Shored Up Playing in Manhattan

Now Playing Go See it

"When Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast, it was a wake up call to a new reality. Shored Up takes us to the heart of this climate change controversy, following communities in New Jersey and North Carolina where politics, economics and science collide. Beginning 3 years before Sandy hit and following the debates over beach replenishment and other attempts to hold back the sea, Shored Up is a convincing call for action along our coasts. As the oceans rise and storms flood our towns and cities, we have a choice to make: do we continue to develop as we have in the past, ignoring clear risks and danger? Or, do we allow science to guide our policies for the future...before it's too late?"

Playing all week at Cinema Village!

Yes

via PBC

From NYC to Montauk with the E-Class (And Skatin' Ladies)

And then there's this!

The Digital Revolution Will Not Be Televised. It'll Be On Radio.

It is tended to be thought, if that turn of phrase can be turned that way, that the wild west bonanza of the world wide web profits most those who are keen on visual stimulus of the most constant, insistent sort.  The filmmaking industry, artists and those who would exploit them alike, has had a course wholly altered by what is known as "online content," whole careers already defined as "you know, that guy who is sooo good at those little webumentaries shot with a 5D." Stuff like that. What is less often commented upon is the even greater effect the internet has had on radio.  Once thought to be out the door, Mohican style, radio has a renewed relevance few people predicted.  I won't go into it, the myriad of examples, probably already documented better elsewhere, save to say that it's a pain in the ass to watch a video while cooking, driving or sitting on a packed subway car.  It is with little fanfare then (as far as I can tell) that the 92nd Street Y, that venerable vacuum cleaner of all things high culture, has made the totality of it's archives, dating back to 1946, totaling more than 10,000 snootily curated events, available to stream online. This is a simply flabbergasting sonic opportunity.  The stuff of dreams, really. Let the EBNY No Surf Blog be the very first no-surf blog to point you in this right direction:

Click le pic.

Expatriot Appreciation Month at Picture Farm Gallery

Every year we talk about the "big decision." Do we go back for Thanksgiving and Christmas? Do we spend all those air miles? In generally we opt for the double, California and family being too tantalizing a prospect for weary souls. We've made the other decisions before... sometimes taking a turkey trip to the best coast, sometimes only opting for watching the new year's sun set rather than rise. This year we're sticking around for the former, heading out for the latter. All this means for you, dear reader, is less of the traditional late November sunny surfside shots you might be accustomed to here at the EBNY No-Surf Blog, and a brand new opportunity for social disaster should you be in town, without family and in need of some love. On Friday November 29th, Picture Farm Gallery will be hosting a day-after-bring-your-own-leftovers-wine-and-beer art talk dance party singalong. After pulling yourself, giddy and trembling, out of those perfect post turkey day waves, pack up the uneaten bits and bring them over and lets sit around the enormous table in the middle of the gallery and talk. Or come by a little later for a little dancing. Maybe you'll find that winter warmth you've been looking for, or simply need.

Real Deal Kidmanfield Part Dos

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Salad Dressing

It isn't so much the having or not having a purpose that gets me. It's the searching for one. Waiting for it. I reckon a sense of purpose may be the most overrated sense we have. Smell is important, it helps you taste! Sight? You get to see things. Touch? Sex! Hugs! But purpose? I guess I can't be all that down on the idea. It's not that I don't have the sense, but try as I might the only purpose I can make out is the actual purpose of choosing a purpose. And that seems dubious from the get go. I'd rather be stuck with an overwrought sense of gratitude. Now there's a sense that'll get you out of bed in the morning.

Happening : Tomorrow Night

Word

"Watching Robin Kegel´s style you get to think that this thing he does is really easy... switching stance, reading the wave like he does, finding the balance, turning the board like a featherweiht sword, moving up the face, through the setions, turning here, floating there, basically gliding like he does....
His signature style is incomparable. No one does what he does, and that´s why he is one of the great surfers out there today. A unique character with a unique vision and a unique style."
- Via this place.

( I also found this via that blog...)

Sundays at Cafe Tabac

When we first moved from San Francisco to New York at the turn of the century, we thought we'd seen it all. We thought, "oh gay culture, lesbian culture, straight culture, we're from San Fran! Whatever." Of course New York is New York and nothing in any previous cultural experience can prepare you for the pure crucible of style, expectation and applied intelligence that happens here. It was not long before we was hanging out at Beige drinking bottles of champagne in Edwige's private corner booth watching all the artists, bon vivants and fawners pass by to give the grand dame their best wishes. A friend is now helping to make this movie and I'll be stoked to see it turn out. A bit of history that is alive.

Check it out here.

Respects

Click the pics.

Sunday Evening Post

"You've got to be kidding to me," he growled through drooping eyelids. He had slouched significantly just to fit through the door and it didn't do any favors to the tailoring as it was. When he stood to full height, glaring at us, each and every unshaven bristle looking as if some sort of porcupine missile were about to cut us to shreds, his face opened up, all perfectly white teeth. "My dentist told me to." We didn't question.  As I sit here and recount this exceptional tale, I am missing Andrew Kidman at Union Pool. I haven't surfed in weeks. It is a Sunday evening and I'm at the office, having polished off yet another bottle of Martinelli's Gold Medal non-alcoholic sparkling cider. Fukushima may very well boil to pieces, a typhoon may cut across the Panama Canal and become a hurricane, and despite their best efforts, someone will find a new problem with something. I need a real drink. You, you go surf.

Happening : Water at the Brooklyn Academy of Music

Next Wave Festival.  Click the pic.

Slow Burn

Sometimes, during a normal day at the office your co-editor happens to show you something she did a couple years ago and it sorta, just kinda blows your socks off. Well, no, that doesn't happen so often (mostly cus, you know, we're working, see.) But as unlikely as it may be, it happened today. Isabel Freeman, who often edits with Mikey DeTemple (Sight Sound, North) and Ava Warbrick (Stephanie In The Water) edited this for Jesse Cain (who also DP'd Stephanie In The Water.) I present it to you.  It is worth the meditation.

(And for you impatient types, the surfing section, which is incredible, starts around the 15 minute mark.  But I gotta say, it hits even harder as part of the whole film.)

Jesse Cain | U.S. | 2011 | 19m 46s b&w | sound | 16mm transferred to HD 

Kinematics is the study of motion of a body or a system of bodies without consideration given to the forces acting on it; Slow Burn is a study of the repetitive patterns and futile momentum of American recreation.—Jesse Cain

Happening TONIGHT : Save The Waves Film Festival

This is a one of a kind, one night, super charged event. There will be live music and beer and talk and films and camaraderie and commiseration. Not to be missed!  Check out the details at SMASH.

A Last Thought

Long way from the beach with only city distractions

Real Deal Holyfield : Kidman via Machemer

Homecoming

After a few days in the interior and a long drive through hills of cow fields to get here. I was happy to feel that sense of expectation I thought lost on too many responsible hrs at work. It's nice to still feel like a kid as you round the bend  at the sight of the pacific on the horizon trying to get a sense of the status of the swell. This place is rather consistent and always kind to the out of shape travelers while offering a nice mixture of beautiful enviorment warm water and usually really fun head high waves. It's been built up a lot since the last time I was here but I only noticed six people in the water at peak time. Oh, and that's my dad who grew up in panama but had  never been here before. And we introduced the place to my brothers two year old who calls my dad 'my papi'.

Notes For Telemarketers

More notes here.
And here.

Respect on Veterans Day

Happening : Kidman, Litmus at Union Pool

This here is an incredible opportunity. More info right HERE.

Today's Thought

Great Ocean Quarterly

I'll go ahead and bring this one up one more time. More writing, more reporting, more thinking, more creating, more seeing, more feeling. Super excited to subscribe to this one for a little extra perspective. Do that here. here.

W4W Relief Efforts in the Philippines

WAVES FOR WATER ASKS FOR SUPPORT TO HELP VICTIMS OF SUPER TYPHOON HAIYAN LARGEST STORM EVER RECORDED HAS LEFT OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE WITHOUT CLEAN WATER IN THE PHILIPPINES

New York, NY // Nov 8, 2013 - 

Waves For Water founder Jon Rose is mobilizing an urgent clean water disaster relief initiative In response to the Super Typhoon Haiyan, currently decimating the Philippines. Donations can be made to support this effort at: http://www.wavesforwater.org/typhoon-haiyan. The initial goal is to help mitigate some of the immediate suffering by providing victims with access to safe water by distributing portable water filtration systems to community centers, refugee camps, and individual families in affected areas.

The CNN home page reads - “THIS MAY BE EARTHS BIGGEST STORM”. With several people missing and 1200 feared dead. The death toll is expected to sky-rocket within the next 24 hours as so many affected areas have been without help or contact. 

“While we don’t respond to every single disaster that happens, its a large part of what we do and the scale of this particular event is shaping up to be right in-line with our organizational purpose and structure.” ~ Jon Rose W4W / Founder.

Over the past four years Waves For Water has worked on almost every major global disaster, earthquakes and tsunami’s in: Indonesia, Haiti, Japan, and Chile, mega-floods in Pakistan, India, and Brazil… and specifically the comprehensive initiative in response to “Super-Storm-Sandy” here in the U.S. Waves For Water is well versed in first response disaster relief and equipped to not only respond to these types of catastrophic events, but do so quickly and efficiently”. 

Jon and his team will be kicking this project off as early as next week with over 200 water filtration systems providing up to 20,000 typhoon victims with access to clean water almost immediately. For the initial launch Waves For Water has also confirmed support from fellow disaster relief organization. -Reach Out WorldWide (ROWW) and key supporter Hurley H2O. 

“We had the privilege of working with Waves For Water in the aftermath of the Chilean earthquake in 2010, joining forces again now is a natural fit. Simply put, we are two like-minded organizations coming together to make a greater impact.” ~ Lucas Wimer / ROWW / Director of Operations.

To support Waves For Water and make immediate donation, please visit http://wavesforwater.org/typhoon-haiyan 

To follow the progress and learn more about Waves For Water relief efforts please visit: http://www.wavesforwater.org

Do Epic Shit

There's a sort of militant tone here, a fighting spirit that comes from the anger brought by mistreatment. I don't connect with that so much. Growing up a touch bullied myself, I've subsequently, and apparently, grown into a semi square-jawed heterosexual caucasian quasi alpha male. I think thoughts like, "free to be you and me" and "live and let live" and "straight, queer, whatever." But watching something like this is informative bordering important.  I don't subscribe to the anger as it comes to here, it would be disingenuous to do so and there's a line I'd rather not walk that gets into bias the other way. But I've never felt any more comfortable with the so-called "straight world order" as this guy, even with all the bonuses I've been gifted. Don't be square, whatever you do. Except when being square is the right thing to do.

Happening : Tonight at PF Gallery, Andrew Rawlinson

I'm super excited to host State Of Wonder again tonight at the Picture Farm Gallery. Tonight will be an intimate, public discussion led by Andrew Rawlinson, one of the most respected and groundbreaking historians of religion.  His work, synthesizing (and in the process sizing up) Western thought interacting with Eastern spirituality, has lead him to scholarship at Cambridge, the University of Lancaster, Santa Barbara and Berkeley.

"Dr. Rawlinson was a war baby (b.1943) and lived in 17 different places by the time he was six. He got hit early on: Elvis, Jelly Roll Morton, Samuel Johnson, John Keats, Jack Kerouac, Cezanne, Pollock. And Zeus. 
He added philosophy and Indian traditions to rock'n'roll, jazz and literature. 
He was a scholar at Cambridge and did a Ph.D on the Lotus Sutra at the University of Lancaster. 
He taught Buddhism for 20 years and put on a course on Altered States of Consciousness at Berkeley and Santa Barbara."

His forerunning book on Western teachers in Eastern traditions has been hailed as "fascinating, opinionated, and ambitious book suitable for any library."

Tonight he'll be speaking about his forthcoming book "The Hit : Into the Rock 'n Roll Universe and Beyond" covering the esoteric side of musicianship, spirituality and accepting the hits.

An excerpt:

“I remember Eric Clapton talking about how, at the age of 15 or so, he was listening to Family Favourites on the radio. Suddenly - and it always happens suddenly - came the first riffs of a Chuck Berry song.

'It just did me in - pinned me against the wall.' He’d discovered rock’n’roll. He’d been hit. And like everyone who’s been hit, he entered a world: the rock’n’roll universe. Not just a blessing but an ordeal, not just a discovery but a derangement.

Reality is itself the ultimate show. That's the hit. And the world it throws you into? You're in it right now.”

 He joins us straight off the plane from the sought of France where he lives with his wife, his companion of 46 years of whom his bio admits, "when he lies next to his wife, he knows there's nothing else."

It would be great to see you there, share a glass of wine or a bottle of beer and talk a little thoughtful story.

Be Kind! With Ty!

Ty Breuer will be MCing tonight at the launch for the new KIND Project... project. Each month, they are funding an idea that will help inspire kindness. This is open-submission so you and anyone you know can submit – winners are selected monthly by a public voting system. This sounds like a great ongoing idea. Tonight at the Centre for Social Innovation from 6-8pm.

 

Happening for a good cause

Hey NYC(ish) friends and family,

Shored Up is FINALLY coming to NYC starting with a very cool screening this
Saturday and a week-long run at Cinema Village later this month.

This weekend the screening is at 5 p.m. in Industry City in Sunset Park
Brooklyn as part of a large arts exhibition put together by the Dedalus
Foundation, Brooklyn Rail, etc. called "Come Together: Surviving Sandy,
Year 1".  I will be there for the Q&A, it will be a very cool and unusual
venue for the film.  I know there's some art lovers out there, please come
on down and bring kids!!!  It'll be fun.

Thank you thank you!

Ben

Here's more info about this weekend's screening:
http://shoredupmovie.com/screenings/details/2686/8183
http://cometogethersandy.com/aassxri1pjrplcqkw0hlefzni97m6y

Yes

I don't care if some people call it "wrongboarding." This is rad.

The Fishermen of Long Island

Click the pic.  via Le Sabich.

Today's Thought

Richard Pryor doing his best Nina Simone impersonation. via Le Sabich

Washed Up On Spring Street

Save The Waves Film Fest BK 2013

More info here.

Rider And The Storm

via Le Sabich

In The Last Year Lately

There's no way to combat the loss of innocence, but we can celebrate its passing. And necessarily, that passing comes as a surprise. There is no way , in the midst of a real youthful singularity, to know what's going on. You'll only know it by a hindsight that will initially disrupt you and make you rueful, wishing you'd realized you'd known while you were in the know. But it's like the photograph you're so desperate to take, to commemorate the moment, your mom always imploring everyone to smile or that uncle always trying to snap a shot of everyone at their most ignobly candid, reaching to reassure ourselves that this is it, this is the moment we've been waiting for! But its a canard. You'd never know you were in the throes of it until it's gone. And thats when the sadness can be crushing. Astoundingly crushing. You can never see it coming. And where it hits is some place deep, guttural, and uncontrollable. And you think, "oh I didn't know it would hurt this bad." You think, "what will someone think if they see me this way?" But you can't do anything about it. Something is lost you didn't know you had and now the hole is somehow deep and somehow deeply unsettling. But there's something else in there. Something ecstatic and untamable in its own right. The first glimmer that you had it, that it was yours, whatever it was. And sometime, perhaps much later, if you keep the pain fresh, and you ought to really keep the pain fresh, you can realize that you can be at it again, waiting in an ignorance you won't know is blissful for the next shoe to drop.

Respect