Interview with Laird Badminton in Hossegor

Our Pub Ouest journalist, Régis Braltar, met Laird Badminton when he came to Hossegor for the Nesquicksilver Revival Contest. Here’s the interview report:

A visit under the sign of sponsorship

Régis Braltar: “Hi Laird, what brings you to the Landes this October?”

Laird Badminton: “I was due to surf an epic swell in Nazaré, but my sponsor Nesquicksilver needed me at the competition, which is taking place at the moment, as a sponsor. They are organizing a retrospective of my life at the casino, with photographs of my sporting career, as well as a screening of my film and the sale of merchandise, such as the Bébé Laird.

Régis Braltar: “Another one of your brilliant inventions?”

Laird Badminton: “I don’t know, but it’s the first drone prototype that’s both aerial and aquatic. You pilot your Baby Laird from the beach, take it behind the bar and drop it in the take-off zone directly into the wave. Before the wave finishes its run to the shore, you lift off your Baby Laird again, and off you go again.

Régis Braltar: “And, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s it for?”

Laird Badminton: “Nothing, but my sponsor is happy and we know it’s going to be a worldwide hit with the board sports consumer.

From experimentation to commodified absurdity

Régis Braltar: “It’s true that your reputation is well established and that your inventions have all become essential fashions. An obscure surfer from Lacanau came up with a quote that goes something like this: ” Laird has a blast in Hawaii, a new fashion is born in Hossegor “.

Laird Badminton: “Yes, you know, I’ve devoted my life to board sports and the discovery or rediscovery of new media, exploring them, sometimes diverting them from their original destination, with no other aim than to live my passion and push back my limits. And then, my discoveries and sporting exploits attracted sponsors. I was able to finance my research and sporting expeditions; of course, this pushed me into a kind of one-upmanship. Both in intensity and sometimes also in absurdity. So I was the first to be surprised when companies surfed on my experiences and offered anything and everything for sale.

Régis Braltar: “What are you thinking?

Laird Badminton: “Well, I’m thinking of the time I surfed with a wooden board, just to see what it was like. Hawaiians in ancient times surfed wooden boards, heavy and without fins, so that it was almost impossible to catch waves as hollow as those that today’s boards allow us to surf. Well, small wooden boards are still sold today, and surfing a wave with them is laborious to say the least, since it’s almost impossible to change trajectory!

In Third World countries, locals surf, often lying down, on wooden boards they’ve salvaged from the forest or a rubbish dump, because they don’t have the possibility of surfing the high-performance equipment we use in industrialized countries. There are no surf shops, and if there were, a board would cost a year’s wages, so it’s completely inaccessible.

At the time, I was completely fascinated to see that in the West, people were prepared to pay a lot of money to surf on a piece of wood! It reminds me of my son: every Christmas, we rack our brains to buy him sexy, sophisticated toys, only to find him playing in the garden with a pebble, a piece of wood or a plastic bag.

Technology, ecology and headlong rush

Régis Braltar: “Can you give us an overview of your career and inventions?

Laird Badminton: “I made my name with tow-in, surfing in big waves towed by a jet ski, then by a helicopter. I’ve always gone back and forth between archaism and technology. That’s how I revived paddle surfing, now known as stand-up paddling.

The problem right now is that the green aura of surfing has been swept away by Greta Thunberg and the whole new generation. They’re so freaked out by the melting sea ice, I don’t even dare use my screwdriver any more – I feel like I’m going to be sued for environmental damage!

Régis Braltar: “But you have to admit, the helicopter thing was a bit of an overkill…”.

Laird Badminton: “Oh yes, those were the days. Remember I had a special training program for big surf? I’d do apnea, running along the bottom of the water weighted down by a big rock?

In the same spirit, at the time, in order to recycle used Waikiki golf carts, I used them as ballast for deep-sea snorkeling… It was, I thought, a bit eco-friendly. Yet it’s something that people would find unacceptable today.

Régis Braltar: “… what’s your take on it?

Laird Badminton: “Look, I’ve always needed to push my limits… But by leading the way, by being in the media, I’ve turned the private garden of the big waves into an arena. My ideas are starting to dry up. The next frontier will be surfing in space. I’m developing a project with Ellon Musk.

Régis Braltar: “… it’s fair to say you’ve revolutionized surfing… “

Laird Badminton: “Amen, I don’t get it, but thanks for your support, I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve surfed into space “.