An interview with a SURFER DUDE
If you follow @BlakeOfToday on Instagram or TikTok, you’re familiar with the emotionally-charged musings of Blake Kasemeier. A copywriter and brand storyteller by day, Blake uses his skills to share life stories with his followers, often incorporating ultra-specific pop culture references and drawing comparisons between them in order to drive home a point about fatherhood, partnership, grief, and growth. But for me, Blake is the guy I lived with when I first moved to Los Angeles in 2007. When it came to craigslist roommates, I usually did pretty well. And despite our moldy East Hollywood dump of an apartment, I hit the craigslist roommate jackpot with Blake.
We lived on [NAME OF STREET REDACTED], which was essentially run by members of the MS-13 gang. Blake talks about it some of his past videos, so be sure to do some digging to learn more. This may come as a surprise, but our neighbors liked us and did their best to keep us safe if they knew that there might be trouble on a given day. I am in no way condoning gangs or gang violence, but you have to live somewhere and gangs in Los Angeles were no new thing. But that’s not what defined our friendship or place in each other’s lives as roommates. I remember sharing meals comprised of improvised recipes, 7-Eleven wine nights, and giving Blake rides to his restaurant job across town when he didn’t have enough time to get there by skateboard. And 17 years later, I’m thrilled that we’re still pals.
Oh, and Blake also had a stint as a stock image model…
Knowing that Blake grew up in Ojai and had some surfing experience, I asked him if he knew anyone worth talking to for The WALT about The Endless Summer. It went like this…
Notice my use of the word “rad”, as I adapt to the parlance of a SoCal surfer dude.
In our chat, we talk about Blake’s background as a surfer, the influence of surf culture on his life, and how surfing has evolved since The Endless Summer (1966) and The Endless Summer 2 (1994), which is available to watch for free on YouTube.
Also mentioned in this interview:
Caroline Marks on Instagram
The iconic 2024 Olympics moment from Brazilian surfer, Gabriel Medina:
Thank you for watching my interview with Blake Kasemeier. Be sure to give him a follow at the provided social media links above. I leave you with this question: