Taj Burrow will teach you
Taj Burrow’s Book of Hot Surfing is a lot of fun for any novice surfer and a delectable explosion of mind blowing maneuvers for the seasoned veteran.
Editor Sam Mcintosh has cut, pasted, splashed, and plastered the guts of this book with vivid color and creative, interactive elements like transparent overlays and flip-page sequences. He embeds into each page a “Montaj” of incredible photos that serve as a backdrop to the useful and sometimes irreverent text.
I don’t know how much is truly written by Taj, but the content is solid. Starting at the most primal stages of the surfing process like choosing the right board and paddling, Burrow’s book ventures into more depth with tips on how to “Avoid Being a Filthy Racist”, “Become a More Worldly Surfer”, and even a tip on to “break America the Rockstar Way”. Obviously, only a surfer with infinite talent and a spot on the world tour could really use that last one, but there are also some awkward, preachy moments that come in the form of personal Burrow tips that warn the reader of the dangers of drinking too much and having unprotected sex.
But the bottom line is that Taj Burrow’s Book of Hot Surfing is a lot of fun.It’s packed with enough short tips and explicit “how to” articles to make a certain About.com guide get out of the water and back to the keyboard for some spring content sprucing. While Burrow is no Shakespeare on the page, he is Picasso on the wave face and beyond, and that is where this book hits like a bomb. His avant garde approach to waveriding is showcased on every page: Straight up. Fins out. Reverse. Whacks, hacks, grabs, and cutties. Aerial 360′s and gut wrenching barrels. The guy doesn’t miss a trick…literally.
If you are on the lookout for some thought provoking heavy handed literature, stay away. But if it’s a book of full hot surfing you want, then maybe the aptly titled Taj Burrow’s Book of Hot Surfing is for you.
