1:06:01
... the initial years took on
a rough edge.
1:06:04
Being a blond Caucasian...
1:06:07
...I kind of represented
the stereotypical person...
1:06:11
...that destroyed
the culture of Hawaii.
1:06:13
A lot of people hated me,
wanted to fight...
1:06:16
...because of my skin color.
1:06:18
The way he learned to fight,
because he was so big and powerful...
1:06:21
...was he'd slap an opponent so hard
it would shock and embarrass them.
1:06:26
It wouldn't injure them, but it would
hurt so bad mentally and physically...
1:06:30
...that he won the fight
right at that minute.
1:06:33
The reputation was,
"Don't f*** around with Laird."
1:06:37
- So he looked after you as well?
- Of course, I was his brother.
1:06:40
He took care of me. I mean, he was
the only one giving me beatings.
1:06:44
Let's put it that way.
It was a privilege deal.
1:06:52
He wanted to be Hawaiian.
1:06:54
He used to dream of wishing that
he had brown skin, to be Hawaiian.
1:06:59
Because for him, that was
what was sort of beautiful and strong.
1:07:04
That's what was around him.
1:07:08
Couldn't get girlfriends,
didn't have a lot of friends.
1:07:12
What did he do?
1:07:13
He spent and put all that energy
into the water.
1:07:19
In the face of this
youthful alienation...
1:07:22
... Laird precociously turned
to an older generation...
1:07:25
... for inspiration and camaraderie.
1:07:28
Laird Hamilton was around the
legendary big-wave riders of the '60s...
1:07:32
...who were moving into the '70s,
his dad being one of them.
1:07:35
During that time period, Pipeline
Beach was the mecca of surfing...
1:07:39
...and anybody who was anybody
in surfing came and surfed Pipeline.
1:07:43
So I got to see all the guys.
1:07:45
His dad was making boards
for Peter Cole, Warren Harlow...
1:07:50
...Jose Angel, the pioneers
of big-wave surfing.
1:07:54
And Laird was just this little sponge
soaking all this stuff up.
1:07:59
I aspired to be like these pioneers
of big-wave riding.