Ben Howard's Playlist

The Shins- New Slang
New Slang just spells summer for me, any road trip, any time any place. There aren't many perfect songs in the world, but this is definitely one of the them. In was on an old surf video called Shelter. I'm pretty sure I could have filled ten tracks here from that soundtrack.

Wolfmother - Woman
This song gets you into your wetsuit in the freezing cold. It was a toss up between this and Queens of the Stone Age, but Wolfmother squeaks it for me.

Modest Mouse - Float On
Float On always makes me smile and it makes me think of sunshine. I've always wanted to see this one live.

Black Keys - Set you free
This tune reminds me of a France trip with two deaf friends. I wrangled control on the music front and would have this absolutely cranked wherever we went. I can happily say I was obsessed with this tune.

Grouper- Heavy Water
I got played this song by a friend when we were up in the early hours recording the album, we were all slightly tripped out anyway but this song just put us down and melted us. I listen to it on the way back from a surf quite a lot nowadays.

Oumou Sangari- Seya
Every tour we go on, this is the feel good anthem of the trip. In fact, if this song doesn't make you smile then you have no soul. Go and listen to it, it is unbelievable.

Foals - French Open
Again this one goes in the pre surf amp section, and reminds of Red Bull and the Foals in February frost. We listened to this a lot when I lived in Cornwall. One year it rained non-stop all winter and we had this on every time we drove to the beach.

The Doors - Riders on the Storm
A friend had this on tape for years, it was magic and will always remind me of being a teenager, stoned, trying to find the sea in the middle of winter.

Bon Iver- Blindsided
I've listened to this record more than any other I think. My favourite album of the last five years.

Willy Mason- Oxygen
I've had this song in my head so many times in the sea and I never get tired of it. That monotonous rhythm guitar could accompany me anywhere. I always think of where a track would be cool to listen to, but this one breaks the mould: you could be sat in a field on a sunny day or you could be in New York in a hailstorm and it would work fine for both.

Analog Coffee and Donut Morning 17/811

What are you doing tomorrow? Would you like some coffee and donuts? Or maybe you just fancy meeting Andrew Cotton and the sexy Alex Baker. If so, head down to Croyde Bay, go to the Ruda side of the beach and you'll see them there. If you don't go there you will miss out on a unique opportunity to meet a pair of legends and get some free food and drink.

It starts from 7.30 and finishes at 10am. Don't miss it.

A Role Model

Did you enjoy the Analog coffee and doughnut morning today? More importantly, did you meet Andrew Cotton? If so, was he sober? I only ask because this photo was taken on the weekend shortly after the opening ceremony of the Atlantic Watersport Sports Games. Photographer Rob Tibbles said he was found passed out like this by the Devon surf team who rightly posed to have their picture taken with their role model.

I wonder if this had anything to do with the random answerphone message Cotty left me on Sunday night which said 'Selway, it's Cotton. I'm in...in...in a strange place right now.'

Image copyright Rob Tibbles 2011 -

Coffee and Doughnuts!

We all love drinking coffee and we all like eating doughnuts. We also all love surfing, Analog Clothing and meeting Andrew Cotton. Thankfully, on the 3rd of August (tomorrow) you will be able to indulge in all of these things. All you have to do is head to Croyde Bay, go to the Ruda end from 7.30am onwards and you will be able to pick up a coffee & donut from Analog surfer Andrew Cotton! This is the first of many so stay tuned for more dates.

Lots of love

Selway x

Greg is stressed

Hi! Good weekend? Get up to much? F.Y.I, we are all hard at work putting together our 30th birthday issue. I’ve no doubt you are probably wondering what I was doing in August 1981, but I don’t remember, silly! I was merely a beautiful bouncing 3 year old who’s only cares in the world were food and clean nappies. I think my earliest memory was putting our dead goldfish on the train tracks on my model railway. Mum was concerned about me and wondered if I she should take me to the doctors, while Dad was so furious with me, he kicked the bed!

Anyway, must dash, Greg is looking very stressed and needs a good massage, which I will gleefully provide.

PS – This was the last time I photographed a barreling wave. Damien Chaudoy, Indo. Photo by me....obviuously

A cool little vid of Tom Lowe for you

Hallo!

I just spotted this little video of Lowey and it reminded of me of what waves actually look like. Haven't seen one in years.

Enjoy.

P.S I love you. x

Last Summer from Tom Lowe on Vimeo.

Oooh........

Tim Nunn has been watching clips of young girls wearing bikinis and he felt compelled to show me, too!

It turns out it wasn't what I expected. Here's that link: http://tinyurl.com/6cb4al6

But really all of you fellas, I really think you ought to check this out - especially all of the doubters and misogynists!

(Apologies for the poor quality image, this is a frame grab from the clip. The timing was poor and it clearly isn't good enough to be used as a photo in the magazine or here on the website. You never know until you try.)

A.W.O.L

Hiya!

Where are the damn waves? These four walls are closing in.....

Greg is still in Indo and rumour has it, he's not coming back! Apparently his juggling has had the natives whipped up into such a frenzy, they won't let him leave the islands. I also heard he now has an alcohol problem and was last spotted stealing a local fishing boat in the middle of the night and yelling something about 'one of me wives'.

In other news, Tim Nunn just sent me this clip of a chap playing trance music on his guitar. Incredible.

This photo was taken just hours before his disappearance

No Thanks

Hallo

I'm thinking of maybe employing someone to write these for me, my life would be so much simpler if I had somewhere there doing all of my work for me. Seriously, has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? Oooops! Well, since then I've been very busy. You know, just so busy doing stuff like writing and taking pictures and a ton of other things which have kept me from blogging. I can't remember when I was busier than this! It's been crazy. I don't remember when I sat down for 5 minutes for a bit of 'me' time.

Anyway, as I type Greg is in Indo and I am sitting at the very desk, in the office describe a few posts ago. When my beloved Tim was at the helm, he rarely left me alone. If he had to go away, we always discussed it first. We would then agree that he'd do all of the hard trips which involved roughing it, not showering and the cold while I went to luxurious resorts in warm countries. I wonder, is this the shape of things to come? If Greg tries to make me stay in a tent so he can use the money we save for his own lavish jaunt, he's got another thing coming. I don't even care about the spanking he'll want to dish out.

LOVE RIOT LOVE RIOT

Got to this people, it promises to be a spiffing evening of merriment and joy.

THE DULLEST POST EVER!

I’m sure the first thing that entered your mind when you woke on this glorious sunny day was; what is life actually like in the Wavelength Office? You probably asked yourself questions; like is it a nice place to work? What are the facilities like? And, do the nearby restaurants serve fine yet inexpensive cuisine? To answer these I have helpfully drawn up a list of things for you.

1. TOILETS

The facilities here are second to none. We have a gents complete with two urinals facing away from each other (which eliminates peeking!) and there is a regular sit down toilet if jobs are needed. I haven’t been inside the ladies lavatory yet. I may sneak in there later this evening

2. PARKING

Parking here is just awesome! We have a car park where, every day I genuinely look forward to parking my black Mazda Bongo in. There’s enough space for at least 13 cars.

3. LIGHT / VENTILATION/ HEATING

Neither of these are really our offices’ greatest strength. We have two small windows which are shaded heavily by trees and foliage. Ventilation is poor and provided only by said windows (rarely opened because of lack of heating) a fire escape and a small gap at the bottom of the door. Heating comes in the form of a small and smelly electrical heater which often puts everyone on tender hooks for fear of fire.

4. COMPUTERS

I don’t like to go near other men’s so I shall describe mine; it is a PC, it’s slow and is decorated with a picture of my wife and I on our wedding day, a 1 dollar bill, some Royal Gala stickers and a Polaroid of Jason Feast! I don’t like my computer; he is the bane of my so called life.

5. SURFING MAGAZINES

The Wavelength office has, over the years become a dumping ground for all of our surfing magazines. Every time one of us moves house / has a clear out / spring clean, the next day this person will bring their entire collection of magazines in to make more room at home. These days they all sit behind our designer James in a splendid shelf. They are all boring.

6. DOUGHNUT

The doughnut isn’t a permanent fixture. It was given to us by the lovely lady next door just moments after I finished my lunch. I am currently dieting and do not need the doughnut. It’s a delicious-looking custard one, but as they say ‘a moment on the lips = a life time on the hips!' I do not want the doughnut. NOT FOR ME. NO DOUGHNUT. It takes a phenomenal amount of willpower to diet like this but I feel better for it and the weight is dropping off. So I ask myself why, just 26 seconds ago did I accidentally bite the thing? I didn’t even want it. I’m dieting.

7. BIG DUDE OCCASIONALLY IN THE KITCHEN

Greg knows all about the big dude who’s occasionally in the kitchen. Not too long ago Greg was making a cup of tea in the kitchen, absentmindedly singing the incredible New York by Paloma Faith to himself, when he realised he wasn’t alone! He turned around to see the big dude who’s occasionally in the kitchen, standing in the door way! He had presumably been there for quite some time and, according to Greg, was so big he filled the entire door frame!

8. GROSSNESS!

Home economics was never my strongest subject at school – nor was it for any of the other members of the Wavelength team. And who cares? Home Economics is for girls and sissies! Because of our combined lack of knowledge in this subject, only a basic, basic level of food hygiene is adhered to in this office, which consequently means cups with green nastiness in and plates which remain unwashed for days, even weeks on end. The other day I opened the fridge and a cup of off milk fell out. Its contents spilled all over the floor and I couldn't help but marvel how much it looked like scrambled eggs.

9. RECYCLING

There are no recycling facilities in this office, which means we, along with the other users of this building are not very green. Everyone keeps leaving the kitchen light on, too.

I’ll end it here because I know you probably stopped reading this post 10 minutes ago.

Selway

Tim is dead, long live Tim!

Kidding, Tim isn’t dead - Tim is just not the editor anymore! The office is deathly quiet. Greg is now in charge of me, and of course the magazine. I’m not sure what the new regime will be like. Will it be a strict one? Or will I be able to run wild like I used to when Tim had control? I have a feeling Greg will swing in favour of the former and although I feel he will be a fair boss I know I daren’t misbehave. If I do, he will tell me off and presumably spank my bottom in the disabled loos because there, he’ll have more room for purchase rather than in the much pokier gents'.

Anyway, in other news, t’was my birthday on Saturday which was celebrated in style in our nations fine, but fairly polluted capital. Don’t worry, I know you weren’t to know, how could you? Fear not, though, it still isn’t too late to send birthday cards, gifts and used women’s panties to the usual address!

In other, other news, it’s Timmy’s birthday today and our designers’ in a couple of weeks. How this magazine has been able to run efficiently with a bunch of fiery Aries men at the helm I’ll never know.

PS. The photographs in this post are of new editor Greg Martin, so let me ask you this - strict or soft?

UH OH! A mistake....

Woah, hang on a minute, this isn’t Timmy’s last day - it’s next Friday! I got it all wrong. Thank Jehovah for that because I seriously regretted what I wrote yesterday, just thinking about it kept me up half the night! I take it all back; Timmy is a kind, honest and a sensitive soul. He’s leaving me, not because he wants to be with another man, but to pursue his little photography career. To celebrate my extra week of Timmy, here is a photo of a recent fond memory. I LOVE YOU TIMMY!

Thursdays With The Liar and The Cheat

Eff you Tim Nunn. Eff you. You have ruined everything. You say that you’ll still be around and that we will remain friends, but is this yet another lie? Will you walk out on me like you always do? Each day you leave this office saying that you are out shooting, or whatever, but there hasn’t been any surf! Who is he? What does HE have that I don’t? Does HE sing the Tim ‘The Bomb’ Nunn song to you? No, I didn’t think so. Do you lie to him like you do me? I can’t take these secrets any longer and even I feel that our paths may occasionally cross, I know that I won’t be able to watch you like a hawk any more. It’s over and I don’t need you. I can survive. We can survive through this and we will come out stronger. God, all of this just makes me want to put my make up and go to the local night club and dance! Hopefully I’ll meet someone else there who will appreciate me for who I am. Eff you Tim Nunn.

‘you think I'd crumble, you think I'd lay down and die, Oh no, not I, I will survive, as long as i know how to love, I know I will stay alive, I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive

I will survive’ – Gloria Gaynor

Wednesday With Timmy

Jumping Jahafkhan! It’s Wednesday already! This means Timmy will be leaving the Wavelength office as the editor in just under three days. I’m feeling a little sensitive today. I can’t imagine what life will be like without him sitting opposite me. I will miss that droopy face, the constant stream of white-lies, those caffeine rollercoaster rides and the way he always blows a mythical fringe from his eyes! Wow! That rhymed! Anyway, I always cherish our Wednesday’s together because recently we have started playing football in the evening. Watching Timmy play football is truly a display on its own - especially when he goes in goal. He is unstoppable and will dart from post to post like cat, which is funny, because Timmy loves cats. He has a vicious one called Fuji and every day when he gets home, he insists she wears a Victoria frock!

Tomorrow - Thursday Fun With Timmy!

Timmy Tuesdays!

Tuesday’s with Timmy are sometimes unbearable and I’d rather not write about them, but Timmy is leaving Wavelength and I know I will never spend another Tuesday in the Wavelength office with him sitting opposite me as the Editor. My main gripe with Tuesday’s is his gloomy and unpredictable moods. I don’t know the cause of these, they just happen. It isn’t uncommon for us not to speak for the entire day, which is odd especially when you consider how amazing Monday’s usually are! I often try and buoy his sad disposition through song, dance and by reciting well known phrases of encouragement like ‘turn that frown, upside down!’ Or my personal favourite ‘the best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.’
These often make Timmy furious and I have been on the receiving end of many a stapler, insulting comments and icy stares. But as we all know, we often hurt the ones we love the most.

TIMMY TIME - MONDAY

Today I woke up feeling incredibly sad because it is the last time I will work a Monday with Timmy Nunn as the editor! Monday’s with Tim are usually incredible. We always commence the day with a long hug - the kind you’d give your wife at a train station or airport when you haven’t seen her in weeks! Then, once we’ve separate we always like to catch up over a coffee on all the latest news from the weekend, as well as all of the hot gossip from the football. After we have both calmed down, we then spend the majority of the morning having private conversations on gmail chat about nothing in particular. Then, if the breakers are up we usually head to the beach to double shoot, but not before a quick stop at the local Sainsbury’s café! When we arrive at the surf, most of the time, I’ll simply tell him that I’ve left my camera or an important piece of equipment at home, just so I can watch the master at work and hopefully pick up some tips After the tide has ruined the conditions Timmy will then put a stop to the shoot and declare that we are going back to the office to resume work on the magazine. At this point it Timmy’s mood will darken because he will have been up for longer than most of us (he loves an early start!) and his blood sugars will have dropped to their lowest ebb of the day. I like to remedy this with a nice cup of tea and a pack of Jammie Dodgers – he LOVES Jammie Dodgers! They make him happy and pretty much up until the clock strikes 17.30, he will then be the life and soul of the office. He will crack jokes and regale us with tales about misfortune in cold climates, which I then relay back to my wife at home over dinner. Then, after 17.30 we will have another hug before leaving the office.

I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.


Tomorrow – Tuesday’s With Timmy!

Sorry, this was meant to be posted ages ago...

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Yawn, not

This is awesome – I’m speaking to you from the past! You see, our dungeon-based web-tech dude, DJ was given a break from his shackles and stress positions, because we desperately needed him to revolutionise the way these blogs are done. No one in here really liked using the old method of posting so we asked him if we could do it via blogging software, like WordPress or Blogspot – and he said OK. Amazingly, two days later we all set up our very own blogs using these two incredible websites and some how, he has managed to link them with our own website! It’s incredible, I’ll write something on one website and it will then pop up on an entirely different site, namely Wavelengthmag.co.uk! Thing is, there’s a bit of a delay between the time I post it up on WordPress and when it actually appears on the ‘Length site, hence the reason why I am talking to you from the past. Sometimes this delay is only a matter of hours, but recently, for some mysterious reason it has been taking much little longer than that – which is why I’m going to test it right now; its 10.35 A.M on the 10^th March 2011. Come one DJ! Make it work faster, you slut!

I hope this post hasn’t been too boring for you.