who sings the counting to 4 song on sesame street

Feist performed an alternate version of "1234" on Sesame Street during its 39th season (2008), teaching children to count to the number four.[24] She said working with the Muppets was a career highlight.[25]

Feist (singer)

Leslie Feist (born 13 February 1976), known professionally as Feist, is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter and guitarist,[2] performing both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene.

Feist launched her solo music career in 1999 with the release of Monarch. Her subsequent studio albums, Let It Die, released in 2004, and The Reminder, released in 2007, were critically acclaimed and commercially successful, selling over 2.5 million copies. The Reminder earned Feist four Grammy nominations, including a nomination for Best New Artist.[3] She has received 11 Juno Awards, including two Artist of the Year.[4] Her fourth studio album, Metals, was released on 30 September 2011. In 2012, Feist collaborated on a split EP with metal group Mastodon, releasing an interactive music video in the process.[5]

Feist received three Juno awards at the 2012 ceremony: Artist of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Metals, and Music DVD of the Year for her documentary Look at What the Light Did Now.[6]

Leslie Feist was born on 13 February 1976 in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her parents are both artists. Her father, Harold Feist, is an American-Canadian abstract expressionist painter who taught at both the Alberta College of Art and Design and Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.[citation needed] Her mother, Lyn Feist, was a student of ceramics from Saskatchewan. After their first child, Ben, was born, the family moved to Sackville.[citation needed]

Feist's parents divorced soon after she was born and Ben, Feist and their mother moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, where they lived with her grandparents. They later moved to Calgary, Alberta, where she attended Bishop Carroll High School as well as Alternative High School. She aspired to be a writer, and spent much of her youth singing in choirs.[7] At the age of twelve, Feist performed as one of 1,000 dancers in the opening ceremonies of the Calgary Winter Olympics, which she cites as inspiration for the video "1234."

Because her father is American, Feist has dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship,[8] joking later that she was given U.S. citizenship as part of a deal with Apple.[9][10]

In 1991, at age 15, Feist got her start in music when she founded and was the lead vocalist for a Calgary punk band called Placebo (not to be confused with the English band Placebo).[7][11] She and her bandmates won a local Battle of the Bands competition and were awarded the opening slot at the festival Infest 1993, featuring the Ramones. At this concert she met Brendan Canning, whose band hHead performed immediately before hers, and with whom she joined in Broken Social Scene ten years later.[12]

In 1995, Feist was forced to take time off from music to recover from vocal cord damage. She moved from Calgary to Toronto in 1996. That year she was asked by Noah Mintz of hHead to play bass in his solo project Noah's Arkweld. She played the bass guitar in Noah's Arkweld for a year despite never having played bass before. In 1998, she became the rhythm guitarist for the band By Divine Right and toured with them throughout 1998, 1999, and 2000. She also played guitar for some live performances by Bodega, but was never an official member of the band.[13]

In 1999, Feist moved into a Queen West apartment above Come As You Are with a friend of a friend, Merrill Nisker, who then began to perform as electro-punk musician Peaches.[14][15] Feist worked the back of the stage at Peaches' shows, using a sock puppet and calling herself "Bitch Lap Lap".[16] The two also toured together in England from 2000â€“2001, staying with Justine Frischmann of Elastica and MIA[17] Feist appeared as a guest vocalist on The Teaches of Peaches. Feist appears in Peaches' video for the song "Lovertits", suggestively rubbing and licking a bike. Later, Feist covered this song with Gonzales (whom she met while touring with Peaches) on her album Open Season. In 2006, Feist contributed backup vocals on a track entitled "Give 'Er", which appeared on Peaches' album Impeach My Bush.

Feist's solo debut album, Monarch, was released in 1999. It is composed of ten songs, including "Monarch" and "That's What I Say, It's Not What I Mean." The album was produced by Dan Kurtz, who would later form Dragonette.

In the summer of 2001, Feist self-produced seven songs at home which she called The Red Demos, which have never been released commercially. She spent more than two years touring throughout Europe with Gonzales. In that same year she joined a group of old friends in forming a new version of Toronto indie rock group Broken Social Scene, adding vocals to many tracks after being forbidden to play guitar by de facto bandleader Kevin Drew.[18] She subsequently recorded You Forgot It in People with the band. While on tour in Europe with Gonzales, they began recording new versions of her home recorded Red Demos, which would later become her major label debut Let It Die. Let It Die featured both original compositions and covers, and Feist has been noted both as a songwriter and as an innovative interpreter of other artists' songs.

After the recording of Let It Die, Feist moved to Paris. While in Europe, she collaborated with Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience as co-writer and guest vocalist on their album Riot on an Empty Street, singing on "Know How," and "The Build Up." She also co-wrote and sang "The Simple Story" as a duet with Jane Birkin on her album Rendezvous.

Feist toured during 2004, 2005 and 2006 through North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia supporting Let It Die. She won two Canadian Juno Awards for "Best New Artist" and "Best Alternative Rock Album" in 2004. Sales of Let It Die totaled 500,000 internationally, and she was awarded a platinum record in Canada, as well as a gold album in France. Fellow Canadian Buck 65 appeared in the Feist-directed music video for "One Evening," which was also nominated for Video of the Year at the 2004 Juno Awards.

In 2005, Feist contributed to the UNICEF benefit song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" The track "Mushaboom" was used in an advert for a Lacoste men's fragrance, as well as in the film 500 Days of Summer.

An album of remixes and collaborations, Open Season, was released on 18 April 2006.

Feist also lent her voice to the two tracks "La MÃªme Histoire" and "We're All in the Dance" for the soundtrack to the 2006 film Paris, je t'aime.

In early 2006, Feist moved to Paris,[15] where she recorded a followup to Let It Die at LaFrette Studios with Gonzales, Mocky, Jamie Lidell, and Renaud Letang, as well as her touring band Bryden Baird, Jesse Baird, Julian Brown of Apostle of Hustle, and Afie Jurvanen of Paso Mino.

Feist's third solo album, The Reminder, was released on 23 April 2007 in Europe, and on 1 May 2007 in Canada, the USA, and the rest of the world. She toured worldwide to promote the album.[19] The album features "1234," a song co-written by New Buffalo's Sally Seltmann, that became a surprise hit after being featured in a commercial for the iPod nano, hitting No. 8 in the US, a rare feat for indie rock musicians and even more notable since it hit the Top Ten on the strength of downloads alone. She has been lauded in the press and was featured on the cover of the New York Times arts section in June 2007. The Reminder had sold worldwide over 1,000,000 copies and is certified gold in the U.S.[20] The album also won a 2008 Juno Award for "Album of the Year" on 6 April 2008 in Calgary, Alberta.

Videos for many of the singles were directed by Patrick Daughters, who previously directed the video for "Mushaboom" and went on to direct "1234," "My Moon, My Man," and "I Feel It All." "1234" and "My Moon, My Man" were choreographed by the acclaimed choreographer & dancer Noemie Lafrance. The video for Honey, Honey features the work of avant-garde puppet troupe, The Old Trout Puppet Workshop.

"I Feel It All" was featured in the UK teen comedy The Inbetweeners and was used in the film The Accidental Husband. "Honey Honey" was featured in The L Word (episode 5.06, "Lights! Camera! Action!"). "I Feel It All" was featured in the 2008 film The Women. Popular German DJ Boys Noize remixed "My Moon, My Man," which appears on his 2007 debut album Oi Oi Oi. The DJ has also been known to close sets with the remix. In January 2009, Bon Iver played a cover of Feist's "The Park" from The Reminder on Australian radio's Triple J. The song "Limit to Your Love" was featured in season 2, episode 1 of British teen drama Skins, and was used in the film The Accidental Husband. A cover version of the song was released by UK singer-producer James Blake as a single from his 2011 self-titled album.

Prior to the airing of an Apple iPod nano commercial featuring this song, The Reminder was selling at approximately 6,000 copies per week, and "1234" at 2,000 downloads per week. Following the commercial, the song passed 73,000 total downloads and reached No. 7 on Hot Digital Songs and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100; The Reminder jumped from No. 36 to No. 28 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 19,000.[21] Following the television advertisement for the iPod nano in the UK, the single beat its original chart position of 102 to become number 8 in the UK charts. Time magazine named "1234" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at No. 2. Writer Josh Tyrangiel called the song a "masterpiece," praising Feist for singing it "with a mixture of wisdom and exuberance that's all her own".[22][23] On 6 April 2008, Feist won a Juno Award for the single as "Single of the Year".

In 2009, Feist appeared in a short film directed by Broken Social Scene bandmate Kevin Drew that focused on her song "The Water." Feist appears alongside Cillian Murphy and David Fox in the silent role of "Mother." This film was streamed from Pitchfork.com for a week starting on 2 March 2009. In an interview with the site, Feist described the experience of being in this movie as "watching a movie while being in a movie."[26]

In 2007, Feist was placed No. 9 on Spinner.com's 2007 Women Who Rock Right Now.[27] and named both Spin's and Blender's Breakout Artist of the Year.[28][29] After taking Bob Wiseman on the road as her opening act in Europe she acted in his video Who Am I and joined him on drums for You Don't Love Me, both of which are visible on YouTube.

Feist was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the November 2007 issue of Vanity Fair as part of a photo essay on folk music.[30] On 3 November that year, she performed "1234" and "I Feel It All" on Saturday Night Live.[31]

Feist was on the cover of the Spring 2008 edition of Naked Eye. On 28 April, Feist was interviewed by Stephen Colbert. At the end of the show she performed "I Feel It All," while Colbert donned Feist's blue, sequined, strapless jumpsuit from the "1234" video. Feist joined Colbert again on his first-ever Christmas special, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, which first aired on 23 November 2008. She played an angel working for Heaven's overloaded phone (prayer) service. She also accompanied the Disko Bay Expedition of Cape Farewell.[32] On 20 October 2008, she told The Canadian Press that, following the success of her last album, The Reminder, she felt she needed to step away from the pressures of the music industry to consider her next career move and "rest for a minute".[33]

In March 2009, it was announced that she would make a guest appearance on the track "You and I" on Wilco's seventh album.[34]

In 2009, Feist was featured in the CTV television film "My Musical Brain" with neuroscientist and writer Daniel Levitin, based on Levitin's bestselling book This Is Your Brain on Music.

Feist collaborated with Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear on the song "Service Bell" for the AIDS charity the Red Hot Organization. This song appears on Red Hot's album Dark Was the Night, and she joined the band in June 2009 during their Toronto show to sing this song and contribute backing vocals to the song "Two Weeks." She also collaborated with Ben Gibbard on a cover of Vashti Bunyan's "Train Song" for the same Dark Was the Night album.

In June 2009, she re-joined Broken Social Scene at a North by Northeast performance celebrating the launch of the band's biography entitled This Book Is Broken, in which she is prominently featured. This contradicted various rumors saying that it was unlikely Feist would ever play with the band again; this was the first of several appearances with BSS. She performed with Broken Social Scene during their concert of 11 July 2009 at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, singing and playing guitar through most of the concert,[35] as well as performing a medley of her solo songs with Kevin Drew and his solo songs. The concert was filmed by director Bruce Macdonald and released as This Movie Is Broken. She sings on Broken Social Scene's most recent album Forgiveness Rock Record. She performed with the band again in June 2010 on Olympic Island, and at the Sound Academy in Toronto on 9 and 10 December 2010.

Feist joined Beck, Wilco, Jamie Lidell and James Gadson in a Los Angeles studio covering Skip Spence's Oar as part of Beck's Record Club series, with videos appearing on Beck's website beginning November 2009.[36]

She also contributed vocals on Constant Companion the second album from Canadian songwriter Doug Paisley. Feist sings on the tracks "What I Saw" and the duet "Don't Make Me Wait". The album was released 12 October 2010.

Her song "Limit to Your Love" was covered by British post-dubstep artist James Blake and later remixed as a dubstep track by Benny Benassi and played to high acclaim at the 2011 Ultra Music Festival.

On 7 July 2011, Feist with Radiohead's Colin Greenwood, Air's Nicolas Godin, The Hotrats and Soap&Skin performed The Velvet Underground and Nico's "Femme Fatale" at an all-star gig "The Velvet Underground Revisited" which took place in Cité de la Musique, Paris.[37][38]

Her album Metals was released on 30 September 2011. Collaborators include Valgeir Sigurðsson, Chilly Gonzales, and Mocky.[39] The album received widespread acclaim from music critics. It achieved an overall rating of 7.6/10 at[40] AnyDecentMusic? based on 32 reviews.

In 2012, Feist plans to cover a song from the progressive metal band Mastodon, with Mastodon also covering Feist, and release both songs on a split 7" on Record Store Day.[41] They also released a crossfading interactive video for the song 'A Commotion'.[5]

Feist also has a cameo in the 2011 movie The Muppets.

In 2012, she wrote the song "Fire in the Water" exclusively for the film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2. The song was played when Edward and Bella are intimate in their cottage, and has been well received by critics.

Her song "The Water" was covered on American jazz violinist Zach Brock's 2012 album Almost Never Was.

On 14 January 2013, it was announced Feist would headline, along with labelmate Broken Social Scene, the Arts & Crafts Field Trip Music Festival to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Arts & Crafts.[42]

In September 2010, Feist announced through her website the release of a documentary film about the creative process of making of The Reminder, called Look at What the Light Did Now.[43] It was directed by Canadian film director Anthony Seck and was shot on Super 8 mm film. The film was released on DVD in December 2010, and a limited series of screenings were conducted including a Toronto screening at the Royal Ontario Museum, which featured a post-film interview of Feist by George Stroumboulopoulos.

The film focuses on the recording of The Reminder as well as the development of the tour through puppetry and projection. The film includes interviews with band member Afie Jurvanen; producer Chilly Gonzales; Broken Social Scene bandmates Kevin Drew and Andrew Whiteman; and video director Patrick Daughters.

Bonus materials on the DVD include "This One Jam", an early performance of Feist with Gonzales at Trash Club; live performances from the Reminder tour; and two short films: "The Water" starring Feist and "Departures" starring Kevin Drew and based on an idea by Feist. A CD is also included that contains the documentary soundtrack (tracks from The Reminder re-interpreted and performed by Gonzales), live performances by Feist, as well as two versions of the title track, "Look at What the Light Did Now", one of which was recorded as a duet with the song's writer, American musician Kyle Field.

In April 2017, Feist released Pleasure, preceding it with the release of the title track "Pleasure" as a single in March 2017.[44] On April 27, 2017 she introduced the album (a day ahead of its release) at Trinity St. Paul, Toronto, before an adoring crowd. She performed the entire content of the album (in reverse order) as well as some of her earlier work including, "I Feel It All".


do the new smash controllers work on gamecube

The Super Smash Bros. edition controller was released in 2014, in conjunction with the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The controller features a metallic silver Super Smash Bros. logo surrounded by flames instead of the Nintendo GameCube logo. It comes in standard black worldwide, although a white version was released in Japan only.[21] These controllers have much longer cables than the original controllers.[22] Along with the release of the controller, Nintendo released a GameCube controller adapter for the Wii U. The adapter supports four GameCube controllers, and all original pads are supported. A second adapter can be hooked up to a console, allowing up to eight players to use a GameCube controller. The adapter is only officially compatible with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; no other games allow its use, although some homebrew software is compatible with the adapter and allows it to be used on other games.

GameCube controller

The GameCube controller is the standard controller for Nintendo's GameCube video game console.

Released alongside the GameCube console, the standard GameCube controller has a wing grip design. This controller was bundled with all new GameCube systems throughout the console's life cycle and was also available separately. It connects to the console's controller ports via a 2 m/6.5 ft cable.

The standard GameCube controller provides haptic feedback by way of a built-in rumble motor rather than using an external Rumble Pak add-on like the Nintendo 64 controller. Also unlike its predecessor, this controller does not feature any expansion capabilities.

The controller features a total of six digital buttons, two analog sticks, a d-pad and two hybrid analog triggers/digital buttons.

The primary analog stick is on the left, with the D-pad below it. The four face buttons are on the right of the controller (a large green "A" button in the center, a smaller red "B" button to its bottom left and two kidney-shaped buttons; "X" to the right and a "Y" to the top) with a yellow "C" stick below those. A Start/Pause button is located in the middle of the controller. On the "shoulders" of the controller there are two analog triggers marked "L" and "R," as well as one digital button marked "Z" which sits above the "R" trigger. The "L" and "R" triggers feature both analog and digital capabilities. Each of these behaves as a typical analog trigger until fully depressed, at which point the button "clicks" to register an additional digital signal. This method effectively serves to provide two functions per button without actually adding two separate physical buttons.

The GameCube controller was sold in several different colors over the console's lifespan. Standard colors included "Indigo" (Purple), "Jet Black", "Platinum" (Silver) and "Spice" (Orange);[2] these were bundled with their respective colored GameCube consoles and sold separately in many countries.[1] Other standard colors sold separately included "Indigo/Clear" (Indigo top with a clear translucent bottom), "Emerald Blue" (Turquoise), and White; the latter two were only available in Japan.[1]

Nintendo released a number of limited edition controllers in Japan through Club Nintendo, which featured a unique color scheme and/or logo in the center. Club Nintendo controllers could be purchased for 500 points each and designs included "Mario" (red top and blue bottom),[3] "Luigi" (green top and blue bottom),[4] "Wario" (yellow top and purple bottom)[5] and a "Club Nintendo" controller (white top and light blue bottom).[6] The "Mario" design was also made available in limited quantities through the European Stars Catalogue for 5000 points.[7]

Additionally, a number of limited edition GameCube consoles have been released which included matching controllers. Colors released in Japan include "Starlight Gold",[2][8] "Crystal White",[9] "Symphonic Green" (mint green),[10] "Hanshin Tigers" (black with Hanshin Tigers logo),[11][12] "Gundam Copper" (two-tone red with Gundam logo)[2][10] and "Transparent" which was included with the "Enjoy Plus Pack +" bundle.[13] The "Symphonic Green" and "Crystal White" colors were also released in Europe, although the latter was renamed "Pearl White" and bundled with Mario Smash Football.[14] A Resident Evil 4 controller (Silver top and black bottom with logo) was available in Europe as part of a limited edition Resident Evil 4 console bundle.[10][15] The Panasonic Q, a GameCube/DVD player hybrid system exclusive to Japan, came bundled with a grey Panasonic branded version of the controller.[2][16]

The WaveBird wireless controller is an RF-based wireless controller based on the same design as the standard controller. It communicates with the GameCube system wirelessly through a receiver dongle connected to one of the system's controller ports. It is powered by two AA batteries. As a power-conservation measure, the WaveBird lacks the rumble function of the standard controller.

A specially-designed variation of the GameCube controller was created for the LodgeNet in some North American hotels. The controller can be used for pay-per-play access to select GameCube titles. In addition to the standard GameCube controller inputs, the LodgeNet controller features six additional buttons which are used to control the on-screen game selection interface. The controller can not be used on regular home systems.

Official controllers are becoming scarce at retailers, as a result of increased demand of the controller due to the Wii's backward compatibility with GameCube games and the fact that several Wii games support the controller as a primary method of control. In response to the regained popularity, Nintendo decided to re-launch the Gamecube controller.

In April 2008, Nintendo released a white GameCube controller, exclusive to Japan.[17] The controller has not been released outside Japan, but online retailers such as Amazon.com and Play-Asia do import and sell the controller internationally.[18][19] It differs from previous editions in that it features a white cable which is 3 m (9.8 ft) long, rather than the 2 m (6.5 ft) black cable used on standard controllers. In 2014, the manufacturing production of the white controller was resumed under the Super Smash Bros. branding, again exclusively for Japan (see more info on the Super Smash Bros. edition below).

Nintendo of America continued to sell wired platinum controllers up until early 2012 in North America, but have since sold out. It is unknown if they will ever go through another production run.[20]

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018, Nintendo confirms it is re-issuing the black GameCube controller to be released alongside Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch in December 2018, as the game officially supports the controller (in docked mode only, though it is still possible to play in tabletop mode via adapter) like its Wii and Wii U predecessors. The re-issued controller will feature a simplified variant Super Smash Bros. emblem design. Nintendo will also re-issue the official USB GameCube controller adapter, with a generic Nintendo embossed branding unlike the first edition that featured the Wii U logo.[23] The Nintendo Switch itself and some of its games is technically capable of supporting the GameCube controller in docked mode (it can also be played in tabletop mode via HORIâ€™s Multiport USB Playstand) after a system update issued in October 2017.[24]

Due to the Wii's ability to use GameCube controller input, all official GameCube controllers may be used on the Wii. GameCube software played on the Wii requires the use of a GameCube controller (and, for games with save data, a memory card), and cannot be played with standard Wii controllers. Wii software can be programmed to make full use of GameCube controllers. Nearly all Virtual Console games and certain Wii and WiiWare games have been designed to support GameCube controllers as input. However, some later Wii models, such as the Wii Family Edition and Wii Mini, lack support for GameCube software, controllers, and memory cards.

Although the follow-up console, the Wii U, also omits compatibility with GameCube software and hardware, Nintendo announced that an official adapter would be released that allows players to connect up to four GameCube controllers to the Wii U via its USB ports.[25] Though its initial product listing stated it would be compatible with any Wii U title that supports the Wii U Pro Controller,[26] Nintendo since corrected the listing, stating the adapter can only be used with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and would not be compatible with other Wii U or Wii software.[27] The adapter launched alongside the game in November 2014, both separately and as part of a bundle with the game.[28][29] Support for the adapter on Nintendo Switch was introduced via its 4.0 firmware update; unlike the Wii U, it is supported by any game, although functionality may be affected if a game's bindings utilize buttons not found on the GameCube controller.[30]

Accessory maker PDP began releasing a line of officially licensed "Wired Fight Pad" controllers for the Wii and Wii U in 2014, with color schemes based on various Nintendo characters. They are based on the design and layout of the GameCube controller, but are connected via the Wii Remote's expansion port and act identically to a Classic Controller Pro (thus supporting any Wii and Wii U game that supports the Classic Controller, but not GameCube games). To provide parity with the Classic Controller Pro, these controllers feature dual shoulder buttons, as well as the "+", "âˆ’", and "Home" buttons that the GameCube controller lacks. The smaller C-stick is also replaced with the larger[31][32][33] Hori released a similar product line known as the "Battle Pad".[34]

In anticipation of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, both Hori and PDP unveiled similar replications as USB gamepads for Nintendo Switch. As with their Wii U counterparts, they maintain similar designs to the standard GameCube controllers, but updated to include dual shoulder buttons and Switch system keys.[35][36]

Anascape Ltd, a Texas-based firm, filed a lawsuit against Nintendo for patent infringements regarding Nintendo's controllers.[37] A July 2008 verdict found that a ban would be issued preventing Nintendo from selling the regular GameCube and WaveBird controllers in the United States. Nintendo was free to continue selling the controllers pending an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[38] On April 13, 2010, Nintendo won the appeal and the previous court decision was reversed.[39]


guinness book of world records largest wave surfed

Garrett ‘GMAC’ McNamara (born August 10, 1967) is an American professional big wave surfer and extreme waterman known for breaking the world record for largest wave ever surfed at Nazaré, Portugal, surviving a monstrous wave at Jaws, and riding tsunami from calving glaciers in Alaska.

Garrett McNamara

McNamara was born on August 10, 1967 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and spent part of his childhood in Berkeley, California. In Berkeley, McNamara, and his younger brother Liam McNamara, were both known by friends to be rather fearless and to shrug off the pains of rough childhood play, foreshadowing his later ability to face danger while surfing.[2] McNamara moved to the North Shore of Hawaii in 1978. At eleven years old, McNamara followed his younger brother's footsteps and began surfing at Sunset, Waimea and the outer reefs in search of giant swells. He entered and placed in the prestigious Hawaiian Triple Crown Series at seventeen and began to gain major sponsors from major Japanese brands. For the next ten years, both brothers joined the competition circuit, traveling and becoming fluent in Japanese.

Tow surfing caught on among the surfing community in the early 1990s and McNamara was one of the first to join the movement. Boats and personal water craft enabled surfers to chase down and catch giant waves that were thought impossible, beyond the bounds of surfers paddling with their bare hands. McNamara welcomed and craved the challenge to find the biggest waves in the world, which would instantly become his dream and mission in life.

After training for a year, McNamara and tow-in partner Rodrigo Resende won the $70,000 purse at the Tow Surfing World Cup in Maui at Jaws in 2002.[3] Later that year, he posed for the cover of major surf magazines around the world after being photographed in a dramatic barrel shot off of the coast of Teahupo'o in Tahiti. In 2003 he rode one of his most well known waves. McNamara was once again at Jaws and caught a wave with a 20-foot (6.1Â m) barrel where onlookers believed he had been crushed by the lip of the wave. The wave spit and escaping death, he emerged to the surprise and amazement of everyone watching, including himself.

The boundaries of big-wave surfing were pushed once again in the summer of 2007 by McNamara and partner Keali’i Mamala, seeking tsunami formed by 300-foot (91 m) calving glaciers in South-Central Alaska. A feature film was made documenting their experience.[4]

In January 2016, McNamara suffered a severe wipeout on a 50-foot wave at Mavericks in California that caused him to skip off the water three times before being swallowed by the monster-size wave. Rescuers on jet skis eventually pulled McNamara to safety, and he suffered a dislocated shoulder and a broken upper arm that required surgery.[5] Video of McNamara's wipeout went viral, and local surfers have said it was one of the worst wipeouts caught on video.[6]

In November 2011, chasing storms and tracking swells paid off for McNamara as he entered the Guinness World Records. He caught a 78 foot (24 m) wave in Nazaré, Portugal after being towed into the wave from a jet ski riding a 6’0 Dick Brewer Tow Board. His record beat the prior world record by over a foot,[7] but the premature announcement (by others, not by McNamara) proved a source of controversy in the surf world.[8] Meanwhile, McNamara continued to search for an even larger wave.

In January 2013, McNamara broke his own world record by surfing an estimated 100-foot (30 m) wave.[9] He also did this off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal.[10]

In recent years, McNamara began another pursuit of Stand Up Paddle (SUP) and gave it his own twist by designing and creating SUP boards for a more extreme experience, venturing into big wave venues like Waimea, Puerto Escondido, and Mavericks. He was invited to compete in the World Stand Up Paddle Surfing Championship in June 2009 by the International Surfing Association, where only 32 elite surfers were invited to attend.[11]

In early 2011, he signed on as a team rider and global ambassador to WaveJet, an electronic jet drive that plugs into any WaveJet personal watercraft including surfboards, stand up paddleboards, and more.

McNamara is married to Nicole McNamara (née Macias), an environmental sciences teacher. The couple wed at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal in November 2012.[12][13]

Continuous exploration of Nazaré, Portugal

Entered into Guinness World Records for Largest Wave Ever Surfed of 78 feet - Nazaré, Portugal[14]
Billabong XXL Awards – Biggest Wave Award
Billabong XXL Awards – Wipeout of the Year Award
Billabong XXL Awards – Ride of the Year Nominee

Surfed 78 foot wave in NazarÃ©, Portugal that will later be entered into Guinness World Records

Exploration of Praia do Norte (Nazaré) - Portugal

Billabong XXL Awards – Monster Tube Nominee
Billabong XXL Awards – Ride of the Year Nominee def

2nd Place Puerto Escondido, Mexico SUP Contest
Billabong XXL Awards – Performance of the Year Award
Billabong XXL Awards – Golden Donut Nominee
2nd Place Free Wave Challenge Tube of the Year

Billabong XXL Awards – Performance of the Year
Billabong XXL Awards – Biggest Wave Award

1st Place Nell Scott Tow Surfing Championships
Billabong XXL Awards â€“ Golden Donut Award

1st Place North Shore Tow Surfing Championships

Surfer Poll â€“ Best Tube Award

1st Place Jaws World Cup Expression Session

1st Place Jaws World Cup Tow in Surfing

The following is based on Internet Movie Database data:[15]