MEN OF VENICE: GLEN WALSH
Glen Walsh is responsible for the gentrification of Venice. Well that might be a bit of a reach but at least partially responsible because it’s people like him that made this place so desirable for the new crowd (me included) to live. Loud in personality, intelligent and stands for something bigger than chasing the next fashion trend or hot coffee shop. While Glen might be a far stretch from the OG Venice guy he is a person that’s contributed towards the DNA and diversity of Venice. Because after all, Venice is the place that welcomes all walks of life. Maybe not so much when Glen was growing up on Ocean Park though. Venice (Dogtown) was a different place then. The surf was more localized, gang crime higher and well being gay wasn’t as acceptable as it is now. While gay or lesbian people still face adversity. It’s nothing like it once was and we can thank people like Glen for that. He was recently involved in the award winning project Out In The Lineup, (on Netflix or iTunes ). A film that shed light on the amount of animosity shown towards homosexuality by a culture revered for it’s free spirited approach to life. Glen is someone that contributes to the community and people around him, if you’re not familiar with his morning surf report, dive in here to see what you’re missing out on. We’re thrilled to have him as a part of the GA community and honored to have him as this weeks Men Of Venice.
What does it mean to be a man.
To be a man today is to be confident and be a man of your word. Have a good sense of humor and always treat your friends, family and neighbors with respect. Honesty is the biggest form of respect to me because if you can be honest with yourself it shows the kind of integrity you have as a person, which allows you to be honest with other people. If you’re holding something back you’re holding a part of yourself back, which isn’t being honest and in return will taint relationships you have with other people. So as they say, ‘the truth will set you free’.
What does it mean to be a man in Venice.
I think to be a man in Venice is to have some style in and out of the water. It takes a lot of work and the way the system is set up today its very hard to earn a living being a creative person here. If you’re a low income artist in Venice you really have to hustle. So for me any creative guy in Venice that’s getting by surfing, working and having a good time is okay by me. And if he happens to surf be single and gay, that’s killing it here as well, holla’ at me HA ;).
When have you felt most masculine.
I think I feel the most masculine when I’m surfing, but probably when I turned 40 and realized I wasn’t a kid anymore and that I couldn’t keep using all my juvenile excuses to not achieve my goals. One of my goals was to make a film about gay and lesbian surfers so when I turned 40 and came into my own. I collaborated with a bunch of amazing surfers that I met on gaysurfers.net and we collectively made a film about it. I was the music supervisor and handled all the music selection and licensing for the film, I also happen to be a gay man that works in the music business and surfs so it was all my passions combined and transcended into a film! I’m very proud of that.
I”m a very different type of man and I like that. I think everyone that knows me knows I like to have a laugh and take the piss out of myself, so this allows me to do it to everyone else in and out of the water and have a lot of fun with my friends and not take life too seriously.
Photos and interview by Matt Smith
