Photo Grant Ellis
OZZIE WRIGHT
Punk & Rainbows
Hossegor, les Culs Nuls, August or September 2000.
A guy arrives on the beach with a weird look and a tagged board.
Once in the water, he slashes everything.
The attitude, the technique, the floaters, the speed and the aerials.
Lots of aerials.
It was a free session of the Australian Ozzie Wright, on the fringe of the Air & Tube show presented by Volcom.
Then, Bruno Débauché made a TV report about him, the video COMPUTER BODY is released the same year, with Ozzie in a crazy final part.
It's hard not to be a fan.
After a few years of competing up to junior level, he focuses on free surfing.
The movie 156 TRICKS, his sections in SAVES THE BIG FAT WHALES, DOPED YOUTH, SPROUT, CREEPY FINGERS, were so cool, punk and far from standard surfing.
The guy is a surfer, but also an artist & a musician.
Many talented surfers mention him as a major influence:
Noa Deane, Dane Reynolds, Dion Agius, Mason Ho, John John Florence...
Ozzie is now over forty years old.
He lives in north Sydney, surfs, paints and still plays with his friends, including Vaughan Blakey of Surfing World, in the band GOONS OF DOOM.
Here he answers a few questions.
Thanks Ozzie !
- Hey Ozzie!
"Hi mate, sounds cool your site and thanks for the interest in my work!!!!"
- Do you remember your first after surf stoke ?
"I remember as a kid catching whitewash on my boogie board.
Going straight and hitting backwash, I absolutely loved it.
I would do it for hours and I did it for years as a little kid.
The stoke was huge and it only got bigger and bigger."
Photo DR
But being a surfer is never boring!
If you are bored take a break and do something different for a while.
- What are your 3 best surf movies of all time?
"Hard question, I'll say
MORNING OF THE EARTH (1971).
I growing up with Steve Cooney who is on the cover and the first guy to surf Uluwatu.
He was "Killer Whale" (Tim) of the GOONS OF DOOM's Dad and so it was always a thrill to know him.
There was photos on his wall of him at Ulu.
They just lived up the road and I used to hang out with them.
They were so cool."
"MAD MAX (1987)
Probably one of the first movies I saw.
Just because Wiz (Ross Clarke-Jones) was such a legend, Tom Carroll at Aussie Pipe and Kong (Gary Elkerton)...
They were my heroes and they surfed our home breaks on the northern beaches.
CRYSTAL VOYAGER (1973)
George Greenough was my dad's favourite surfer.
As my dad, he was a kneeboarder, about the same age as George.
It was the first movie we watched in our first ever video player.
My dad rented it from the video shop in Narrabeen.
I loved the music, I loved that he built his own boat and he sailed to Oz and he got tubed and filmed it from the inside out!!!
Amazing!!
I have told George that story too.
He lives around here.
He's still surfing and cruising around in his boat.
That's what I call an inspiring longevity...great length of ride he's having."
- Who are your surf icons of all time?
"Tom Carroll ,Occy, Christian and Nathan Fletcher, Archy, Baddy Treloar, Wayne lynch, Irons bros, Machado, Rob Machado, Gerry Lopez, Dane Reynolds, Noa Deane, Craig Ando."
Photo Grant Ellis
- Is Surf ever been punk?
"Hell yeah I think its always been punk and always will be.
Just like its always been spiritual and always will be, its so many things thats why we love it."
- What are your songs to go surfing?
"I been liking Frank Zappa's instrumental guitar jams, it makes all surfing look good."
- What are your best after surf songs?
"Lou Reed is an all time favorite of mine.
His more recent solo albums that haven't been heard as much are so great.
There is a lot of material there to enjoy.
Thanks Lou."
Ozzie has released 6 albums with Goons of Doom, a solo Ukulele album and an album with his wife Mylee Grace.
Does everyone really need a huge house and a new car and all this shit?
I don't think so, it's too much.
- What is your best trip memory ?
"Oh wow there is a lot...
Early european trips with Sam Carrier, Paul Paterson and Nav Fox spring to mind.
Though we were so young they looked after me and we had too much fun driving around Europe sleeping in a van or a tent surfing.
Partying for months as a 18 year old was pretty magic."
- Is it boring to be a famous surfer ?
"Hahahahah hell no!
I don't feel famous.
But being a surfer is never boring!
If you are bored take a break and do something different for a while."
- One action for the planet ?
"Well holy crap.
We have to stop global warming.
There are so many massive challenges facing us and especially future generations.
I hope we can do it before its too late.
Nature is the best.
Does everyone really need a huge house and a new car and all this shit?
I don't think so, it's too much."
Photo Grant Ellis
Photo Volcom
- I was at the Goons of Doom show in Hossegor in 2005 and in Bayonne in 2008…
Do you plan to come back in France with the Goons after this international lock down?
"Oh man that would be a dream come true.
So much love for our band, we are all great friends and with us getting older we don't get to hang out as much as we used to.
So a tour would be amazing, especially to Europe.
The funnest place ever!!!! "
Cool!
Thank you Ozzie
Published on Sunday, January 17, 2021