X is for… XXL

While most of us are content to play surf music on cool guitars on dry land, real surfers obviously like to get their feet wet on occasion. Some seek out some truly XXL waves like this.

Australian surfwear manufacturer Billabong holds an annual XXL Big Wave Awards dedicated to these brave/reckless souls. That said, the winners do get $50,000 so it’s not all about risking a wipe out or sand facial. Some waves are truly monstrous - the video clip of this wave in particular is just… mental.

You don’t get many like that in Skegness.

X is also for… X Records

X Records was the label that released the first Beach Boys single, Surfin’ (listen here) in 1961. Until the single’s release the boys were known as The Pendletones. It was only when they received the first batch of singles that they noticed that someone at their record company had changed their name to The Beach Boys. It was too late to reprint the labels so the name stuck.