Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Quiksilver has acquired rival Billabong In the least shocking headline you’ll read today

I know this headline isn’t as good as: “Iguanas are freezing and falling from trees.” Or “It’s so cold that sharks are dying.” But we’ll give it a shot.

Quiksilver and Billabong are now owned by the same company. This was posted last night by our fabulous friends and drinking buddies and hard-hitting journalists at Beachgrit — who snatched the news from that rag The Wall Street Journal. The magical headline: Seeking Surfing Synergies: Quiksilver and Billabong Hang 10 Together.  

The article begins: The parent of the Quiksilver surfwear brand has agreed to acquire rival Billabong International Ltd., combining two of the largest active sports brands as the industry is undergoing a major shakeout.

Now this is where it stops because I don’t subscribe to The Wall Street Journal so I suppose I’ll never learn more about the major sportswear shakeout. But that’s OK, I don’t wear sportswear.

But I must say that I am experiencing a bit of ambivalence for his merger. One one hand: Who cares? Both brands are basically the same anyway. Trunks. Hawaiian shirts. T-Shirts. Iggy Pop. Leo Fiovaranti. Kanoa. Creed. All good dudes. Both logos got waves in them.

It’s like merging Applebees and TGIFridays at this point. Who the hell will notice? It’s all wings and fried zucchini in a basket, right? But I think it’s the fact that no one will notice is what saddens me.

At one point in their risk-taking glory days these two sworn enemies would duel at every corner: at surf shops. On the noses of surfboards. Fighting for prime positioning ahead of each other in magazines (imagine!). They would get in cutthroat duels over sponsoring surfers who they wanted and try to out “edgy” each other with their marketing. Did you know G Unit played the Trilogy premiere in Las Vegas? The glory days.

Now think about it now: If Griffin Colapinto and Kanoa Igarashi traded boards in the surf — let’s say at Snapper in contest number 1 of the 2018 WSL Tour which includes a stop at a pool  — would you even notice? Does the sticker have the same power as it once did? I’m honestly asking. I know that years ago, something like that would send shockwaves through my group of friends for weeks. “Did you see Kalani Robb riding Tim Curran’s board!? Holy shit is Rusty going to drop him?” Occy with a Quik sticker. Andy with a Quik sticker. Dane with a Billabong sticker. Wow it woulda been awkward. But now, not so much.

The Quik wave is the Billabong wave and subsequently kinda the RVCA wave too? We’re all the same. Or maybe this is the first spark of the new. The new, undiscovered, exciting surf world. Who knows! Let’s hope. —Travis 

 

 

 

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Owen Wright and the First day of spring And tomorrow we have a new issue for you

Over the weekend, lots of you probably watched Owen Wright win the Quiksilver Pro. A feel good hit for the spring to be sure. There were times over the past year in which I had conversations with people about whether Owen would ever properly surf again, so I must say it was a pleasure to sink…

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The What Youth Top 34 This is who’s coming on the very unprofessional What Youth World Tour 2017

OK, so this is a few days late. Lots of rum-infused discussions around fire rings to sort the order. But we did it. Just in time to beat the big boys out at Snapper. And so, just to brush up here’s the criteria: A perfectly inexact science that sees the surfers who represent themselves the…

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My favorite new band just got deported Italian Dark Wave band Soviet Soviet just got arrested, embarrassed and sent home before playing in LA

I discovered a rad new band this week. They’re Italian and called Soviet Soviet. Chris Coté sent it to me, and Maya was into it too as was everyone I’ve sent it to. Rad, Italian Dark Wave (my new favorite genre) for my headphones. And I was in luck, they were scheduled to play Sunday night…

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Last year we introduced the What Youth Top 34. The idea being: we wanted a list that gathered a more dynamic group of surfers together. The criteria? Umm, this: The perfectly inexact science that sees the surfers who represent themselves the most authentically through their surfing and living at the top. Their creativity rewarded. Their flaws…

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Cherry Glazerr at The Smell Backstage and live photos by Tony Accosta

LA darlings Cherry Glazerr recently played a show at the very iconic and incredible venue The Smell, an underground institution for bands in LA. Tony Accosta got to tag along backstage and as they took the stage for this very intimate show. The show coincides with the release of the band’s new Crap Eyewear frame,…

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48 Hours in NYC with Balaram Stack “Finish your drink we gotta go!” Filming a “4 Cities” With Balaram

Balaram Stack’s New York moves really fast. I actually found myself in a full sprint at one point. The visit to the city was a string of finishing what’s in front of you to hurry along to the next place, where whatever is in front of you will be re-filled and your eyes will have a whole…

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Can’t Surf This Pipeline Water, Oil, and Standing Rock: Why the fuck do we wanna destroy the earth?

Editor’s Note: When it comes to water and the environment, we’re all in. We have to be. It goes far beyond politics. It’s life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good week for either. Once again, we called our political consultant in SF, Heleanor S. Thompson to get some clarity on why anyone would want to put an oil pipe through someone’s drinking…

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Former is here Dane Reynolds, Craig Anderson and Austyn Gillette’s new clothing line is live (and it looks good)

Yesterday I went on a rant. I do that. Wine at night and all. I said things felt alarmingly stale in surfing. Boredom was getting me, I wanted to drown out the real world with my trusty surf world, where anything was possible and you just ride a wave, man. And I wasn’t happy with what…

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Dane Reynolds has been released After being harbored for two days in Portugal for a lost passport, he’s good

Because of the sensationalist potential of this story, it was kinda hard to tell how serious it was. We talked to Dane’s wife Courtney and she said Dane’s being let go now and is OK. It’s been a few very sleepless days and nights for her due to some head-scratching policy in Portugal for a…

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Dear Surfing, Anyone out there? What I’d do to watch a surf vid that mattered right now

I’m still awake, watching music videos, trying to recreate the nostalgia that late night MTV2 once provided. Right now it’s Radiohead’s “Karma Police” music vid on YouTube. This is what you’ll get when you mess with us. I’ve had enough wine and a long enough day not to care anymore. I’ve just finished a perusal of…

We Kinda Saw This Coming Soli Bailey Wins the Volcom Pipe Pro (This is why we’re not surprised)

Soli Bailey was born during the biggest storm in the history of Byron Bay. And he just won one of our favorite contests, the Volcom Pipe Pro. It’s our favorite for a few reason, mostly because the commentators don’t handle us with kid gloves, and even better, Red Bull implemented an “Other Guys” secondary commentary booth…

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Are We OK? Some scary clarity on what’s happening in the real world

Editor’s Note: We’re quite certain we’re not your number one political news source. But we’re also pretty certain you know we pay attention to what the fuck is going on. Whether it’s what to eat, drink, surf, skate or listen to — we want you clued in — but it doesn’t stop there. What’s going on…

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