STEPHEN
SHEARER
Shearer has an
older-brother aura
about him. He knows
more, he’s better at
most things, and his
wisdom is fuelled by
the kind of trial and
error – as a younger
sibling – you only want
to replicate. A gifted
writer and visionary
who doesn’t just write,
he sculpts art forms. His
wide-ranging knowledge
of all things oceanic
makes him the perfect
contributor to Surfing
Life, and we’re glad to
have him!Shearer’s answer:
Surfing or sex; what a
trap, what an absolute
foul trap for the young
player. I claim the right
not to incriminate myself
and defer to Buzzy Trent:
“Surfing is a lot like
sex. An intense feeling
of anticipation; a total
communion of mind and
body, and when it is over
you will always want to
do it again.”LAWRIE
VONHOFF
Lawrie makes a solid
debut in the Surfing
Life pages with his
excellent body-surfing
feature. Lawrie is the kind
of guy who stays awake at
night, dwelling and fussing
on a single sentence until
it feels right. That’s the
right stuff, right there. This
is just the beginning for
him, and we can’t wait
to see where his writing
takes him.Lawrie’s answer:
I’m not sure I can answer
this without sounding like
some sort of sex-obsessed
deviant. Like some sort
of lewd socks-and-sandal-
wearing, pornography
enthusiast. Like some sort
of seedy sexual degenerate
who rides public transport
in sperm-spackled
slacks and Slazenger
runners, blasting Linkin
Park through a set of
headphones and sniffing
seats suspiciously. Like
some sort of grotesque
hands-in-pockets, ball-
fondling, personal-space
invader. Like some sort of
foul, pasty, smug, Liberal-
voting virgin!
But I’ll give it a
shot. Sex is better than
waves. If you find it’s
not, you’re just doing it
wrong.MICHAEL
SAUNDERS
Mikey cracks us up.
He walks through life
at his own pace, on
his own terms, and
we envy the shit outta
that! As an editor, he
can freak you out with
his grasp on just what
constitutes a deadline.
But, like the mailman, he
always delivers. A solid
writer, who is a sensei of
the interview and who
moonlights in the ABC
newsroom when he’s not
kicking it with us bunch
of miscreants.Mikey’s answer:
Well, it depends on
how you look at it. If
I had to pick only one
for the rest of my life: I
would go with sex and
just take up something
like snowboarding to
scratch my other itch.
But, if I had to choose
between surfing perfect
Superbank all to myself,
or a night with my
teenage-dream girl
(Dukes of Hazzard-era
Jessica Simpson, for those
playing at home), I would
pick the waves. Beauty
fades – a quick google
search of Ms Simpson in
2017 will prove that –
but memories of perfect
waves last a lifetime.The Family QUESTION: WAVES OR SEX. WHAT’S BETTER?
PHOTO:
ISHERWOOD
We love the enthusiasm
Chris attacks life with,
and his writing reflects
that. We also love that
what you see is what
you get with Binnsie.
We’re still yet to meet a
person with a bad word
to say about Binnsie,
which is lucky for them,
because if we did, we’d
throw them off a bridge.
There’s no bullshit about
him, and in a world full of
bullshit, that is the kind of
currency we want in our
bank.Binnsie’s answer:
Are waves better than
sex... are we back in
primary school here?!?
I’ve definitely had more
success with the latter,
but that speaks more for
my shortcomings in the
brine than my talents
in the sack. Waves can
be dangerous when
you’re drunk, whereas
the worst that’s ever
happened in bed after
midnight was a poor
friend breaking her ankle
in the glovebox. In both
cases, the consequences
of your rubber failing
can be disastrous. Both
are fun if you know what
you’re doing, and they’re
definitely both fricken
awesome.CHRIS
BINNSWILL
BENDIX
A super talented
writer, editor and
designer. Like that kid
in The Sixth Sense, he
sees things the rest
of us don’t. He finds
stories within the stories,
and that’s what makes
his writing such a damn
pleasure to read! There’s
a reason he’s the newly
installed Editor of White
Horses, and you only
have to look at his body
of work in this issue to
see why.Will’s answer:
That’s not a fair question,
although both last about
the same amount of time
for me. All I’m saying is I
definitely get a lot more
of one than the other
(hint: it’s not sex). I don’t
know if that’s a good or
bad thing. I’m going with
good.