JettyGirl: A one million
dollar check arrives in your mailbox with a
note that reads, "Half of this amount is
yours and the other half is to benefit the world
around you." How would you spend the money?
Holly Beck: Half
a million dollars doesn't go as far as it used
to these days... The half million for me would
sit in the bank and collect interest. The other
half I would use to buy a whole lot of land.
I'd buy a big chunk in Nicaragua and invite
a handful of my eco-conscious friends to come
down and live on it sustainably. I'd basically
start a neo-hippy commune with organic garden
and permaculture based housing that would be
an example to the world around us on how it
is possible to live in harmony with nature and
each other. Sounds pretty utopian, doesn't it?
Any money left over I'd donate to Wildcoast
to buy and protect coastal land in Baja.
JG: Describe the best surfboard
you've ever ridden and why it was special to
you.
Holly: I love surfboards
and quite a few boards in my collection are
special to me. I'm working on fixing up my very
first surfboard to be rideable again. It has
broken fins and too many dings. Once I get that
finished, riding it again will be pretty special.
But for now, I'd say the best surfboard I've
ever ridden is the one under my feet as I'm
getting tubed, whichever board that happens
to be.
JG: If you could travel
back to any time in history and hang with one
person while they go about their daily activities,
who would it be and why?
Holly: I'm not
super into hero worship. I don't have any one
person in mind, but it'd be pretty interesting
to hang out with the Native Americans in coastal
Southern California back before the white man
showed up and took over, just to see how they
lived off this land.
JG: For thirty days you're
stuck on a desert island with one book, one
song, one surf movie and one snack food. Which
ones would you choose?
Holly: Only 30
days? That's nothing! Thinking about being stuck
for a year would be more challenging. I wouldn't
be too picky about the book. I've already read
it, but something like Shanteram would
be good since it's so long it would last me
a month. I guess a good long book that a friend
had recommended. I don't have one in mind. For
the song I'd pick Are You Free by The
Mother Hips from their new album Pacific Dust.
It's epic. I haven't been watching surf movies
these days and even though most of my friends
have said it doesn't live up to the hype, I'm
going to choose The Drifter because
I haven't seen it yet and I dig Rob's style.
For snack food I'm going to assume that my island
is already packed with fruit trees, so I'll
take a month's worth of good coffee. It's not
a snack food but it would be essential to living
the good life! Or chips and salsa... shoot,
that's a hard one!
JG: What is your best surf-related
memory of 2009?
Holly: My favorite
surf memory of 2009 was having Kim Mayer and
friends come to my home in Nicaragua. We had
really good waves and I was so stoked to share
them with one of my favorite people on the planet
that I really miss surfing with. I can't wait
to relive that experience with Kim and other
friends in 2010!
