Just got the latest “issue” of Transworld Surf in the mail.
When I was 12 years old, I used to cherish the act of reading surf mags fresh from my mailbox. That wide-eyed optimism has been replaced by a cold, hard cynicism. But I still subscribe to the mags - I justify it as a business expense. The 12-year-old kid in me still gets a little excited when I get a new issue.
My expectations for Transworld are pretty low. Hell, you can’t look directly at the neon covers unless you’re wearing polarized sunglasses. But each issue usually has some pretty pictures, and I enjoy their irreverent tone.
TW has been getting slimmer each month. Yet this newest issue is bulging. I should have been skeptical right there.
But I breezed right past the cover-blurb claiming “09 Gear Guide: FIRST EVER Complete Source for Surfers.” I breezed right past Cote’s editor’s note in which he explains that the first mag he loved was the L.L. Bean Catalog, and that he’s still amped on catalogs - “I’ve always loved looking at them and fantasizing about one day owning every item in there - I think that’s why I was so hyped to produce a magazine completely dedicated to the year’s coolest surf gear.”
You said a what now?
That’s right. As I flipped through the TW with increasing disdain, it became clear that the ENTIRE FUCKING ISSUE is a love letter to TW’s advertisers, a matrix of product photos peppered with a handful of surf photos, and not one actual motherfucking article about anything (other than buying useless crap you don’t need). Plenty of other mags have done Gear Guides. But no one has ever made the whole damn issue a gear guide. I actually, unknowingly paid for this fuckery. Catalogs are supposed to be free.
Yes. I know, I get paid to write for Surfline, a website that also licks advertisers’ balls, part of the machine. And to be fair, I actually like the TW crew - I like their non-sanctimonious perspective on surfing, and I’ve had nothing but pleasant interactions with them. I assume this is probably some last-ditch effort to stroke off their advertisers who keep hearing “PRINT IS DEAD!” Desperate times…
But still. But still! This fuckery is just flat out a disgrace. Cote rationalizes the issue by saying “just think of it as guide to the things surfers want and need… do what Obama says and help the economy, people! Go buy some of this stuff.”
I’m tempted to believe that what surfers really want and need are waves - pictures of waves, insights about waves and surfers, thoughtful CONTENT that makes you excited to be a surfer. Even Transworld’s 14-year-old audience doesn’t want a catalog. They’re children, not morons.
Yes, the economy is fucked. The surf industry is crumbling. People will lose their jobs. I may lose my job, because of the garbage I write if not because of the economy. But I wonder… if people quit buying shit they don’t need because they’re broke, what will they do if they have money later on? Will they start buying useless crap again, or will they learn that consumer consumption isn’t the equivalent of happiness?
100 percent in agreement.
I let me 1.5 year old son have his way with my new issue of transworld surf.
Then when he peed on the floor in the kitchen, I used the mag to mop up the mess.
That mag sux big time…
TWSURF should have a look at what their counterparts are doing over there at TWSKATE..
I’m so glad you brought this topic. I got my mag a couple of days ago in the mail. I start flipping through it and almost barfed in my mouth at the disgust I felt in the moment. If I need to buy a bar of wax I’ll go to the gear guide and find out which one really suits me and my performance. Or if I need a twin fin i could look through it and find an inexperienced retro shaper that will make me a big pile of crap.
Transworld magazine was really good a couple of years ago. With the loss of some great photographers i now think they have lost there steam. Times are tough. Which sucks.
Sweet pic of ass crack on the boardshorts page.
I’m confused though. Are they trying to say that if I buy the shorts I’ll bottom turn like that or I’ll show half my ass to the world everywhere I go?
“consumer consumption isn’t the equivalent of happiness?” Lewis, that was true wisdom, brohamington. A couple boards, a wetsuit, surf trunks, flip flops and a banana.
is there a line on how long it’ll be before we start seeing ad banners on this blog?
Surf mag rage! Happens to me every month.
My free forecast of crumbling companies: TWS, Sullen, …Lost, Da Hui, RVCA, Vestal, oh and Hurley. I know I left off a bunch… but this is a forecast, so companies with a couple nails in their coffins like Quick, Mada, Allyance, etc don’t count. Catch word for the industry for ‘09: “Bloodbath”…. but let’s stay upbeat and advertise in TW Surf…
tw was way better before - back when joel paterson was doing cote’s job
i totally agree that the advertorial shit has to stop.
in other news quik just sold dc to vf corp so andy can ride for dc again
The latest issue of TRANSsnore is a total joke… It’s not even a magazine. I usually enjoy their stuff, but this was just a blatant attempt to lick the balls of their advertisers. Samuels is right — it’s a fucking catalog.
What REALLY pissed me off about that “issue” was the fact there was absolutely no editorial content whatsoever. I mean, I’m not opposed to articles showcasing new gear and boards, but how about a little “expert” analysis? Like which board rips harder — the Pirrana or the Pod? Which boardies really chafe your balls, and which ones give you sweaty ass? Why there are pages and pages of flops in there I have no idea…
It’s funny, I was about to go online and renew my subscription until I got that issue. Why the fuck would I want to pay them to send me some bullshit catalog when SWELL sends them to me for free?
Chris Cote should be ashamed of himself… Way to go, ruining a perfectly good mag.
Who will hire Cote when he gets canned? How quick will his bar tab get shut down around O-side and beyond. Reality can be so harsh, and public sentiment changes so quick. ‘Tween Smut peddlers are in crisis, news at 11.
Lewis, you’re usually a little more on target than this, but I guess your Web-centric media experience has bitten you in the ass this time.
If you notice on the spine, cover, etc of the “issue” you are referring to it says “Gear Guide”.
There is no month, no volume number, etc.
It is a special supplement and subscribers receive it in addition to their monthly sub.
You should have thought about that before you went to the trouble of handling your dog’s shit Samuels.
You know all too well how every single surf mag in the world (except TSJ) sucks their advertisers cocks. Look at Surfer’s “3D” issue …sponsored by Oakley and just happened to have Brian Conley barrel shot with four O stickers on his board. Look at the “special advertising sections” in Surfing full of equipment and shit.
If anyone has a legit gripe it’s the surfboard manufacturer …they’re hurting right no and with all the new tech in the market and no one covering it editorially, they’re left with pay-to-play options almost exclusively … I say almost because unlike Surfer and Surfing ….the transworld gear guide was a true supplement and was free to advertisers.
If you want 4,000 word wind bag articles on how Alex Knost’s facial expressions look before he surfs, then Joel is your man…talk about a blatant attempt to appeal to younger readers by Surfer.
If you want tongue in cheek, take it or leave it, lol coverage then read TW.
If you want endless over color-corrected D Hump shots with impossible to read text on shitty paper stock, read Surfing.
It you want cynical coverage from a semi-employed, peripatetic ex-UCSD surf team guy … read Post Surf
Personally I’m glad they all exist …well..except maybe Surfing…that mag is tired! no wonder Source interlink stock has been below 20 cent for 6 months.
Hey bro,
I’m with Counter Point and thought it was pretty cool service to Transworld readers. I’ve been trying to figure out which boardshorts would match my Spy sunglasses and Reef sandals. Now I know and it saved me a trip down to the mall.
I also found out what gear scores style points with the pros. Now I’ll be top bro-ham when I’m out slurring my words at the local OC cougar den. Keep up the good work bros.
How noble of TW, Counter point.
The real punch line to a joke at everyone’s expense is why would anyone pay to advertise (wear) someone else’s business logo? The rag trade is feeding off the cultural bottom and child indoctrination is the only goal. Surfing spawned skateboarding and snowboarding, two arts that explode demographics that surfing couldn’t reach. Once money was found inland, these clothing companies bailed on our best interests (function) to court the “fashion” of a proverbial street that doesn’t lead to the beach.
TW is a mess and I find it humorous that Lewie couldn’t tell an ad supplement from the inane dribble Cote normally mails! The “art” direction looks like some crack addict lifted Surfing Life’s irreverency and spent the next 30 sleepless nights in Photo Shop overproducing everything except the editorial.
why do people buy surf mags anyway? they’re free to read at any bookstore. oh, btw, aust SW is back better than ever.
Damnit Lewis, you beat me to the punch. Transworld BLOWS. Sure, a lot of the people there are cool, but the organization as a whole and the content of their magazines sucks a phat dick. Then again, your argument is kind of shot if Counter is right. Still with you though, TW sucks. Now I have to postpone my hateful story by a month, thanks. http://TheExtremeScene.com
Hold the phone, MR. Counter Point.
You’re telling me that TW made an issue that isn’t really an issue but is a gear guide, but they made it look just like an issue so mildy-intelligent idiots like Samuel can’t tell the difference, but that makes it OK that the whole issue was just advertorial?
Huh?
If it’s a catalog, why make it look like an issue with letters and normal cover and everything? Its fucked up either way.
Thank you thank you. First off I’d like to thank my parents for giving birth to me. I’d like to thank God, I’d like to thank the academy. I’d like to The Extreme Scene for being an awesome website. I’d like to thank Lewis for taking his mouth off Kelly Slater’s penis for long enough to post a blog about Transworld SURF, and all the young people who buy surf products and pay for my various indulgences.
I love you all.
Keep hating.
Chris
I almost bought this magazine at Seaside Market the other day, but while I waited in line I did a quick flip through and didn’t see any features. I figured they were there and I just didn’t see them. Wow I’m glad I didn’t buy it. Magazines are $5.99 these days on newsstands. Now I work for a magazine and I believe that is some bullshit. Subscribing is the way to go.
What I don’t understand here is if it is just a supplement, why didn’t it come packaged in with the real magazine, and why is there a letters page and intro trying to justify the gear guide? It’s a little weird TWS. at least Pat G can still cash in his photo incentive! Or can he?
Chris Cote thanking Lewis Samuels for “taking his mouth off Kelly Slater’s penis for long enough to post a blog about Transworld SURF” is like a Skid Row hooker bathing in a drive-thru car wash and complaining that it didn’t cure her crabs.
lame attempt by cote to try and take a shot at samuels, especially when twice in his post he said he likes TWS. and all that mag was was a bunch of different gear guides (summer board guide, wetsuit guide, etc.) that have all pretty much run already re-run fused into one.
on top of that the “pro” insights were all just dudes humping the shit out of their sponsors. except for warren smith who is just weird anyway.
anyone else think kelly’s statement about his sticker placement was hysterical?
and they hyped the shit out of their trading cards and the subscription mags didnt even come with em!
bullshit
TWS sucks balls. Aaron checkwood needs to get some glasses because he sucks at picking photos. every issue it gets worse and worse.
i practically have a seziure everytime i look at those crappy, hologram bright colored pieces of crap they call covers. it would have been cool if cote had a small section of the mag, not control of the entire thing!
transworld was by far the best when they had joel patterson, Dhump and Nelly. checkwood: you suck ass.
a big catalog? bullshit, the issue is horrible, and if they are gonna run a hawaii cover, at least run a hawaiian at back door, not the blond hair blue eyed kookousgas.
very well done lewis, keep it comin.
Cote: maybe you need to hand over the mag to someone else,
The role of the surf mags has changed a lot with the impact of the internet. The focus should be other, to abolish any contest cover, simply because when you open a mag to read it today, the results are already online for weeks! I think surf mags should focus on the quality of pictures and texts, art, trips and especially, environment preservation, even that those subjects may bother the masses, which may consider it fag subjects, even that the dude surfs in the crap, literally. Surfing is intrinsecally connected with nature preservation, the best spots in the world are extremelly sensible to any alteration on it’s fragile balance. Let’s raise the quality bar, for everyone.
Mr Cote, If one possess’ the intelligence to see through your charade, does that imply one “hates”? Keep buying toys with the proceeds of your poison, something needs to pacify your insecurity with that vid circulating from the Globe Pro. Pretty sloppy on camera, public drunkeness during daylight isn’t often filmed so comprehensively. Maybe you can stretch for a new “broism” defining career suicide… or planned obsolesence in your case since you survived that week on Tav.
What is that parable regarding trees in a forest not making any sound? Replace trees with writers, the forest for TWS and sound with readers.
my favorite part of this post is that chances are you actually had to physically pick up that shit and put it on the mag… insult to injury?
there’s a video of chris explaining the whole situation at the euro surf site tube8.com - he said they’re doin a cote’s cube ‘best of’ dvd for subscribers
“Will they start buying useless crap again, or will they learn that consumer consumption isn’t the equivalent of happiness?”
WIN!
All in the good name of business, my friends….
Kew,
arent you one of transworlds crappy writers? in the name of business? thats a load of crap.
im sure you get paid pretty good to say that,
nice try kew
maybe you should attend a few community college writing classes, that ‘might’ help,
transworld licks my balls
congrats lewis. you clearly have an audience for this sight and your writing. post some interesting ‘content’ that isn’t mocking and puerile, articles you would want to read in a surfing mag (like your bali and samoa articles). the surfing industrial complex peddles useless shit? haven’t heard that one yet… do something about it other than fanning the smell of said mediocre content.
type type type type, click click click click….. You guys are all a sad bunch of fucks who have no life besides monitoring the surf industry. I feel sorry all of you. Who gives a fuck, it’s just a magazine. If this Transworld gear guide pisses you off that bad, don’t buy it! Go outside, it’s a lovely day. And these comments on here, if you’re going to talk shit, post your name so that whoever you’re offending can confront you about it. That goes out to all you little shitty wannabe not good enough to get on staff with a magazine photographers, you kids are fucking halirious and you’d probably fuck your own mom to get on a magazine trip. To all your washed up marketing interns who never found a 9-5 job, you’re a sad bunch, to you disgruntled WQS warriors who will be valeting in North County until the end of time, FUCK YOU! Blogs are for fags. But at least Lewis puts his name out there and has some balls unlike you pussys who comment on his blog and hide behind alias’s, if Lewis Samuels is an asshole, you’re guys are the hemoroids on it.
hahahaha the irony of that post is incredible
you beat me to it, dennis.
to fuck face peter:
“And these comments on here, if you’re going to talk shit, post your name so that whoever you’re offending can confront you about it.”
i’m glad you took your own advice and put your real name. thanks
try “Kurungabaa” for a non-commercial surfing journal. 3 issues out and growing …
oh, visit their blog. cool crew who will never sell out, ever.
http://www.kurungabaa.wordpress.com
“Keep Hating,” The jealous sound of a guy who used to be “the funny one” in surf journalism. Also surf gear issues are the worst, they don’t actually review anything, they just show pictures of the gear and list the features for the manufacturers.
Lewis, I think you’re an incredible writer so it seems so wierd that you will lower yourself to such lame “shock” tactics to get attention. You know, just like some comedians aren’t really all that good but they use “fuck” a lot and other shocking controversial approaches in the general mainstream to succeed. It seems you have some sort of deep rooted psychological issue or insecurity to want to hate and bring down anyone who may appear to be successful in some way. I’m no psychological expert but it seems very obvious. Maybe your Dad didn’t give you enough confidence when you were a grom. Whatever, i really do hope you gain some personal confidence in the future because you really are a good writer and a very smart person. Just very misguided it seems and your controversial shock value will only last so long before the same hand that feeds you slaps you down, or worse you insult one person too many who takes matters into their own hands. I hope you find your way somehow but in the long run you’re going down the wrong road. Personally, i will not support your approach with any future visits to your website. Good luck!
Oh humble SurfGuru, you are so wise.
What could be more “shocking” than LS biting the surf industry hand that feeds him. How dare he!
It is such a tragedy that you will personally not support this site with future visits.
TRANSWORLD SURF= R.I.P PETER TARAS. hahaha your magazine sucks, its worthless. cote is cool, but really get off your highchair and start making some quality shit.
As an avid reader of surf magazines fot the last 30 years and a pretty opinionated guy, I have never taken the time to editorialize beyond bullshitting with my friends and (occasionally) my girlfriend but Transworld Surf’s latest issue been the impetus to commit my “take” to the world wide web.
There was a time when TWS was my magazine of choice. They were irreverent, funny, forward thinking and about as politically incorrect as a surf mag has ever been which ain’t saying much considering how whitewashed all surf media is but still worth noting. One of my favorite parts of TWS (to this day) is their interviews. The are done the right way…Q & A, coupla challenging questions, some light-heartedness and, to their credit, they didn’t filter or contextualize quotes through a feature article. I have always loved the pure interview form and their feature interviews as well as the 20 Questions section are great. I am not a TWS hater.
When I saw their new issue, wrapped in plastic and thicker than usual, I was fired up and bought it. Started flipping through it and quickly realized that it was a fucking catalog-nothing to read, no interviews, just pages and pages of product and ads. I highly doubt that anybody who bought this issue felt that they had made a wise investment. For the 13 year old whose mom threw it in the shopping cart at the grocery store, maybe it wasn’t as bad. But I felt truly ripped off. Whatever, no biggie, one bad issue…
But then I started thinking about an article published a while back in TW Business about how retailers, specifically surf shops, were upset that some of the companies (like Quiksilver) whose products they carry, would be selling their goods online, effectively cutting the little guy (the surf shop) out of the picture. You want the new $99 Hurley trunks that are super stretchy? Go online and buy them. Why go to a surf shop?
The ratio of surfboard inventory to soft good inventory (trunks, tees, sweatshirts, hats, etc.) seriously favors the soft stuff in all of the surf shops here in Hermosa Beach (which many argue is the birthplace of the surf industry). It’s easy to buy some new clothes by going to ONE of the many surf shops in the area. Buying a board off the rack usually requires some shopping; I have to go to every shop in town to peruse what’s available because, to me (and I hope this is true for everyone who reads this) the most important component is my surfboard. I don’t really care what my trunks (not boardshorts, brah) look like. I have some preferences, of course, but I don’t have to shop around when I need to pick up a new pair. I just head up to E.T. Surf.
So here’s the problem…as surf consumers increase their online purchasing of softgoods, it’s reasonable to assume that surf shops will start to feel a pinch, then a punch, then a kick in the balls and will start to tap out because they aren’t profitable anymore.
When surf shops start to close because people start buying online, WHERE THE FUCK AM I GOING TO BUY SURFBOARDS? Online?
Last time I checked, a Billabong hat, Hurley tee shirt, RVCA pants, Quiksilver socks and Volcom Creedlers do not make you surf better. Sure, they make it easier for the rest of the world to think you’re a cool surfer but they are far from essential or integral to the true surfing experience. But buying this crap kept surf shops in business so that they could continue to do what they were orininally designed for, to sell surfboards.
It’s upsetting to think that my surfboard purchasing options may dwindle because of the shift from buying at a surf shop to shopping online.
Magazines make money off of ads, we all know this. But who needs who more? Magazines don’t cost that much to produce, right? The major brands might haggle about where their ads are placed throughout the magazine and they might bitch about the number of team rider pics in which the team logo is obscured but they will ALWAYS maintain their presence in surf media. They absolutely have to because their profits depend on it.
So, TWS should go back to being TWS and say FUCK YOU Quiksilver and fuck your about-to-be-delisted-stock. Go sell your new trunks to wakeboarders!
I know that Cote loves surfing and wants the best for it. He cares. Because he cares, he should feel bad about what he’s doing to the roots of something that we all love. There’s no way that he doesn’t feel a twinge of guilt about putting out a magazine, er catalog, that essentially has nothing to do with surfing, travel, news or celebrating why we have all dedicated so much to getting wet and having fun.
Come back from the dark side, Cote. We adults have all had to make some sacrifices for our careers. Sometimes, we have to do things that we know suck to keep the bills paid. I get it. But as the editor of a once great magazine, Cote needs to take a stand and go back to doing things the right way. Especially because he has nothing to lose-print’s dying anyway, right? The window is closing, Cote. How do you want to be remembered?
the surfer mag did the same LAME thing!
fucking bullshit. I don’t want to look at board shorts. I want to see perfect waves!!!
wow…a whole bunch of people who don’t understand a thing about free market economics (otherwise known as…how we all feed ourselves)…Lewis is a hypocrit - this is a fact. Lewis writes articles to get paid so that he can eat, clothe himself, and provide a dry bed to sleep in every night. He gets PAID by the same people he derides for being PAID (through advertisers, corporate support structure, etc..) to support their own organizations. We have a whole generation of people who equate bravery with ’standing up to the man’…or some crap like that…Lewis (and apparently legions of others) see this in the same light as Tiannamen Square…No, Lewis, there is actually no tank waiting to mow you down…no firing squad waiting for you You have simply been FIRED. It’s not the same, buddy…you are not brave. Screaming about the other kid having more cookies than you do doesn’t make you brave…it makes you immature and stupid.
DON’T DOUBT ME! Check Lewis’ post on his own firing…note the firing squad picture he’s chosen to use…as I said, Lewis truly believes that by writing some sophomoric, teen-angst drivel about ’stickin it to the man’, he is in the same company as the signers of the Declaration (study your history if you don’t get the reference…the signers of the Declaration of Independence risked their lives, their families’ lives, everything they had)…FIRED, Lewis, not shot.
just like c says, come over and try this, we don’t give a fuck, and we don’t owe anybody
http://kurungabaa.wordpress.com/