Fans of Tom Curren will be stoked to know he’s still shredding today as he did as a younger man on the World Tour. What fans may not know, however, is that the 44 year-old Curren has found a second creative outlet in his music, and is playing with his band, The Noahs, at surf spots around the world. DailyStoke.com recently caught up with Curren as he was heading up the Pacific coast to test the new Rip Curl H-Bomb in preparation for a trip to the Atlantic coast, and, specifically, the cold waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Curren and his band are playing a benefit concert on Friday for the small but mighty local surf community there. “I’ve never been to Halifax,” Curren says, “but I’m looking forward to it.” (Tick off another surf spot in Curren’s repertoire of places surfed.) He and his crew are planning on testing the newfangled H-Bomb wetsuit (should the need arise, of course) while in the Great White North. But it’s the music and his support of local surfers that’s bringing them there.
Music is a curious second outlet for Tom Curren. Curren is known for being a quiet and reserved personality – widely reported to be shy of publicity. When it comes to music, however, he takes a particularly vocal role as a singer-songwriter and has traded his Black Beauty for a guitar (while on stage, at least). He’s done a very good job in combining his two passions of surfing and music, as making music has been a mainstay of Tom Curren’s life since his retirement from the pro tour. While the ability may have always been there – he’s been playing only slightly less than he’s been surfing – it wasn’t until after his exit from competition that he could make the time for it. Curren released a self-titled debut album in 2003, featuring soft and soulful tones, with positive, Christian messages. And while his debut album was a solo affair, these days, he’s playing with The Noahs. Is the name of the band an obvious biblical reference? Curren, of course, wears his faith on his sleeve. “I’ve had a blessed life and career, and I thank God for that. The music is really Christian music,” says Curren. The name of the band, however, is not so obvious. “It’s a take off the word ‘noise’,” Curren says with a laugh, “which was on a sticker that I had on my guitar.” Curren’s music is more than just “noise”, of course. That said, it’s hard to imagine the guy holding the guitar as a former surfing professional whose style would simultaneously tear through a wave, while saying “thanks for playing” along the way. One can’t helped feel stoked for Curren, who is doing what he wants to do – playing music, and surfing.
We asked Curren about his early days as a surfer – the really early days. Said Curren: “I learned to surf when I was six years old, on a family vacation to Hawaii. It’s such a part of the lifestyle there, where it wasn’t in California at the time. I saw other kids at my age that were surfing, and gave it a try. When I got back to California, I just kept going.” And going, he did, rising quickly as an American powerhouse on the pro tour and stealing the spotlight from the Aussies and South Africans on tour. Indeed, he won his first pro tour event against Shaun Tomson, and some say the best heat ever was his versus Mark Occhilupo.
Finding success on the World Tour, he began a relationship early on with Santa Barbara shaper, Al Merrick of Channel Islands Surfboards. “Al has played a major part of my whole career. At times, he’s provided me with good career advice, good personal advice, good coaching and, of course, good boards,” says Curren in his typically understated way. “I even lived with Al for a time. He’s more than a shaper to me. He’s been a mentor.”
In terms of his surfing nowadays, Curren loves to surf with CI Surfboards team rider, Kelly Slater, with other friends, and family. “My wife gets out a boogie board,” Curren says with a laugh. “We’re usually surfing California in the wintertime and France in the summertime,” he says. When it comes to California, Curren can be found at the local Santa Barbara breaks, though he noted that Rincon can be too crowded. Says Curren: “You end up making too many friends that way!”
What about a reappearance on the WCT? “Highly unlikely,” Curren says, without missing a beat. On Kelly Slater’s reign as champ, Curren says that “Kelly had great potential, right from the beginning. He was obviously able to do something with that potential. He’s surfing as good – or better – than ever.” We agree, as Slater comes off his ninth victory on the ASP World Tour, and at 36, is the oldest pro to ever do it.
We pressed Curren on his views of the surfing world, post-Kelly. Careful in his choice of words, and in deference to the reigning world champion, one surfer did come to his mind: Dane Reynolds. “Dane has such talent. We surf a lot together,” says Curren. As for younger surfers on the NSSA or a high school surfing team dreaming of the QS or even the CT, Curren was clear: It takes more than talent. “Not only do you need good talent, you need good boards and a good support group. There are guys on the WCT that have going at it for years and have never given up. It’s not how good you think you are, it’s how much time you put in,” says Curren.
Curren, despite not being actively involved with the World Tour, still follows the goings-on and contest. “I was at Trestles and I watch the tour on the web, if I’m not there in person. I love being able to watch over the web, no matter where it’s happening. It’s great the [Association of Surfing Professionals] has been able to make it happen,” says Curren. Curren agrees that the recent Boost Mobile Pro featured some excellent surfing, perhaps the best seen on Tour in some time. That said, Curren believes more work could be done on the tour format. “It’s good right now – the locations are all good, the judging is all good – but it could be better, in my opinion. At the contests, a lot of great waves go unridden in the man-on-man format. There should be a way to use more of the waves,” says Curren. (If Curren’s surfing was not enough, the man appears to have ESP, as no less than a day after we interviewed Curren, the Billabong Pro Mundaka switched to double heats due to the conditions.)
As for advice for surfers who may be near retirement, Curren suggests picking a place to retire where there is a great break nearby. “I live in Santa Barbara, but there’s a lot of driving involved,” Curren says.
Tom Curren, we’re jealous.
Tom Curren and The Noahs play The Marquee Club in Halifax on Friday, October 10, 2008 to benefit Nova Scotia’s growing surfing community and the Surfing Association of Nova Scotia’s Coastal Access Committee.
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Still the best ever, imo
what an amazing guy…. he is so humble and still rips…. check out the movie “Flow.” His daughter is an amazing surfer as well…