Thirty-five years ago, San Luis Obispo County native Tony Corley wrote a letter to Surfer Magazine, hoping to recruit other African-American surfers to communicate and share waves.
While the second letter he received was a racist threat with crude drawings and the letters “KKK,” subsequent mail came from many African-American surfers who were interested in hooking up. Thus, the Black Surfing Association was born.
This weekend, the Southern California chapter of the BSA will put on a free surfing clinic at a beach known as the Ink Well in Santa Monica. The Ink Well, once a “colored only” beach, is an important place in the history of African-American surfing because it marks the spot where Nick Gabaldon, the first documented black surfer, started surfing.
Gabaldon was tragically killed in a surf accident in 1951. A decade later, Corley started surfing in Cayucos.
You can read more about the BSA and Gabaldon here.
Tribune file photo: Courtesy of Tony Corley
Posted on September 17th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Surf stuff | 3 Comments »
I used to have an editor who would blather on about reading Proust, which would inevitably compel me to roll my eyes in disgust.
Behind his back, of course.
Because while it sounds good to say you’ve read Proust, let’s be honest here. Can you really say it’s enjoyable?
With a straight face?
Seriously, I’d rather read the label on a bottle of cough medicine. At least I’d get through it. Yet, some people insist on claiming their favorite books are classics.
Which is what annoys me about Newsweek.
I like Newsweek, actually. But there’s a feature in it every week, where the magazine asks successful writers to list their Five Most Important Books. And every week, it’s the same thing: “Anna Karenina,” “Ulysses,” “Crime and Punishment.”
Yawn, yawn, and yawn.
I mean, really. Do these people really get into these books, or do they want people to think they get into these books? Because I remember trying to read “A Tale of Two Cities” in high school, and I just about burst a blood vessel in my head, because it was so excruciating.
Don’t get me wrong — the plot to “A Tale of Two Cities” is terrific. It’s just that writing has (thankfully) evolved a bit in the past 150 years. So most writers don’t create paragraphs that are two pages long. And they have this thing called, uh — what was that again?
Oh yeah — dialogue.
So anyway, I’ve been thinking of what books I think are most important. Which is sort of tricky because the important thing means it can’t just be your favorite — it has to also be important. And, obviously, I haven’t read all the books in the world, so surely I’ve missed some good ones. But if Newsweek were to ask me* what books I thought were most important, my list would look something like this:
“Of Mice and Men,” John Steinbeck. Actually, I might have picked any number of Steinbeck books, but this is one of my favorites (”Travels With Charlie” being my top pick.) Some of Steinbeck’s books start out slow, but he eventually delivers, making you appreciate the wait. Steinbeck, of course, was a champion of the lower working class when there wasn’t much of a voice for them.
”The Thin Red Line,” James Jones. After World War II, war had been glamorized in popular fiction. But Jones wrote an honest account, which included cowardice, homosexuality and general nastiness in the U.S. military — tough things to write about when practically everything else out there was gung-ho U.S.A. That’s okay, but it ignores the whole picture of what war is really like. The 1998 movie (There was also one in 1964) was good but only incorporated a small portion of the novel.
”Night,” Elie Wiesel. When I first picked this book up, I couldn’t believe how short it was. How could you summarize the Jewish experience in the Holocaust in so few pages? Yet, Wiesel did it with precision. Similarly, Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” and “Maus II,” a couple of graphic novels, were equally poignant. And while we’re on the war stuff, let’s add “Hiroshima,” chronicling the Atomic bomb blast, by John Hersey.
“Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets,” David Simon. This didn’t change the world, but it’s a great example of what journalism could be at its finest. While his newspaper staff was on strike, journalist Simon followed homicide cops for a year. His book offers a great, behind-the-scenes look at big city detectives and the plight of the urban poor.
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee. Here’s what makes for great literature: A book that not only says something, but also a book that we can comprehend. Lee (or Truman Capote, if you believe those rumors) showed us the heartbreak of racial injustice through terrific characters, fast pacing and a smooth narrative.
“ À la recherche du temps perdu,” Marcel Proust. Just kidding. I haven’t read it.
* Stop snickering — it could happen.
Posted on September 15th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Books | 1 Comment »
See? I told you.
Okay, technically, “The Daily Show” said it first. And maybe a few others after that. But I was right up there, saying that VP nominee Sarah Palin looks a lot like “30 Rock” creator/star Tina Fey. And now, wer’e told, Fey might make a special appearance on this week’s “Saturday Night Live” as — you guessed — it: Barack Obama.
No, no. Actually, Obama is expected to make a guest appearance on the show’s season premiere this week, and “SNL” is hoping to bring Fey back to play Palin.
Of course, Palin has become a bit of a celebrity ever since she was chosen to be John McCain’s running mate. And several YouTubers have written songs about her. I’ll warn you — there’s some salty language in the rap one. And, oh yeah — these are not especially good songs. Terrible, in fact. Also, I’m pretty sure one of the writers is singing while sitting on a toilet.
Of course, Obama has several songs written about him as well, including this one co-written by Bono and former Eurythmic Dave Stewart. Guests on this video include Forest Whitaker, Macy Gray, Pam Anderson, Cyndi Lauper and Barry Manilow. Of course, will.i.am already beat them to it with “Yes We Can.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember a whole lot of songs about Reagan and Mondale.
Most songs about Obama on YouTube are from supporters, while Palin and McCain songs tend to mock them. But McCain does have one half of Big & Rich on his side. John Rich, who sang at the RNC last week, has a song called “Raising McCain,” which, of course, led me to wonder: Where’s Big?
According to various reports, Kenny “Big” Alphin is an Obama supporter, who donated $2,300 to the Obama campaign.
Ah, yes. Don’t you just love politics?
Don’t worry — it’ll all be over soon.
Posted on September 12th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Music, TV | 3 Comments »
On September 11, 2001, my phone rang at an insanely early hour.
It was my friend Eric, who said only one thing: “Turn on your TV.”
“Dude, what are you doing?” I said, my eyes burning. “Do you know what time it is here?”
“Just turn on your TV,” he said. And it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything else until I did.
It didn’t matter what channel, he said. And, sure enough, when I turned it on, there it was — the Twin Towers, both burning. Both doomed.
In the months and years that followed that awful day, there have been many songs writtern about it. Toby Keith’s “Angry American (Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue)” was a hot button one. Then there was “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s a Flag” by Charlie Daniels, “Let’s Roll” by Neil Young, ” and “World on Fire” by Sarah McLachlan, among others.
But none matched the intensity of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising.”
When I first heard this album, about a year after the attacks, it brought about a new wave of mourning. While Keith and Daniels took a kick-ass-and-take-names-later approach, Springsteen’s album explored the emotions relevant to that time and it warned us to sit back and think a moment before seeking an eye for an eye.
Ironically, many of the songs were written prior to 9/11, including “My City of Ruins” — a song about Asbury Park, NJ. Yet, even those songs just seemed to work.Other tunes, like “The Rising,” were written specifically about the day.
It’s a touchy matter — you don’t want to appear to be making money off a horrible event — but Springsteen pulled it off. If you listen to some of those songs — “You’r Missing,” “Empty Sky” or “Into the Fire” — you just can’t help but remember those images from the TV and think about what New York City was going through.
Because while it was still in the same country, as surfers dotted the Morro Bay lineup that fall morning, New York felt like a world away.
Posted on September 11th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Music | 1 Comment »
I hate to admit this, but my first real memory of the Beatles was the murder of John Lennon.
In fact, as TV stations aired news about the death non-stop, I got a little annoyed by all the attention Lennon’s death was getting.
“Why is this such a big deal?” I thought.
He was a singer, not a world leader. And I had better things to watch, like “The Muppet Show” and “BJ and the Bear.”
I was a kid, okay? And, to be honest, kind of a dumb kid.
A few years down the line, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” would launch me into my love of the Beatles. First I bought the single (yes, a 45 rpm record!) of “Twist and Shout.” Then a greatest hits album. Then another. Then “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
I tell you all of this not because you need to know of my personal history with the Beatles. I tell you because it’s science.
Well, sort of. The Magical Mystery Tour is a study conducted by psychology professors at the University of Leeds, who are seeking to enhance our understanding of human memory by uncovering the role The Beatles and their music play in our personal histories.
So during a 6-month, online survey, they asked people about their memories of the Fab Four. They got 3,000 responses, whose memories related to Beatles songs, concerts, movies and news events.
Naturally, Lennon’s death did come up often. But so too did individual songs, “She Loves You” being the most popular memory. (”I Want To Hold Your Hand” was most popular among Americans.”)
I’d tell you more about it, but, frankly, I’ve already forgotten. So check it out yourself.
Posted on September 10th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Music | 2 Comments »
I must have Stephen King on my mind this week. Either that or I just can’t think of anything else to write about.
But after writing about King adaptations and debating Danny on which is better — “The Shining” or “Stand By Me” – I was reminded of Bunny Theater.
If you haven’t heard of Bunny Theater, it’s a series of animated shorts summarizing popular movies in 30 seconds — with bunnies. One of the first bunny productions I ever saw was a parody of “The Shining.”
Since then, numerous others have been added, from “Office Space” and “Borat” to “Brokeback Mountain” and “Superbad.”
Bunny Theater is the creation of Internet animator Jennifer Shiman, whose Bunny shorts have garnered over a billion page views — and a gig with Starz. Here’s a pretty decent interview with her.
The great thing about Bunny Theater is that the shorts are so . . . short. So it’s a perfect way to kill a little time at the office.
Not that I would ever recommend that you kill time at the office. In fact, if you’re reading this blog while at work, please stop and work harder.
Meanwhile, I’d recommend Bunny Theater’s versions of “Jaws,” “The Exorcist” and “Fight Club.”
For when you get home, of course.
Posted on September 9th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Movies | 1 Comment »
I think it’s interesting how the literary world views Stephen King.
Some think he’s a trashy supermarket novelist who writes about monsters. Yet, many respected universities actually teach King, treating him like another Edgar Allan Poe.
No matter how you see it, you can’t deny King is the most popular novelist of our day. And no other author — except for, say, Shakespeare — has had a greater impact on movies.
In fact, there are currently six films being made based on King books.
While there have certainly been many bad ones (Think “Hearts in Atlantis”), the ones that stay true to the original source tend to be quite good.
As we debate the best King adaptation in this week’s Grudge Match, I’ve decided to take it one step further, naming my Top Ten Stephen King Book-to-Movie Adaptations. Here goes:
10.) “Cujo”
After this movie was made, people didn’t look at dogs the same way. In fact, 25 years later, if a canine looks intimidating, we still say, “Whoa — easy, Cujo!”
9.) “The Running Man”
In 1987, the idea of a guy competing for his life on a TV show seemed a little out there. But after some of the reality shows we’ve had in recent years, it no longer seems so far fetched.
8.) “It”
This wasn’t bad for a TV mini-series. The build-up was nice, and, of course, the clown gave you the creeps.
7.) “The Stand”
This one almost needed to be a mini series (which it was) in order to do justice to King’s tome on mankind’s final stand.
6.) “Pet Semetary”
Proving that little kids can be really creepy, this one proves why it’s sometimes good to let sleeping dogs lie.
5.) “Misery”
Terrific performances by James Caan and Kathy Bates, proving that movies don’t need monsters to be scary.
4.) “The Shining”
King didn’t like some of the changes director Stanley Kubrick made for the cinematic version of his book (which he later had remade into a TV movie), but I gotta side with the director on this one. And who better to play a crazy axe murderer than Jack Nicholson?
3.) “Green Mile”
Some of King’s non-horror stories are his best. When you hear Fred Astaire’s “Cheek to Cheek,” how can you not shed a tear?
2.) “Shawshank Redemption.”
The film managed to preserve the great characters and most of the key plot points King created for this novella. This came from the book “Different Seasons,” which also included “The Body,” which was named “Stand By Me” when adapted for film.
1.) “Stand By Me”
This is when Rob “Meathead” Reiner finally got some respect. As a director, he made a terrific adaptation of King’s novella about a group of boys out to find a dead body. When you think “coming-of-age tale,” this one has to pop into your mind.
Photo: www.stephenking.com
Posted on September 8th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Books, Movies | 4 Comments »
As ultimate fighter Chuck Liddell prepares to re-enter the octagon this weekend, I thought it’d be a good time to explore his humble beginnings — as a child actor.
Okay, so he was no MacCaulay Culkin. But at age ten, he did have a bit part in the movie “The Postman Always Rings Twice” with Jack Nicholson.
Liddell, a Cal Poly grad who lives and trains in San Luis Obispo, will face undefeated Rashad Evans in Atlanta this weekend. (Check out a recent Chicago Sun-Times interview with Liddell here.)
Since becoming the face of ultimate fighting, former champ Liddell has become somewhat of a pop icon. His image has appeared in two Judd Apatow movies (”Knocked Up” and “Superbad”), and he appeared in an episode of “Entourage.”
Liddell is plenty into pop culture himself. In his biography, “Iceman: My Fighting Life,” he lists his favorite action movies (”Best of the Best,” “Karate Kid” and “Rocky” top the list) and songs that have played as he entered the Octagon (”Too Cold,” Vanilla Ice, “Valley of Chrome,” Cypress Hill, “Loyally,” American Head Charge and “Intro,” DMX.)
When I interviewed him earlier this year, I was surprised to hear that he had chosen a Hank Williams, Jr. song (”Family Tradition”) for his ring tone.
The oddsmakers, by the way, have placed their bets on Liddell this weekend.
Tribune photo: Joe Johnston
Posted on September 5th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Music | 1 Comment »
When I was around 11, my dad told me to come to the front porch because he had something for me.
Now this was big because my dad wasn’t the sort of guy who brought things home for his kids. So I went to the porch eager but skeptical.
Once there, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to me. As I unfolded it, I noticed the letterhead. It was from a place called the Oyster, which was some bar in Chicago.
Below the letterhead I stared at a signature, written in ink. But I didn’t say anything.
“It’s from Ernie Banks,” my dad said, breaking the silence. “I saw him at a bar, and I went up to him and said, ‘Would you sign an autograph for my son?”
I looked at the paper again, now able to read the scrawl better: “To Pat, w/Love — Ernie Banks.”
Banks, the great Cubs shortstop, was a little before my time. But anyone who ever followed the Cubs knew who Ernie Banks was.
Mr. Cub, they call him.
So I welled up with pride. Because in my hand was an Ernie. Banks. Autograph.
My dad wasn’t the sort of guy who made me proud too often, so this was a great not just for the autograph but also for our relationship. Unfortunately, my sister would later deflate that moment, telling me the autograph was fake — that my dad had signed it himself.
“He told me he did it,” she said.
At first I didn’t believe her because, well, my sister said stuff like that. But then I thought: “Would Ernie Banks write ‘love’ on his autograph?”
Love?
I know what he would write. He’d write, “Let’s play two!” because that’s what Ernie said. All the time. In fact, you could hardly see or hear of Ernie Banks and not think: “Let’s play two!”
I’d never heard him say “love.” As in I love you, Fan I’ve Never Met.
So then I felt like a sucker. Like in the cartoons, I could see my head turn into a donkey’s as I brayed like a duped jackass. After all, I’d bragged to my friends about this autograph. I even put it in a little frame and displayed it in my room.
While I initially didn’t believe my sister, doubt crept in quickly. It definitely didn’t look like my dad’s handwriting. But what were the odds that my dad just happened to see Ernie Banks at a bar? It wasn’t a stretch for my dad to be there, but good ole wholesome Ernie Banks?
And would my dad actually approach Ernie Banks for an autograph? That just wasn’t like him. He wasn’t that guy.
Soon pride turned to resentment. Why would he try to trick me like that? He couldn’t take me to Cubs games, but he could give me a bogus autograph that didn’t even say, “Let’s play two!”
The “autograph” eventually went into a drawer somewhere, and I stopped bragging about it. As the years passed, I wanted to ask my dad or my sister about it again — to get to the bottom of it — but I never did.
Years later, I looked up other Ernie autographs online and, well . . . the signatures do look like the one my dad brought home. At least my memory of it.
Because while I never threw it away, I haven’t seen that Oyster letterhead in years. So there’s no comparing autographs.
Still, I think I’ll give my dad the benefit of the doubt on this one. Because sometimes — even if it’s healthy to be skeptical — you just gotta have a little faith.
But just in case — should you ever run into Ernie Banks, could you ask him if he’s ever been to the Oyster on Dearborn?
Posted on September 3rd, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: The World According to Pat | 4 Comments »
Okay, I’m a little late in making this comparison — “The Daily Show” beat me to it last week, followed by other bloggers. But for the few who haven’t noticed it, John McCain’s choice for VP looks a lot like “30 Rock” star Tina Fey.
Here’s Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska:
And here’s Tina Fey, creator of “30 Rock”:
I’m not sure where Fey stands on the election right now, but she was a Hillary Clinton supporter.
I haven’t found anyone who looks like Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden yet, but a woman in Floriday says her 4-year-old son looks like Barack Obama.
By the way, for those of you wondering what the deal is with the scar on Fey’s face, apparently she doesn’t reveal its origin publicly. She told the New York Times: “It’s a childhood injury that was kind of grim. And it kind of bums my parents out for me to talk about it.”
We’ll know soon enough which political candidates have been scarred.
Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: The World According to Pat | 1 Comment »
