Brenden “Margo” Margieson is one of surfing’s biggest legends. Surfing has changed since he came up in Byron Bay, though. It’s measured differently. But Margo’s legend is an enduring one.
“We live in time where everything is measurable,” says Album Surfboard’s Matt Parker in Infinite Difference. “Metrics and data, views and downloads and all this information that determines the value of someone as a surfer or a professional surfer. Brenden came to be in a time where none of that existed.”
Margo, as he’s known, made his bones not by getting clicks on clips or by getting 100K YouTube subscribers. He was the guy in VHS surf films whose part you waited for. He made his name known not by social media engagement, but simply by surfing insanely well. He inspired a million surfers, Rasta included.
“Brenden came to be in a time where none of that existed,” Parker continued. “It was more mysterious. There was more lore involved. You would go to your friend’s house and he had the VHS tape. You would watch Brenden’s surfing and your mind would be blown, but you really didn’t know the full extent of who he was or where he came from. You didn’t see him in contests. There was this elusive nature to Margo and his surfing that cemented his place in your psyche. He was just this almost mythical legend.”
Surfing, it seems, tends to attract those types more than most other sports. The type of surfer who isn’t doing it for views or clicks or fame. He was just doing it because he loved doing it, and because he loved doing it, he got better than most. That mystery that surrounded him, and more recently people like Clay Marzo, Laurie Towner, or Torren Martyn, is part of the draw. We don’t get to see their whole lives playing out on YouTube. Instead, we see just small parts that make us wonder what the rest of it is like. And so our interest is piqued just a little more.
Margo’s career has been a long one. In Infinite Difference, Margo reflects on decades of surfing. He’s got a strong connection to not just the waves he rides, but the boards he rides them on. His surfing journey is still evolving, and the surf world is better for his addition.
