Growing up as a Paskowitz probably wasn’t the easiest thing. Sure, it’s easy to put a fairytale slant on it – a family of surfers traveling the open road, with no destination but the journey. Dubbed “the first family of surfing,” the Paskowitz family, headed up by Doc Paskowitz, spent nearly twenty-five years on the open road. They lived in a succession of campers, learning everything that can’t be learned in a formal education system, surfing obsessively, and relying on their collective ingenuity, their friends, and a whole lot of luck. But the reality is a little different. It’s a little more complicated than that fairytale. When the kids hit a certain age, they were eventually faced with a few realities that the so-called “real world” had up its sleeve.
Joshua Ben Paskowitz is one of the kids. As the youngest of nine, he’s grown into an incredibly interesting man. Quick to smile, quick to joke, and not scared of a hug, Joshua has a presence about him that’s infectious. People are happier when he’s around. His life so far has not been a normal one. He struggled with drug addiction, exploded onto the international music scene in the ’90s with the release of Got You (Where I Want You), helped start Surfing4Peace back in 2008, and now, after some serious searching and obstacles, he’s back in San Clemente, figuring out what’s important to him and how to make his dreams a reality. “I’m not arrogantly thinking that I can just pretend to be an artist, or whatever,” Joshua says. “I’m just a desperate man that is just relying on the only skills that I have. I don’t think it’s a smart idea for a 38-year-old guy to fuckin’ invest in himself as an artist – I don’t recommend it – but that’s all I know.”
And while it won’t be easy – these things never are – Joshua’s road is paved with humor, love, and understanding, all of which are sure to lead him to exactly where he’s supposed to be.
To see some of Joshua’s incredible artwork, click AlohaDoc.com, and be on the lookout for a gallery of his work in the coming weeks. The video above was created by Ariel Savage and Ryan Hoskins.
