Crap Surfer

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I'm crap at quite a few things.

I'm crap at most things actually. For the record, I'm not crap if you need help lifting heavy things. I'm not crap if you're looking for overly precious alliteration. But outside of those two fairly narrow skill sets, I'm crap.

I'm a crap surfer too. But I'm not even a good crap surfer. Bill Bankes-Jones, on the other hand, is the world champion of crap surfing. This is his story.

Stickers on guitar cases

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Yesterday Charlie Parr played a lunchtime gig in our office. If you're familiar with Charlie Parr, you know how cool that is because Charlie Parr is freaking fantastic.  I'm going write about Charlie another day when I have the time to do it right.

For now, I just wanted to share a handwritten sticker that he had on his guitar case. The line is from a 1941 Almanac Singers song called Talking Union. The Almanac Singers included Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and goddamn that's a good line.

Blame it on Stevie's wild heart

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Justin Vernon mentioned this Stevie Nicks video in an interview I read recently. He sampled her vocal, straight from the video, for the latest Bon Iver album. He said it's his favorite YouTube video of all time, and I'll be damned if I'm not coming around to that same opinion.

It's Stevie casually singing Wild Heart while having her makeup done for a Rolling Stone cover shoot. I'm guessing the video was shot sometime in August 1981. 

She sings like a bird here. Gliding and effortless and free. 

Tim Linhart: Making Ice Music

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Well here is something I haven't seen before. One day Colorado native Tim Linhart was in the mountains when he decided to carve an upright string bass made of ice. He loved the sound and went on to form Ice Music, a winter concert series in Sweden. The music is quite beautiful as are Tim's observations about human connection to water, frozen or otherwise. 

You can learn more about the concert series here.

As for this particular video, it's part of the Buck The Cubicle series which is about people who find inspiration in their decidedly offbeat occupations.

The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere

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I'll admit, I clicked on this simply because the title caught my eye. Every loser can use a shining star, after all, including me.

The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere is a documentary about a racehorse. If you have absolutely no interest in documentaries about race horses, then this is the documentary about a race horse for you.

It definitely caught me off guard in a wonderful way. I know 18 minutes is a freaking life time these days, but it's worth a watch.

BROOKZILL!

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I'm excited. For real!

I've been on a bit of a tropicalia kick this summer. Gilberto Gil and all them guys. Although some of the music is pushing 50 years old, to my ear it sounds as fresh as ever. Perfect summer vibes that, unfortunately, don't make it onto too many summer playlists. Banished in favor of those two Zac Brown songs, the Marley Legend album, and It's 5:00 Somewhere. 

But here comes Prince Paul and his Afro-Brazilian collective BROOKZILL! Prince Paul, one of my favorite producers of all time (De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, etc.), has teamed up with Brazilian MC Rodrigo Brandao, Ladybug (from Digable Planets) and fellow Brooklyn-based producer Don Newkirk. PP's always been an eclectic dude, and it looks like he'll be bringing that sensibility to this project.

"To me, BROOKZILL! is a throwback to why I started my whole career: good music is good music, regardless of what the language is, what the culture is," Paul said in a statement. "This record stands by what I've always stood by. It might not be what you're familiar with. But for some reason, you just like it 'cause it's good. It shouldn't have a face on it, it should just be felt."

The album won't be out until October, but they're releasing three mix tapes in the meantime. The first, below, is inspired by Rodrigo. I'll post the others as they're released I have no idea how this will compare to the actual album, but I dig it.

Sao Paulo, Brazil MC Rodrigo Brandão

Douglas Tompkins: A Wild Legacy

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I've always known of Douglas Tompkins (founder of The North Face). But it wasn't until his death late last year in a kayaking accident that I really learned about his extraordinary life. This film is a good look into his incredible effect on our planet (Chile and Argentina in particular), not to mention an interesting glimpse at the birth of The North Face, Patagonia, and the outdoor business as we know it. 

Gold

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I loved Gold, from Chet Faker, the first time I heard it. Never saw the video until today.

For the record, I grew up on a roller skating rink. (FYI: Never Been Any Reason by Head East, alongside Don't Stop Til You Get Enough by Michael, those were my freaking jams.)

So the skating might be part of the reason I love this video so much. Or who knows. But yeah, this thing right here. This thing right here!!!

A trailer? Maybe so...

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The whole #vanlife movement kind of caught me off-guard.

I've always been a boat person. Never gave RV's a second glance. And I've always preferred tents over campers. Unless, you know, it's been raining for days and there's talk of euchre. But dang, I've seen some really cool van conversions lately.

My favorites ones tend to be on the rickety side. The result of pure passion and marginal engineering skills. I have both of those things! So I find myself peaking at every van and delivery vehicle I see. Imagining where I'd stow the solar margarita maker during off-road travel.

But the fact is I don't think I'd get much use out of such a van. Most of my bigger trips tend to involve islands. The wilder ones involve boots and backpacks, paddles and portages. That leaves the long weekends – trout camp and smelt camp and, oh don't get me started on all my damn camps. For those trips I don't need a fully outfitted long-range travel vehicle. I need a place to sleep and cook and keep my beer cold.

Which brings me to my point: check out this trailer! A lot of towable tear-drops have come out over the last few years but the Timberleaf is a real beauty.  I haven't seen one in person, which is critical, but they seem to have put much more care into it than others I've seen. It ain't cheap, but less expensive than a converted van, especially when you consider fuel costs (it's towable with a car). It sure would look purty behind my Jeep. If'n you're interested, you can check it out here.

Impossible

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“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

               - Muhammad Ali