The SURFER Interview: TOM CURREN

SURFER: When many surfers think of Tom Curren they automatically think of Occy [Mark Occhilupo] too, because of the famous rivalry you two had. Was that something you were able to enjoy and thrive off when it was happening?

TOM CURREN: Well, it was in retrospect. I mean, I consider him a really good friend now and he's by far one of the funniest people I know, but I didn't enjoy the fact that he was going faster and more ballistic than anyone back then, including me. So that part bothered me. But it did really push me. I was obsessed with Occy at a certain point. I was looking at his fin templates, trying to get Al to make boards that were really flat like his. I was caught up in his whole thing.

SURFER: Did he haunt you?

TOM CURREN: Yeah, He beat me several times in a row before I ever got him, and that was a huge bummer at the time. It was really stressing me out.

SURFER: But you've always concealed your feelings well, haven't you?

TOM CURREN: Yeah, but there was a period there around 1984 when as hard as I was trying I couldn't get over a certain plateau, and my surfing sort of deteriorated at one point there, where I was over gyrating or throwing pizzas or whatever you want to call it (laughs). That just made things worse, and Occy was already on a different level at that point. In the end that period was all part of the big process, but yeah...it really bothered me.

SURFER: Of course, you can't talk about the Curren/Occy rivalry without mentioning the all time heat at Bells in '86 when you clinched your first world title.

TOM CURREN: Yeah, I remember the waves just being really good, the tide was right, the swell was up and I had Black Beauty with me--which was lucky because I almost left it in Sydney and someone said, "What are you thinking, you've got to bring it." With everything involved, the title and the rivalry, it was a full on contact, blow for blow kind of match up. It almost felt like a boxing match. I saw him get a few good ones and I made a conscious effort to push a little harder, so it took more than just being in tune with the ocean. I did all my homework on that one.

SURFER: When Occy was making his huge comeback a few years ago a lot of us were wondering, hoping, wishing that you'd do the same. And the big question is still out there, "Where was Tom Curren that whole time?"

TOM CURREN: I think a lot of it can be explained with focusing my attention on music and and some traveling, but, y'know, to be honest there were a few years there where I really wasn't doing much of anything. I was pretty lost I guess. So there're pretty big gaps in there where whatever I was doing it was not very productive.

SURFER: You mentioned earlier your album being a somber one, and now this period of being lost, it seems like at the very least you were dealing with a few inner demons.

TOM CURREN: Oh yeah, absolutely. That's basically the whole...the whole...um, yeah, in a nutshell...I don't know, it's kinda hard sometimes to express certain things--some of the songs are kind of somber but, um-- .

SURFER: Was there a period where you were depressed?