Did you know that Brendon can play the piano? He simply calls it ‘a hobby.’ If you go to 8:40 of his fairly new video SURF LIBRE from Manera, you can hear the surfer play Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins.
Zigzag: There’s probably a lot more that we don’t know about the ridiculously talented surfer. Like, where he has been surfing and hanging during Lockdown?
BG: I’ve been in Orange County, California for the Lockdown, and surfing in Huntington, Newport and San Clemente. It has been consistent and mainly fun, with plenty of waves.
From all accounts, there have been some good surf days during the Lockdown in California?
Yep. There was a solid little south swell that hit California last month. Lowers was pumping. The waves were consistent, the conditions were glassy, and it was exceptionally crowded.
The Lockdown has treated surfers the world over very differently. For some, it has been incredibly stifling, while for others, there have been some special moments.
Well, I’ve been able to surf every day over the past few months. I consider that special.
A freesurfer like Brendon needs to travel to keep the dream alive, to keep surfing and filming.
I started working on a few video projects at the beginning of this year. My workflow hasn’t stopped, thanks to the lenient social distancing regulations in Orange County. Even though I’ve been able to work domestically, it does feel odd knowing that I can’t travel abroad.
Surf check @Van Gysen
How important is the whole social media thing, really? Does it need to be consistently flooded with content, or is it better to bank the best clips, for a decent length edit? Brendon Gibbens, one of the best free surfers in the world, likes to quietly collect bangers, and then release them in the best movies. It’s an alternative approach, and it has worked incredibly for the talented natural-footer.
It looks like the surfing world needs to jump forward to 2021, and just put a line through 2020.
Well, I still aim to finish all of the video projects, that I started working on at the beginning of this year, over the next few months. If deadlines are pushed back into 2021 due to travel restrictions, I’ll continue to work on them in the new year until I’m satisfied with the final product.
What about the state of surfing? It seems everything is changing, and that competitive surfing will never again be as important as it once was.
I think this break in the action will have a positive effect on surfing in general. Hopefully, if everything returns to normal, we’ll all have a renewed sense of gratitude towards surfing and the lifestyle associated with it.
Van Gysen ©
Featured Image – Alan van Gysen
Do they give awards for sound on surf videos…. this video is great. But the sound is incredible.