Nash LaVille, Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) Director and long-time soul surfer, shares his enlightening, interesting and sometimes hilarious conversations in Second Life (SL). This post he visits with SL live performer, SurfWatch Editor-in-Chief, former SLSA Director and marshall, and SLSA Hall of Famer, Tauri Tigerpaw while they relax on a 4th of July at Bluff Cove.
Nash Laville: Ok, so we all comfy?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Yes!
Nash Laville: Hi Tauri Tigerpaw. Nice to meet you. KIDDDING!Tauri Tigerpaw: Hi Sweetpea - er - officially, Mr. Laville! lol
Nash Laville: I'm trying to think when we first met or more specifically when the group Tigerpaw Tour was formed.
Tauri Tigerpaw: I'm counting back...let's see. Majini. I came in world November 2007 so 2008. Let me see if I can find out, lol.
Nash Laville: Ok. I'll pre-edit all this for you so don't worry about anything(fingers crossed behind my back).
Tauri Tigerpaw: I am totally not sure but I'm guessing 2009. Cause we used to sing in voice and then started streaming before I actually started the group, I think.You were on uke and me on guitar, right? Singing our little hearts out for a small group of us on the beach. I didn't even know you could sing in SL when I first came in world - I went to a party and heard this guy doing a Bread song, I think it was "If", in voice. I remember my first gig was at your club back then, right? Or was it the big concert venue ONeil (Auer) and Lala (Recreant) set up for me at their sim?
Nash Laville: THAT was your first gig? At my and Aly's (Bressig) club, Castaways? Could be!
Tauri Tigerpaw: Either there or that concert - what was their sim called? Cornish! Cornish Surf Beach! I was the beach manager for awhile.
Nash Laville: Cornish yeah. We'd sit on the beach and play in (voice) chat. How did we do that????
Tauri Tigerpaw: Lol, idk but we used to have so much fun doing it.
Tauri Tigerpaw: Bam, lol. Good times for sure. Was it 2008/2009? I think that was also around the time Barchan (Paderborn) asked me to help him with marketing for SurfWatch - 2008. Everything happened at the same time almost, lol.
Nash Laville: He was the man behind the birth of SurfWatch, one of the most important surf related actions in SL.
Tauri Tigerpaw: That's why I will never let anyone forget him - it was brilliant.
Nash Laville: It was a time of HUGE strength in the SL surf community. Great important sims coming and going. Tell me more about him.
Tauri Tigerpaw: We met on the beach at Majini like everyone else, lol
Nash Laville: Majini was THE place.
Tauri Tigerpaw: He was just starting SurfWatch and getting into all the business dealings and competitions and goings on... omg, huge sim complexes...business interests...he wanted to do sportscasting for SL surfing - just brilliant. Treat it like a real sport. I wandered onto Majini by accident. Ran into V (VW Sands), Sizz Ling, Buffy (Munro), Slave (Lacey), that whole bunch, and got involved with drinking and dancing on the beach...and surfing, lol! We had massive spontaneous parties all the time. Lots of growth and passion in SL surfing. People were passionate about their boards, their competitive standings.The Sisterhood of the Sand was started there: Buffy, Alex, Slave and myself originally.
Nash Laville: Were you competing then? I mean surfing.
Tauri Tigerpaw: I placed in the finals in my first Vibrations Surf Alliance (VSA)comp.
Nash Laville: Wow. See I never knew this. I have never known how great the people were that I was fortunate enough to be friends with or hangout.Tauri Tigerpaw: Then Barchan got me involved with SurfWatch, and I went that way, just surfed for fun when I wasn't working, lol. From SW marketing, I started doing interviews. Socks (Clawtooth) was covering live events. I think Abel (Halderman) was helping out. I did interviews and I loved it. I always believed that they would have historical significance.
Nash Laville: It was the golden era of SL surfing.
Tauri Tigerpaw: How better to document that era? Everyone had something to say, there were teams, tandem competitions, rivalries, bannings.
Nash Laville: See, to me, that is the one thing SL does not have is history.
Tauri Tigerpaw: It does now! lol.
Nash Laville: That is what is so meaningful to me about SurfWatch and SLSA and the Hall of Fame which document the beginning of surfing in SL. Your music and performances also took off at that time. You were gigging alot if I recall.
Tauri Tigerpaw: I went from one gig to another. It was so much fun!
Nash Laville: It was constant and every show was a winner. You were synonymous with the surf scene... a legend in your own mind. Umm...time.Tauri Tigerpaw: Well, idk about that, lol, but I had a blast. Des (Desirae Beaumont) had just opened SurfSide (Hideaway), and I was their first performer. A few months later, it turns out, Barch didn't have time to keep doing SurfWatch. Keeping SurfWatch going was about SL growing and the surf community absolutely thriving. Amidst all the drama, it was incredible. 40 plus people signing up for every comp - had to shut down registration at some point. Sally (LaSalle), V and I, when we were directors for the SLSA, set up this massive training for competitors, judges and marshalls.
Nash Laville: It was all SSi boards mod and stock, correct?
Tauri Tigerpaw: No. SSi and Action were very competitive rivals. Not so much SSi cause they were already in, but Action wanted in.
Nash Laville: oh, yeaaaaaaah. Action! I forgot about that.
Tauri Tigerpaw: Barchan wrote about the beginnings of that in the early days. It was huge drama in it's day, lol. Board burnings, etc.
Nash Laville: Drama???? in SL?????
Tauri Tigerpaw: There were a few comps not SSi - Rob John I think it was called, had a whole different surfing script.
Nash Laville: Can't we all just.... get a party wave???
Tauri Tigerpaw: Hahahahaha. So Barch asked me around 2009 if I wanted SurfWatch. Around that time, I had never even been to an SLSA comp, and Abel contacted me one night out of the blue, it was about midnight.
Nash Laville: About?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Said the marshall backed out and asked would I marshall. I was freaked out - no one could tell me how to marshall. I just remembered marshalls at the VSA comps were crazy, yelling at people and making everyone panic. Finally I found Cip (Cipriano Grut) and Rani (DeCosta), and they explained how it worked. So, next morning before the comp, I'm down at the beach and a competitor was walking by saying she was going to throw up. I realized they are way more nervous than me, lol! So my goal became to keep everyone calm, focused on having fun. They used to joke around and tickle my feet - we had the best time! I marshaled all that season. I think I won SLSA Funniest Drunk 2008 and the Sportsmanship Award.
Nash Laville: What was most of the drama about back then....same ol same ol?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Some of the drama was about Seb's (Sebastian Saramago) board designs. Action said he didn't have the rights to sell them in-world. SurfWatch went in-depth on all of that, even interviewing the real life (RL) board design company. And the drama was also about competitive surfing moves. Should they be like real surfing or just anything goes? SexyBoy Oh comes to mind.
Nash Laville: Woah. I never heard about that.Tauri Tigerpaw: He was gamer extraordinaire and won all the comps - his moves were incredible and people got royally pissed cause they "weren't surfing moves". Also, SLSA director elections were big deals. SW would do interviews before the elections so people would have the background to make an informed choice. So I had a vision for SW.
Nash Laville: Tell me about your vision.
Tauri Tigerpaw: Well, for SW, my vision was to open it up to an in-world magazine, a video series, merchandise, etc.
Nash Laville: Video series - tell me more please!
Tauri Tigerpaw: And the SW team we had at the time did it. It was all about promoting SL surfing. We started with the Lissa (Pinion) and Q (Quench Spotter) video for the wave report -
Nash Laville: Is it still on YT?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Yes and on SW. [Links below]. We're currently working on another video project.
Nash Laville: Excellent
Tauri Tigerpaw: Marianna (Monentes) was in our weather report that was awesome. Those two videos still make me die laughing to this day. Kidd (Aeryn Kidd) did the videos.
Nash Laville: Need to see these links. How often was SW coming out then? Was it a weekly?
Tauri Tigerpaw: The blog was posting daily - that was important to me - so people would check it daily. The in-world magazine, which was totally different content, was quarterly. More like a "People" magazine format.
Nash Laville: Pretty ambitious..but the staff was hard working.Tauri Tigerpaw: Ashleigh Dickens was incredible. Everyone was amazing. In 2010 we had a huge 2 year anniversary celebration. Heather Goodliffe even came as a speaker. A 12 hour party. It was rocking - fashion show, surf and design competitions, comedians and performers. People were there partying around the clock. I even stayed and pulled a 24, lol. Connie (Countess Decosta) was our merchandiser by the way. She created the SWack - the SurfWatch backpack - which you can still get by contacting me in-world! lol
Nash Laville: Interesting times. Your singing ...your songs...
Tauri Tigerpaw: I was singing a lot...in RL and SL.
Nash Laville: Where does the inspiration come from? To write.
Tauri Tigerpaw: SL surfing has brought me so much fun, so many friends, such great memories. I love talking about it, I want to know about the people that are spending time involved with it, and I figure other people do, too. There's a whole world of possibilities.
Nash Laville: It is a very close community still.
Tauri Tigerpaw: It needs to be now. We're all we have left, lol.
Nash Laville: "We're all we have left." Wow.
Tauri Tigerpaw: Put aside the petty stuff.
Nash Laville: Where is your favorite surf sim now?
Tauri Tigerpaw: The SW shack that Opal (Opal Rivers) set up for SW is on Solace, I do spend a lot of time there since it's currently SurfWatch home base. Everyone is welcome to come by!
Nash Laville: It's a good wave. Good sim. Real smooth. I think it's becoming a little more well known.
Tauri Tigerpaw: But I also really love the wild ocean of Island Sea Soul and the beauty of Bluff and the naked surfing at Playa. Chi has always been magical to me.
Nash Laville: Ah! naked surfing, Tauri! Naked Surf Nation?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Naked Surf Nation, rise up and rule! lol
Nash Laville: How did that come about?
Tauri Tigerpaw: There was a group of us back in the day that wanted to surf naked. It wasn't as common as it is now, lol
Nash Laville: Where did that...rise ?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Majini like everything else, lol. Around the campfire - I used to call it my "office". Cloudy (Matova) and I spent many hours around that campfire.
Nash Laville: Sigh..... Cloudy.
Tauri Tigerpaw: Great memories, though, ya?
Nash Laville: You founded Naked Surf Nation, did you not?
Tauri Tigerpaw: I did! And I did not have to pull any teeth to get anyone signed up! Anyway, no one wants to hear me ramble on about the old days. It was a very different time.
Nash Laville: With NSN and SW and performing....I can't see you having time for anything else. What about competing. Any plans?
Tauri Tigerpaw: If I get fiber optics, I will plan on competing. My current connection is a beeeeyaaaaach! I still love surfing but not sure I can keep up with the new surfers.
Nash Laville: Keep up with the new surfers??? Have you tried the new boards?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Cie (Cierra Theriac) gave me a board when I came back - it's a ton of fun! I have so many friggin surfboards but Cie's is the only current one I have.
Nash Laville: IS there one thing in particular thing that stands out in your time of surfing and playing music in SL? An event? a performance?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Let me think. There was the time we had a concert hall full of people at Cornish, and I couldn't get my sound to work and everyone left. Then I discovered my cord was partially pulled out, lmao!
Nash Laville: LMAO, Tauri.
Tauri Tigerpaw: I was troubleshooting everything I could think of but the cord!
Nash Laville: I hate when that happens!
Tauri Tigerpaw: Lol
Nash Laville: Tauri...I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to be friends with you for so long.
Tauri Tigerpaw: We have been friends for a long time, lol. Let's grow old together.
Nash Laville: We ARE growing old together, and it makes it much much easier for me.
Tauri Tigerpaw: Sorry I talked your ear off, lol (picking up your ear and handing it back).
Nash Laville: I want to thank you for your time......and friendship... but one last question please. Last question: Got time for a couple of party waves with me before you log?
Tauri Tigerpaw: Let's do it!
Nash Laville: Thanks, Tauri!
photo credits:
Funniest Drunk Tauri - Ashleigh Dickins for SLSA
Group on Beach - Emilyn Knoller at Cornish
Sisterhood of the Sand - Alex Usbourne at Majini
Tauri and Nash jamming - Pauls Wylie at Cornish
Tauri at Castaways - Maxwell Silvansky at Nash Island
Tauri, Cloudy & Buffy at campfire - Cloudy Matova at Majini
Tauri surfing - VW Sands at Majini
All other photos Nash Laville and Tauri Tigerpaw
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1 comment:
I remember that picture of the Sisters of the Sand. Great memories, thanks Nash!
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