Ton Up

I was bitten by the bike bug a few years back, and man, it's an illness worse than the dengue.*

Unlike a true fever though, the only remedy for this sickness is more spark and horsepower. Fortunately, for obsessives like us there's a new tv show called Cafe Racer TV on HD Theater.

Go ahead and tune in to all the Brylcreem action. Blast the Eddie Cochran and inject yourself into the Brit-rock sub-culture.

*Disclaimer: Don't say I didn't warn you about the bugs...






Cafe Racer TV promo:



Eddie Cochran - Nervous Breakdown:



Eddie Cochran with Wolfman Jack intro - C'mon Everybody:

Cape Cod

Gant Rugger Fall/Winter 2010.

Unbeknownst to me (before now), Gant Rugger has teamed up with the band U.S. Royalty to promote their fall/winter clothing line.

Check out their promotional movie Cape Cod and tell me that it's not a brilliant piece of marketing. Afterall, you can't go wrong with motorcycles, music, and the great outdoors.

Fall Swag

Fawlz-a-here, which means that I can finally loot my closets of the old unwanted gear and either hawk it, donate it, or trash it. At the time of this post I will have already unloaded three bags worth of pants, tops, and shoes. Not bad, considering that I have already found a bunch of new stuff to add to my ongoing collection.

I'm personally digging a lot of things over at Hickoree's Hard Goods.

You can chalk this up to, "shit I want for the Fall":


This 1940s-50s Hercules Denim Chore Jacket is pretty sweet. Perfect for just about any outdoor activity.

Including working on a chain gang. Just ask Paul Newman:



I see these 1950s-60s Sears "Mountain Cloth" work pants and think about every working stiff that ever had to pull a pair of these on and trudge to the office. They'd make for a great motorcycle utility pant.



This Stanley & Sons selvedge denim apron is unfortunately sold out on the web. Great for any craftsmen, artist, architect, mechanic, etc.

I'm not a wallet guy anymore but this may change my attitude. Just don't drop it in the woods 'cause it'd be gone forever.

This pimp leather biz card holder satisfies a need in my life. I will own this.

The embossed "dueling pistols" icon on the front is an old military insignia used by the MP division, and is stamped with a WWII-era lead and steel die. I didn't need any additional reasons, but this description makes it that much better.

These Velskoen boots are the precursor to the modern day desert boot. Here's what's neat about them:

Our velskoen are made in the coastal town of Swakopmund, Namibia, at the Herbert Schier factory. A production line of eight Damara gentlemen assembles every shoe by hand, turning out 30 pairs a day.

Herbert Schier vellies are made of vegetable-dyed Kudu leather. The Namibian government mandates the culling of these large native antelope to control the population. Kudu skin yields amazingly durable leather and suede, and because these are taken from wild animals they often show scars or other "imperfections" that domesticated hides don't.

What, you mean to tell me that you wouldn't want this to keep vagrants away from your fort?

I'm a voracious note-taker and a doodler. I will often carry note pads with me from meeting to meeting as a tool to stay on task. These little guys not only look cool, but will also slip into your back pocket. Excellent.

Every scribbler needs a good set of graphite pencils. These are about as worthy as you will find.

Motorcycle Diaries

Daniel Espírito Santo is a Portuguese photographer based in Lisbon.

I'm really digging this photo set he calls Motorcycle Diaries, although the classic Ariel definitely takes second billing to the achingly beautiful mulher riding tandem.

See the rest here.

A Work of Persol

"When I believe in something I fight like hell for it."

-Steve McQueen

I rarely spend more than $10 bucks on eyewear these days. The only specs I need have tinted lenses and I still find ways to chip, crack, break, lose (etc) them.

Today I tried on the Persol PO 714SM Steve McQueen Special Edition. I may have to ante up for a pair.

Get some.

"Live Today. Tomorrow Will Cost More."

The title of this post was the once famous slogan from the now defunct Pan American World Airways. Cultural icon of the 20th Century.

Pan Am existed at a time when air travel was new and cool, it was ok to hit on the "stewardessessessess", and it didn't take five hours to get through security. Because, well, there was no security.

When I was younger my family took our semi-annual trips from Houston to London on Pan Am. We flew steerage on the Jumbo Jet and back then it was okay to smoke and get sauced on flights. It looks glamorous in old movies right? Yeah, well, when you're stuck on a nine hour flight and everyone is smoking the entire trip it pretty much just sucks. Especially when you're squinting through the haze on the one screen to watch Corey Haim in Lucas.

Pan Am Clipper - 747 Jumbo Jet.

Anyway, the airline company may be dead but the brand continues to live on through a variety of goods; primarily these kickass bags:

Marc Jacobs approved.

I purchased mine (below) a few years ago and can testify to the fact that it makes a perfect carry-all for flights, weekend trips, whatever. I get stopped all of the time in airports by people asking me where I purchased it from. Plus, it looks dope.

Denim Debate

The Fall season is upon us and we should all be spending more time outdoors enjoying what little sunshine we have left...until next Spring, that is. What that really means is that you should be wearing more denim; whether you're a naturalist, an urbanite, or a suburbanite.

Wearing pants, for some, may seem like a personal thing, but for the folks over at Denim Debate it's a quest for enlightenment.

Breaking in new selvedge denim may be a bitch, but at least now you're in good company. Share the angst. Get out. Explore.

Gymkhana

Speed + Precision Drifting = Ken Block is a sick, sick driver.

A Well-Suited Man...

Edward C. Gauvreau surveying 40 calling cards from businessmen in one day. April 1948, Washington, DC. Francis Miller. LIFE Magazine.



I started employment on a new job last week that carries with it a snazzy position title, and today I had to oversee the final edits to the business card.

Allow me to restate that salient point: MY BUSINESS CARD. A prospect thrilling enough all by itself, if it weren't for the fact that I was unemployed for a year and a half. Yeah, ouch. But, I began to think about the underlying meaning of this little 3 X 2 piece of weighted paper. Definitely one of the oft overlooked tools of the modern day business trade.

My new position will take me, literally, across the globe. With a firm handshake and a slight flip of the wrist my contact info will be distributed to the world.

I was curious about the history of business cards and fished around on the web to find suitable info. I found this:

In European Society:

...with the rise of the middle class during the Industrial Revolution and an overall lessening of social formality, a class of private entrepreneurs emerged in both Europe and the United States that had a constant need to exchange contact information...these were handed out widely at presentations and exhibitions but were looked upon with disdain by members of the upper class.

In the United States:

In the United States, however, business card use became widespread in the 1890s (the so-called age of the Captains of Industry or "robber barons") and the cards achieved their current level of ubiquity by the early 20th century.

Modern Business Card Etiquette and Format:

...Cards should not be carried loose but in appropriate card cases and should be maintained in pristine condition. The general rule of thumb is that the card should be presented in the condition in which the owner himself would appear for a high level business meeting -- immaculate and behaving according to the manners of the host nation.


That last bit is important. I am now on the search for a slick new card carrying case. Preferably something with vintage appeal. A well-suited man always needs...

Original Design © Copyright Cosmic Firefly. Via Etsy.

Original Design © Copyright Cosmic Firefly.

A bit too intricate for my purpose. But, you get the point. Via.

Not suitable for ALL businesses, but a conversation starter for sure. Via.

The Art of Surf Photography: John Severson

Big Surf Event


"In this crowded world, the surfer can still seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts...."
- John Severson

I received my first subscription to Surfer Magazine when I was 18 years old. It was an event when it arrived in my mail and I'd turn to those gorgeous full page spreads of colorful reefbreaks in far off distant lands. My college dormmates and I would argue over who had the sickest shreds and the gnarliest wipeouts; checking out the boards and racks as if we were speaking of girlfriends. In a way we were because we loved surfing.

Severson's vision created that publication and his legacy lives on through millions of people that wait patiently, each month, by their mailboxes.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Curl. 1962.

Sunset Beach Drop. 1961.

Standing Island Pullout. 1959.

Rincon Cruise. 1960.

Mickey Munoz "The Quasimodo". 1959.

Kemp Aaberg at Rincon. 1959.

Hang Ten. 1959.

Hammond's Reef. 1964.

Greg Noll. Pipeline. 1964. "Da Bull".

Banzai Beach. 1959.

SURF ART

Wild Angels.

Ranchlands.

Soup Arch.

Golden Age.

His bestselling book, Surf Fever, is out of print. A few copies may still be available for sale on his website.

Here's a short preview of his legendary surf movie, Pacific Vibrations:

The Art of Skate Photography: Hugh Holland

Jesus Saves, Marina Del Rey, 1977.

This post is Part 2 in a series about surf and skate culture. Click here for Part 1.

Have I ever told the story about my epic wipeout while hauling ass downhill on a yellow banana board? No need for gory details, but it's the main reason why I never became a skater. But, if you were to ask me what photos embody California youth culture in the 1970s I would point you to the work of Hugh Holland.

I'll let his mini bio do the talking:

One afternoon in 1975, a young photographer named Hugh Holland drove up Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles and encountered skateboarders carving up the drainage ditches along the side of the canyon. Immediately transfixed by their grace and athleticism, he knew he had found an amazing subject. Although not a skateboarder himself, for the next three years Holland never tired of documenting skateboarders surfing the streets of Los Angeles, parts of the San Fernando Valley, Venice Beach, and as far away as San Francisco and Baja California, Mexico. During the mid-1970s, Southern California was experiencing a serious drought, leaving an abundance of empty swimming pools available for trespassing skateboarders to practice their tricks. From these suburban backyard haunts to the asphalt streets that connected them, this was the place that created the legendary Dogtown and Z-Boys skateboarders. Indigenous to Southern California, these rebellious, daring, and highly skilled kids were at the forefront of this burgeoning sub-culture. Get the book here.

Warning: the following images make evoke a serious desire to break into your community pool and shred. I do not condone this behaviour. Unless, of course, said pool is empty.

Stacy Peralta in the Valley, 1977.

Skater School, Orange County.

Skate Shooter, Kenter Canyon Elementary, Brentwood, 1976.

Sidewalk Surfer, The Promenade, Huntington Beach, 1975.

Reach Out, 1976.

Number 79, Long Beach, 1975.

Laid Out at Kenter, 1976.

One Hangs Ten (Jeff Jones), Kenter Canyon, 1976.

In Your Face (Jay Adams), Kenter Canyon Elementary, 1976.

Hollywood Local, Hollywood Hills, 1976.

Arthur's Attitude (Arthur Lake), Kenter Canyon Elementary, 1976.

Jeff's Return.

Stacy Peralta Ripping at Coldwater Canyon Pool, 1977.

Skatepark Construction, Montebello, 1977.

Hangin in Balboa, 1975.

Riding to Ride, Highway 80, 1977.

Gold Skater, San Diego, 1975.

Asphalt Angel, Kenter Canyon Elementary, 1976.

Last Light at Kenter Elementary, 1976.

La Bufadora (Todd Foot), Ensenada, 1976.

Jeff Jones Stands on Coping, 1976.

Canyon Sunset Ride, Hollywood Hills, 1976.

Solo, Kenter Canyon Elementary, 1976.