Catching up with Kelly Slater
By Cathay Che
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Kelly Slater ripping it up at the X Games
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In popular culture, the surfer is the ultimate beautiful dreamer, traveling the world, turning his back on urban excess, wrangling wild waves and unraveling life's mysteries as he/she contemplates the horizon. It's a romantic ideal that six-time world champion surfer (now angling for a 7th title in 2003) Kelly Slater, 31, manages to live up to - even while securing sponsors, high-profile appearances, lucrative deals, and championship titles.
This once scrappy little kid from Cocoa Beach, Florida, now has his own video game (Kelly Slater Pro Surfer), his namesake Kelly Slater Quiksilver Boardriders Club store in the Universal City Walk in Hollywood, and a new biography ripe for a film option [Who could play him in the movie? Jared Leto perhaps?], aptly titled Pipe Dreams. Add to this his past relationships with glamorous babes like Pamela Anderson, his sideline making surf music and surf videos with his friend Jack Johnson, and being voted among People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and he's a guy you'd love to hate. But the thing is, it's nearly impossible to resent him for anything he has because he works so damn hard for it and always delivers for his fans. Most recently, Slater led the east coast team to victory in the first surfing competition of the X Games beating the west coast team that included Rob Machado and Tim Curran, on their home turf in front of 25,000 spectators at Huntington Beach - OUCH!
Time Out New York contributing editor Cathay Che, caught up with surprisingly Zen Slater on August 6, 2003 on his cellphone in Southern California.
CC: [loud screeching in the background] Kelly, sorry, it's so noisy - are you doing this interview in a chicken coop?
KS: [laughs] No, I'm actually on the beach with a bunch of autistic kids. My brother works at this surf camp and a couple times during the summer, I come down and hangout. Sorry - this is not ideal, but the day just kinda got backed-up. We were in a meeting all-day about the X Games - just surfing politics. It's all good now - we're definitely going to do it. Hold on. [He says very gently to the kids "As soon as I get off the phone, we can take a picture, okay? But it's going to be a few minutes." A kid screams like a banshee in the background].
CC: Kelly, you're not supposed to hurt them are you?
KS: No, no - just another kid who's Mom wouldn't give him his candy.
CC: Surfing competitions take place all over the world, in Brazil, Portugal, France, Mexico, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, Japan, South Africa, etc. Spending so much time in the ocean, what have you seen in terms of the effects of pollution and environmental distress?
KS: Oh, A LOT and sometimes, like in Japan, it's a real nightmare. I remember this one contest there where I could barely walk down the beach - it was covered in trash. It's strange because the Japanese are totally germ-phobic, but maybe that's why - they are subconsciously breeding what they fear most.
CC: Yes, and they have such a love affair with plastic and everything being sterile and individually-wrapped, which creates more trash and toxins. Have you been inspired to take action?
KS: Oh yeah - I've done a lot with Surfrider, Heal The Bay and an organization called My Ocean here in California. But I think everyone should do what they can and it can be simple - like one time, I was so disgusted, I wrote a letter to the Mayor of this one city because of the sewage we saw in the ocean - it was hideous. Another time, we collected all of the garbage on this one beach and dropped the bags off at the local City Council to bring attention to it
CC: In your new book, Pipe Dreams, you talk about wanting to make your home on the still relatively unpolluted and undeveloped big island of Hawaii. You also mention having your own organic farm - is that still your dream?
KS: Yeah and it's happening. I just had a meeting with an architect two nights ago. I mean have you ever been there? It's just magical. My place is up in the mountains and its pretty remote. Like, the north shore of Oahu would seem like Hollywood compared to where I'll be living.
CC: Well, the north shore of Oahu is practically Hollywood with all of the productions being filmed there [The Big Bounce, Boardinghouse North shore, MTV Surf Girls, etc.]. How do you feel about surfing having this big moment in popular culture?
KS: I know a lot of people are bitching about it and about how the line-ups are getting too crowded with surfing getting so much exposure, but I personally don't mind. I mean, I catch enough waves. It is still yet to be seen if surfing has now broken through and if people really understand the true surf lifestyle. I mean, surfing was pretty popular as a backdrop in movies in the 50's and 60's and surf music was something totally different back then too.
CC: Yeah, but that was so camp. Hollywood is trying to get it right now, isn't it?
KS: TRYING, but they can't seem to make a surf movie without some kooky little love story or showdown in the surf contest.
CC: What's your opinion of the new surf documentary you're in - Dana Brown's Step Into Liquid?
KS: That captures the real deal I think. It shows the fun, the intensity, the fear and excitement of what surfing is. But that's a film made by surfers who are connecting real surfing with real filmmaking.
CC: You've been involved in making surf movies yourself, most notably September Sessions, a beautiful 16mm film you did with friends including musician Jack Johnson. He's had a really big year also, touring with Ben Harper. Do you two have any plans to work on a new movie?
KS: Yeah, I think we're going to start shooting some time in February and that will probably become a new documentary. They way we've worked before, it's always just been like - "Want to go on this trip? Okay, let's shoot it." We just sort of built it gradually, going, "Oh yeah, that looks good there." Then we added some songs and some interviews and [September Session] just came together. Its funny, Jamie Lee Curtis, of all people, came up to me at the Teen Choice Awards recently and said. "Kelly Slater, I have to tell you my favorite 30-minute film in the world is September Sessions. I buy the DVD five at a time on the internet and give them to people.
CC: You also made a CD in 2000 as the lead singer of a group called The Surfers. People have this image of modern day surfers - that you come in from a day riding ridiculous waves in some gorgeous part of the world and then sit around making this really simple but inspired, heartfelt music.
KS: Well, we do [laughs].
CC: Okay, so when is your next CD coming out?
KS: I don't think the Surfers will make another CD together - we are all just working on our individual projects. I'm always working on new songs, just about stuff in my brain. I wouldn't classify it as surf music unless it is just because I'm a surfer and its on acoustic guitar and ukulele.
CC: You mentioned your recent appearance at the Teen Choice Awards where you were nominated as Male Athlete of the Year, but lost to Kobe Bryant (!). You make it pretty clear in your book that you've felt out of sync with the whole LA/Hollywood scene - has that changed?
KS: Well, I have more friends in the entertainment industry now. Like you said, they have been shooting a lot on the north shore of Oahu and last winter, during the filming of The Big Bounce, I became friends with Owen Wilson and some of the other actors and the producers on that movie. Then I randomly met Minnie Driver and we've become pretty good friends too.
CC: Have you taught any of these new friends how to surf?
KS: Well, if they wanted me to and we had the time, I would. I actually went out on the north shore with Owen [Wilson] one day, but it was when they were filming and he was supposed to look like he was one of the pros.
CC: He was out in those monster waves during in the winter? Poor dude. The Big Bounce was filmed at the same time as the WB reality show about pro surfers, Boardinghouse Northshore. Have you seen it?
KS: No, not one episode. I've been out of the country for five months surfing in competitions.
CC: Too bad because I was going to ask you about Sunny Garcia. You mention him in your book and in the acknowledgements you actually wrote: "Thanks for never hitting me." Garcia doesn't come off too well on that show - he's like a prime candidate for Anger Management classes.
KS: Sunny is AWESOME. He's one of my very close friends and his daughter is my goddaughter. If you know him, you know, he's a good guy.
CC: One last question, what would it take to get you to reveal the location of your secret spot on the big island of Hawaii. In your book you list your top ten surf breaks and you refer to this place just as "Threes"?
KS: Aw, [pause]. Um, I don't think I could do it, no matter what. I mean, its not like some surf mafia would come down on me, its just for selfish reasons. Plus, its one of those places where the conditions have to be just right - so it's not always happeningŠ
CC: Yeah, yeah, just testing.
Check out the August 22-29 issue of Time Out New York for more of this interview with Kelly Slater |
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Are you planning on purchasing Kelly Slater's new book Pipe Dreams? If you purchase it through www.forsociety.com and select "Surfrider Foundation" as your nonprofit, Surfrider will receive a commission!
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