearing a leash on a Longboard is if you plan on doing lots of cross-steppin and the like.

But this argument was framed by a shortboarder, who probably would rather not have to share a crowded line-up with someone holding a paddling advantage. Key phrase - "If the waves are over 3ft do you really need a longboard?".

Choice of board for me has a lot more to do with the steepness of the wave than the size. There are well overhead days at OB, that a Longboard is the best choice. Unless you want to swim rather than surf, you are definitely going to wear a leash.

And given how crowded line-ups are these days, you better be really skilled to go leashless. That is not the typical surfer on a longboard these days.

Posted by: friend #1

at June 7, 2006 11:25 AM

probably 90% of all surfers would quit if you took away their leash. start the recall now.

at June 7, 2006 11:32 AM

surf naked!!

Posted by: e

at June 7, 2006 11:39 AM

but remember to put sunscreen on your ass! ouch!

Posted by: bajel

at June 7, 2006 11:53 AM

trippy lead in today by the way e..im into that shit..

'But this argument was framed by a shortboarder'-Wrong. I surf all kinds of boards. Short, long, fish, gun, depends on the waves that day. Its good to have an open mind and not be the guy with a paddling advantage. Thats like cheating. Don't cheat your fellow surfers, love them.

at June 7, 2006 12:06 PM

where are those photos you promised, bagel?

at June 7, 2006 12:23 PM

its also good to have an open mind and to be the guy with the paddling advantage.

at June 7, 2006 12:47 PM

SD Rider,

I guess that framing the argument statement is more about the argument rather than the framer. It has been debated several times before, and usually phrased similarly: If you choose to longboard, the waves must not be heavy enough to merit a leash.

Often this comes from shortboarders that hate the longboarder hogging the waves. At a big beach with shifting peaks and a lot of current, that paddling advantage is worth it so that you get waves at all and not so that you get all of them.

Glad to know you ride all types of sticks, but I suspect you lean towards shortboards. Why else call it cheating, and not openmindedness?

I've never ridden a fish, but I ride a variety of boards as well, letting conditions dictate my choice. I admit to a tendency towards longer boards though (I have never owned anything shorter than 7'6"). Probably since I rode LB's exclusively for the first 5 years or so (out of 20).

Sorry to have gotten personal in my attack of your position on this issue.

at June 7, 2006 01:06 PM

oopsy thanks for the reminder SW

heres a tester, trying to link from kodak.com or whatever..

at June 7, 2006 01:28 PM

just as i suspected..ok, photo bucket time..

at June 7, 2006 01:29 PM

holy mackeral bajel you scored!

ok this commenting sign-in sign-out sign-in sign-out refresh refresh refresh friggin SUCKS!! sorry if you're dealing with it.

I'm going to install wordpress tonight and start playing around with it.. If it looks to be much better than this current blogging software (moveable type) i might switch the site over.. we'll see what happens.

word em.

at June 7, 2006 01:56 PM

ho-dad toddlers.

Posted by: 3to5setsof7

at June 7, 2006 02:07 PM

wo does everybody see a photo that i dont?

at June 7, 2006 02:13 PM

Never had a problem with the sign in. I access from a couple different computers too--work and home.

Hmmm. Don't know about the "too big to go leashless, too big for longboarding." I don't see the connection. Sometimes I'll ride a longboard on 8 to 10' days if the conditions are right; usually big and bumpy or mushy on the outter bars.

Posted by: Dennis

at June 7, 2006 02:16 PM

i followed the link and, yeah, you scored. thanks for making me drool. i haven't surfed good uncrowded point break in about 2 years.

at June 7, 2006 02:23 PM

oh cool than. ya we scored. i was stoked as i rarely score on surf trips, especially 1 week ones.

at June 7, 2006 02:31 PM

Nice one Bagel Meister! Urchins on the bottom?

at June 7, 2006 03:09 PM

Hey, would you provide a surf report for surfline to make $250 per month? Or is it against your principles to do such a thing. I don't think I like the obligation of having to provide a report every morning, but that is some good money. It will pay my cable, internet, and other bills every month.

Thoughts?

Posted by: toooshy

at June 7, 2006 03:21 PM

cool that your not experiencing technical gliches Dennis. Anybody else getting the same thing as me.. sign-in after you've already signed-in, then a bunch of refreshes to get the comments form?

anyhoo.. bagel.. did you go to the lady's place where she gives out the joints?

at June 7, 2006 03:22 PM

yes. I have that same issue, no big deal, I dont think it effects people much, because no one really seems to post here anymore. heh.

at June 7, 2006 04:11 PM

i bust out the ole longboard a couple times a year. fun times usually. also usually at least once a year get the longboard/trunkin it combo. i doubt i need the leash but see no reason not to use one. what's the point of going no leash - ankle rash? if its solely to try to look cool, trust me rider no one in the water is going "wow check that guy out - no leash! he's the coolest!"

tooshy- go for it. as long as its a well known break that already has other reports then there is no prob. if you don't someone else will.

Posted by: vons

at June 7, 2006 04:16 PM

I tried to sign in a few times but did not know I also had to refresh and thus never made it to the comments form. How many others are out there?

Posted by: speedracer

at June 7, 2006 04:19 PM

no urchins D, sand bottoms mostly, other than some barnicle encrusted rocks at one perfect rocky point. there were these fish though that tried to suck on your legs and swim up your shorts or something as youre paddling back into the line up at one spot, so annoying and creepy. once you sat up on your board though, they were gone. I heard there were small hammerheads too, but never saw any.

e, i dont think i went to the place you were telling me about but i did get to this resturaunt run by an american couple that kept all the ashtrays filled with joints. And if you wanted more the sexy waitress would always have 2 behind each of her sexy ears. dirtiest weed ive possibly ever smoked though..

mmmm..

at June 7, 2006 04:34 PM

friend #1, my first 8 yrs-out of 20- were spent only on shortboards. We are similiar yet different. We are both on different sides of the fence as to when to grab the ol long board. Its almost like skiing vs snowboarding. Good times for all on any board.

at June 7, 2006 05:33 PM

E, the Duckworth book is excellent and is responsible for turning me onto a lot of experimental music when I read it while working on a project for school. If you haven't heard it before and are interested in Minimalism, Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" is the cream of the crop. I will be the DJ on KUSF 90.3FM Thursday morning from 6-9am and will try to play some Terry Riley for all the surfers. :)

I've been almost knocked in the head and had one of my boards seriously damaged by soulless surfers with no leashes.

Posted by: noel

at June 7, 2006 09:04 PM

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