Is Jersey Shore Still on TV?
By Jud Bushkar, McKevlin’s Surf Shop
If you are reading this, three things must have worked in your favor.
First, someone taught you to read. Thank a teacher.
Second, the Folly Current is still in print after the summer reading episode. The masses still love to read.
Finally, I have not yet been replaced by a parking news columnist. Just thinking about that possibility gets me more scared than Scooby Doo was when the demon shark was chasing him. People love to talk about parking. How, where, when, and who gets the money for tickets and meters is a topic that will spark as many opinions as politics without losing friends.
I would like to put parking to rest and suggest something that may seem counterintuitive. Give your cell phone to Goodwill, pick up a surf movie or two, cruise to your couch, and pull the emergency break. The last two months have brought lousy, small, choppy surf to our beach. If you do not already watch surf movies, it may be time to start. The rest of this article outlines the characteristics of these films and lists some of my favorite examples.
The first type of surf movie tells a story. Narration is optional, but a great soundtrack and tons of beautiful waves can more than take the place of dialogue and voice-overs. Endless Summer, a tale of two surfers traveling the world in search of surfing perfection, is the most famous example. For my money, Morning of the Earth, the classic Australian film by Albert Fazon, is the finest example of the narrative surf movie. This profound surf flick can be found at McKevlin’s Surf Shop on VHS. Stop by on a Wednesday for Free VHS Tape Rentals and see surfing in a whole new light.
This spring saw Folly locals, Bryant, Ellison and Robert Thomas, release a truly professional work entitled Waves In Our Pocket. Movies of this type feature non-stop action and a wide variety of surfers. Waves In Our Pocket was filmed almost entirely on Folly Beach starring local surfers. It says this is the way we surf on Folly Beach right now, and it is a must watch for anyone who even occasionally looks at the big blue moving thing that is next to the beach.
The final type of surf movie has great surfing, great waves, and short comedy skits. The breaks between action sections showcase surfers’ acting talent, or more correctly, their lack of any acting ability. My favorite movie of this type is Taylor Steele’s Loose Change. It features Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox, Chris Ward and ten or so other guys from what may be described as a uniquely timeless generation of surfers in their prime.
Surf movies of all types can help pass the time during flat spells. Coupled with a shiny flat screen or fat-backed, thirty-year old Montgomery Ward television, a good surf flick offers a break from the ongoing parking war that is Folly Beach in the summer. They combine action, music, and good vibes in a package that surfers and non-surfers can really enjoy. If I was a doctor, I would tell you to lay off the Dancing with the Stars, watch two surf films, and call me in the morning.
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