Tracks February 2016

Reinvention – is there any concept more relevant to popular culture in the 21st century? Music acts depend on reinvention to keep their fans loyal and their sound relevant, actors thrive on it every time they land a new role and of course Kelly Slater is a master of it. In publishing, reinvention is paramount if you want to be a meaningful voice through the ages. Tracks for example has evolved from a black and white, counter culture broadsheet to a glossy chronicle of an increasingly diverse surfing universe. Along the way The Surfers’ Bible has always strived to capture surfing’s inherently rebellious spirit. In its material form Tracks has been used for everything from dunny paper to placemats, dope chopping boards and bedroom wallpaper. Meanwhile some of the Bible’s…

TEAHUPOO BLUES WORDS BEN BUGDEN PHOTO DOM MOSQUEIRA "The anxiety before a trip to Chopes is like no other," remembers Craig Anderson the man standing knock-kneed yet stoic in this electric blue Polynesian tube. "I was at home when I got a call telling me the late season forecast looked surprisingly good. There were two back to back 8-10ft swells supposed to hit, both with good winds and maybe the first swell would even reach 10-12ft and border on tow/paddle. I paced around the house for hours asking myself if I should go or not. I don't naturally thrive on big waves, but when it's summer and 1ft at home, the thought of uncrowded and perfect Chopes made the decision a no-brainer in the end." Craig claims the trip to…

FROM THE VAULT - PARTY TIME A young Martin Potter throws the bird as a hotel room devolves into debauchery around him. FOLLOW. For fans of George Costanza @costanzagrams LISTEN - BORNEO. Borneo is a cherry infused, chedda funk rock group blasting larrakinism and rainbows through your earholes all the way from Sydney to Syria. Check out their latest singles Concrete Jungle and Eating Animals. Their live shows are known to blow off the toughest of socks. Follow: facebook.com/borneoband Instagram: @borneoband " BEHIND PAGE ONE - MIKE RILEY. It was an amazing day, but had its ups and downs. The boys racked up about 20 perfect barrels apiece, but on the way home our car stopped dead and stranded us in the middle of nowhere. At least we had beers…

West Australian photographer Russell Ord, 41, is world renowned for his images of The Right. His good mate Darren McCagh, 34, is a cinematographer and part owner of production company Farmhouse Films. The pair have been working on ‘One Shot’ – a documentary tracing Ord’s quest to capture “one shot” that defines who he is. Darren McCagh: It’s a funny feeling when you drop him in the zone. Part of me is pumped to see what he’s gonna come up with during the session and the other part is fearful of the possibility that something may go wrong. I’ve never felt like telling him not to jump off because I know he can handle himself, he’s trained hard for it, he knows what’s at stake, he knows when he’s in…

Tell us about where you grew up, does it have any influence on your work? I grew up in Wamberal on the Central Coast of NSW which is about an hour north of Sydney. Wambi is the typical classic Aussie beach side town with its charismatic locals, fun waves and a boardriders club that loves a carpark hangout. It’s famous for the ‘Wambi Whopper’ which is the best burger on the coast! The coastal environment and associated cultures have had a huge impact on where I am today. When did you realise, 'hey I’m not bad at drawing, maybe I can do this instead of cleaning up pots 'n' pans at Terrigal Beery?' As much as I loved the free food & beers when I was a dishpig as a…

“Filming came pretty naturally to me. Bob Evans gave me a crash course and I shot some footage for him and earned enough to buy my own 16mm camera. I started filming Morning of the Earth without a plan - it just unfolded naturally. The next project was a film on George Greenough with David Elfick. It was meant to go for 10 minutes but with George a conversation can go for days. I ended up staying with him for a year in Santa Barbara and helped build his boat Morning Light while we made Crystal Voyager. After that I kind of fell off the perch - sold Tracks, got a little bit of money and went walkabout. I travelled through Asia and made a series of documentaries on festivals…