MARK RICHARDS - SEX AND TUBE RIDES

A celebration of the legacy of one of surfing's greatest of all time, Mark Richards.
MR epitomizes the best of surfing: individuality, creativity, performance, power, grace and calm under pressure. Mark has inspired generations with not only his incredible wave riding skill and achievements, but his game changing surfboard designs.

What is your favorite M.R. memory or did M.R. inspire you? Leave in comments.


Music: Midnight Oil from "The Lost Tapes"    • MIDNIGHT OIL: THE LOST TAPES  


In 1978, at 21 years of age, Mark was interviewed buy Surfer Magazine:

Q; What makes you happy?

A: Sex and tube rides!


Q: How or why did you develop your unique "wounded gull" style?

A: You've got me—it just happened. My surfing is based on radical moves and placing myself in tight situations. The style evolved from the moves; it molded to them. I think the other radical, maneuver-oriented surfers in the world also have very distinctive styles; look at Shaun or Bugs. Being different is great; no one wants to look the same as the guy surfing next to him. That's why we all drive different motor cars—individual expression.


Q: Do you make conscious stylistic adjustments to different wave conditions?

A: There’s no conscious adjustment style-wise, but there's an adjustment board-wise. The style is not a reflection of the solution; the type of board used is the solution. My line of thought is the same for any wave I encounter. Big or small, clean or mushy, Burleigh or Sunset, I follow the same maneuver pattern. Let's bash off this lip, cutback here, etc; the only thing that changes is the tool under me. The surfboard is the variable.


Q: Do you have good days and bad days?

A: Yeah. With my surfing, some days I feel invincible, like any maneuver is possible. Other days I feel hopeless, falling off and not flowing the moves together. Same with shaping. Some days the lines fall in beautifully, and others it’s a fight from start to finish. Basically, you can't hold a high level all the time; ups and downs are a part of life.


Q: Do you think it’s very important to do many things in life?

A: I think personal happiness is the greatest thing you can strive for, no matter what your goals may be. What makes one person happy won't necessarily make another one happy. I admire achievers.

Q: Will you surf for the rest of your life?

A: As long as I can stay flexible I will. I'm very interested to see how long I can hold it for Look at Ben Aipa; he's 33 and still shreds like a 19-year-old, 140-pound kid! It's possible to hold it if you want.


Q: Do you have any pre-surf exercises?

A: I do yoga in the morning when I get up to wake me up. Otherwise, I'm half asleep all day. Plus I do spine exercises every morning to loosen my back.


Q: How do you feel about the way the planet's going?

A: I think it's going downhill fast; all our resources are being exhausted, and our last hope, the ocean, will be useless when we need it. The amount of pollution they pour into it is terrible; I cringe every time I think of it.


Q: What do you think surfing will be like in Hawaii ten years from now?

A: Crowded to the max. You'll need a machine gun mounted off the nose of your board to catch waves.


Q: How do you feel about surf movies?

A: I enjoy watching them; it's the only chance you get to study people’s surfing. I like watching the way the edges of a board works, the way water flows off the rails. The movies I like I usually see at least three times; the first time is just a visual job, the second and the third are the study sessions.


Q: What surfer did you admire growing up?

A: Nat’s Nat and that's that!



Q: What do you see coming over, say, the next ten years?

A: If things change as radically as they have over the past ten years, I can’t even begin to imagine. Hopefully, on the pro level, we'll be fighting it out for a 100-grand for first. Wishful thinking, huh?


Additional footage:

Chris Byström
NBN Channel 9 Australia
Shadow Productions
Surfing Australia
National Portrait gallery
Alan Rich
Ramdarook
Surf Hardware
SURFER
Tracks
Surfing World
ASL
Surfing
Bill Delaney
Dan Merkel
Lance Trout
Novocastrian Waves


markrichardssurfboards.com

#realsurfstories #surfhistory #markrichards