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An Interview with Chris Malloy
Chris Malloy is a surf ambassador for Patagonia. What’s a surf ambassador? Good question—click here for a better answer than we can give. Chris and his brothers Malloy are known all over the planet for their grit, authenticity and oh yeah, they surf waves that turn most men to little girls. After a smashing few months of filming in Patagonia we caught up with Chris to ask him a few questions about family, life and surfing. Enjoy.
TDS: You guys do not embody the “typical” surfer type—which is so refreshing. Can you briefly explain your approach to surfing and what has shaped that approach?
MALLOY: Nothing special, just things we've all seen before. Our grandfather rode waves and our father built boards and rode waves. We were surfing by five years old. The idea of "becoming a surfer" in this family never occurred to us. So then I guess we might have missed some of the trappings that you accrue along the way to "becoming a surfer".
Growing up all our heroes were our uncles who cowboyed for a living and the commercial fisherman we'd surf with at our secret spots at home. Their gear was based on function and I think that has always been what we are after. Tradition for them was everything. They chose their lives so they could be away from crowds. They would go hard all day and sleep out at night.
TDS: How does your family bond shape, cultivate and drive your work?
MALLOY: The boys are like a big gang (we have thirty-something first cousins). When you have that many knuckle heads giving you shit your whole life you get pretty thick skin. It also gives you more confidence though—being in a crew. No matter what the world dishes out, you’ve always got them.
Our mom and sister (Mary, our sister, is blind and deaf) are the ones that always remind us how fragile life is and that everything isn’t about outboard engines and tri-tip.
TDS: You all spent some time on the pro surf circuit competing but eventually dropped out. What prompted this move from the quote-unquote “surfing mainstream” to what you are currently doing?
MALLOY: Honestly, a big part was that we are all over 200 lbs. and at the time they were holding the events in tiny waves. It was hard to go against these jockey-sized fellas. The guys on tour are lightening fast—real athletes. I think we just wanted to see open country. Traveling with 300 people on tour seemed a little strange. So I guess it was partly not cutting the mustard and partly not wanting to. You have to want it 100%.
TDS: What would you say is the heart and soul of Woodshed Films? What makes you different than other film companies?
MALLOY: I think people don’t realize that at the end of the day, after all the film and travel is paid for, the films don’t make much. Plus some of the money Woodshed gives to non-profits. So all of us use our other gigs to keep them going. Emmett and Jack have music, we have Patagonia etc. So this allows us to have fun with it and not take it too seriously.
TDS: How did the shoot go? Can you give us a preview of the films you have films in hopper?
MALLOY: Lets just say we got lucky down there. We got more than we bargained for: unclimbed mountains, sixty foot waves, an erupting volcano, a five-month sailing voyage where the mast broke 500 miles from Easter Island. The list goes on and on.
TDS: In 2004 you guys signed with Patagonia—a company renowned for their mountain gear not their surfing background. What was the deciding factor in making the decision to team with Patagonia and how as that relationship progressed?
MALLOY: They make good shit—bottom line. When you endorse something that you know is built poorly and that doesn’t give a thought to the world you live in you can’t sleep at night; at least we couldn’t as we started to grow up. We took big pay cuts to be with Patagonia but it has been so worth it.
TDS: In an article in Outside Magazine you made this comment: “It’s (surfing) become Hollywood.” Briefly comment on the surfing industry—where it’s headed and where you’d like to see it go (or return for that matter).
MALLOY: It’s too far-gone really. That’s fine though—they can have it. I don’t lament over that; I do regret, sometimes, that I have in some ways been a part of "it" and still am. There are still plenty of people who are unaffected, out there surfing and oblivious to "surfing’s industrial complex".
TDS: Describe a perfect day.
MALLOY: Get up early. Feed the chickens and the horses with my wife Carla and son Lucas. Water the vegetable gardens, pack the pick-up and head to a secret spot. Surf south swell point surf all day. Come home, pick greens with Lucas, crack a Tecate and BBQ a chunk of Poncho (a steer we raised and butchered).
TDS: What can we expect from the Malloy Bros in the future?
MALLOY: Nothing special, just things we've all seen before.
*Woodshed Films will be launching their new website soon. For the latest on their upcoming films sign up for their mailing list here http://www.woodshedfilms.com
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