The Surfer’s Journal presents Soundings with Jamie Brisick

Cofounder of The Surfer's Journal Steve Pezman talks with host Jamie Brisick about Soundings' titular origin, his half century of publishing, and the Journal's editorial values.

The seven-time world champ talks with Jamie Brisick about maintaining competitive focus, making the jump from high-school straight to the world tour, Snapper Rocks etiquette, the virtues of smiling while dropping in, and more. Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The Dogtowner talks with Jamie Brisick about the surf-skate connection, his mentor Bunker Spreckels, the power of the “I am going to crush you” spirit, knock-kneed style, and more. Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The award-winning author talks with Jamie Brisick about surfing and addiction, the acceptance of substance use in the arts, the double-edged nature of the surfing life, the benefits of meditation, and more.  Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The electric freesurfer talks with Jamie Brisick about staying relevant in the changing media landscape, the benefits of irony and self-deprecation, his decision to leave the world tour, being recognized in the grocery store, and more. Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The big-wave charger talks with Jamie Brisick about the possibility of a big-wave gene, the joys of the single-fin gun, sexism in the lineup, what it’s like to sit on the boil at Waimea as a set swings wide, and more.  Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The surfer-shaper-writer-critic talks with Jamie Brisick about outrigger canoes, his relationship with the surf world, surfing “then” versus “now,” and how to keep wave riding interesting riding waves in mid-life and beyond. Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The Beastie Boy talks with Jamie Brisick about how he found his way to surfing, life on the road, improvisation, and risk-taking in creative endeavors, the making of “Sabotage,” and more. Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings. 

The definitive waterman talks with Jamie Brisick about his adrenaline-junkie beginnings, early heroes and influences, self-doubt and managing fear, the backstory of his Millennium Wave, and more. Produced by Jonathan Shifflett. Music by Little Wings.

The most accomplished surfer ever on omens, the virtues of being vulnerable, his odyssey through fame, what the future looks like in midlife, and where to find inspiration after redefining the pinnacles of performance.  Kelly Slater’s competitive nature, sheer athleticism, and grace under pressure have won him 11 world titles. Now, at 50, he opens up to Jamie Brisick about the key ingredients for success and how his professional surfing career and life in the public eye have come to shape his understanding of happiness.

The bassist for rock band Pixies on the surf-music connection, minimalism, the symbiosis between growth and tragedy, and finding forms of expression—on stage and in the water.  Argentine-American Paz Lenchantin is both a musician and a surfer. Throughout her music career, she’s held positions in popular alternative-rock bands such as A Perfect Circle, The Entrance Band, Silver Jews, and, most notably, Pixies. Hailing from a family of classical musicians, Lenchantin’s love for playing bass went hand in hand with a certain sense of rebelliousness. In this episode, she sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about the relationship between music and surfing, and the role rhythm plays in structuring our relationships to the surrounding world.

The waterman on “designing danger” as a Hollywood stuntman, eschewing labels, training for wipeouts, the aloha spirit, the visceral connection between fear and enlightenment, and his family’s Westside legacy.  Brian Keaulana is an esteemed lifesaver and surfer who has been an irreplaceable advocate for the importance of life-saving skills and ocean-education within the surfing community. Son of renowned surfer and lifesaver Buffalo Keaulana and brother of three-time ASP World Longboard champion Rusty, Brian has understood the importance of living in symbiosis with his surroundings from a young age, starting with getting in the water with his father at just three months old. In this episode, he discusses his family’s legacy, Hollywood, survival, and the power of storytelling as a vehicle for cross-cultural communication.

The bestselling author on self-discovery, escaping your roots, the multifarious ways in which we relate to the world around us, the surf-travel connection, freedom, and working in the service of your passion.  Paul Theroux is an established travel writer and novelist residing on the North Shore of Oahu. Author of numerous acclaimed works such as The Great Railway Bazaar and The Mosquito Coast, Theroux’s stories are imbued with the virtues of globetrotting and self-discovery. As a child, Theroux recalls fantasizing about the distant worlds he read about in books—destinations of possibility that contrasted to his tribalistic upbringing as one of seven children in a small New England town. Theroux joined the Peace Corps in 1963 and began teaching in Malawi. In this episode, he sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about what influenced his birth as a writer, the importance of grasping and respecting the nuances of your surroundings on land and at sea, and the relationship between place and self-discovery.

  The charger on the dance between grief and greatness, the evolution of professional surfing, nonconformity, and his heaven-sent wave at Teahupoo. In a family of world-renowned surfers, Nathan Fletcher was fated to push limits. His fire for big waves and airs have established him as a leading innovator within the sport. In this episode, he discusses the secrets to aging gracefully as a professional athlete, what drives him in heavy water, how motocross and skating have helped him assess both pain and risk, and the precarious tension between living in the moment and finding who you are.

The Fletcher family matriarch on what fuels her endlessly-inspired disposition, watching her sons pit themselves against nature, the virtues of being fearless, challenging social norms, and what excites her about technology. Dibi Fletcher, the self-described progenitor of a “gene pool of cool,” has mastered living life to the fullest. An artist, writer, and entrepreneur, her vivacity, lust for freedom, and go for broke mentality has fueled both her own and her sons’ enduring desire to push the envelope. Dibi’s refusal to be constricted by societal norms has enabled her to engage with the world as a sphere of endless opportunity. In this episode of Soundings, Dibi talks with Jamie Brisick about the (d)evolution of surfing from countercultural lifestyle to mainstream sport, the influence of technology on Astrodeck and the metaverse, and the virtues of coming face to face with your own mortality.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.