Heritage Surf Features

Greenough's Pure Fun Turns the big FOUR-O

DENNY AABERG INSTORE
Heritage Surf, 24 Darley Road Manly
Sunday June 27, 2010 – 3:00pm

Forty years ago, Californian/expatriate, George Greenough, decided he'd be the first, while carving turns on his famous kneeboard, to shoot moving pictures from inside the bowels of a gnarly wave. Greenough embarked on his mission like a mad scientist intent on discovery. First, he needed a lightweight 16mm movie camera, mounted inside a watertight housing. At the time there wasn't any such equipment available, so George, tapping into his innate genius, disassembled a cumbersome WWII highspeed Air Force movie camera and--out of a pile of springs and
wires--fashioned it, complete with a fish eye lens, so it was light enough to take out surfing. With his jury-rigged camera encapsulated within his homemade fiberglass housing strapped to his back, George dropped into the gigantic barrels of Lennox Head. As crystal shingles of translucent seawater swirled over his head, George clicked the on button and gave us our first ever on film view of the "Green Room."

George decided to call his ground-breaking movie, "The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun." It would feature not only inside-the-tube shots, but also Australian surfing greats Bob McTavish, Russel Hughs, and Ted Spencer. They are seen riding secret spots along stretches of the then undeveloped Queensland coast.

Another innovation for his film that was strictly Greenough was to have no narration, unlike other surfing movies of the 60s. George decided he would let the music do the talking. To accomplish this end, he enlisted his friend and fellow surfer, Denny Aaberg, a talented Santa Barbara musician and band leader.

Aaberg, who will be breezing into Sydney on June 27th to make an appearance at Heritage Surf in Manly and talk about the making of The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun, remembers those pioneering days well.

"Even though George was not a musician, he was able to communicate to me the sounds he wanted," says Aaberg. "The music had to tell the story and conjure up the mood and feel and power of what was flashing on the screen. George loved the low throb of a bass guitar and likened it to an approaching ground swell."

To record the soundtrack, Aaberg's trio joined forces with the well known Dragon brothers from Malibu and the band Farm was formed. "With Doug Dragon on organ, Dennis Dragon, who was also a talented recording engineer, on drums, Phil Pritchard on bass, and Ernie Knapp and me on guitars, we started to experiment. The soundtrack was very spontaneous and all recorded live," says, Aaberg. "It was Greenough's idea to rent the
Lobero Theatre, set the band up on stage, and have us play live while he projected his inside-the-tube shots on the screen above our heads."

Since The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun was shown up and down the California coast in 1970 it has gone on to enjoy cult film status among hardcore surfers. The film was released on DVD two years ago and widely distributed.

Members of Farm have gone on to do great things, too. Ernie Knapp toured with the Beach Boys, Dennis Dragon engineered albums for his brother, Daryl, who was "The Captain," in Captain and Tenielle. And Denny Aaberg went on to co-write "Big Wednesday," with John Milius.

But, until now, the Farm's Innermost Limits soundtrack CD has never been available.

On June 27th at 3pm at Heritage Surf will have the Farm soundtrack CD on sale and Denny Aaberg will be there in person to sign them for anyone who is interested. Aaberg will also be showing a ten-minute DVD and give a short talk about Farm recording the movie score and working with George Greenough.

After a Q. and A. session he will sing and play guitar, performing "Crumple Car," and "V12 Caddie," key songs from the Farm CD.

This event is open and free to the public. Heritage Surf is located
at 24 Darley Rd, Manly.