Damien + CJ Hobgood On The Identity Troubles of Twinning + Scoring
CJ and Damien Hobgood must have had some battles as the identical twins both pursued pro surfing together. Now they are, for the first time ever, living different lives. But they are making a movie together about everything.
“For a few days in the fall of 1978, Damien and CJ Hobgood were the same person. Not metaphorically. Literally the same person. Then, in a plot twist more appropriate for Hollywood than biology, they split into two embryos and began to grow separately. Nine months later they entered this world as identical twins Damien and Clifton James. A couple of decades later they were household names in the surf world. “The Hobgoods” were a package deal. Same face. Same hair. Same style. Same sponsors. Same jeans. Same genes.
Almost 20 years later, their CT careers are in the rearview and they’re entering the next chapter of their lives. Damien into big waves, CJ into business. But before diverged they too far from the path they walked (sometimes painfully) together for so long, they connected with longtime friend Justin Purser to create a documentary about their lives as identical twins and professional surfers. Spoiler alert: having a twin can be a mindfuck.
And while this film is a story-driven documentary, they did manage a strike mission to G-Land, their first surf trip together since…ever. And they scored. A few weeks later, on SURFING Magazine’s therapy couch, I spoke with them about the trip. About the doc. About their lives — apart and together. No physical punches were thrown, no figurative punches were pulled. It’s the Hobgoods, unfiltered…As if there’s any other way.”
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