THE THROW BACK KING

It’s funny how historians, those who spend their time and energy studying the details and intricacies of the past, often turn out to be the most forward leaning, futuristic members of the tribe. And the well-worn wisdom rings true, that those who are ignorant of history are destined to repeat its mistakes. Which brings us neatly to Joel Tudor. In an age of radical, almost absurd surfing progression, creating a modern era of perfect man-made wave pools, slick, corporatised professionalism, continental shifts in the surf industry and the rapid take up of our sport globally, the intervention of surfing’s historians has never been more necessary.

Joel Tudor’s Duct Tape surf events, a roving, global invitational logging series, embracing the loose, rebel spirit of club contests from the 60s and 70s, aim to deliver a timeous reminder of surfing’s radical, counter-culture DNA. Supported heavily by Vans, this merry band of talented, surf freaks are proselytising a new vision for surfing… based on the old one, that sprouted organically between the 50s and the thruster. And if you get too mouthy, he can also just fold you into a pretzel on the jiu-jitsu mat.

“You got to remind people how we got here.” Says Joel with a smirk. “You can’t bury the fucking roots. You got to keep them there so people can understand the bigger picture. And that’s what Duct Tape is. A reminder that the old shit’s still cool and there’s a whole generation that dig it.”

Since winning two world titles on a longboard, “one with training wheels and one without,”