Robert Trujillo grew up on the westside of Los Angeles, where he found music, skateboarding, and surfing at a young age. He first rose to prominence as the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies, which he played in from 1989 to 1995. He was a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s band for a number of years starting in the late ’90s. Since 2003, he’s been the bassist for Metallica. He played—and still plays—with the funk metal supergroup Infectious Grooves. A goofyfoot, he gets in the water regularly, weaving wave riding into his heavy touring schedule. In this episode of Soundings, Trujillo talks with Jamie Brisick about the moment his life as a musician changed forever, the ebbs and flows of a passion-driven career, the importance of establishing a work ethic, Metallica world tours, Ozzy Osbourne, surfing, finding inspiration, playing in front of massive crowds, and staying grounded. 

Five-time world champion Carissa Moore started surfing at age 5 with her dad in the hallowed waters of Waikiki. As an amateur, she won 11 national titles. In 2008, at the age of 16, Moore became the youngest winner of the Triple Crown of Surfing. She qualified for the WCT in 2010, and won world titles in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2021, with dozens of event wins along the way. She was the first-ever winner of the Olympic Gold Medal in women’s shortboard surfing. More recently, Moore has announced that she will be walking away from competition to devote time to family, making films, and investing energy into her charitable foundation, Moore Aloha. In this episode of Soundings, Moore talks with Jamie Brisick about her decision to step away from the tour, representing Hawaii, friendship, finding community, her proudest moments, the values (and dangers) of mimicry, and overcoming self-doubt. 

Mark Cunningham, aka The Human Fish, is hailed as one of the greatest bodysurfers of all time. He grew up in Hawaii, became a lifeguard in the mid-’70s, and for nearly 30 years guarded primarily at Ehukai Beach Park, with a view straight into Pipeline’s barrel. Through the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, Cunningham won nearly every bodysurfing event he entered. But, as Cunningham would be the first to tell you, bodysurfing is not about winning or losing. Cunningham retired from lifeguarding in 2005, at age 49. In recent years, he’s become an obsessive reefcomber, finding fins, sunglasses, watches, and other valuables on the ocean floor. He’s also become a visual artist, using his findings in sculptures and assemblages. In this episode of Soundings, Cunningham talks with Jamie Brisick about the multifarious duties of a lifeguard, scanning the impact zone, brushes with fate at Backdoor, playing in the shorebreak, the joys of retirement, Puerto Escondido, and the virtue of leading a simple life.