New Smyrna Beach, FL – David Scales’s Podcast, Surf Splendor, is on the forefront of surf media. While DVDs and print magazines, with exceptions, have been archived, the mode of transport for portraits, meaningful introspection, and new and developing issues and projects has become audio podcasts. We are finding our drives shorter and our knowledge deeper, listening to Chas Smith, Matt Warshaw, and Jamie Brisick. In the old days, you saw pictures of Curren and the occasional post-heat interview timing out at 30 seconds. Now we get an hour plus of the best of the best. The door to the kitchen is now open, but it is with proper seasoning and feel for the medium-rare. The meat is tender, with flavor, and in some cases, still close one the bone. It’s a gratifying meal, every time, which is why bringing David out in November for the main event will be so special. He even hinted that he may record a podcast or two while he’s here. FSFF extends a big welcome to one of the best curators of the long-form surf interview.
About David: First came surf film, then came surfing. Bruce Brown’s portrait of Pat O’Connell and Robert “Wingnut” Weaver was Scales’s first exposure to the world of surfing. He saved up $30 washing cars and got a ride from mom to Harbor Surfboards in Seal Beach California. He had planned on purchasing the The Endless Summer 2, but was shocked to see a vast collection of offerings. Under glass were 20 different VHS surf films and the genesis of a lifelong passion for the medium. His very first purchase was “Jacked” by Santa Cruz filmmaker Tony Roberts.
David Lee Scales grew up near the beach in Orange County, California and started surfing at age 12. A storyteller by trade, Scales has explored writing, film, and podcasting. In 2013 he established the Surf Splendor podcast network, which now produces 4 surf-related podcasts. Surf Splendor features long form interviews with surf luminaries, many of whom have either showcased at the Florida Surf Film Festival or have served on the jury. Included among them, Jamie Brisick, Matt Warshaw, Morgan Maassen, and Chas Smith. Through Surf Splendor, Scales’s goal is to help chronicle surf history while simultaneously dissecting board design and providing commentary on surfing through ongoing open forum discussions between surf industry leaders and Surf Splendor’s listenership. Learn more and listen in at SurfSplendorPodcast.com
-Kevin Miller