Humour's the pay-off for all that existential horror.

Life is wild by definition. And organic existence is violent. Though I find this hard to accept. And I know it goes against the cultural grain of therapeutic smoothing so dominant in what we like to call 'cultural discourse'.

I came home at dusk with my ears ringing from the quiet.

Whether you're in the water staring up at a looming set or standing in front of 15000 people at a demo, you have to manufacture some courage and a sense of optimism in order to get through the moment, the day, the rest of your life.

It's impossible to imagine what Australia would be like without surfing.

Who wants to be reputable? That's for golfers and tycoons with a sleazy past.

And you can't help but worry for them, love them, want for them - those who go on down the close, foetid galleries of time and space without you.