The Surfer’s Journal presents Soundings with Jamie Brisick

On stepping off the world tour, grief, finding solace in competitive surfing, and dealing with the aftermath of his near-shark attack at J-Bay.

On purism and art making, punk, surf culture, misheard song lyrics, art world disenchantment, what keeps him going as an artist, and Black Flag. 

On the Gidget enterprise, surfing Malibu in the 1950s, feminism, Malibu’s cachet among the Hollywood intelligentsia, the beach, and boys.

The South African on Cape Town’s surf landscape, stepping away from competition, his film endeavors, and finding the freedom to be oneself.

The ’88 world champ on anarchy, his childhood at Whale Beach, hitch-hiking, method-acting as an athlete, and being disciplined in the pursuit of your dreams.

The California native on the Malibu parking lot scene, the Noosa wave that changed her life, harmonic resonance, walking away from her fifteen-year Roxy sponsorship, Malibu’s perfect wave, her surfing influences, and the lessons she learned from Donald Takayama.

Outdoorsman, self-taught blacksmith, and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard never wanted to be a businessman. Rather, it was from his desire to innovate, change the status quo, and protect the environment that Patagonia was born. A craftsman to the core, Chouinard started applying industrial design principles to making outdoor-clothing as a blacksmith shortly after high school. His recent decision to transfer all of Patagonia’s voting stock to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and all of the company’s excess profits to the Holdfast Collective, a non-profit devoted to addressing climate change, sets a precedent for a new form of capitalism in America—one that considers quality and social impact over excess and consumption. Chouinard sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about the value of problem solving using principles of industrial science, environmentalism, what inspired his game-changing business decision, invention versus innovation, what marketing means to him, and his heroes.

For loggers, jiu-jitsu practitioners, and the international surfing community at large, the name Tudor rings loudly. The youngest surfer to ever win an ASP event, Joel Tudor has gone on to win world titles in 1998, 2004, and 2021. His foray into jiu-jitsu began during a hiatus from competitive surfing after the birth of his son, Tosh. He quickly progressed in the sport with a characteristically nimble athleticism and began winning competitions world-wide. A father, surfer, and fighter, the San Diego native sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about the nature of performance in competitive surfing and jiu-jitsu alike, why he first gravitated toward logs instead of thrusters, making a name for himself in Hawaii, and his new surfboard factory.

The stylist on his foray into professional surfing, his proudest moments, commercialism, The Search, the California waves that shaped him, surfboard design, and his biggest inspirations.   Santa Barbara-native Tom Curren championed athleticism in surfing with his emergence on the ASP World Tour in 1983. Highly regarded for his humility and integrity, Curren has served as one of the most inspirational figures in the surfing community. On the 25th anniversary year of his film Searching for Tom Curren, Tom sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about his infamous double-pump bottom turn, music, and releasing himself from the confines of competition after winning back-to-back world titles.

The magnetic freesurfer on manifestation, picking reef out of his teeth, hanging with Tom Curren, surfing IQ and the tour education, music, transitioning from landing airs at his home break to surfing big waves, and growing up as part of the Ho surfing dynasty.  For Mason Ho, surfing has been a source of happiness since before he can remember. Son of professional surfer Michael Ho, brother to Coco, and nephew of World Champion Derek Ho, Mason has made a name for himself through his playful style, big personality, and seeing waves where others don’t. Ho sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about the role music plays in his surfing, the virtue of patience, and striking the balance between fun, intention, and drive in order to be successful.