For multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, storytelling began early, albeit subconsciously.
Growing up in Hawaii, Johnson began surfing at a young age, telling stories on his board and emulating surfers like Tom Curren. As a teenager, Johnson began competing in prestigious surfing competitions like the Pipeline Masters. He later graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a degree in film studies, working with friends like Emmett and Chris Malloy and surfing legends like Kelly Slater to create two 16mm surf films.
These movies ( «Thicker Than Water» 1999 and «The September Sessions »(2000), newly restored in 4K from the original prints, defined Johnson's artistic journey leading up to his career as a Grammy-nominated musician. Both films are now available for purchase or streaming on most VOD platforms.
Rarely returning to his roots, Johnson began combing through old footage to help promote films for wider release, a process that quickly became a chain reaction.
As the title suggests, the new documentary SURFILMUSIC masterfully weaves together Johnson's worlds. The film was directed by Emmett Malloy, who served as Johnson's co-manager for 25 years and has also directed films such as the 2009 White Stripes documentary. «Under the Great White Northern Lights» . A new documentary traces Johnson's unique journey.
Exploring life and loss, while also celebrating ideas of creativity and acceptance, the film quickly develops themes such as the importance of friendship and adventure.
While Johnson and Malloy let the surf scenes unfold, the new film also traces the evolution of his music, including numerous demo versions of Jack Johnson songs like "Flake," giving viewers a close-up look at how he's grown and developed not only as a songwriter but as a person over the past 25 years.
New double album SURFILMUSIC Soundtrack & 4-Tracks (now available on Johnson's own label, Brushfire Records, on vinyl, CD, cassette, and online streaming) is dedicated to this theme and includes demos as well as the film's score, created by Johnson and the Gutierrez brothers, who will join Johnson on a lengthy tour beginning Friday, June 19, 2026, in New Hampshire, running through October, and then continuing to Australia and New Zealand in November.
I spoke with Jack Johnson about today's theatrical release of SURFILMUSIC (more information on theaters, showtimes, and tickets is available on Johnson's website), the rhythm of waves and sound, the value of travel, and his philanthropic work with his wife and co-manager, Kim Johnson, to promote sustainability and education. Below is a transcript of our conversation, lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Jim Ryan: Going through old songs and videos, as you did for this project, feels like such a rare glimpse into the past—seeing people who are no longer with us, such different times before fame, such different places. What have you learned through this process?
Jack Johnson: Well, it wasn't originally planned as a feature film. It all started with us wanting to release our old surf films. We were just trying to find some bonus footage or little clips to kind of promote the idea of releasing these old films. And so we started going back and looking through all this old footage. And the more we dug, the more we found. And as we put it all together, it just grew.
I think the reason it really turned into more than just short videos was because we focused on friendship. A couple of years ago, when we were just starting this project, I lost a really close friend. His name was Tamayo Perry. He was one of my best friends. He went on some of those surf trips with us. And he was one of the main reasons we all became close as friends.
So the idea of friendship and cooperation—and a kind of situation where friends see something in each other before we see something in ourselves—really started to take shape and become a major theme.
HONOLULU, HAWAII – MAY 14: Jack Johnson performs at the Hawaii Premiere of "SURFILMUSIC" at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall on May 14, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
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Ryan: I think it all starts with a surfboard. On that board, you tell a story. Later, in films, you tell different stories. And eventually, that comes out in your songwriting. How important is the idea of storytelling to you in general?
Johnson: I think that's important. It's great that you pointed that out. Because I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I don't think songs are always about storytelling. But now I realize that's what I've been doing for the last 25 years. They feel very personal. I kind of share these little things in the songs. Often, some of it applies to my life. And if there's enough truth in it, I think other people will feel that truth too. And they can apply it to their lives.
It was great working with Emmett Malloy, my friend who directed this film. It was a very collaborative project. And even though it's about friendship, it brought a lot of friends together. Many of the people who worked on the first projects came together again to make this one. So the film itself became a way for friends to reunite. And the storytelling played a big part in that.
Ryan: Whether it's a surfer, a filmmaker, a musician, a poet, anyone, who is your favorite storyteller?
Johnson: Greg Brown would be one of them. He's a wonderful songwriter whom I adore. If I'm talking about movies that I love right now, it's the Coen brothers' movies. I love all of their movies.
But like you said, people tell stories even on their surfboards when they're riding a wave. One of my earliest inspirations was a surfer named Tom Curran. Just the lines he'd draw on a wave. I think you could even say that, because of the story he told, he might have been the first person I thought, "I want to be like that." I remember watching him in movies as a kid and thinking, I want to know more about what was going through his mind and why he drew those particular lines.
Emmett Malloy and Jack Johnson at the "Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC" premiere during the SXSW Conference & Festivals held at the Paramount Theatre on March 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Travis P. Ball/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images
Ryan: I was really struck by how, watching the film again, especially at the beginning, there are moments where it feels like it's breathing. There's no music. And sometimes there's not even any narration. You watch the scene and listen. Was this a mutually agreed-upon decision with Emmett?
Johnson: You're very observant. At the very beginning, when we decided the film would be longer, we were thinking more about the world of surfing. The film was supposed to have a large section dedicated to the history of this green board. This section ended up being longer and took up a larger portion of the film. But gradually, everything changed slightly depending on who the target audience might be and who we were telling this story to.
There's a sequence in the film about the Pipeline Masters surfing competition, which happened when I was a kid. People in the surfing world know those names. Michael Ho and Johnny Boy Gomez are legends. There were times when we got feedback from people outside the surfing world: "You should cut that part." But there were also moments we just didn't want to cut. We wanted to keep the surfing as is.
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Ryan: When you watch these surfing scenes, you feel the rhythm of the ocean. You listen to the music, and of course, the rhythm is there. It feels like they have something in common. What does this idea mean to you, and are there similarities between them?
Johnson: When I was young, I didn't draw such a parallel at all. But then, the older you get, the more interesting it is to think, philosophize, and all that.
But yes. It's all waves. Most of what we perceive are waves: sound waves, or waves coming in from the ocean. Their patterns. And they're created by a storm somewhere far away. And then you're on the wave at the last moment, before it dissipates at the shore. So it's interesting to think about these intervals.
Waves occur at approximately 12-second intervals (intervals, the average swell height). Sometimes they can be longer or shorter. The shorter the wave, the more turbulent, restless, and dissonant it appears. And the longer the intervals between waves, the more harmonious it is perceived.
Well, that's something completely different. The band and I were discussing this. When you're riding the ocean waves, it's like you're riding the waves created by a distant storm. At a concert, I think we are that storm. Because we create sound waves and send them out for other people to dance on.
When we play a concert, we are a storm.
American singer, songwriter and surfer Jack Johnson rides a wave before the World Surf League (WSL) World Surfing Championships on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, January 18, 2024. (Photo by Brian Biellman/AFP) / Editorial use only (Photo by Brian Biellman/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Ryan: I believe you once said that you were overcome by a passion for travel. And whether it was filming in Hawaii, Tahiti, France, or Ireland, you traveled extensively while working on your early films at a young age. For me, one of the valuable aspects of travel is that it helps people embrace the idea of diversity—people or things that look, sound, or behave differently. What is the value of travel?
Johnson: Of course, you're bound to encounter nervous or tense people at the airport. But I distinctly remember a realization dawning on me while traveling: almost everyone I met everywhere was incredibly kind and loving. The more I traveled, the more I realized that if you take the time, listen well, and engage in conversation, you truly can get along and live peacefully with anyone. So I think it's wonderful to have the opportunity to see and hear different cultures.
And I was truly very lucky at that time in my life to have that opportunity. It was an incredible luxury. And it was one of those experiences I never dreamed would happen, that I'd be able to visit so many places. And suddenly, thanks to this "job"—in quotes—we traveled all over the world and got to know so many cultures.
I am eternally grateful for this experience.
Ryan: When you were filming the new material, you mentioned shooting on film—that it was important, even if it wasn't technically necessary. What are the advantages of shooting on film in this predominantly digital era?
Johnson: I had just graduated from film school. And at that point, you could have called me a film snob.
It's funny. Because I knew how to use a 16mm camera. And I learned how to use several different ones. They're all a little different. The Bolex camera has to be rewound by hand because it doesn't have a battery (it's spring-loaded). And you have to know the exposure, the shutter speed, and all that stuff. But I didn't know how to use modern video cameras back then. So it was because of my limitations. I only knew how to work with a film camera. And that was exciting. But I definitely like the idea of shooting film.
The limitations are that you have a limited amount [of film]. You don't have an infinite hard drive to fill up. So you have to decide when you're going to pull the trigger and shoot something. These days, I think the problem is that with our phones, you can shoot anything all the time. Should you shoot everything all the time? Or is it better to wait for the right moment and be a little more careful about what you're trying to capture?
Ryan: I think the new double album reflects that to some extent. But take "Flake," for example. Throughout SURFILMUSIC There are several different demo versions of this song. One is faster, one is slower. But it's been really interesting to watch how this song has evolved over the years. What was it like going back to the roots of your songs while working on four-track part of this project?
Johnson: I think right after my first album, maybe even my first two, I felt uneasy every time I listened to those old records. Because I heard vulnerability in them. And I was so close to the age when I recorded them that I only heard imperfections. Now, enough time has passed, and when I hear them, it’s a kind of magic for me. It’s this vulnerability that fascinates me. It’s like I’m at a different point in my life, when it was still full of discoveries, when I was trying to figure out if I was even a songwriter? Or if I was just playing with this for a while?
But the song that really stuck with me was «Flake.» I didn’t say it at all in the movie. But that song was the one that made me realize I could sing. I remember writing it and thinking, «I think this is a pretty good melody. And the song is catchy…» When I played it to my friends, they reacted differently. But I couldn’t sing out loud yet. So I took that song and went to this field in Santa Barbara when I was in college there. I remember just walking for a long time in a place where I thought no one could hear me. And I sang that song for about an hour. I was just trying to figure out if I could sing. And that day, I gained a little confidence. I realized, «Maybe I can do it.».
Overall, it was a fun song for me. It was fun to dig through old recordings and find those versions. Because it was right around the time I was finding my voice.
Ryan: You're collaborating with the Gutierrez brothers on the film's score. They're also touring with you. What was it like working with them on the soundtrack?
Johnson: It was just great. They're fans of surf movies. And they love creating visual images. Their music is very visual. Often, when we were just starting to discuss scenes, they'd send me, for example, a track with slide guitar and say, "This reminds me of light shimmering on water." They see music in their own way. Their music is so visual that it creates soundscapes. So, working with them, I realized I loved their music. And then we became really good friends.
On the road, at festivals and things like that, you hope to meet people. And often you do. But sometimes, though, real friendships develop. And that's exactly the kind of friendship we have. So it's great.
HONOLULU, HAWAII – MAY 14: Jack Johnson (L) and his wife, Kym Johnson, are interviewed during the "Talk Story" segment at the premiere of Jack Johnson's "SURFILMUSIC" at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall on May 14, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
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Ryan: Well, we were talking about how the idea of friendship plays out throughout the film. The ability to creatively connect these worlds with loved ones after so many years, while simultaneously bringing a new generation into it through their children, is so rare. What does that mean to you?
Johnson: The best part about it is that all my best friends are still my best friends. All the people I knew before. I've made a lot of good friends because of it. I've met a lot of really creative, interesting people that I can still call friends. But my wife and I met when we were 18, as shown in the movie. So it's great to have people like Emmett around.
But even my sound engineer, our front-of-house sound engineer, has been working with me since before we achieved success. And when you have friendships or relationships with people before all this success, you can just trust that these relationships are real.
Ryan: I know that your philanthropic work with Kim has long focused on sustainability issues. But there's also an educational component through the Kokua Hawaii Foundation and the Johnson Ohana Foundation. I'd say the concepts of sustainability and education are more valuable now than ever. How important is this work to you?
Johnson: That's all. Honestly, it made me feel like I could continue doing this.
I never set out to become a professional musician. I was more interested in surfing, film, and things like that. It all just sort of happened naturally. And it was really exciting and fun. But at some point, I just wasn't sure if I should continue touring. And then I realized that it could become a kind of non-commercial direction for our activities. And that while touring, we could try to minimize all the negative consequences of concerts as much as possible.
But what I loved most was that we could develop a positive side by inviting 10 local nonprofits to each concert. Then the money raised at the concerts could go to these organizations. And some of the new fans who came to the concerts could become new members of these groups and, so to speak, recharge them. I've met people who met a nonprofit by coming to one of our concerts. And then, a couple of years later, they were already working for that organization. It's so cool to know that such connections can be formed through people coming together for music.
So, from the very beginning, as soon as we could fill the smaller clubs, we started offering bands like Surfrider their own small booths. That was always part of our strategy. And it continued to grow.
We like to do it this way. It brings pleasure.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.