The Art Of Gash
From 1990 to 1994 Gash Surfboard ads appeared in Australian surf magazines and immediately tested both censorship laws and surfers' precious sensitivities.
Like communist propaganda posters of yore, the Gash colour palette was simple with large swathes of black and red. Lots of red. Much of it dripping. While the mesages had an equally bold delivery: a dagger thrust through a bleeding heart; an all-seeing eye; a naked muscle man. All of it etched with Old Testament-style iconography. It was as far from quirky 1980s pop art as could be imagined and it was also a portent to the imagery that suffused the culture after Nirvana broke big and abasement became a badge of honour. Gash did it first, and they did it with humour.
The story of Gash's beginnings and end are as mythical as their ads. In the late 80s, Victorian shapers Greg Brown, Wayne Lynch, and Mark Phipps were all shaping under the Roar label as well as being associated with surf wear label Beach Crew. Beach Crew had a fun-loving but straight-laced schtick, yet their management proved to be anything but.
According to Empire Ave, "Beach Crew decided to register Roar as a label as well, back-dooring them," that is Greg, Wayne, and Mark, "in an ass fuck that would make any unscrupulous businessman proud. Overnight, the group slashed red paint over all the Roar signs in the Beach Crew store in Torquay and wrote “Roar is Dead, GASH is Born!” on them. The first ad they ever ran said: “GASH, ripped from the guts of Roar.”"
All of Gash's art was produced by Simon Buttonshaw, who among other things produced the first Rip Curl logo, the Wayne Lynch Surfboards logo, innumerable Quiksilver campaigns, and he also created the Beach Crew and Roar logos. His work is pervasive, and even if you haven't heard of him Buttonshaw's artistic DNA is entwined within our culture.
Steve Shearer called the early-90s "surfing's most conservative period", and though he was referring to board design the same could be said for on land endeavours. The big surf boom of the 1980s set surfing's trajectory on a collision course with the mainstream.
Gash, however, were a countermeasure to all that. Empire Ave put it succinctly: "At the time USA collegiate-style fonts were dominating surf fashion. Computers were starting to really be relied on to create art, and it was all about clean-cut mass production for the big brands. But then this hellfire creature came storming in with all of the balls-out, don’t-give-a-fuck attitude it could muster."
With three skilled shapers under the hood and Buttonshaw's singular vision driving the image, Gash burned red hot for a few years. The distictive imagery spreading from boards to clothes. It all ended when they caught the attention of Quiksilver, then the world's largest surf company, who were embarking on surfboard venture, Q-Stix, and acquired Gash in a label and resource buy up.
Quiksilver inexplicably shelved Gash and pressed on with their Q-Stix venture till market permutations saw demand dry up and the brand coagulate.
Yet somehow the blood kept running for Greg Brown and Gash. To this day Browny still shapes Gash surfboards, each of them with the distinctive red lettering and a cherub holding a blood-laced dagger.
Comments
I always liked the Gash art work stating My God is better than yours!
I have 6'6 Gash pintale for Indo shaped by Phippsy, great board, great shaper.
Have always liked them.
I loved the Roar logo with the shark, may be pushing the karma these days to have that on a board, Did a Silas Hickey ever have any input with any of the mentioned brands artwork? Love the Gash,
The name rings a bell but I can't remember the context. Nothing came up in the research for the above article though it was hardly comprehensive.
Anyone..?
Always dug the dude's full moniker: Silas Ishmael Hickey ( I recall). Didn't he make a Rob Lowe style erm, feature interspersed with surfing back in his pomp?
And now he does this!
https://advance.org/articles/an-animated-discussion/
Thanks for sharing. Very impressive.
Was going to say the same thing.
Cheers for that Shats. Great interview.
Silas did have a lot to do with Gash & also Beachcrew
He did 3 memorable prints for Gash , all photographic ;
Rambo
Dirty Harry
Charles & Di
He did far more than that as well , collaborating with Simon Buttonshaw , under the support of Globe ( then still Hardcore ) to produce the only clothing range ever made by Gash
Silas has always been part of the family , lncredibly talented , in & out of the water !
Gash / Roar were surfboard / shaper based companies , not clothing based .
That is what really set them apart .
Gash was a direct response to what happened to Roar , in both image & message , but also held up a mirror to the massive corporate selling out of surfing , which was just meaningless logo driven bullshit at the time
Looking at the current state of play in the surf industry it would seem Gash had a good point to make .
Gash was a mirror , not an endorsement !
The real story has still never been told , which is exactly how it should be .
P.S ......the gallery in Brunswick street was RAW , not ROAR ......there was no connection between the two
Hope this helps put a few things in perspective
Thanks Das, I'm stoked my memory is not totally stuffed. That's how I remember him from many,many years ago down the Ocean Rd. He was a unique,classic young bloke.Do you know if he drew the Poo Shooter? For me,your comments about then and the corporate style now, ring so true.
All really good surfers behind the brand gash . Simons art was fantastic. Hope he made a lot of money from the surf factories .
Good read i never knew that story.
When i was very young before i surfed i was a skater Beach Crew was the shit to wear, then we moved to the coast and i started surfing and always loved Roar and that images/scene that Greg Brown and Wayne Lynch etc had that kind of hardcore search and surf remote raw waves, it was very inspirational especially latter when we moved to Tassie and i guess it helped drive me to go searching the remote wild West Coast of Tassie for waves, or to find and surf rarely surfed reefs up the NW coast and hit it no matter how cold and windy often before school and if no one was up for it to do it alone.
Later when Gash came out i guess i was still inspired by those guys to a degree, but i always thought the artwork and images were kind tacky.
Did you ever go in the North West classic Indo ?
Nah, use to go down for it though it was always a good weekend of camping, surfing and partying.
Good times.
Great waves.
Beautiful stretch of coast.
Loved the writing in that article Stunet.
Always a fan of the mining of the subculture that is our common bent.
Gash cunts seemed loose enough to want to share a session with.
Always appreciative of a unique and well delivered perspective.
Cheers Blowin. I'd gladly join you for a few.
Great article. I always loved the artwork behind Gash, never knew it was Simon Buttonshaw. Man, that guy is prodigious in his work.
Love these articles SN. I've said it before, succinct, lucid and balanced- good writing Blowy I'd have to agree with you.
I was fortunate enough to buy a Gash shaped by "Hermann Goering". It is mint and must have been shaped pre 1946 before he had his cyanide cocktail
I had a beautiful diamond-tailed 7'0 shaped by the Wayne circa 91. Unfortunately it got gashed cleanly in three at our resident nasty break a year or so later.
Great article Stu.
Where's the Vag?
7th from the top.
CaraVAGgio.
Judith Beheading Holofernes.
This time I do agree Stu - good article!
I had a friend who sold Gash clothing in Aukland and NZ during this period - a short lived period but he always said he could not get enough stock - reckoned it absolutely walked off the shelves - then -- after being acquired by another company - went to ruin
Now I read "Quiksilver inexplicably shelved Gash and pressed on with their Q-Stix venture till market permutations saw demand dry up and the brand coagulate."
Maybe good business from a giant - I wonder if the original owners were well looked after in that business move???...Seller beware.
I rolled up at the '81 Bells comp as a 13 year old grom and watched this guy free surfing, warming up, absolutely ripping the place apart in 15ft plus with Dane Kealoha and friends. I kept an eye on him and met him as he walked up the steps.
Me (high pitched teeenage voice) - "What's your name mate ?"
"Greg Brown mate".
I never forgot it. I still remember his board (black and white chequered bands on the the front borders of his deck), wetsuit, hair everything about him. Bloody legend!
Greg shaped for Watercooled and I bought one of his 5'8 thrusters. Then he started Gash and I met him in the shop and ended buying one of Mark Phipps shapes, glassed by Peter Ashley. 6'8", 21 1/4", 2 2/3". Still have it today in the quiver and pull it out more often then not. Best board I own. The logo is the Cherob hugging a dagger on the deck. Then two serpents with a sun and moon around a dagger, and a stabbed heart on the underside.
I'd love to catch up with him again and give him a hug! Bloody champion.
I watched Browny win the Vic titles senior mens division then back it straight up with second to Phippsy in the Open at 6 foot Bells bowl about 25 years ago. The extreme fitness involved in paddling two 30 minute finals without even hitting the beach in between was most impressive. I don't know either of these guys personally but they were both on fire that day and it was the best surfing Ive ever seen and they both came across as being pretty low key and humble people excelling in their chosen sport.
I used to ride Roar boards. Greg was an absolute legend in the area. Big charger. When all the shit went down, they painted a big red cross across the Roar logo on my board and wrote Gash underneath in protest.
Peter Ashley also a legend and great glassser.
Speaking of Wayne Lnych and Bells, this footage is pretty impressive for its age <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/83448883" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
Super8 WL from Rob Dog on Vimeo.
Single fin, backhand & no leggie (?) - Legend (grumpy legend). Wayne would've gone off his nut over the drop ins.
Those under the lip turns where he busts through the lip; amazing how he never gets knocked off!
Great footage zen and good article Stu. I also remember a roar art studio in Brunswick Street Fitzroy with similar art work. The other great young surfer who was part of this mob was Warren Powell who unfortunately succumbed to schizophrenia.
Powelly was never apart of the beach crew roar mob, by the time Beach Crew and Roar came on the scene he was happily mowing the foreshore at Lorne and playing his guitar more than surfing.
He's always happy when I see him:)
I mean't more that he was from the Lorne crew rather than the sponsor. Tragic story good to hear he is still alive and smiling. Was a top Aussie junior and I remember being in the water with him in 1983 and he tore cathedrals apart.
I went to school with warren in Geelong back then, used to travel from Barwon Heads to Lorne on weekends and surf with those guys. The Lorne crew were super competitive in those days .
Was Beach Crews offshoot skate brand Gungaroids?
Poo shooter...he's ace!
The creator of Poo Shooter was...Silas Ishmael Hickey (as above)
Silas Hickey was a good surfer, Beach Crew got him going on the way to being an artist, bit of a character, when he applied for a place in an art school in New York(I think) he need the year 12 cert or whatever it's called so he went to a printer and had to order a minimum of 100. I had a new found respect for the boy when he told us that one:-)))
Wonder what happened to him.
Damn greedy bastards that beach crew, I rode Roar for years , awesome boards , best graphic ever . Rode gash too . Wild blokes , great boards, went heaps better in Tas Vic and SA than boards from Qld and New South . Good memories
Two sides to every coin mate, Hergy was pretty full on but funny as well as generous and his other partners in Beach Crew were really nice guys. When things went arse up all the little blokes got paid.
Fair call , shame though ,loved my Roar boards
Beach Crew ad with Greg Brown and Mark Phipps, plus their Roar surfboards, before the birth of Gash.
Thanks Mem but you can thank Indo for that one.
Also, Wayne Lynch for Beach Crew with Roar surfboard.
Love this shit.
Had a browny gash I bought second hand that was an instant favourite. Was a 6'4 rd pin that just seemed to work in all conditions against my expectations.
No artwork, just the plainest jane font in spaced out capitals saying G A S H ; no repent or burn or anything.
Anyone know what period?
I bought it in about 04 in good nick.
Brownie also goes by the pseudonym of Duke Tubesteak.
Currently Aus & Vic o/50 longboard champ, o/50 Vic shortboard champ.
Very humble, great character.
Great article plus old footage - classic.
Steve Shearer called the early-90s "surfing's most conservative period", and though he was referring to board design the same could be said for on land endeavours. The big surf boom of the 1980s set surfing's trajectory on a collision course with the mainstream.
Shit Steve , where were you , the 90's was one of the great design periods , as witnessed by the bds from Brownie,phippsy, and Wayne.
Didn't the owner of Beach Grit rip a whole lot of people of and ws found decapitated in Bali?
I heard a version of that story only a couple of days ago.
Was it Beach Grit ?
Yes the story is that he had his head cut off, but I know people that were there, he died in a house fire, but let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story:)
hey hack , so no truth in Hergy getting his head removed by the dutch guys from Black heart?
The original rumour was that he ripped off the Chinese crime syndicate but you've heard it was the Dutch. That says a bit.
I think the truth is that there are a few people that got a perverse satisfaction out of hearing of his beheading cause they didn't like the blokes style, so as all good rumours go they would have backed it all up by making up more factual bullshit.
All I know is a good friend a resident of Bali(Australian) was there recons it was just a tragic accident nothing more, I heard this first hand.
But hergy would have loved the beheading story, so go with that:)
GASH
"Made by Gentleman for Assholes"
"Asshole"?
We really have hoisted the white flag haven't we.
Girls Against Sexual Harassment more up ya alley (so to speak)?
Doggo's fave band too. Apparently.
Grotesquely Aged Satanic Homosexuals might be closer to the truth
Christ Almighty that went weird really quick.
Yes I'm talking about the Americanisation of Australia.
Including Australian kids "doing the math" and talking about the letter "zee".
Anyhoo, I know I'm a bit off topic, Gash certainly made an impact back in the day.
Yes settle down gents and let's keep a wee bit of decorum in the conversation what.
Goddamn! Ain't Surfin' Hotsy-totsy?
:-D
2 words that give me nightmares ; GASH TOILET!
If you used it, you'll know what i mean!!!
Bit of editing required early this morning Stu? :)
Uummm.
I feel for Ranger in a way, Rangers posts got deleted!!!!, which IMO, Ranger wrote something that were great.
Ranger even congratulated, Stunet's literature!
Please explain why these posts got deleted Stu.
I have no idea at all.
Come back Ranger;)
Welly, Ranger was called out by those way more switched on than us (Blowin, Shorris and Southey). They were onto s/him. They baited up, then set the hook:)
Hint.... s/he is serial pest with a few other user names of late.
Cheers Fitz ;)
Never cottoned onto that at all.
Thankyou.
Think I need to rest on this shit for awhile.
Hope you get some waves thru the winter months and catch some nice fish Fitzy.
CU:-)
QUIKSILVER done a backdoor deal at the 11th hour because there were other possible negotiations with the Hill Bros (Globe) a foot.
Quik then shelved GASH and put it outa circulation. Corporate genocide.
That's the Torquay culture Sid, "your my closest buddy till I get a better offer".
Hmmmm, the predator was prolly a little more spiteful than that.
I'll elaborate later in the week... ; )
Grab yersefs some beers, a bucket of popcorn , and get comfy...
Sid, I will be interested in your take on this. As posted early in this thread, a friend of mine who distributed Gash clothing all those years ago reckoned that Gash as a label could have been anything in a very short time , but was somehow scuttled.....Please enlighten us.
That is true Bob2B. I have written a story that is as good as a whole new article. But it is too heavy a tale to tell and won't go to print, for the sake of the innocent that were caught in the crossfire, it won't see the light of day.
Maybe tell in private over a few beers at Aunty's one day. For best let it be.
I will prolly post a yarn about some of the fun madness of that bunch of vagabonds.
Peace.
If your going to big note yourself sid , come up with the goods.
NO Hako, there was enough carnage the first time round. There was no winners then, and there would be no winners in revisiting the events.
GASH the greater label was a bit of road kill, a Trailer perhaps, along the way to the Greek Surf Tragedy that Quik now has become. I get no satisfaction from making that observation, tho some might find it morbidly fascinating or even just.
Let's leave that there, and celebrate the madness and mayhem of the G Brotherhood, and the fact that Browny still shapes great surf weapons and prolly still charging for an old boy. He is a unique and classic character, and I wish there was more of his breed.
Sounds like a good story for a movie ? We could always change a few names, places but keep the guilty blameness.
Well yes TB, the whole current status of the Surf Industry could be a cross between Endless Summer meets Wall Street meets Apocalypse Now.
That's pretty much how it went.
Yeah, get what you are saying. The movie would be a bit different than say, 'Gidget goes to Hawaii'.
Seriously, isn't it time to put some of these stories to paper. Then maybe movie scripts ?
Was only ever done successfully by John Milius & Dennis Aaberg with Big Wednesday. Other Hollywood attempts such as Point Break have been cringers.
Surfing screenplays most likely never get funded, the mass populace isn't interested in the sport or the scuttlebutt.
A novel however would get over the line IMO, fictitious grit with a twist of truth would be cool.
You mean to say Sid you didn't enjoy 'Blue Crush'?
I have to admit, I quite enjoyed 'Drift'. Wasn't expecting much but turned out to be ok imo.
Do you mean Blue Thrush ?
Looking forward to " Breath ".
Currently being filmed at Denmark WA
Really Blowin or you just havin a laff?
I really enjoyed that book
True story.
Simon Baker from the Mentalist is producing and starring.
He actually surfs, i mean not in a Tony Abbott kind of way, i mean on a short board can surf decent waves and do turns.
The bros from down your way go alright too don't they?
Would rather one of them in the role. Something about Simon Baker I find really annoying.
I was going to say that Blowie when Sid posted that . But I Got little sidetracked . ;-)
Are you putting your hand up to paddle ' Ol smokey ?
Good article Stu, just found it. Always enjoy the left of centre articles that come through Swellnet. Cheers.
Gash is on the 'gram!
https://www.instagram.com/gashsurfboards/
They're posting Simon's art plus filling in the history of the
brand,animal collective of board makers and artists.“We agreed to kill Roar & become Gash... That evening I painted a big red Cross over the Roar logos on our shop in Torquay, & wrote ‘Roar is Dead, Gash is Born’. Painting Gash into being, over the Roar signage, was the high point of 5 decades in the Surf Industry... It was pure & straight from the heart! That was the beginning!” - Simon Buttonshaw
I so badly wanted a Gash as a grommet.
Had a couple of magic gash boards (a browny and a Lynchy) over the years and ridden a few more magic ones that weren't mine.
More classic Gash photos from the 'gram:
See more: https://swllnt.com/2wSn4Fa
I remember that photo ....classic.
90's hair was pretty big .
Cool story.
Think Case has his timeline off a little as I don’t think Gash was around mid 80s.
What depth you think those fins are?
Massive rake and slightly larger centre?
Looks like this is the board.
Est 1989
Glassed in Devil Horns