The official album cover? We hope so. Photo: @john_john_florence
With perhaps history’s biggest surf film dropping in December, John John Florence has been a busy man lately. Aside from the contest circuit and hunting that elusive World Title, John’s spent the last three years making the film, traveling and shooting across the far reaches of surfable coastlines. Now View from a Blue Moon is done, but the obligations keep comin’. The film has a string of global premiere dates and John’s been jumping through the hoops with the press. From Rolling Stone to French GQ to an AMA on Reddit, the international media is rabid for a piece of the young Hawaiian. So I wasn’t too surprised when I heard him on the radio today while stuck in traffic on Lincoln Blvd.
I’m sittin’ there, stuck behind the usual barrage of angry drivers, listenin’ to my usual dose of KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic with Jason Bentley, and who do I hear? John John. At first it was startling – a strange melding of two disparate worlds. Turns out John jumped on the air for a quick spot on KCRW’s Guest DJ Project. Throughout the series, they’ve featured everyone from Neil deGrasse Tyson to writer of Fight Club Chuck Palahniuk to actor Jonah Hill. And here’s John John – toe-headed surf phenom from Hawaii – in that mix as well. Just goes to show how surfing’s entering a new era of mainstream recognition…and how big John’s new film is about to be.
The Guest DJ Project blends an interview with a few favorite jams hand-selected from the subject. What did John play, you ask? A mix of the classics:
Neil Young – “Old Man”
AC/DC – “Thunderstruck”
The Rolling Stones – “Paint It Black”
Black Sabbath – “Under The Sun”
Jack Johnson – “Seasick Dream”
The last song, a rare new release from Mr. Jack Johnson, was written specifically for View from a Blue Moon. And as John mentions in the interview, “he sent me a quick rough draft that was so cool. He just recorded it with his phone. I think he was just sitting in his backyard because you could hear the chickens and stuff…it’s the first opening scene of the whole movie. It’s just footage of me and my brothers when we’re really young, just playing on the beach and enjoying the North Shore.”
Next to the velvety smooth, latino-infused voice of KCRW’s Anthony Valadez, John’s delivery is a little harsh. He’s not exactly your ideal host for Late Night Smooth Jazz with Johnny Cool. Perhaps this foray into record-spinning will be short-lived. Perhaps John shouldn’t quit his day job – just stick to surfing. That’s fine with us.
You can hear the entire radio clip here.
