ISSUE 65 – March / April 2013
Welcome to a magazine that represents intolerance, selfishness, nationalism, caesarian ambitions and overall good times.
We had a helluva time pulling the levers, opening the gates and sheparding the weak away from any presence within the pages. Our elitism, howevs, does have its setbacks, however cheefully ignored.
For example, when your aim is only to represent the very point of the performance polyhedron, it leaves a very small pool of surfers to choose from. John John, of course, Kelly, sometimes, Chippa, Julian, Jordy, Gabs, Kolohe, Dion, Owen, Matt W, Filipe if we could get him on the phone, Taj, a little of Brendon Gibbens, Joel, Creed McTags, Jay Davies, Josh, and a few more. Y’gets the picture?
Shrink the world to a dozen surfers and it sure does make it hard to discharge our duties in a manner that provides the variety you need. This issue? It’s got enough to improve your life, enough exploitation of young sponsored men to reaffirm your convictions about Stab.
Put on your favourite leggings and let’s saunter through the pages.
And this surfer, here, is the South African Brendon Gibbens, someone we’ve only recently fallen in love with. The photograph comes from the same session as Dane’s cover, at a Central-ish Coast righthander. Let’s stand enchanted by this youth and the stardust he sprinkles upon the waves. Photo: Morgan Maassen
First, we arrive at the story behind the cover photo. The coverlines probably don’t need an explanation given we all know it’s a tweaked version of William Randy Hearst’s quote about gals, dogs and babies selling mags. Can you imagine a world without Dane Reynolds? We can’t. All that individuality, difference and originality. We’re such junkies for his love.
Still with me? Let’s interview Hawaiian stuntman-waterman Mark Healey on his radically oversubscribed (55,000 followers) Instagram feed. We’ll have to go to California for this one, so pack something warm-ish (it’s winter) and we’ll enter the house of Chanel model Danny Fuller. Our journey is worth it because don’t this house smell good (notes of Number 5 and Allure). We’ll ask Mark about riding on the backs of sharks and he’ll say, “When they hone in on you it gets personal very fast. I don’t think any human could make you fel that intimidated.”
Staying in page order, we come to Creed McTaggert, the 19 year old from Margaret River who really is flavour of the month ever since he was annointed by Kai Neville. But, let us tell you a few things about Creed y’don’t know. For example, when we interview, he’s convinced himself he’s going to die in his heat at eight-to-10-foot Margs. So convinced, he’s “saying fucking hello to everyone I see. This day could definitely be my last.”
Jay Davies is next. We made him surf from five in the morn til seven at night. And he loved it. How livingly he experiences this world.
Then the Volcom House, an oral history. You kinda know the stories but let Kala Alexander and his pals open that imposing front door and let you in on, like, everything. Let’s quote Kala! “If you come here and you’re a dick you’re gonna be treated like a dick. This is our fucken home. Our queen was overthrown, hundreds of thousands of Hawaiians died when the white man came here from all the diseases they brought, and people come here and wonder why Hawaiians are so hard to understand or this or that?
It’s because we’ve been fucken exploited for years and one of the few things we have left are our waves. And you’re not gonna come and take our fucken waves too. You took our land, you took our fucking monarchy.
We hate friction. But Stab does love heated, sincere controversy!
(You can buy the digital version of this issue, here!)
most recent comment
From: One And Only: Conner Coffin
Love to see him surfing Bells
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