Jamie Brisick and Trace Marshall have been embedded in surf culture for most of their lives. Jamie first made his name as a professional surfer touring the world but since he hung up his sponsored trunks has dedicated his life to a new craft, that of writing, telling the story of how surfing has influenced and touched the lives of not just himself but thousands around the world. Jamie’s good friend Trace meanwhile is a Malibu icon having founded the iconic Marshall Brothers brand alongside his brother. They sat down with Founding Editor Michael Fordham to talk surf, life, and the magic of Malibu.
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Jamie: “The thing that makes it so unique is the wit that’s bandied about. There are really creative, really smart brains there killing it in the music industry and in Hollywood and in business on a global scale, but also a whole bunch of people who live in their cars. Growing up in Malibu exposes you to a lot, different ideas. You got an education just by being there. Other surf hubs don’t make well-rounded people. Malibu does.”
Trace: “Malibu has always been one of the most influential cultures on the earth whether or not you know it. It’s one of the most perfect waves in the world in one of the greatest, weirdest cities in the world. You see people who hardly surf get perfect waves right in front of Kelly Slater and all the superstars. The place has a way of breaking you down and making you humble. It taught me and my family not to take things too seriously, especially surf culture.”
“I had hit the highest highs, surfed the best waves all over the world, had this supreme amount of fun and self-expression being a pro surfer that when I hung all that up I felt like the rest of my life was going to slide downhill. I realised I had so much to do to establish myself as a writer and that I had to shift priorities and it was tough. I had to consciously sit and write and read and not go surfing. But the effervescence you feel in the water and when you have had a great surf carries over into everything you do and it can be a real saviour during the dark times, and I have had plenty of those.”
“There are so many people who are so fucked. They spend their time microdosing and doing fucking yoga. All you have to do is go surfing, just fucking paddle out and get a wave at Malibu. There’s no more truth to life than surfing. That’s the fucking answer.”
