Daniel Crockett

Lines on the Horizon — As publisher of KooK – an independent surfing newspaper that documents the current creed of creative shreds – Daniel Crockett is able to combine his love of writing and surfing. He may have grown up on a farm and spent the majority of his life in the great outdoors but now the poet and artist lives in London. Here, he explains how he's still coming to terms with this.

For many years I surfed constantly, mapping the week by tide. I wrote a bit for surf mags, worked my ass off online for some mad Sikh guys and built a fine quiver of boards. I travelled, always to waves and the closest I got to the city was a nip round the M25 on a good Norfolk chart.

London was a distant evil. I’d seen my surf-crazed friends depart only to end up rotund, lifeless bores who discussed house prices in Clapham. Gradually, the things I’d held in common with these people fell away. I guess they viewed me as a sort of child, unable to escape the harness of the sea. I couldn’t have been more delighted.

An extended sojourn to California threw me off course. A messy breakup, a summer of festivals and I was signing the lease on a flat in Hackney, ten years after I’d entertained and discounted the idea. Why? I ask myself daily.

Here’s how I’ve rationalised it: for creative minds rurality and isolation have a cost. When I lived on a farm by the beach I stayed awake at night wondering about this city and the myriad urban faces of the world. What were they all doing up there, those people?

The adversity in these constructed thickets creates a drive and the boiler room of creativity is so diverse here it can’t help but inspire. I penned the first book of a trilogy Shineland earlier this year and am in the process of selling it. You’ll know it worked when you see the plastic figures in McDonald’s. I’ll be with some girlfriends in the Lakshadweeps.

The place is good food for poetry too; money-as-mecca versus the ultimate impoverished profession. Way to go to make… nothing. A film narrated by a poem called Uncommon Ideals cleaned up on the festival circuit, went to SXSW, and got shown on Channel 4 who just commissioned a sequel.

The newspaper I run, KooK, has just hit its third issue and is more diverse, independent and analogue than ever before. I’m working on a recorded volume of poems and figuring out what to do with all the writing I never submitted. My next newspaper, The Shoestring Gazette, is unfolding. I get to paint sometimes. The urgency goads.

I’d be lying if my body isn’t gradually disintegrating. Hatha and bikram and lapping Vicky park and the mind-numbing dullness of the gym are poor substitutes for paddling out every day. The office chair mutates you. There’s a point at which mental keenness, still believing you are getting better, gets overruled by creaking knees and knackered shoulders. I pick times to hit the coast, when freak charts light up odd spots in Northumberland, the Vale of Glamorgan, Somerset, Suffolk – to fight a constant losing battle with inconsistent shores.

Perhaps my wave tally will drop, or I’ll make even less tubes, hit the lip slightly softer. All of the encyclopaedic knowledge of dozens of coastlines and their variables will fall idle and useless. I’ll look back and say, ‘I used to surf a lot, before I came here,’ between puffs of a smoke and the pull of a pint.

My gills aren’t completely dry. Sometimes, with a boat on course and the light in the right direction, the view east from London Bridge up the river tricks the mind into seeing lines of marching swell. There’s wind west of Norway due and no luxury to be jaded. The sessions I get now are like a paradise of moving water and light by comparison. Yet I can dress it up all I want – this fantastic city is just a shitty place to be a surfer and crave nature. I’m moving to Berlin.


Ad

Latest on Huck

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radical women of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy within the German capital’s female-only bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Muscular man with arms crossed in a dark setting, 'Hard Feelings' text overlay.
Sport

Frazer Clarke: “I had a hole in my leg, I’m very lucky to be alive”

Hard Feelings — For our interview column on masculinity and fatherhood, the Olympic boxing medallist speaks to Robert Kazandjian about hard graft, the fear and triumph of his first fight, and returning to the ring after being stabbed on a night out.

Written by: Robert Kazandjian

Close-up view of a woman in a vintage pose, with flowing hair and an outstretched hand, set against a hazy, scenic background.
© Peter Palladino, courtesy of the Peter Palladino Archive.
Culture

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer

Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.