Watch: Tom Lowe // Let Me Live
A fitting title considering Tom Lowe's recent life-threatening wipeout at Teahupoo. His second in a few years.
Boutique esky company Yeti have teamed up with Keith Malloy and Tom Lowe for this short bio on the hard-charging Pom.
For fifteen years he chased the seasons through Indonesia and Australia, returning home to work shit jobs and save money.
"It's hard to keep the belief," says Lowe of the many cold onshore sessions at home, "because most people are just going down the pub. But you know you've gotta put that energy in because something's gonna come of it."
Hooking up with Mickey and Fergal Smith in Ireland was one of those things. Ireland was a big wave revelation and Lowe was among the pioneering crew at Aileens, Rileys, and Mullaghmore. A photographers favourite because he'd spin and go on the biggest set of the day, whether it was makeable or not.
Comments
Met him at an Indo outpost in 2010 and knew of him then. He was travelling solo no camera no posse. Traded a few waves at a quality right with the wrong wind and tide (only ones out) and he was keen for a chat and generous with the encouragement and wave sharing. Didn't seem to have the ability of your regular pro in that sort of surf but certainly makes up for it in the big stuff department!
fucking unreal, Lowey deserves such a well-made bio reel (Mick and Ferg, too)..
flat out setting the bar for slightly mental cold-water-mountain goofs.
Hope he works out how to slow down healthily when the time comes,
he's lucky he has felt such love from his father, he'll be that 100% for his daughter.
11.20
There's that damn tall poppy syndrome rearing its head again.
Wonder if some will claim it's because of Ireland's convict ancestry, like Australia?
haha, nice pick up, the dude you're alluding to is like trump - colonialist braggart is pervading everything by polarising people, (so cute that the brazzo version of nick carroll has his back). Winter intrigue and drama is beguiling, but we have enough of that in our lives, don't need it on SN. I'm gonna be like the guests in Babette's Feast about it from now.. This is Lowey's comment section.
“This is Lowey's comment section.”
For sure.
I do genuinely find it interesting though, the value of a culture that keeps ego in check and favours humility.
I think it’s worth a lot to society.
As a digression, I’ve never seen Babette’s Feast but the synopsis sounds wonderful.
Beautiful film.. the stylism and fable-esque storytelling of Wes Anderson without the props department.
re the value of keeping ego in check. yeh, totally a valuable observation, @AndyM. Those of us with working class backgrounds had it drummed into us.. I'm sure some think they should have been encouraged to let their little light shine, but with the internet's reach, no-one is important. It's a good thing. And it'd be a good thread discussion. 'Tall poppy syndrome' (currently if you google that with 'swellnet' it's kinda dominated by one poster), seen by self-diagnosed tall-poppies as 'jealousy of achievement'.. but I think @teary defined it more accurately. Ultimately produces legends who have mad skills and humility in a culture where we dry-reach when we hear people announce to the world how cool they are, or name-drop with a slapable smug-itude. While educating my children, I used Hugh Jackman as an example of a stonking talent with humility (they were into Greatest Showman at the time).