In the movie, one of the guys said that he’s really happy when he sees someone else paddle out, just so he had someone to surf with. Do you guys ever have to deal with crowds?
Yeah, we do. But it’s on a different level. If you’re surfing in California, the crowds are on a different level. In Ohio, it’s such a rare thing when the waves get good, so everyone shows up. But with that said, you know everyone out there, so you’re not going to have guys hogging waves. There are a few guys who’ve been doing it for the longest that have their pick, but for the majority of people, it’s really welcoming. I don’t think surfing Lake Eerie will ever become mainstream, but a few of the guys are worried about it.
Do you guys ever go to more typical surf destinations?
Oh, absolutely. That’s a way of life for lake surfers. There’s a group of lake surfers who do annual trips to Cardiff-by-Sea. They’re there right now.
All the guys in the movie seem so much more interesting people than a lot of stereotypical surfers. Do you think it’s the lake that attracts such interesting characters?
Jamie (Yanak) was a photographer for the Associated Press, and he met those guys when he was just looking for a good newspaper shot. He just became obsessed with it. He talks about how everyone in that whole crew seems to be a misfit of some kind. I don’t know why, but it does seem to be true that people that are kind of different are attracted to lake surfing. When you surf on a lake, you have to think out of the box. Surfing on the lake requires a lot of creativity, just because of the nature of it. Maybe that’s why people are so eccentric and weird.
So being from Ohio, you’re pretty removed from the whole surf industry. How do you see it as a surfer who isn’t really involved with the surf industry?
I mean, that’s the thing. We were removed, but we all read the magazines and watched the movies online, so we were very much aware of it. I think it’s cool, though. Some of the consumerism stuff is very different than the Ohio scene. You go to Hawaii or California, and people are so engrossed in what’s the hottest board, or the hottest board shorts.
Yeah, it seemed like the film was just about surfing and hanging out with your friends.
Yeah, it’s very much about drinking beers with your friends. Nobody surfs to get girls in Cleveland. It’s not a cool thing to do. Being a surfer in Cleveland means nothing.
So you just moved to New York, right? Did you move there to pursue a film career?
That, and a girl.I’m also working on a new project. I’m seeing a lot of parallels in this movie to the ones in Out of Place. The word “misfit” has been used a lot in both films. I guess I’m just drawn to people that are more on the outside of things. It’s about New York City’s last video arcade and the interesting members of the community that hung out there.
Out of Place can be rented online at Indieflix.com
