Winston McCall from Parkway Drive explains how the ocean inspires his writing

Winston McCall of Byron Bay ‘metalcore’ band Parkway Drive stars in the latest offering from Ocean Talks – a mini series about bodyboarders and their relationship with the ocean.

The series, which is made by Being Here – a production company founded by self-taught Oz filmmaker Daris Devas – zones in on three Australian bodyboarders McCall, Dave Winchester and Devas himself, and challenges them to explain what the ocean means to them.

McCall’s episode, which follows him around his native Byron Bay and captures the stunning sky and seascapes, sees the successful musician making links between surfing and the writing process. “A lot of my writing gets done when I’m sitting in the ocean,” he says. “Four hours in, with no one else out, I’m just thinking of the music in my head.”

Footage of McCall ripping it up in big waves is juxtaposed with slow-mo from Parkway Drive gigs and some atmospheric location shots for an insightful documentary that makes you want to go do something. “The ocean for me is the definition of freedom,” says McCall. “It’s that place where you can go and wash everything away and you’re forced to focus on nothing but the pulse that’s coming. It’s all-consuming.”

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