Welcome to Paradise now go to hell

Discussion in 'All Discussions' started by ihatelongboarders, Apr 4, 2014.

  1. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    Picked up the book via makeitstop's recommendation and finished it in a day. really easy, yet solid read. it paints an interesting picture about the personalities and attitudes of the "locals" on the island and some insight into what their deal is. It barely touches the surface of the ICE epidemic but occasionally gives you a glimpse of coked up surfers which is pretty funny.

    ultimately the focus is Eddie Rothman and other da hui guys in terms of their place on the north shore hierarchy. to be honest, they all seem like pretty big tools but i guess when you grow up on an island the idea of "being tough" is paramount to being smart.

    the story about eddie flying to cali to intimidate the editor of surfing was pretty epic tho. anyone else read it? thoughts?
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2014
  2. MFitz73

    MFitz73 Well-Known Member

    Aug 21, 2010
    have not read it but Im gonna pull the dbag move everyone hates to have happen to them on an internet post...
    you used the wrong form of "their".... twice. lol.
    yours,
    Benny.
     

  3. HARDCORESHARTHUFFER-RI

    HARDCORESHARTHUFFER-RI Well-Known Member

    Sep 17, 2013
    tell ya what IHL. make a giant sandwich board with your book review and walk the bikepath from pipe to sunset. that will be great!
     
  4. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007

    solid feedback!

    since you're our in house hawaiin legend, can you comment on the book being correct? is it a total fabrication?
     
  5. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007

    DOH. fixed

    yours

    Local
     
  6. zach619

    zach619 Well-Known Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    What the story about Eddie coming to CA? I know that a lot of those guys got run out of Southern California about a decade ago. Sunny Garcia and a few others "supposedly" got their asses handed to them down in SD county. Not sure if its true, but that was the local legend out there that anyone in cahoots with Rothman and those guys get burned all over the mainland west coast.

    Everything ive ever seen on TV or videos of them leads me to believe that they are tool bags. Especially since Rothman is from CA not HI... Aren't they just a bunch of transplants? Just like every other legendary surfer that surfed hawaii except eddie? They were all from CA. Those dude should thank the gringos for teaching them how to master all their perfect waves. Cause until a bunch of salty white boys got there, they weren't doing much in the way of progression...
     
  7. zach619

    zach619 Well-Known Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    P.S. I wonder how all the locals truly feel about Jamie Obrien, the Irons and all the other gringo transplants that shred out there... Those guys all claim Hawaii, but they just come from wealthy families that moved out there. I love watching JOB surf, but again, everything ive seen from him on video and stuff makes him look like d-bag. He on numerous occasions rolls up to beaches while they film him and he starts calling everyone in the lineup a bunch of kooks and stuff. He just seems like a tool.
     
  8. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    I gotta transcribe the eddie goes to cali story, i don't remember it verbatim. the one story i do remember is Eddie going to the Billabong house and slapping EVERYONE around. which sounds hysterical and comical.

    Eddie is from philly originally then cali then hawaii so i guess while he's been there for awhile he's not "Hawaiian"
     
  9. sisurfdogg

    sisurfdogg Well-Known Member

    Jun 17, 2013
    The book was a fun read, and the writer comes across as a total pompous douche, which makes it an even more fun read. Those da hui guys wouldn't last a minute at the Cocoa Pier, they'd be run out with their Moke tails between their legs. Way too heavy on land and sea.

    #cocolocoheavylocals
     
  10. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    i agree Chas has that Hunter S Thopmson vibe about him but he's pretty open in saying he writes "Trash Prose" to liken him to Hemingway or someone would be a disservice to both.

    Honestly don't think any of those guys Eddie, Kaiborg, Kala would survive any place other than the rock.
     
  11. zach619

    zach619 Well-Known Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    So what was the "in a nutshell" story of Eddie threatening the guys at surfing mag? Because of the media coverage of Hawaii?

    And yeah, funny how the Hawaiians let a bunch of guys from Philly run around claiming to be the enforcers and protectors of the island's waves. You would think that they all would have been run outta town by natives. I mean, let's let a notorious gringo drug dealer who is ruining local families and native's lives with substance abuse and stuff become a power player.
     
  12. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    it was either about hawaii coverage or them telling him they'd run a photo of makua then not. He flew over from HI with a couple of buddies, walked into the office, kicked in the editors door and goes "i just want you to know california isn't that far from hawaii" and walks out.

    dude has dodged the legal bullet a bunch and it seems like local law enforcement doesn't care. the feds even went after him but the case never really stuck.
     
  13. cepriano

    cepriano Well-Known Member

    Apr 20, 2012
    I agree with u with the non Hawaiian Hawaiians.u see very few real blood Hawaiians,the chubby big as an ox Asian looking guys.the irons,florences,jobs,and many many others aren't really Hawaiians.im 100 percent white,I look like casper in the winter,and if I moved to mexico would I call myself a Mexican?no

    job can do what he do because his backyard is literally pipeline.and the wolfpak,guys like kala alexander,and all those other idiots are all from kaui,not Oahu.so there not really locals.very few real locals actually surf pipe.

    and that book had its moments.i thought it was pure haole hatred towards Hawaiians that aren't even Hawaiian,like eddie rothman.but at the end of the day,it shows u what kind loving Hawaiians there are,to accept a jew from philly is quite the opposite of what that book portrays.oh eddie going to the quik house to beat somebody up.yea people get beat up in nj everyday,i wouldn't call it hell.hawaiians are wonderful people.dont believe the hype.
     
  14. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    i agree with you to a point. i think the "haole hatred" is predicated by the "locals" trying regulate something they feel they have some sort of divine right to.

    it's like how people on the mainland say they're "100% Irish" cause their last name is McCormick or O'Conner or something but they're 8 generations removed.
     
  15. Scobeyville

    Scobeyville Well-Known Member

    May 11, 2009
  16. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    pretty typical Ice head reaction.

    i've been to maui before and was pretty shocked at the amount of drug addicts. there was one family set up in an RV in a public park and they'd hang out in front of it shooting up. blew my 15 year old mind.
     
  17. zach619

    zach619 Well-Known Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    Yeah, I have had nothing but respect and love from all the true islanders when im out there. The only people ive gotten into pissing matches with are gringos, trying to tell me all about the Aloha life and why the waves there are so much better than where I was and stuff. They have just been cool as hell...

    It's just funny how this hawiian surf culture has been portrayed over the past 15 years or so. The mags write about it. The TV airs shows about it and at the end of the day, its all BS. They portray these local crews out there policing the waves, when it's not in fact local. Its not even Hawaiians. They portray how hardcore the natives are about protecting their turf, when in reality its just a bunch of mainlanders, brining the same city and street mentality that they grew up with in Phily and spreading it around the islands.

    I think the surf community as a hole needs to chill on all that. They act like it's so important to have these d-bags out there, when its the surf community that puts up the Quik house and the Volcom house and spreads their sh** all over the North Shore... It's them that is the problem and its the people they associate with that cause the trouble. Every year its a bunch of white boys on sponsor money out there *****ing and fighting because they are all trying to get in that cover shot or get the camera time... And they all invite the rothman crew to party and act like they are now in with the "local boys".... Ohh yeah, every winter, we go live in the Volcom house and the local boys take care of us and have our backs... Yeah, okay.... I'm sure the natives there love the fact that you infiltrate their island, you bring all gringo camera crews and media and exploit the sh** out of everything. Get your shots, get your video, get your waves and then bounce on them again...

    Those D-Bags should work for 9 months out of the year to get the local economy ready and communicate with all these companies to NOT travel so heavy and to hire up all native workers and crew members... Then I would respect them...

    We are going down to PR for a huge job in a couple months. Instead of bringing 20 guys from South Carolina, we are bringing about 3 and hiring all local help while we are down there. Its the least we could do.
     
  18. ihatelongboarders

    ihatelongboarders Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2007
    rothman started da hui which does in fact give back to the community. they also (according to the book) strong arm sponsors into hiring them to run security at contests which in turn gets locals hired.

    hawaii is really far down there in terms of socio-economic status and the north shore see to be pretty polarizing between the haves and have-nots. when you have situations like that you get these bandito types like you have there robin hood ideals.
     
  19. ocsurf32

    ocsurf32 Well-Known Member

    390
    Jul 22, 2012
    Im the only true north shore local, it just nobody knows it yet. . . .
     
  20. Sandblasters

    Sandblasters Well-Known Member

    May 4, 2013
    Man you can take me to Puerto Rico I'll gladly relocate. But try and have those d bags come to the hhi South Carolina. We'll crush them and run them over with our high proformance longboards. We will break those short boards then use then as target practice at the range. Run them boards over with our trucks son.