“The Machine Makes The World Spin. Rage, Fear, Oppose – We’re All A Part Of It.”

“Fear the machine, and then take the vial,” says Lucas ‘Skywalka’ Godfrey. “Direct orders from the source itself. Who knows who’s talking. We just follow orders. That’s what we do.”

Rare birds, minds like these. Especially now, as the world — and pro surfing — churns toward beige conformity. But Lucas Godfrey? He’s a 30-year-old ding repairman, North Shore underground heavyweight, and the last thing from a company man.

Maybe you know him from his 2023 SEOTY entry, Repthrillians, or his 2021 alien-laced surf flick, Where’s My Board. If his name doesn’t rattle your brain stem, it will after Fear the Machine.

But what machine are we fearing, exactly?

“The machine could mean many things. It could mean society. It could mean the government. The machine that makes the world go around. You can rage against it, fear it, oppose it, accept it. But we’re all part of it, you know, we all resent it at times and probably fear it at times too.”

His latest edit is a jawbreaker, a globe-spanning excavation of waves that flirt with the abyss, stitched together by longtime interplanetary co-conspirator Tomo McPherson, aka Tomohouseproductions.

“Tomo edited the whole thing. We spitballed the skits, the title, the whole deal together.”

A meeting of the minds. But wait — isn’t Skywalka a ding guy? How does he bankroll a surf odyssey?

“I basically just fix boards and do surf lessons, and that’s how I’m able to kind of pull it off because I can create my own schedule and work really hard when I need to,” explains Lucas. “But in saying that, nearly all those trips I went without a filmer. To have to pay my own way, and then also pay the way of someone to film me, becomes a bit tricky. I just got really lucky that I was able to get some footage. Luckily, I just happened across other people who were filming. It really felt like it came together against all odds.”

Fear The Machine opens on a meat-grinder right somewhere in the Pacific. Look familiar? Tug at the memory. Stuck? Try the Zipper.

“I was definitely there when those guys were. Pretty easy to figure out if you check the filming credits — kind of a dead giveaway,” says Lucas, reluctantly. “We were just having a good time, taking turns, talking story with the boys. They were ripping. Got a lot of respect for them, stoked to share good times. I saw some things that really blew my mind — and I think I even surprised myself on some of the waves.”

Two years back, Lucas told us his life ran on three pillars: Surf, Fix, Farm. Today, same deal. Only now he’s doubling down — probably for when the aliens finally land.

“I’ve got a little fruit grove going. Always farming, propagating, growing the collection. I give a lot of it away, sometimes sell it too. It’s just part of my life — living healthy, living by the land, spreading the love, spreading the aloha.”

Shoutouts.

“All the folks who gave me clips, sold me clips. Big thanks. And my sponsors — Roark, Carve Sunglasses, Bret Marumoto Surfboards, 3rd Stone Glass Shop, Black Bear Surf Club.”