S.U.R.F.'s UP
S.U.R.F.'s UP
Like so many O.C. kids, Mick McCarthy, 38, grew up in the surf, enjoying the ocean's vastness and the challenge of trying to conquer its rhythms. He also soaked up the surfer culture that surrounded him, which was and remains redolent with substance abuse.
Then one day his kick out turned into a wipe out (so to speak).
Now, 12 years sober and having seen friends, family, and countless peers affected by drug and alcohol dependency, McCarthy is eager to affect a tidal change in his beloved yet beleaguered surfing community. This Saturday night, he and business partner Jennifer Dawson will launch Surfers United Recovery Foundation (S.U.R.F.), a nonprofit dedicated to helping surfers and surf-industry professionals recover from addiction, as well as raise the awareness that may prevent it in the first place. “I don't know why, it's just a part of the culture,” McCarthy says. “[But] we need to treat it as a public disease.”
To that end, McCarthy and Dawson have organized “Live-Clean, Surf-Clean,” a very public fundraising event at Epoxybox in Venice featuring live music (West Indian Girl, Shayne Blue), an exhibition of photos by surf and fashion photographer Jason Reposar, and screenings of surf films Destination Point by Josh Pomer and Islands in the Stream by T.J. Barrack and Wes Brown, the grandson of Bruce Brown, who created the iconic 1966 rip reel The Endless Summer. There will also be a raffle with prizes as rad as a Guy Okazaki surfboard and a week at surf camp in Costa Rica, plus an auction for a Fender guitar signed by Mr. Mellow Yellow himself, Donovan.
McCarthy admits that what he is striving for in Venice this weekend is the “antithesis” of what that area's particular surf scene “has always believed itself to be.” And yet the planning and support he's received for S.U.R.F. “hasn't been a challenge at all. People have seen the damage drugs and alcohol have done to surf communities, and they want to take action,” he says, thrilled. Navigating the various approaches and interest groups (the multibillion-dollar surf industry, Alcoholics Anonymous, etc.) has been more daunting, however. Consequently, wine and beer will be available at the event, but nothing harder, and there will be no preaching.
“We're not saying, ‘Don't use drugs.' We're saying, ‘When you're done, we can help you.'”
–Rebecca Epstein
“Live-Clean/Surf-Clean” (a benefit for S.U.R.F.). Epoxybox, 602 Venice Blvd., Venice. Sat. 7 p.m.-midnight. $25; $20 advance. Info: Surfrecovery.org.
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THIS WEEK IN THE CITY
Thursday 24
CHEW ON THIS
You can probably name 100 diets, and if you placed those names end to end, they'd probably stretch 100 miles. But the “100 Mile Diet” is something else entirely, an environmentally conscientious eating plan that asks you to choose foods grown or raised within 100 miles of your home. Tonight, Joanne Poyourow, author of Legacy: A Story of Hope for a Time of Environmental Crisis, hosts a “100 Mile Potluck” to encourage you to eat locally and explain why doing so helps the earth (and air, and water, and more). Visit Poyourow's website for guidance on appropriate dishes, and, since she's also striving for “zero waste,” pack your food in glass or reusable plastic, and bring your appetite! 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Free; bring local food to share. The Church of the Holy Nativity, Community Hall, 6700 W. 83rd St., Westchester, (310) 677-4777. Legacyla.net.
Friday 25
INTERGALACTIC GROOVE
Closing tonight is the seventh sound. concert series from the Society for Social Space through Art and Sound. “A Tribute to the Sounds of the Forbidden Planet” will celebrate the Louis and Bebe Barron soundtrack to the classic MGM sci-fi film, now 50 years old. The Barrons are considered revolutionaries in cinematic sound for revealing the flexibility of electronic music by speeding it up, slowing it down, and layering it on. Four equally innovative modern composers – Thomas Dimuzio, Tom Grimely, Sukho Lee, and David Rothbaum – will perform works inspired by or paying homage to the Barrons' aural approach to the future. 7:30 p.m. $25; $18 advance, with discounts for students and members. MAK Center at the Schindler House, 835 N. Kings Rd., West Hollywood. Info: (323) 960-5723 or Soundnet.org.
Saturday 26
WRAPPING UP
Of all the big summer art shows, this one surely “wears” the best. Waist Down: Skirts by Miuccia Prada closes tomorrow, so if you need an excuse to go to the Prada store in Beverly Hills (ha!), here it is. On display are hundreds of skirts created from 1988 through the present, each designed with the Italian fashionista's flair for combining sophistication, intelligence, and invention in the most basic of garments. Here, it's the time-honored skirt, which Ms. P sees as a “vehicle for movement” – regarding both the material and the person wearing it. In addition, the installations meld with the store's architecture, by Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture, who also helped design the exhibition. Store hours Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. noon-5 p.m. Free. 343 Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, (310) 278-8661. Waistdown.prada.com.
Sunday 27
COMPOSE AND CONVERSE
This weekend, while Sunset Junction (Sunsetjunction.org) rocks Silver Lake and Fiesta La Ballona (Fiestalaballona.org) plays up Culver City, La Bohemia will transform Eagle Rock into a mystical land of Mexican contemporary song. Comprising Marcial Alejandro, David Haro, and Rafael Mendoza, this group of three composers, guitarists, poets, and friends will share songs and the creative process, “conversing” with each other as they celebrate the traditions and influences that inform – and are informed by – their work. Look forward to a night of spontaneity, interactivity, musicality, and pure joy. 6 p.m. $25. Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, 2225 E. Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, (323) 997-5827.
Monday 28
DOODLE REDUX
Anything can be a canvas for contemporary art, and it doesn't have to be large, either. Consider the Post-It note, the sticky little piece of paper that most of us can't remember living without. Now GR2 on Sawtelle presents the group show Post-Deux, featuring nearly 2,000 works on (small) paper by a wide range of artists, including Calef Brown, Laura Levine, Julie Murphy, Joe Rocco, Jeff Soto, Gary Taxali, and many more. The result is a wondrous installation of three-inch-by-three-inch notes in multiple hues, decorated with images sweet, weird, and thunderous. And, they're only $20 each (larger works are a little more). Closes Sept. 13. Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. noon-6 p.m. Free. 2062 Sawtelle Blvd., West L.A., (310) 445-9276. Gr2.net.
Tuesday 29
CARTOON SHORES
Rainbow-rific media continues tonight at the “Venice Animation Festival” at the Ocean Front Walk Courtyard on Venice Beach. This outdoor screening event (B.Y.O. folding chairs, pillows, and blankets) will feature special guest and film curator Jerry Beck of CartoonResearch.com, presenting wacky animated classics and contemporary cartoon flicks. Walk, skateboard, rollerblade, or bike your way to this night of silly cinema under the stars. All ages welcome. Popcorn and refreshments available during the show. 8 p.m.; 7 p.m. pre-show. Free. 801 Ocean Front Walk Courtyard, Venice. Info: (310) 306-7330.
Wednesday 30
DRIVE YOU CRAZY
They say driving is part of the deal of living in L.A., but some of us don't agree. For those who do, take another look at life behind the wheel this week by experiencing the “mobile exhibition” Carmada, featuring “driving art modules,” plus film screenings, on Saturday, August 26, in a parking lot at 1168 E. Fifth St., downtown L.A. (7 p.m.-10 p.m.; Carmada.org). Then, tonight, inch your way through traffic to Pomona for “Twilight Cruise Night” at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum (1101 W. McKinley Ave., 909-622-2133; Museum.nhra.com). From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., see some of the coolest hot rods in SoCal, enter a raffle, and check out tonight's added bonus, “Wally's Garage Sale,” offering six-cylinder discounts on the museum store's merchandise. And, whee! Both events are free!
Published: 08/24/2006
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