Undoubtedly the quintessential surf rock band, the Beach Boys included only one band member, drummer Dennis Wilson, who actually surfed on a semi-regular basis. Bandleader and principle songwriter Brian Wilson only attempted surfing once. In a matter of minutes, the surfboard bonked him on the head, and he emphatically declared the experiment over. Yet Brain Wilson, perhaps more than anyone, understood that surfing was much more than riding waves. It was powerful idea, a feeling of freedom, and a way of life. He tapped into the zeitgeist of the surfer and the surfing mentality to capture a “vibration” that was simultaneously peaceful and exciting, laidback and energetic, mental and physical.
The homes of surfers, whether a hut on the beach or an apartment in downtown Manhattan, elicit a similar feeling. And the new book Surf Shacks captures this feeling beautifully in both pictures and words. Profiling a number of surfers and their multifarious abodes, the book takes an in-depth look at the domestic lifestyles and home décor predilections that go hand in hand with the spirit of surfing. Surf Shacks fills 256 pages with anecdotes, photographs, descriptions, and illustrations of surfer homes and their fascinating contents.
Peer into a highly resourceful and inventive world of ad-hoc paining studios, extensive record collections, and unique backyard gardens. One part interior design treatise and one part anthropological study, this book uses surf shacks as a jumping-off point to examine wave-riding culture and the eccentric cast of characters who have made surfing the central component of their lives.