Surfing The Waves Of The American Culture War, with David Litt

Outside Podcast

Sports, Wilderness

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2020, David Litt, former senior speech writer to President Obama, moved from Washington DC to the Jersey Shore, and felt the need for a jolt of life amidst the pandemic. So he did what anyone would do: David decided he needed to learn to surf. As a sensible Yale-educated, New York Times best selling author, David knew he needed help. And that’s how he ended up bobbing in the ocean with someone who could not be more dissimilar to him, his tattooed, truck driving, death metal enthusiast, Joe Rogan superfan, brother-in-law, Matt. The sea salt comedy of errors, became the basis of David's brand new book "It's Only Drowning: A true story of learning to surf and the pursuit of common ground." And while it hilariously recounts David’s learning process, the book is also a surprising investigation of the current American culture war, the roles David and his brother-in-law have been cast into, and how, as unlikely as it would seem, a sport like surfing can help bridge the fissures of class and culture.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Outside Podcast is brought to you by Defender.
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1:02.1	make nominations at Land Rover USA.com forward slash defender service awards. Vendor Service Awards.
1:21.2	This is the outside podcast with Paddyo. I love the book. It was such an enjoyable read. You didn't write about this, but since you worked with him, and I believe that means that you guys like text all the time.
1:38.4	Obama grew up in Hawaii, one of surfing's global and historic epicenters. So I assume you were like asking Obama for
1:46.6	surfing tips while you were learning to surf. Is this correct? Like anybody who has written a book
1:51.5	and worked for President Obama, I have, you know, tried to channel my way in, send him a book.
1:56.8	Yeah. And I think you would actually like this one because it is, there's a Hawaii element, there's a surfing element.
2:02.5	It's interesting.
2:03.6	I have to assume that he has taken surf lessons or surf at some point.
2:07.9	But I also, I remember there was like video and footage of him body surfing.
2:12.7	So if he was a surfer, I think I would know.
2:15.5	Yeah.
2:15.8	But I also think as somebody who is like a surfer in one's head, I think that's all, you know, there's lots of types of surfers.
	...

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