I would be lying if I didn’t admit that my entire body clenched in fear when he spat a big ol’ “fuck you” at the camera. And did you hear the sound his fist made when knocking into his own palm? Damn near felt it explode out of my computer monitor.
The thing about Eddie Rothman is that once you get past the menacing, well, everything, you begin to listen to the points he is making, and they’re understandable. Even sensible at times. And the inclusion of Hawaiians at Pipe Masters has always been an issue that far transcended competitive surfing — it is about the long-storied shunning of locals during the initial and continued land grabs by wealthy outsiders. Anyway, I’m going to refrain from interjecting my own opinion here and let you bask in the fiery glow of Eddie’s blatant disregard for the ASP’s attempted control of the competition.
As for the origins of the intimidating and intimate interview?
It was actually shot by filmmakers Iwa Wojcik and Poli Cali Bali while doing research for a prospective sequel to North Shore. Yup, that North Shore. In the hopes of including a variety of authentic Hawaiian perspectives in the modernized cult classic, the duo sat down with the founder of Da Hui to hear his thoughts on the development of the island’s surf culture.
Well, mission accomplished there. As for his thoughts on North Shore 2?
“If it’s another white hero movie, then fuck that project — I am over it!”
Message delivered, Eddie. We hear you loud and clear.
And while this clip is admittedly a few months old, with the Hawaiian leg of the WCT around the corner, it felt like the right time to remind ourselves who really runs the Miracle Mile as well as any and all residuals — especially with tickets and housing arranged on the North Shore for most of December…
