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Taylor Knox Rocks - a Q&A with the Carlsbad Surfer
TK rocks, as any surfer following the ASP World Tour knows. Knox is a veteran of the tour, having started on the tour when most of us were in braces or weighed a buck ten soaking wet. Or both. DailyStoke.com was stoked to catch up with Knox as he was resting up at home after the 2008 tour.
DailyStoke.com: Hey old man! So you and Kelly are the only guys from 1993 who are still on tour. How is it being one of the two older guys on tour?
Taylor Knox: (Laughs). Yeah I guess it’s really been that long! You really go through different inspirations or motivations. In the beginning you’re highly motivated as a young guy trying to prove himself. I enjoy the tour even more now because that motivation has been replaced by inspiration. It definitely helps still having Kelly Slater around. Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson and that group of Australians really pushes me too. Being really close with Mick on tour helps me on tour as well.
DailyStoke.com: Mick Fanning. Interesting - so how do the guys group together on tour?
Taylor Knox: (Pauses) I guess birds of a feather flock together. (Laughs) Shared interests also help. I’m friends with a lot of guys on tour, but I’ve been spending a lot of time with Mick recently.
DailyStoke.com: Are there any guys on the ASP World Tour that don’t get along so well?
[Frank discussion follows. Sorry kids, you'll have to keep reading DailyStoke.com and figure that out for yourself some other time. But let it be known that TK is class act.]
DailyStoke.com: What do you think of the new batch of guys on tour this year?
Taylor Knox: I’m excited for them - there is some great talent coming up. I was hoping for a few more Americans to qualify, Pat Gudauskas, Brett Simpson and those guys, but it’s an exciting group of guys.
DailyStoke.com: Gabe Kling?
Taylor Knox: Gabe Kling. Exactly. It’s great to see Gabe do well and come back. He had a rough time in 2007. It’s a pretty steep learning curve. But it’s great to have him back.
DailyStoke.com: Other than these guys - who is the future of the tour?
Taylor Knox: The most talented guy on tour is Dane Reynolds. Beyond Dane, other countries seem to be putting more emphasis on competition and produce surfers with more of a competitive desire than Americans. When you think about it, Australians were embracing competitions while Miki Dora was shunning them in California.
DailyStoke.com: What do you make of the curious case of the Irons brothers? And in particular, Andy.
Taylor Knox: (Emphatically) Confusing. Andy really needed a break. It just didn’t seem like his heart was in it. Bruce still wants to do a few contests; Kirra, Teahupoo and a few others. Andy might just follow his brother’s lead this season.
DailyStoke.com: Sunny Garcia’s comeback attempt was pretty cool to watch. Seems like the surfing world was pulling for him.
Taylor Knox: We were all pulling for him for sure. We were really hoping he was going to make it. I thought he would do it. He came so close. He only needed one more big result before Hawaii started and he might have had it. I saw him on the beach after Sunset, and you’d think he’d be totally pissed. But he wasn’t. He was chill. I think he was just relieved to have the season finished with. I’m not sure if he’ll give it another shot.
DailyStoke.com: They call it a Dream Tour for a reason - so what are your favorite things about tour life? It seems pretty sweet.
Taylor Knox: You know, I love traveling and seeing my friends in Tahiti, Brazil and Australia - these are people that I’ve connected with over the years and at the contests, and they’re not all surfers. I went to Brazil in high school for a surf exchange in Florianopolis, and have maintained close friendships with a family down there since then. After all these years on tour, I’ve developed surrogate families around the world that have always made it great.
DailyStoke.com: You’re in the off-season and at home - but where do you love to surf other than California? And with whom?
Taylor Knox: Yeah, I surf a lot with my good friends from Carlsbad. Tim Fox and Josh Potter, they’re my best friends from growing up. I like to surf with Tom Curren when I get the chance. He was always my idol and hero while I was growing up. I’m still all nervous, like a little kid around him. (Laughs) I’m still like, “Wow, there’s Tom Curren!” He’s his own cat. His connection with the ocean is so incredible. I’ve never seen anyone before him or after him with that same connection. Kelly Slater’s got it, Curren’s got it. And, of course I surf with Kelly when I get the chance. He spends a lot of time in California now. But otherwise, my favorite places to surf other than California are J Bay, Australia, and the Mentawais.
DailyStoke.com: Your friend Kelly has been spending a bit of free time shaping boards at Channel Islands. Do you have any plans to do a bit of your own shaping?
Taylor Knox: I’ve been with Channel Islands for over (pauses, thinking…) 10 years now, and they’ve been awesome. But I’m not really interested in shaping boards. Though, I am very interested in riding different models and different shapes. Experimenting will be fun during this time off from the tour.
DailyStoke.com: How long do you see yourself putting up with travel to exotic destinations, board caddies, free boards and life on the tour?
Taylor Knox: (Laughs) I’ve really been taking things day by day and year by year. I’m fully committed for 2009. (Confidently) Right now, I still feel that my surfing is good enough to be in the top 5. I’m still learning. As long as I’m not feeling stuck in the middle to back of the pack, I’ll keep running.
DailyStoke.com: What are your plans for post-tour life?
Taylor Knox: I already have that planned. I would like to do some filming and traveling with the [Rip Curl] Search. I’d like to go Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, the south of Chile, some Mentawais outer islands, and a few other places. I’d also like to do more tow-in surfing.
DailyStoke.com: And, Rip Curl is the wonderful company making this all possible?
Taylor Knox: Yup. Rip Curl is just terrific. They’re a great team, and just so supportive. You know, I really mesh with the people working there. That’s a big part of it for me.
DailyStoke.com: Speaking of Rip Curl, what do you think of the H-Bomb? We’re testing it out this winter.
Taylor Knox: The H-Bomb is really amazing. I’ve seen it a bunch of times, but only worn it so far at J Bay. It’s really warm. (Laughing) It has to be the best thing in the whole world for the East Coast surfers or cold water surfers.
DailyStoke.com: You should bring it to Ireland. Or Iceland. Somewhere cold.
Taylor Knox: Yeah, exactly.
DailyStoke.com: What are your plans for your time off, until the Gold Coast event?
Taylor Knox: I’m trying to heal up and get my ribs better [Taylor ripped some cartilage between his ribs in Hawaii about a week before his heat at Pipe], then basically sticking around California. I’m planning a lot of little trips down to Baja, with hopefully five or six good days at Todos Santos. I might also jump back to Hawaii to catch a good swell if something pops up. I really love using the time off to spend time with my kids. They’re 9 and 11 years old.
DailyStoke.com: A new Knox on Tour in a couple of years?
Taylor Knox: (Laughs) The older of the two, my son, is getting out there and starting to paddle out on his own. I’m just so happy he likes surfing and likes the water.
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