The "Best Ever" Chris Billy Interview

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As far as local legends go, look no farther than Salt Creek wonder boy Chris Billy. Chris made the dream tour before it was called the “Dream Tour” when traveling around the world with little to no cash seemed more like a nightmare than anything else. But it wasn’t. Back in these day, surfers ruled the earth and wherever they roamed their own personal dreams all came true. Chris got his start like a lot of OC kids, surfing Creek day in and day out, working with the legendary “Flame” who put his mug in more surf mags than Alana Blanchard. He was just a kid having fun, and he still is.

Ghetto Juice Editor Skip Snead caught up with him recently while he was slinging boards at the T. Patterson shop in San Clemente and here’s how the conversation went ….

Ghetto Juice: Chris, you’ve seen so many changes in the surf world during your lifetime. What’s it like for you still being part of it and having seen all these changes in the world of surf?
Chris Billy: I’m jealous that the kids have such good equipment now, and they get to go places we never even knew existed. And they get to go and get paid for it!

Ghetto Juice: Still there must’ve been something special about the time you were the star of the surf world gracing all the surf mags and stuff, right?
Chris Billy: You can’t beat it. What it was, was to travel and go find waves was nothing like now. Now you have way too much internet, way too much people who talk, everyone knows every single spot and nothing’s a secret anymore. Unless you pay your dues, Timmy Turner style, and go to Indo for six months at a time and keep going back. Now it’s like a surgical airstrike. Anyone can go anywhere within that five minute span. Not like when you planned your surf trip back then, and if you got it it was well worth it, and even if you didn’t it was still worth it. There’s nothing better than the life of a surfer.

Ghetto Juice: Talk about shooting with Flame all those years and surfing Salt Creek back in the day….
Chris Billy: Awesome. I mean, back then … and I don’t want to be one of those old guys that says the surf was better back then, but it was. It was definitely better then. There was more sand, there was less people. It was just better. As you can see, the last two years, the worst two years of surf I’ve ever seen in my entire life. And to shoot with Flame, he was down there every day. He was an instigator. He made you go out no matter what. If you didn’t go out and he called you he was chewing your ass out. You missed it and he would be on your ass, on your case constantly. So it was awesome.

Ghetto Juice: Not many photographers command it like Flame anymore ….
Chris Billy: Well, like I said, it was a different time. You had to know how to use your camera. You had to know your equipment. You just couldn’t hit the button and everything’s auto-focus, all the F-stops, everything’s done for you already. The skill to become a very good photographer, I mean, it still takes skill but it’s nothing like it use to be. The manual labor, the years. Even then, I mean, Flame swam. I haven’t seen a photographer in the water in years. Years. Everything’s from the beach now. There’s a few of them. Hank’s one of them, cause he doesn’t really swim, he floats (laughs).

Ghetto Juice: What’s one of the most special trips you ever went on before surf reports and forecasts? Like one of the trips you took when you just showed up on and bloody scored.
Chris Billy: Any of the trips when I was on tour. Me, David Giddings, Chuy Reyna, Trevor Christ … I mean, that was it. Back then we didn’t make any money, we made enough money just to be on tour. We broke even, but those were the best times, hands down. Like I said, we didn’t make any money but just the lifestyle in general, the camaraderie was awesome. Even today, people who surf together are best friends, and that’s the best times. And when we scored, say traveling from Sydney to Bells Beach, the surf in that stretch was awesome.

Ghetto Juice: Nice! Did you get a chance to hit up Summer Cloud Bay on your way down?
Chris Billy: Back then we were more in Southern Oz, like Ulladulla area, like Black Rock area …that’s another untapped source. That place is awesome.

Ghetto Juice: Yeah you don’t hear much about Black Rock much these days. So what’s bringing you all the joy these days?
Chris Billy: Surf. Every once in a while. Work keeps me busy. I don’t surf half as much as I’d like to. But my wife. My daughter, Zoe. She’s in 8th grade. Middle school. Gonna be in high school next year.

Ghetto Juice: How do you like being a parent?
Chris Billy: It’s a lot of work. A lot of responsibility. Like I say, any of those good surf days you have to give up for your family. Not like it used to be but it’s a different spectrum now. Other side of the coin.

Ghetto Juice: So what’s your plan the rest of this summer?
Chris Billy: Hopefully travel. I’m gonna go to Mexico for a month. And workin’ in the shop, that’s it. Slingin’ boards.


Posted by: Ghetto JuiceGhetto Juice at: 13 Aug 2014 00:30




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As far as local legends go, look no farther than Salt Creek wonder boy Chris Billy. Chris made the dream tour before it was called the “Dream Tour” when traveling around the world with little to no cash seemed more like a nightmare than anything else. But it wasn’t. Back in these day, surfers ruled the earth and wherever they roamed their own personal dreams all came true. Chris got his start like a lot of OC kids, surfing Creek day in and day out, working with the legendary “Flame” who put his mug in more surf mags than Alana Blanchard. He was just a kid having fun, and he still is.

Ghetto Juice Editor Skip Snead caught up with him recently while he was slinging boards at the T. Patterson shop in San Clemente and here’s how the conversation went ….

Ghetto Juice: Chris, you’ve seen so many changes in the surf world during your lifetime. What’s it like for you still being part of it and having seen all these changes in the world of surf?
Chris Billy: I’m jealous that the kids have such good equipment now, and they get to go places we never even knew existed. And they get to go and get paid for it!

Ghetto Juice: Still there must’ve been something special about the time you were the star of the surf world gracing all the surf mags and stuff, right?
Chris Billy: You can’t beat it. What it was, was to travel and go find waves was nothing like now. Now you have way too much internet, way too much people who talk, everyone knows every single spot and nothing’s a secret anymore. Unless you pay your dues, Timmy Turner style, and go to Indo for six months at a time and keep going back. Now it’s like a surgical airstrike. Anyone can go anywhere within that five minute span. Not like when you planned your surf trip back then, and if you got it it was well worth it, and even if you didn’t it was still worth it. There’s nothing better than the life of a surfer.

Ghetto Juice: Talk about shooting with Flame all those years and surfing Salt Creek back in the day….
Chris Billy: Awesome. I mean, back then … and I don’t want to be one of those old guys that says the surf was better back then, but it was. It was definitely better then. There was more sand, there was less people. It was just better. As you can see, the last two years, the worst two years of surf I’ve ever seen in my entire life. And to shoot with Flame, he was down there every day. He was an instigator. He made you go out no matter what. If you didn’t go out and he called you he was chewing your ass out. You missed it and he would be on your ass, on your case constantly. So it was awesome.

Ghetto Juice: Not many photographers command it like Flame anymore ….
Chris Billy: Well, like I said, it was a different time. You had to know how to use your camera. You had to know your equipment. You just couldn’t hit the button and everything’s auto-focus, all the F-stops, everything’s done for you already. The skill to become a very good photographer, I mean, it still takes skill but it’s nothing like it use to be. The manual labor, the years. Even then, I mean, Flame swam. I haven’t seen a photographer in the water in years. Years. Everything’s from the beach now. There’s a few of them. Hank’s one of them, cause he doesn’t really swim, he floats (laughs).

Ghetto Juice: What’s one of the most special trips you ever went on before surf reports and forecasts? Like one of the trips you took when you just showed up on and bloody scored.
Chris Billy: Any of the trips when I was on tour. Me, David Giddings, Chuy Reyna, Trevor Christ … I mean, that was it. Back then we didn’t make any money, we made enough money just to be on tour. We broke even, but those were the best times, hands down. Like I said, we didn’t make any money but just the lifestyle in general, the camaraderie was awesome. Even today, people who surf together are best friends, and that’s the best times. And when we scored, say traveling from Sydney to Bells Beach, the surf in that stretch was awesome.

Ghetto Juice: Nice! Did you get a chance to hit up Summer Cloud Bay on your way down?
Chris Billy: Back then we were more in Southern Oz, like Ulladulla area, like Black Rock area …that’s another untapped source. That place is awesome.

Ghetto Juice: Yeah you don’t hear much about Black Rock much these days. So what’s bringing you all the joy these days?
Chris Billy: Surf. Every once in a while. Work keeps me busy. I don’t surf half as much as I’d like to. But my wife. My daughter, Zoe. She’s in 8th grade. Middle school. Gonna be in high school next year.

Ghetto Juice: How do you like being a parent?
Chris Billy: It’s a lot of work. A lot of responsibility. Like I say, any of those good surf days you have to give up for your family. Not like it used to be but it’s a different spectrum now. Other side of the coin.

Ghetto Juice: So what’s your plan the rest of this summer?
Chris Billy: Hopefully travel. I’m gonna go to Mexico for a month. And workin’ in the shop, that’s it. Slingin’ boards.

Image chris-billy-square.jpg