Denny Aaberg, a good-natured surfer, writer, and musician from Pacific Palisades, California, is renowned for his role as co-writer of Warner Brothers' 1978 surfing film, Big Wednesday.
As a 12-year-old in 1959, Aaberg began his surfing journey, following in the footsteps of his older brother Kemp, who was considered one of California's top surfers at the time.
Aaberg's involvement in the sport expanded as he played guitar in the 1970 surf film, Innermost Limits of Pure Fun, and contributed a song to Big Wednesday, a movie inspired by his 1974 Surfer magazine short story, "No-Pants Mance," which nostalgically looked back at his wave- and beer-soaked salad days at Malibu in the early 1960s.
The sandy-haired Aaberg continued to serve as the keeper of the Malibu flame, appearing in the 1987 documentary, The Legends of Malibu, where he shared his insight into Malibu's characters, scene, and rituals.
In his 1994 Longboard magazine feature, "Tres Amigos," Aaberg vividly described Malibu's eccentric atmosphere, likening it to "rough theater." He wrote, "In ancient Greece, plays lasted all day, beginning at dawn and not ending until dusk. Malibu was the same way."
