Stoked and Broke

I got hooked up. And as a result, I got to watch the movie online for free. Twice!! I suppose I could watch it again if I so choose. I may so choose before the weekend is up.

Now that I've seen it, I have to admit that I will buy it once the film is released on DVD. It's just that good. I rarely watch surf films these days because, as I've said before, I just can't relate to them. They're not talking to me, about me, around me, behind me or even in my general direction. I suppose this relates to something I said to someone recently about the way the corporations portray surfing. When you look at ads or films for surf corporations, there is a definite feeling that surfing is about "them," that the average surfer is not a part of the equation. We aren't young, blonde twenty somethings with scantily clad babes (whether male or female) waiting for us on the beach. The surf story as told by the surf corporations excludes most of us. This is the reason why I spend a great deal of my time reading surf blogs. The writers of those blogs give stoke away for free. They generally ask nothing in return. They simply grant us entrée into their lives as surfers. As a result, we see ourselves in them. That's something we can't say about the corporate portrayals of surfers and surfing.

That brings me back to Stoked and Broke. There was a definite feeling of "us" as I watched this film. I think I was most enthralled by the surfers they spoke to during their walkabout. RK, as is probably readily apparent, is my boy! Even though we've only met once, we've developed a weird, hip-hop based relationship after I interviewed him for Liquid Salt. I thought his comments in the film were very poignant. Kneeboard Steve and the Horns also epitomized what this is all about. Stoke is not easily extinguished. That is probably one of the reasons why surfing is such a joyful lifestyle.

I give Cyrus Sutton a lot of credit for doing something completely different that still ended up being a highly enjoyable surf film. A+!

Stoked & Broke Teaser from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.