SURF COUNTY, USA : A Real Job? Selling Cars? Say It Ain’t So, Corky

Surf star Corky Carroll, whose reputation for being out of a job was as big as some of the giant waves he has surfed, has--alas--found gainful employment selling cars.

Carroll, 43, surfing’s iconoclast, forged a surfing career while supporting himself with such odd jobs as dishwasher, waiter, ski-boot riveter and musician.

Those who recall a beer commercial featuring Carroll probably remember its punch line, playing on the surfing hero’s lifelong job defiance.

Now, it’s get up, put on a shirt and tie and head for Jim Slemons Honda in San Juan Capistrano.

Corky may have a job, but it doesn’t sound 9-to-5. In fact, during a recent weekday when a nice, four-foot swell was hitting Orange County beaches, the Cork could not be found on the showroom floor.

“Corky isn’t coming in today,” a Slemons receptionist said. “He’s due to come in tomorrow . . . around 3 p.m.”