Author(s): Sean Doherty

Sport

The Untold Story of Australian Surfing's Cult Hero.

Michael Peterson, or MP as he is commonly known, ruled the surfing scene throughout the early to mid-1970s.
Despite Michael's brilliant success he was, unbeknownst to all, facing a tougher opponent than anything he'd ever encounter in the surf. What many dismissed as introverted weirdness was, in fact, the early signs of paranoid schizophrenia, and Michael's battle with this disease would ultimately put an end to his flourishing career.

As completely as he had dominated, MP disappeared from the surfing landscape, and now, after so many years of obscurity, he tells what is truly Australian surfing's great untold story.

This book covers everything from Peterson's early life with an abusive stepfather, to his celebrated victories in numerous surfing competitions, to his descent into the drug scene, his imprisonment and subsequent institutionalisation.

With a foreword written by former surfing world champion and MP's lifelong friend Peter Townsend, and tributes written by surfing legends Kelly Slater, Rabbit Bartholomew, Nat Young and Barton Lynch among others, this is the only authorised biography of MP, as told to 'Tracks' magazine's editor, Sean Doherty.