About this episode

Jack Johnson joins the podcast for a humorous and insightful discussion about his music, surfing, and personal stories.

Jack Johnson joins Sterling Spencer and Cousin Ryan on the Pinch My Salt Podcast for a hilarious, wide-ranging conversation about surfing, music, Hawaii, Kelly Slater, Tom Curren, John John Florence, Willie Nelson, Ben Harper, G. Love, Rob Machado, songwriting, touring, fame and the stories behind some of Jack Johnson’s biggest songs. Jack Johnson talks about the real story behind “Banana Pancakes,” “Bubble Toes” and “Rodeo Clowns,” his early music career, opening for Ben Harper, growing up surfing in Hawaii, the North Shore surf scene, and how Kelly Slater helped turn “Rodeo Clowns” into the name of a surfing maneuver. Jack also breaks down Kelly Slater vs. Tom Curren, explains why he believes John John Florence may be the best surfer in the world, and talks Nathan Fletcher, Christian Fletcher, Rob Machado, Pipeline, Sunset Beach, big-wave surfing and the surfers who influenced him. Plus, Jack plays music live in the Pinch My Salt studio and tells the incredible story of playing poker with Willie Nelson. This is Jack Johnson like you probably haven’t heard him before. Jack gets into the story of meeting Willie Nelson at a benefit concert in Maui, getting invited back to Willie’s…

People in this episode

Hosts: Sterling Spencer, Cousin Ryan

Guest: Jack Johnson

Topics covered

• surfing
• music
• Hawaii
• live performance
• storytelling

Keywords

• Jack Johnson
• surfing
• music
• Hawaii
• live performance
• Kelly Slater
• Willie Nelson

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Banana Pancakes, Bubble Toes, Rodeo Clowns

Places: Hawaii, North Shore, Pipeline, Sunset Beach

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• EP 138 | Jamie O’Brien Says "Pro Surfer's Aren't Core" | Pinch My Salt · August 11, 2026 · 1h 8m
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