Who is our next Kelly Slater?
OK, I’m back to my usual pondering. I’ve reset and re-engaged with surfing. My wetsuit hangs wet again. I’m back to deep thoughts and arbitrary theories about surf culture. It only took a week and an exorbitant amount of coffee and air conditioning to get there. But I have arrived. And one problem continues to plague me and we must address it today with significant urgency. I watched firing Teahupoo all day yesterday and today and I don’t think I was given any hope. But who is our next Kelly Slater?
We need this question answered because it is the key to our future as a culture. For four full decades surfing had a face — a beautiful one at that. Kelly Slater gave us an identity. A surfer who represented a large swath of us across the world. He is Floridian with Syrian-Irish lineage. He represented all surfers. Men, women, children. Great Lakes surfers as well as kids on the Huntington Beach High School Surf Team trying to get sponsored and win NSSA events. He spoke for hooded Nor Cal core lords and Baja bound vagabonds. Confederate Floridians and Da Hui. Kelly Slater gave us global street cred and intrigue. He unified all our factions into one silhouette. He made you proud to be young in Barcelona telling a Spanish girl you surf. He drove our industry, defined a surfer’s casual coolness and the case could be made he single-handedly made Quiksilver huge.
He was on Baywatch. Dated Pam. Rode sexy surfboards with no Monster or Red Bull logos. He didn’t need ‘em. One sticker, one shaper logo, rarely even a grip and a plain white board when he wasn’t drawing a voluptuous cartoon babe on it. The boards looked sleek and appeared as if he alone could ride them properly.
He surfed Backdoor, Teahupoo, Kirra, Waimea, Pipe, G-Land, Sebastian Inlet, Southside HB, Steamer Lane, Haleiwa and Lowers better than anyone ever … every wave really except for Sunset Beach. And that’s perfect because Sunset is fun to surf but boring to watch. Kelly was not boring. The only thing boring about him was that he simply won everything. Contests were a battle for second for decades. Kelly was a winner. And he destroyed the career earnings of all my favorite young surfers for nearly 30 years. Only now can I appreciate how lucky we are he did.
He was handsome too (and still maintains the good looks for a 53-year-old man despite loss of all hair). In his time though, no one was more perfectly chiseled to be the pinnacle of surf. He was bronzed, stylish, interesting and mysterious. Looked good on the cover of Interview Magazine and Surfer Magazine just the same and was no doubt invited to White Parties in the Hamptons but never showed —which is of course the most powerful thing a celebrity can do is be invited and never show up. Presence is the most valuable thing a person can offer and take away. Kelly was the king of making you wonder just what he could be doing that was better than where he was supposed to be. Genius!
Kelly actually became more famous for his no-shows than his appearances. Another strong move. He went on a competitive sabbatical Spirit Quest at age 29 and came back to win several more of his likely forever record 11 World Titles. He also smoked a whole generation of Australian upstarts doused the Brazilian Storm just enough to maintain relevancy into his late forties.
He was wealthy and never needed to spend a dollar. “Mr. Kelly, right this way please.” He didn’t party, but wasn’t sober. He read philosophy. He played guitar. Looked good in a beanie. Around a campfire. And in a tux. Those eyes! He didn’t start a family until now so his life was chasing waves, dude. Mystery. Our guy! A single man rumored to be dating Gisele and/or Cameron Diaz for decades. And when Roxy started, he looked great next to Lisa Andersen too. Were they related? Dating? The old White Stripes maneuver! More brilliance. More intrigue. More thriving for surf culture. Quiksilver shirts always worked as long as Kelly was the face.
He also elevated his challengers into icons. Andy Irons doesn't become the giant he is without Kelly. Their rivalry made surfing great for years. And while Andy was Kelly’s perfect foil for many years, that exciting era of surfing came to a heartbreaking end and Kelly resumed his post at the top. But he’s only recently sorta finally actually retired to the Kukio Resort on the Big Island and fatherhood and after what I saw yesterday in Tahiti no one is even close to taking the reins.
I spent hours watching incredible surfing feats at Teahupoo the last few days. Every country and style had a strong representative charging. Italo and Yago. Jack and Ethan. Seth and Barron. Al Cleland and Crosby Colapinto. Griffin and Cole. It was crazy to me how many strong, hard-charging performances went down. Kelly-like heroics. Incredible stuff. But I walked away feeling like none of them were up to the task of being the new Kelly.
Maybe it’s for the best that we have a dynamic batch of options now, and a surfer for everyone (is it though?). We even have a large group of talented women charging. Someone for everyone. We have some rad characters as well. I’m loving Al Cleland’s rebellion meets respect play. Raw and earnest. Worldly and fun. He has the competitiveness feistiness of Mick Campbell but we’ll need Al to put in the years to tell if he’s got any Kelly in him. I’m not convinced that’s his play anyway. Someone like Al thrives more if there’s a new Kelly at the top.
I think we need a new leader. A president of the international surf club. Someone to translate what we do for the mainstream. To show us the way. The WSL made the attempt the past decade to be the home and voice of surfing and well, results are in. It didn’t work. Surfing is a culture that needs an identity. A face. And I think we shouldn’t be afraid to celebrate our strange, sexy lifestyle in all its brazen audacity. Go surf, date a celeb and don’t show up to dinner on time ever. What surfer would Andy Warhol walk to the front of the line of The Factory? That’s who I’d vote for. But I don’t seem to see that person on my ballot yet. Who would you nominate?—Travis Ferré
