www.redbulletin.com
an almost independent monthly magazine / March 2010
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Chocks away! How the Red Bull Air Race world champ got his wings
Banzai FMX
Full throttle with Japan’s moto pioneer
Board stupid?
Wife, nine kids and a camper van: one man’s surf odyssey
Chariot for a Champion EXCLUSIVE 1! inside F1’s most-Fancied car – by the man who made it EXCLUSIVE 2! BErniE ECCLESTONE: “I’d pick vettel over SCHUMacher”
3” 4 COLOR
60.40.40.100
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BullHorn
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New challenges
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By the time you read this, the first war – the winter world championship as Formula One aficionados like to call it – will be over. Cars from the likes of Ferrari. McLaren, Mercedes and yes, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso, will have completed their final pre-season testing laps and we’ll have some indication of who’s hot and who’s not for the season ahead. That season starts on March 14 in Bahrain, and hopes are high among the Red Bull Racing crew that this year they have a genuine shot at the drivers’ and constructors’ world titles. If looks alone won championships, then the competition would already be running scared: as you’ll have seen from this month’s cover, the new RB6 car is stunning and there’s no reason why the team won’t be able to pick up 2010 where they left off 2009. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished 1-2 in Abu Dhabi to close out the 2009 season in style and confirm Red Bull Racing as second-best constructor. This year, as team boss Christian Horner tells us exclusively on page 60 (part of our Formula One season preview), the team’s explicit aim is to go one better. You’ll be able to follow their challenge throughout the year at en.redbulletin.com and through the pages of this very magazine. Elsewhere this month we bring you our regular mix of sport, spectacle and culture, with highlights such as an intimate chat with R&B legend Jazzie B, who’s been enjoying the rare opportunity to mix vibes with musos of every stripe at the Red Bull Music Academy, based for the past month in London. And talking of legends, few come bigger in their respective sports than Japan’s pioneering FMX hero Eigo Sato (page 38) or multiple windsurfing world champion Robby Naish (page 80). Should be enough to keep you hooked while we’re busy producing the next issue. So read on, dear reader, read on…
cover photography: rick guest
Your editorial team
Red Bulletin + webcam + Internet access = a multi-media experience! In this issue: learn to fly with Red Bull Air Race Champ Paul Bonhomme, drive on ice in a Formula One car, battle it out with the Red Bull X-Fighters, see FMX star Eigo Sato fly through the air, explore the new Red Bull Racing F1 car and ride big waves with surf legend Robby Naish
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Your Red Bulletin can do much more than you think Go to en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 then follow the instructions on page 7
Turn on your webcam‌
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‌and watch the very best of the action at Red Bull X-Fighters: see page 32
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Credits
The new multi-media experience. Wherever you see the Bull’s Eye!
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Contents
welcome to the world of Red Bull Inside your mind-boggling Red Bulletin this month…
Bullevard
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10 pictures of the month
en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 Bring your magazine to life online
16 now and next What to see and where to be in the worlds of culture and sport 21 me and my body Black eyes, achy bones and big heights are all part of Anna Bader’s quest for the perfect cliff dive 22 kit evolution It’s still round and you can still kick it, but the humble football has changed over the decades 26 where’s your head at? Politics, divorce and surgery are just some of the things inside the mind of controversial actor and this year’s Oscars host Alec Baldwin 28 winning formula The science behind backflipping off a tree gives a glimpse into the world of freerunning 30 lucky numbers Ultra runners are all about the figures, and some have clocked up a mind-boggling number. Lap around the planet, anyone?
Heroes
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34 dorian paskowitz One man, one van, nine kids, wife, surf and a dream lifestyle… so why did it turn into a nightmare? 38 eigo sato The man who brought freestyle motocross to Japan may be the oldest Red Bull X-Fighter, but he’s one of the best 42 zoË bell Hollywood’s queen of stunts is equally happy being set on fire as fighting ninjas in a Kill Bill leather catsuit 44 jeremy phillips South Africa’s first name in jet-ski freeriding talks backflips, barrel rolls and getting Angelina Jolie up to speed 46 marc possover He isn’t Jesus, but Professor Possover does help paraplegics get back on their feet and resume some important control 06
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Contents
Action
52 soccer town The beautiful game in the Big Apple 60 formula one New teams, new cars, some old faces. We take an exclusive sneak peak at what the 2010 season may hold 68 red bull soundclash Genre swapping is the name of the game as soul singer Erykah Badu tries her hand at country and western 74 reggie bush The NFL star’s photo diary of the New Orleans Saints’ historic Super Bowl win photography: david lang/red bull photofiles, flo hagena/red bull photofiles, getty images, matthew salacuse, rick guest, philipp horak, thomas butler. illustration: albert exergian
More Body & Mind
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80 robby naish We break bread with the champion windsurfer, kiteboarder and, er, keeper of cows 82 get the gear As the Oscar glam wagon rolls into town, we size up the red carpet essentials 84 red bull air race Another action-packed season is about to take off, and promises an epic battle to top all that has come before 86 listings Worldwide, day and night, our guide to the ultimate month-long weekend 90 nightlife From hot house in Singapore to icy London electro, via Parisian record label Institubes and squeaky cheese in Helsinki 96 short story The tale of one man and his cat 98 stephen bayley Why some towns give him the blues
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Switch on your webcam If a webcam activation window opens, just click ‘activate’
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Hold your Red Bulletin up to the webcam You’ll see all the multimedia content in this month’s mag – movies, sound and animation
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illustration: dietmar kainrath
K a i n r at h
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photography: beat kammerlander/red bull photofiles
Finding new routes to bring you the best sport and culture from around the world
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gastein valley, salzburg , austria
face first They grade ice climbs on a scale from one to eight, one being the easiest – a steep walk requiring crampons and an ice axe – and eight listed as ‘under discussion’ because no one’s ever scaled anything hard enough to warrant it. What you see here is the first ascent of a seven – among the toughest ice climbs ever established. And when you’re first up – as local boy Rudolf Hauser, 27, (top) and his team were, on Gamsstubenfall – there’s no margin for error. The 800m climb took 11 hours of stone-cold concentration. A week later, Hauser solo freeclimbed a nearby grade-six route. That’s what these men do. Watch ice-climbing videos at www.redbull.com
Mexico city, mexico
running free
photography: Mauricio Ramos/Red Bull Photofiles
The world is Ryan Doyle’s playground. The newly crowned 2010 UK freerunning champion navigates a unique path through life, using what city planners have unsuspectingly given him to pull off the sorts of tricks and moves that get a fellow YouTube stardom. The 25-year-old from Liverpool landed in Mexico alongside 400 of his fellow urban gymnasts for the National Parkour and Freerunning Jam, held at the city’s Olympic swimming pool complex, to show off his agility and pass on his expertise. “Freerunning isn’t about the destination,” he says, “it’s about the journey. So I jump off walls, benches, trees. I basically flip off the world around me.” Search for Doyle at www.redbull.com to see him in action
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f l aç a , g i ro n a , s pa i n
flip service Andreu Lacondeguy is no shrinking violet. The mountain bike freerider wants to leap bigger, faster, harder and longer. “For years, we’ve used BMX-sized jumps,” says the Spaniard. “But we ride mountain bikes: we can go bigger!” Thus he adapted his FMX practice dirt ramp to fulfil his lofty ambition. With the help of expert jump builder and fellow rider Axel Jürgens, he perfected a double backflip, over 10m long and 8m high, with a clean landing. The how-they-did-it (and Wow! They did it!) is out soon on DVD, entitled We Are Family. Watch Lacondeguy go large at www.watch26.tv
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photography: Sebas Romero/Red Bull Photofiles
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How I got my wings Red Bull Air Race champion Paul Bonhomme and five of his rivals for 2010 tell us how they were inspired to take to the air
Young top guns: Paul Bonhomme, centre, in 1978 with brother Steve, left, and friend Chris Beal
White Waltham, a cosy airfield west of London. Time was already standing still here 30 years ago, and it’s no different today. The soft grass on the landing field, the tower that looks more like a high-chair than a flight-control centre. Today it is the home of the West London Aero Club.
White Waltham has been Paul Bonhomme’s playground since 1977. “I first came here for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee airshow and I was 13 at the time. My dad brought me and my brother down here. It was the most fantastic airshow. It had everything, it had a Harrier, the Rothmans
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PICTURES OF THE MONTH
every shot on target Email your pics with a Red Bull flavour to letters@redbulletin.com. Every one we print wins a pair of Sennheiser PMX 80 Sport II headphones. These sleek, sporty and rugged stereo ’phones feature an ergonomic neckband and vertical transducer system for optimum fit and comfort. Their sweat- and water-resistant construction also makes them ideal for all music-loving sports enthusiasts. www.sennheiser.co.uk letters@redbulletin.com
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Kingston The World Cup’s not this year’s only football competition: freestylers in Jamaica battle it out for glory. Marlon James
Words: nadja zele. Photography: Thomas butler, carascosa fotografos sl, markus kucera (4), interviewees’ own (6)
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Aerobatic Team, it had a VC10 airliner, flying up and down, it was just brilliant.” Bonhomme was already into planes at that stage in his life. His father was a pilot, first for the Royal Air Force and later an airline captain; his mother was an air-stewardess. But, says their boy, “it was that airshow which cemented my fascination with flying”. White Waltham drew him in like a siren. He would go after school and at weekends. “I would clean the planes and wait to be taken up in one in return.” Eventually, the pilots would let him start the engines, then fly and finally land. Bonhomme can’t remember exactly taking his first flight. He first landed a plane, probably, with his father by his side and got his pilot’s licence in America when he was 17 (the exchange rate to the dollar was good at the time) and has continued to learn ever since. A flying friend suggested that progress at the controls of a plane was a question of making and reaching goals slowly but surely. “You hear people saying: Oh, I learned to fly in 1981, I don’t think you ever stop learning, once you start flying you learn forever. You have to take it step-by-step. Don’t expect it all at once.” Nevertheless, success came quickly to Bonhomme. Early in his career he was a flying teacher, piloted an airtaxi for jockeys, flew people
Tampere
These Finnish ice hockey players aren’t known as the best in Europe for nothing. Rami Lappalainen
As a teenager I met a pilot who flew Spitfires in WWII. He told me he had only one regret: that he wasn’t my age so he could do it all over again. That was it. I wanted to be like him. Matt Hall (AUS) I discovered flying and the adventure that comes with it through hang gliding. You’re 15 and you’re having fun up in the sky somewhere, 1000m over a valley. You’ve got to deal with the insecurity that you feel. Hannes Arch (AUT) My first solo flight in a glider was when I was 14. I was taken up to 600m and flew for 15 minutes. It was such a great feeling! From that moment on I knew exactly what it was I wanted to do. Matthias Dolderer (GER) I was 14 when I went up in a plane for the first time at the São Paulo flying club – before that I would draw and make models of planes, make my own kites. I dreamed of becoming a pilot, and it came true. Adilson Kindlemann (BRA) To me, flying is freedom, in every sense of the word. I could sense that even as a child. Being able to move in all directions at high speed just above the ground is my freedom and passion. Sergey Rakhmanin (RUS)
Auckland It’s every man for himself as much rubber is burned in the motocross final. Steve Smith
home who fell ill on holiday in the Greek islands, sat behind the controls of a Boeing 737 for Welsh airline Awyr Cymru and in 1988, at the grand old age of 24, was working as a pilot for British Airways. And when he wasn’t flying professionally, he was doing aerobatics. One airshow in particular, at White Waltham in 1994, he’ll never forget. “I was doing an airshow in a Russian aeroplane, a Yak-18T and I made a mistake with the inverted fuel system. I ended up running it dry while I was upside down at 5m. There was about three seconds where I thought, ‘Oh-Oh,’ I remember shouting ‘SHIT’. I thought I was going to kill myself.” Then there was a loud bang, but he was able to recover and move forward with a lesson that never leaves him: “It was a reminder that I’m not invincible. I was too selfconfident before that.” As a consequence of that near miss and excess workload, he now retreats for an hour before he takes part in a Red Bull Air Race. He speaks to no one during this time, and thinks about his flight. “If you overlook a single detail when you’re flying, there could be no tomorrow.” It’s because of all his yesterdays that Bonhomme is now a winner. Go to en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 for more on Bonhomme Find out about this year’s series at www.redbullairrace.com
Johannesburg One man’s head is turned at the launch party of The Red Bulletin’s South African edition. Mark Henson 17
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Speed boats
Icy Road Ahead Remaking an F1 circuit on a frozen lake. Because you can In theory there are more appropriate cars for winter conditions, but anyone can drive a diesel SUV with heated seats. Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Buemi, meanwhile, took a 700bhp Formula One car out onto a frozen lake. To celebrate the return of the Canadian Grand Prix to the F1 world championship calendar, a 1:1 replica of the legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was marked out on Lac à l’Eau Claire, in the north of Quebec. The Swiss driver and his Red Bull Racing crew took to their unusual surroundings with aplomb. The team’s tyre provider, Bridgestone, also had their work cut out to keep Buemi from doing a
Bambi, but their very special set of tungsten-studded tyres – 420 spikes in each of the front pair, 588 in the rears – kept him on track. There would be no complaining over the radio about a lack of grip during this ice-cold training session. The bumpy surface was a bit of a problem, though, as was the decidedly un-F1 temperature. “By the end it was unpleasantly chilly in the cockpit,” said Buemi. “It’s made me look forward to Montreal even more.” The race proper is in sunny June.
Put ‘snowkayak world’ into www. youtube.com for a taste of the action
Go to en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 for a cool video. Download the Red Bull Racing Challenge game at www.apple.com/itunes
Newcastle The Reading University Breakdance Rotorua A rider defies gravity in the name of Cru get an energy boost at the UK championships. four-cross at the Mountain Biking World Championships. Dan Dewhirst Mike Peffers 18
It’s only fair, really. Skiers took their two planks out onto the water, so why not let those in a canoe do their thing on the snow runs? This month, the fourth annual Snow Kayak World Championships showcases the best in this most unusual snowsport. At speeds of up to 60kph, four kayakers at a time battle it out in knockout rounds, spinning, getting scarily big air and jostling one another on the banked bends and inbuilt jumps of the bespoke frozen course at Lienz, Austria. More than 100 entrants from seven countries turned out last year, and this year organisers expect the action to attract a crowd of up to 10,000. “I love the Snow Kayak World Championship, it’s getting bigger and better each year,” says current world champ Herbert Feuerstein. “It’s unbelievably hard to win, because so many great kayakers take part. Now the participants even wax their boats to get faster. Everyone will be doing everything to win this year.”
Perth You’ve heard of horsepower – well, this is bull power, here in action on the roads of Australia. Carl Reynolds
words: werner jessner, ruth morgan. Photography: David Lang/Red Bull Photofiles, Martin Lugger/Red Bull Photofiles
Kayakers take to the slippery slopes
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The Future Of SOCCER 2. Replay The Game
Text: Andreas words: Andreas Jaros; Jaros; Illustration: Illustration: Heri Heri Irawan Irawan
The second in our series for World Cup year. This time: success through young bucks, not big bucks
Barça boys: the famous Spanish side invest in young talent as well as world stars
Wilhelmsburg First Felix Baumgartner will conquer the stratosphere; maybe next we’ll see Red Bull on the moon? Helmuth Berger
Flachau FMX star Busty Wolter temporarily takes on the role of co-pilot for Dakar driver Mark Miller in the VW Touareg. Bodo Kråling
The Secret of La Masia might sound like a suitable title for an Indiana Jones movie, but, as revealed by Albert Capellas, it’s a recipe for success that even the deepest of billionaire pockets can’t match. Capellas is youth co-ordinator at FC Barcelona, and La Masia is the club’s talent factory, located near to the team’s famous Nou Camp stadium. The only thing old-fashioned about this place is the main building: it’s an old farmhouse, built in 1702. “We’ve got 12 youth teams for players aged between eight and 22,” says Capellas. “No training session lasts longer than 90 minutes. We concentrate on ball control and passing. The focus is on improving each lad’s weaker foot, a creative, attacking style and on intelligent play. Our target is for half of the first team to be made up of players from La Masia.” In a world of mega-money transfers, this is a bold statement, but plans are in place to fulfil Capellas’ desire. “All teams, right up to the first team play the same system,” he says, “either 4-3-3 or the more attacking 3-4-3; that helps the younger guys get a foot in the door with the first team.” There’s no better example than Barça’s current manager, 39-yearold Pep Guardiola. He first went to La Masia aged 13, made his first-team debut aged 19 under manager Johan Cryuff, rose to captain Cruyff’s Dream Team and win six league titles and a European Cup, became reserve team manager in 2006 and moved one step higher in 2008. At the end of his debut season as first-team coach, his team had won all six available trophies. See how this year’s crop are doing at www.fcbarcelona.com
Oslo The traditional Scandinavian means of transport makes for an extremely fast race. Gali Anikeyev 19
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Austria in focus
Now hear this: Roots Manuva is playing at best indoor fest Bloc
Bloc party
No, not the band – it’s the best mud-free music festival on the planet The recent surge of outdoor music festivals around the world has prompted an opposite and very welcome response: the rise of indoor festivals during ‘offpeak’ times of the year. These events – sometimes genre-specific, sometimes deliberately eclectic, always interesting and affording festival goers the formerly rare pleasure of sleeping in a bed and taking a shower – are cropping up in March, April, September and October. Chief among them, and now in its fourth year, is the Bloc weekender in Somerset in south-west England. The line-up for the event, on March 12-14, is incredible, featuring artists from four decades of electronica, hip-hop and turntablism. Detroit techno legend Derrick May and the groundbreaking Grandmaster Flash are head prefects 20
of the old-school contingent; Flying Lotus and Wiley are among the 21st century’s representatives. Live shows from Roots Manuva and Salt-N-Pepa push it – yes! – to the next level. Bloc takes place at Butlins Minehead, one of a chain of English holiday camps formerly derided for its old-fashioned approach to family breaks. Now this resort, and Butlins’ other two resorts on England’s east and south coasts, host several of these weekenders. In May, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening curates the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival at Minehead, with The Stooges headlining. Iggy Pop buying an ice cream on a windswept beach because of Bart And Homer? It’s a crazy world, we just live in it. Buy tickets and check line-ups at www.blocweekend.com
A chapter of Robert Musil’s novel The Man Without Qualities is titled, ‘A Touch of Reality’. It outlines the dispute between the everyday world and imaginary fantasies, and this is precisely the subject matter young artists in Austria are grappling with today. Hangar-7, at Salzburg Airport, is displaying the works of four women and five men who all depict their homeland figuratively, yet vary wildly between the abstract and the concrete. Kevin A Rausch, a young artist from Wolfsberg, occupies himself with man’s alienation from his planet. The multi-talented Rausch – he paints, makes objects, installations, 8mm films and videos, and plays the accordion – wants to take the art world by storm in the same manner as fellow Wolfsberg native Iris Kohlweiss (work pictured above). There are also works on display by Markus Bacher from Kitzbühel, Uwe John Bardach from Amstetten, Alfredo Barsuglia from Graz, Robert Muntean from Leoben, Ingrid Pröller from Schärding, and by Karine Fauchard and Natia Kalandadze, from France and Georgia respectively but who both live and work in Vienna. The exhibition is at Hangar-7 until the end of March: www.hangar-7.com They might both be from Wolfsberg but they work separately: Iris Kohlweiss and Kevin A Rausch
Words: paul wilson, uschi kordda. Photography: REx Features (1), Markus Krottendorfer (2)
Young artists display their works at Hangar-7
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Me And My Body
Anna Bader
The 26-year-old German still gets the wobbles at the dizzying heights she leaps from as the world’s best female cliff diver, but she would rather cop a black eye or two than quit
Holding it together
“We always dive feet first from heights over 20m because the impact is so big. You’re travelling very fast, maybe 80kph, and then you slow down to zero in maybe 2m or 3m: you really feel it in your legs. You don’t need big muscles, but you have to be able to lock your legs together, using the inner leg muscles, otherwise, on impact, they get forced almost into the splits. It can be very painful. At the Red Bull Cliff Diving series, they jump from 26m. The impact increases so much, and I’m not ready for that yet.”
Words: Ruth Morgan. photography: Ray Demski/Red Bull Photofiles
Eye diving
“Once, doing a dive from just 10m, I landed on my face. The surface of the water is very hard, even from that distance, and I got a nosebleed and two black eyes. I looked horrible. It was a pretty difficult dive – an armstand back double somersault with one and a half twists. At the time there were only three people in the world doing it. I was just a little bit too slow pulling it off. When I crashed it was painful, but at the same time I was proud, as I’d learned how to do the dive: it was just a little mistake and after that I did it in the competitions. Despite the pain, it was a triumph.”
Core issues
“After diving your body hurts. Mainly your back, neck and legs. I have a limit on the number of dives I can do in a day, depending on the height and type of dives. We don’t have safety equipment, like helmets or anything, so in the end you rely on yourself, and I listen to my body. The back and abdominals are very important as, when diving into and entering the water, you have to be very stable, to protect your vertebrae. They keep you in the right position. If your landing is just a tiny bit off, you get bruised, but that’s part of the job. People do break bones, but that’s never happened to me. I have strained plenty of muscles, though.”
Mind tricks
“A big part of cliff diving is in your head. It’s almost like meditation, as you have to listen to your body and your mind. It’s like an inner voice. If you don’t feel right you shouldn’t do it. Every dive is like new. If I go to a new location it’s scary before the dive, and there are some doubts about the risk. It’s like dancing on a tightrope. I think: ‘Can I really do this or not?’ Then it’s like, ‘Yes, of course I can,’ and that’s the right moment to dive. As soon as I’ve taken off, there’s no doubt. I’m simply concentrating on the feeling of the movement and the spinning or twisting. And that’s a good moment. There’s no fear left.”
Working nine to five
“It’s hard to explain exactly how I do a high dive. It’s the culmination of years of training, learning the movements, the momentum and the twisting. It’s everything together, not only the legs or the arms – everything must move in the right way at the right moment. It’s very complex, but I don’t think about it like this anymore. It’s become a feeling and I know what I have to do. Plus, I train a lot. In the winter I do more gymnastic training indoors, but as soon as summer comes, I’m outside and diving off a 10m board five days a week. I love it. This is my passion.” Plunge into Anna Bader’s world at annabader.com
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KIT EVOLUTION
match makers
Give It Some Leather! unbranded, 1941 This is the ball used in the final match of the 1941 German football championship, in which Rapid Vienna came from 3-0 down to beat Schalke 04 4-3, thus securing the title (this was during Austria’s annexation by Germany). It now has pride of place in Rapid’s museum. A classic footy of its time, 22
it is made from thick leather panels sewn together by hand, with a visible stitched slot through which the rubber bladder can be accessed. Balls of this type took on water and became heavy in wet conditions, and goalkeepers back then had to cope with the resulting unpredictable movement that
their modern-day counterparts have to deal with for very different reasons. Indeed, the Austrian word wuchtl, a dialect term for a football, comes from unwucht, which in German means ‘imbalance’. It wasn’t until the 1960s that footballs made from synthetic materials were introduced.
Words: Robert sperl, paul wilson
From the back of the net to the forefront of sports technology: the once-humble football is still round and you can still kick it, but across the decades much else has changed
photography: kurt keinrath; Special thanks to rapid vienna
Sphere And Now Adidas Jabulani, 2010 Every new World Cup brings with it great expectation, a blooming of national pride and, since 1970, a new ball from Adidas. From its first, the Telstar, to the Tango and the +Teamgeist last time around in 2006, the company has earned its stripes with improved ball-design elements and given
TV pundits the chance to rehash their “it moves around too much in the air” routines. However, the Jabulani – “to celebrate”, in Zulu – may put paid those same-old complaints: wind-tunnel tests led sports scientists at Loughborough University to declare it the roundest, truest-performing
football ever made. Its eight panels are moulded together, not stitched, and are made from a mixture of EVA (ethylenevinyl acetate) and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). Not a cowhide in sight. Kick off your World Cup experience at www.adidas.com/football
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Hard & fast Top performers and winning ways from across the globe
Kaya Turski (CAN) After three years of frustrating nearmisses, the determined freeskier (left) took a well-deserved victory in the slopestyle contest at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. The 21year-old’s near-perfect runs led to a huge score of 96 points and that podium-topping gold.
Beach Boys
Jordy Smith loves music. Goldfish love surfing. Hello project GoldSmith
Music and surfing share a happy history. There’s the Beach Boys, obviously, and since their pioneering days, there have been many musicians – notably Chris Isaak and Jack Johnson – who’ve packed their boards alongside their instruments on the tour bus. Adding to that heritage is the recent collaboration between surfing superstar Jordy Smith and DJs/ beatfreaks Goldfish. Dom Peters and Dave Poole of Goldfish are surf nuts and Smith has always fancied himself behind the mic. The idea was to put all three in the water together, and then the studio. Four days of surfing and recording later… “Jordy’s full of natural musical ability,” says Peters after their collaboration. “He took command of the proceedings and was brimming with confidence. Just like his approach to surfing, I guess. Self-belief combined with his obvious talent makes for something exciting.” At the business end of the session, Smith was unsure of what to sing about. “I had a few lines and ideas,” he says, “but some words kind of came to me and I was feeling it, I guess. Kind of belting some lines out.” Goldfish are currently busy with the master and its release is imminent. For more on Goldfish, check out www.facebook.com/goldfishlive. Jordy Smith is at www.jordysmith.com
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Filip Polc (SVK) The 27-year-old mountain biker (centre) had a strong start to the year with a win at downhill city race Feria Extrema de Manizales in Bogota, Colombia. Time was of the essence as the Slovakian battled steep steps, jumps and obstacles to beat his nearest rival by less than a second.
Taddy Blazusiak (POL) Not content with overall Indoor Enduro World Cup victory heading into the final event in Barcelona, the 26-year-old rider beat stiff competition to take the win in Spain too, finishing first in both races and 59 points clear of second-place man Iván Cervantes.
Ben Townley (NZL) Three wins out of three on the last day of the New Zealand Supercross Championship in Auckland gave the 25-year-old the title for the first time. His victory was all the more impressive given his year-long absence from competition as a result of a shoulder injury.
Words: Steve Smith, ruth morgan. Photography: Richard Johnson (2), ANDRES JARAMILLO BOTERO, KTM images, Graeme Murray/Red Bull Photofiles, Christian Pondella/Red Bull Photofiles
From left: Jordy Smith and Goldfish duo Dave Poole and Dom Peters
CTPprinters
CAPE TOWN
The mark of responsible forestry Cert no. SGS-COC-005753 www.fsc.org Š 1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C.
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Where’s Your Head At
alec baldwin The man co-hosting this year’s Oscars is never far from controversy – and his behind affronts him
Law man Baldwin started out by studying law and thought about a career in politics. Somehow though, he got sidetracked and was soon gracing TV screens in the 1980s super-soap Knots Landing. After 25 years onscreen, notably in movies The Hunt for Red October, Glengarry Glen Ross and The Aviator, he’s now back on the campaign trail, so to speak, and considering a run for Governor of Ohio.
Hosts with the most This year’s Oscars will be hosted by Baldwin and fellow Hollywood veteran Steve Martin. The pair are also appearing together in new movie It’s Complicated and Baldwin is chasing Martin’s record as most frequent guest host on venerable TV show Saturday Night Live, with 14 appearances. Martin holds the record at 15.
Double issues
Baldwin hasn’t ruled out the possibility of getting plastic surgery, telling US Weekly magazine, “You don’t think I wake up every day and wish I looked like this and this and this?” He also reportedly used what is known in the film industry as an ‘ass double’ in his most recent film, It’s Complicated.
On the rocks Baldwin married actress Kim Basinger in 1993 and their daughter Ireland was born two years later. The marriage didn’t last, and since divorcing in 2002 the two have been embroiled in messy custody negotiations. Famously, he left an expletiveladen voicemail on his daughter’s phone in 2007, calling her a “pig” and Basinger a “pain in the ass”, which was leaked on the internet.
Classic rock
Despite the obvious trappings of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, Baldwin loves nothing more than relaxing while listening to classical music. After mentioning in an interview that his dream job would be a classical radio DJ, he was offered the spot as presenter of the New York Philharmonic’s weekly radio show. Dreams really do come true.
Empty handed
Despite having attended many Oscar ceremonies, some as presenter, Baldwin’s first trip as nominee came in 2004, for his role as the casino boss in The Cooler. Unfortunately for him, the trail went cold. He did, however, watch ex-wife Basinger take home a statue in 1998 for LA Confidential, and is filling his mantelpiece nicely with three Golden Globes, two Emmys and a Screen Actors Guild award.
Friendly face
Being asked to star as Jack Donaghy in cult TV series 30 Rock has revived Baldwin’s career. He initially said he’d only play the role for six episodes. The show is four seasons and 70 episodes old. This isn’t the first time he’s appeared in a sitcom. There was The One Where He Was In Friends, as one of Phoebe’s boyfriends, and also Will and Grace.
Get statuesque with the Oscars on March 7: www.oscars.org
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Oh brothers! Alec, born in 1958, is the oldest of four acting Baldwin brothers, along with Billy, Daniel and Stephen, and was the first to take thespian steps. The quartet grew up, along with two sisters, in Long Island, New York. The boys’ relationship is more sibling rivalry than brotherly love. Billy said recently, “There’s always something for him to fucking whine about.” Born-again Christian Stephen’s anti-gay-marriage stance caused Alec to clash with him, too.
spliterature As well as acting and presenting, Baldwin has also turned his hand to writing, publishing A Promise To Ourselves in 2008. Rather than a memoir of his heady days in Hollywood, it’s a guide to the divorce and custody process, written from his own experiences. Perhaps not the ideal beach read for your next holiday, then.
Words: Diane LEeming. illustration: lie-ins and tigers
Box cleve r
For a man who seems to have anger issues, it’s perhaps no surprise his chosen sport is boxing. He has trained with pro coaches, worked out in a Miami gym where Muhammad Ali sparred and ‘fought’, for comedy purposes, comedians Jimmy Fallon and Gary Shandling. But little bro Stephen is the craziest gloveman in the family, having challenged Barack Obama to a match during his run for the White House.
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Bow selector The Robin Hood (minus the theft) of the 21st century Born in Moulton, Alabama in 1953, Byron Ferguson was 12 years old when he became infatuated with the bow and arrow. Now, as the pre-eminent longbow archer of his times, his deadly arrows can split a playing card in half – from the side – and extinguish the candle flame in an otherwise darkened room. Here he fires off a few sharp pointers for The Red Bulletin.
Wall Correspondent Words: Robert Sperl, Steve Smith. photography: rowan pybus
Across SA, the message is this: graffiti to make you look first, then see more For Joburgers walking down Commissioner Street, the graffiti is an actual pain in the neck. On a huge wall in the heart of the city’s CBD, artist Faith47 is creating a massive work. Both its size and its location mean there are uncomfortable head angles for curious pedestrians straining to take it all in. If the sun’s not shining in your eyes when you look up, you can make out the words ‘The People Shall Govern’. “There are, at times, conservative, negative reactions from people,” says Faith47, talking about the demands of her very public art, “but mostly they’re interested in what you’re doing and ready to engage with you about it.” Her latest piece is part of The Freedom
Charter project, a collaboration between Faith and filmmaker Rowan Pybus, and it’s the fourth joint project these two SA artists have worked on. Selected phrases from our national Freedom Charter are being painted on various constructions in Joburg’s inner city, Soweto and the townships of Cape Town, as well as pasting up a large-scale version of the Charter document itself. Pybus is on hand to film everything, and will use the footage, along with archival visuals, to create a video art piece that reflects the aims and ideals of the South African people. Expect to see the film later this year.
Aren’t you sad not to be living in the times of Robin Hood? We are living in the good old days! Just think about it: food, homes, archery equipment, everything is light years ahead of Robin Hood’s time. So, no thanks, I like it right here in the 21st century. What’s your secret? Three things: practice, practice and more practice. I’m not a particularly talented archer, I just practice. If I have a talent, it’s to stay focused while thousands of people watch. If I ‘feel’ people watching I’m not doing my job. Do people ask for specific tricks? A Japanese TV show wanted me to shoot an egg off someone’s head. I do not do these sorts of shots. Too many things can go wrong; only one can go right. Why don’t you enter the Olympics? The Olympic archer shoots lightweight bows with one purpose, to put arrow after arrow after arrow into the bull’s eye from long distance. As a hunter, I’m only concerned with one arrow, the first. Get all a-quiver at www.byronferguson.com
Watch Faith47 and Rowan Pybus’ video projects on www.redbull.co.za
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Winning Formula
Flip Mode Some people climb trees – others hug them – this man uses them when freerunning. To pull this off, he needs nerve, good trainers and a little science
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in London in October last year. When I’m competing I always try to give the crowd a good show. It’s what I like to do.” Free Thinking “How is it possible to run 2m up a tree trunk then do a backflip?” asks Thomas Schrefl, Professor of Functional Materials at the University of Sheffield. “A simple estimate of the velocity required to reach a certain height h by running up a wall starts with the conservation of energy. “Let us assume a change in the runner’s centre of mass of 1.5m. Then, the required velocity of 5.4m/s follows from equalising kinetic energy and potential energy. This is a rough estimate. Not all kinetic energy will be converted into potential energy and the runner can gain extra energy by jumping and moving his arms upwards. “There is another reason why a certain velocity is required when reaching the wall: running is only possible because of friction. The frictional force is proportional to the normal force that is provided by gravity when running on the ground. “When running up a wall, the normal force FN = mv/t is provided by the horizontal momentum of the runner. Here m is the mass of the runner, v is velocity and t is contact time between running shoe and surface. The frictional force FR, given by the product of the normal force and the static co-efficient of friction µ, has to be larger than gravity. This condition is fulfilled for realistic values for the runner’s horizontal velocity: v = 5.4 m/s, the co-efficient of friction between wall and running shoe µ = 0.5, and the surface contact time t = 0.2s. For more freerunning action, go to www. redbull.com and search for ‘art of motion’
words: Paul Wilson, Thomas Schrefl. Photography: Ricardo Herrgott. Illustration: Mandy Fischer
The Freerunner It’s a classic story from the ages: boy does decathlon; boy becomes man; man runs up a tree trunk and does a backflip off it. That boy, and that man, is Markus Walzel (right), a 30-year-old health service manager from St Pölten in Austria, and one of an ever-increasing army of freerunners and parkour exponents. (Know the difference between the two, and look super-informed next time you’re out with friends and see someone somersault from a park bench onto a bollard: freerunning is about the creative journey, parkour is the most efficient urban transfer from A to B. Simple.) “I started freerunning in 2007, after watching the film District 13,” says Walzel. “It inspired me to do what they did. I had already done a lot of sport – track and field for about 10 years from the age of eight. By the end, I was doing decathlon. Now I’m freerunning a lot. “In this picture, I’m in an open area in St Pölten. The trick’s name is obvious: it’s a tree flip. Doing it off a wall is a wall flip. A lot of the tricks have regular names. The only ‘secret’ is to get the trick focused in your mind. You need body and mind to make it happen for real. You have to run very fast and it’s a hard drop, so you have to bend your knees hard and quickly when you land. “Occasionally I do weights in the gym, but mostly I train by freerunning: on the one hand, it’s good to be thin, but on the other, it’s not too bad to have a little natural padding for when you crash-land. I’ve only had one small blowout. “What I really want to happen is for freerunning to become part of the X Games within the next five years. There are already some events on a global scale, such as Red Bull Art Of Motion in Vienna, and the Barclaycard World Freerun Championships, which were held
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lucky numberS
Ultramarathon
200,000 SCHIESTER
Types of ultramarathon: those with a set distance, such as 50km or 100 miles, and those based on a time, such as 24 hours or 10 days. The two are often combined, as illustrated by UK comedian Eddie Izzard’s 2009 running of 43 marathons in 51 days. Ultramarathons are now held each year on every continent, on ice, through jungles, across deserts, up canyons, down mountains, and they vary in set-up. People run track laps, between two set points, on a linear route or in multiple stages at different locations, but one fact links them: they are bloody difficult.
IZZARD
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100
Kilometres covered by ultra runner Christian Schiester in becoming the only man to complete the Antarctic Ultra Race in 2007. At the world’s southernmost (and coldest) ultra, freezing sleet and thick fog put paid to most entrants, but the 40-year-old Austrian pushed on for a total time of 19h58m24s. He was joined, just over two hours later, by Briton Susan Holliday, the only other finisher and the first woman ever to cover that distance in Antarctica. This year, Schiester again faces the cold in the last round of the Four Deserts Cup, a multistage ultra with gruelling 250km stops, that begins this month in the Chilean Atacama and goes on to the Sahara (Egypt) and Gobi (China) deserts.
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Days allotted for runners of the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. The certified longest foot race in existence has been held in Queens, New York, around an 883m city block, annually for the last dozen years. Runners do 5649 laps to complete the full distance: that’s an average of 98km each and every day, between the hours of 6am and midnight, for more than seven weeks. Never has an uplifting MP3 playlist been more essential.
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Steps taken, on average, during a 100-mile race: that’s 100,000 per foot. Doing so burns around 12,600 calories, so in-race replenishment is a must. Runners will usually have a support crew to provide medical help and fresh kit, as well as typical athletic comestibles such as fruit, water and protein-heavy solids and liquids. At some German ultras, there might be a shot of Schnapps for the pain. In a track race, refreshment stations are simply put up trackside. During a linear race, aid stops are set up at intervals of 5-15km and support crew carry essentials on ahead. Arguing about whose turn it was to pack the granola is not an option.
Pairs of trainers worn out during the first-ever lap of earth on foot. In the ultimate ultra, Jesper Olsen of Denmark maintained a daily average of 45km for 22 months, totalling 26,324km when he arrived back at the start line in London in October 2005. The recordbreaking adventure took place across four continents, during all weathers and on all terrains, but the masochistic 35-year-old still used his scheduled days off to compete in local ultramarathons, such as the Cliff Young Six-Day Race in Australia, which he won. He’s now midway through the World Run II, attempting a 40,000km lap in around 800 days.
HOLLIDAY
OLSEN
KOUROS
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World records held by the best ultrarunner in history, Yiannis Kouros. The Greek holds global bests for continuous running for distances from 200-1600km, and times from 24 hours to 10 days. In the New York six-day race in 1984, he broke 16 world records set in 1888. In 2005, at an Australian sixdayer, he beat the second-place runner by 535 laps of the 400m track. The 54-year-old musician and poet is still going strong, and set six world marks in 2008, including a trumping of his previous 48-hour best, by 9.6km, in Bornholm, Denmark. For more on Christian Schiester, jog over to www.4deserts.com
Words: Ruth Morgan. photography: Jürgen Skarwan/Red Bull Photofiles, PA, Mike King, Epa/Picturedesk.com, Reuters
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Pah! 26 miles and 385 yards is for wimps! How about once around the planet, or wearing out a pair of running shoes every month for nearly two years?
Print 2.0
en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 It’s just three simple steps to see the best of Red Bull X-Fighters
Credit
X marks the spot: The new season of Red Bull X-Fighters starts on April 16, in Mexico City and one of the favourites is Japan’s Eigo Sato. Find out more about the series’ oldest competitor on page 38
Heroes Brave pioneers leaping to success in their fields
Photography: Flo Hagena/red bull photofiles
34 dorian paskowitz 38 eigo sato 42 ZOĂŤ bell 44 jeremy philips 46 marc possover
Heroes
Dorian Paskowitz Nine children, a battered camper van and two decades of summer: the incredible story of a passionate, unconventional idealist, the world’s most famous surfing family and a utopia that was too beautiful for reality
Name Dorian ‘Doc’ Paskowitz Born 1921, Galveston, Texas Family Life Married to Juliette, nine children, 17 grandchildren Professions Doctor; professional surfer; author; founder of the Paskowitz Surf Camp Web www.alohadoc.com
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As Dorian ‘Doc’ Paskowitz speaks, the ocean is reflected in his face. Furrowed wrinkles branded by the sun meet pacific blue eyes. His flow of words washes away anything that isn’t anchored down well enough. Money? “The root of all evil.” Success? “What comes easily is worth nothing.” War? “A consequence of bad sex.” Paskowitz is 89 and a passionate surfer, Jew, dreamer, despot, revolutionary and Samaritan. But first and foremost Doc is husband to Juliette and father to David, Jonathan, Abraham, Izzy, Moses, Adam, Salvador Daniel, Navah and Joshua Ben. For two decades he drove around America with them in a tiny mobile home, always on the lookout for good waves. If he liked a place, he taught his kids to surf there. He did this so well that in the 1970s the Paskowitzes weren’t just the most famous surfing family in the world, they were also dominating youth competitions all over the country. And that was pretty much all they did. Doc’s daughter and eight sons went through childhood with no school, no homework, no stress. Doc created paradise on earth for his kids. Or at least his version of it. “We were happy when we had nothing. The misery began when we started wanting things,” Doc explains in the first shot of Surfwise, the brilliant documentary about his life. It serves as a perfect potted summary of his 89 years, for Dorian Paskowitz professed ‘not wanting to have things’ as a rule for life. The Paskowitzes spent the 1960s and ’70s as surfing nomads. By night they lived in a 7.2m camper van parked up by the beach. By day they lived in the ocean. Doc sent his children to what he called the school of life rather than real school: the eight boys and their sister learned to surf and to have respect for others and their own bodies. “You can’t get health out of a bottle. You’ve got to work for it,” Doc, a qualified medical doctor, would lecture. So unhealthy food was frowned upon, too: in addition to what the family caught themselves, they mainly ate fruit and nothing
fatty or sugary. Daily exercise was a matter of course. The Paskowitz family’s fame gradually spread throughout the country. Their example became the ideal uncompromising life of freedom and adventure. “We had moments of spiritual perfection,” David relates. “We lived a life that all other children envied,” Navah explains. “Not a day went by when we didn’t do something exciting.” Dorian Paskowitz was in his early 30s when he could no longer suppress the desire for freedom and his complete horror of the petit bourgeois life. It was the 1950s. Doc had a glittering career as a doctor ahead and two failed marriages behind him. He was deeply dissatisfied with life. But then three things happened. First he went to Israel, to the desert, “like Jesus of Nazareth and all the other crazy crackpots, to live like an animal,” for a couple of weeks. Then he discovered surfing. And finally cunnilingus, “which massively changed my life”. He decided to live out his sexuality, which he hadn’t done to that point. Doc, a lifeguard and stunning-looking at the time, wanted to conquer 100 women and evaluate their horizontal qualities with the cool objectivity of the scientist. But it all stopped after he gave full marks to number 25: Juliette became his third wife and spent the next 10 years “permanently pregnant or breastfeeding” and she remains the love of his life. Their parents’ active love life was only one of the many tribulations the Paskowitz children had to put up with in their 20-year camping holiday. “Sex is natural,” Doc opines. “That’s why it made no odds to our children hearing us make love every night. What harms children is when they hear daddy hitting mummy behind closed doors.” This misinterpretation – the children always covered their ears in irritation – is a prime example of Doc’s greatest fault: it is beyond his imagination that other people might have different needs from his. Doc would die for his children without batting an eyelid. But would he listen to them? Accept that they might fancy a doughnut or want a T-shirt that hadn’t been worn
photography: courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Words: Alexander Lisetz
Life’s a beach: Still catching waves every day, Dorian Pascowitz is the original surf dude
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by three of their siblings? That didn’t fit in with his world view and probably didn’t fit in with his social experiment of a frugal life in apparent freedom either. Because Fidel, as his children sometimes called him in hushed tones, ruled over his family with an iron fist. Material aspirations were frowned upon. On the one occasion when Doc promised the children a present, it caused a sensation. He took them down to the beach and said: “I give you the ocean.” Never having money, your own room or decent clothes was the price of life in paradise. Jonathan was the first for whom paradise was not enough. He left the family when he was 18 and tried to make his way in the normal world. A world full of bureaucratic regulations and day-to-day obligations that none of them was even close to being ready for. “We had no schooling, no qualifications. The only career options we had were professional surfer, rock star or down-and-out,” he realised. And those indeed are the careers that each of the Paskowitz children has chosen, though not necessarily in that order. None of them has been able to withdraw from their incredibly charismatic father’s sphere of influence: not even Adam and Josh who had a US top-five hit with their group The Flys. Nor firstborn David, who, as a businessman, has developed a more relaxed attitude to money than his dad. In one oppressive scene in the film, David, now 50,
quotes a song: “No good will come as long as he lives. Because his will is still too strong to bear any other.” Doc is still wiry, tanned and super-fit, regardless of his aches and pains. He doesn’t take his prescribed medicines. And the idea of making a documentary about his life made him livid, which is why he still hasn’t watched the completed film. Firstly because his life, as he sees it, is nothing special. Secondly, it would be better to film normal people because they’re, “leading a crooked way of life”, and not him. And it’s still too early for this type of legacy. Indeed, Paskowitz embarked on a project right after the documentary. With backup from surf world champion Kelly Slater, who once worked for him at his Surf Camp, in 2007 he provided kids in the Gaza Strip with surfboards under the banner of the IsraeliPalestinian peace organisation OneVoice. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Doc explains. “Yes, I gave my kids great opportunities. But I was too strict, too radical.” He paddles out and surfs, as he has done every morning for almost 60 years. It might be a little wobbly now, but it is still automatic as only it could be in someone who has never done anything else. The waves bring him back towards the beach. Gently, reverentially. Watch Surfwise, a documentary about Dorian Paskowitz and his famous surfing family at www.surfwisefilm.com
photography: courtesy of Magnolia Pictures (4)
Daddy Cool: Doc’s family of nine children, wife Juliette and passion for surfing are the crucial elements of his life
Heroes
eigo sato
He’s the oldest rider to compete in Red Bull X-Fighters. But age be damned, this FMX samurai just keeps getting better
Name Eigo Sato Born October 30, 1978, Iwaki City, Japan Bike of Choice Yamaha Signature Trick Seems like all of them 2009 X-Fighters Record Mexico, second; Canada, second; USA, fourth; Spain, ninth; London, seventh; third overall Favourite Food Chinese Web www.mx-vilus.com
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Some people just don’t know when to slow down – or jump off. At the relatively ripe age of 31, Eigo Sato, Japan’s only FMX star, is still going great guns, having achieved the brilliant result of finishing third overall in the 2009 Red Bull X-Fighters. Few FMX riders make it into their fourth decade in active competition; Sato, however, is flourishing. For him this sport isn’t just an enjoyable – if dangerous – pastime. He sees himself as a standard-bearer for the sport in Japan, a country where it enjoys little recognition. Sato was born and brought up in Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture, three hours north of Tokyo. It’s an unlikely birthplace for a star of one of the world’s most dramatic motorsports. A fortress town built around the formidable Aizuwakamatsu Castle, Iwaki City once flourished as a coal-mining centre. Blessed by nature, thanks to its location between the Pacific Ocean and the Abukuma highlands, it might have remained the perfect outdoors-y idyll for a growing boy, had it not been for the influence of Sato’s motocross-mad father. Sato first rode a motorbike when he was three, and every weekend Sato, his older brother and his father would head for the countryside on their bikes. At about this time, the early 1980s, a modest motocross movement had begun to ripple across Japan. It was nothing compared to the huge motocross wave that swept the USA and Europe, but still it was enough to get like-minded people together and top overseas riders were invited to the first Japan Supercross event in 1986. Seeing internationally famous riders up close made a big impression on young Sato and ignited his dream of one day becoming a pro rider himself. “Since I was a kid, my hero was Rick Johnson,” Sato recalls. “He was flamboyant and looked so cool. If he won, he would always do an action jump. I thought, ‘I wanna be like that.’” It wasn’t until he was 18, however, that Sato obtained a competition licence that would enable
him to take part in the All-Japan Championship. A year later he was on the move to the big time, to the USA, alone, to train at the highest level. It was during his time in the States, soaking up the techniques needed to be a motocross racer, that Sato experienced his FMX epiphany. At a small music event in suburban southern California, Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst and other top riders were giving an FMX show. The sport had just come into being in mid-’90s America and Sato, who had until then only watched FMX on video, became obsessed with the flashy tricks and ‘punk’ riding style. “At that time,” he says, “I was backed by Yamaha, and although I had appeared in the All-Japan Motocross competition, Yamaha’s line was that they didn’t need action jumps. It was like they were saying ‘just ride fast’. But my feeling was that I was a professional who had to excite the spectators. So I broke from Yamaha’s support and went it alone so I could do what I wanted in the way I wanted.” It was a bold step, but back in Japan, where he combined motocross racing with FMX, Sato remembered the sense of kinship he’d felt with FMX fans in the USA, and he began to gear his training more towards FMX than to motocross. Sato and a bunch of like-minded throttle-jockeys found a local course owner who liked their tricks and they set about copying what they’d learned and watched in America. So diligent was Sato in his research that he wore out video tapes from repeat viewings. And there were plenty of crashes as he tried to put into practice what he’d seen on TV, but gradually he began to make his mark as an FMX rider. By 2000, Japanese FMX momentum was growing, largely as a result of Sato’s efforts. That year he staged and produced ‘Mosh Ride,’ an FMX and music event echoing the US shows that had been such an influence on him a few years earlier. The event marked the birth of FMX in Japan. The course was basic – just a dirt-to-dirt course with a
Photography: Ian Hylands/Red Bull photofiles
Words: Hitoshi Kajino
Heroes Print 2.0
en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 For a profile of the godfather of Japanese FMX
Action man: Sato’s efforts were largely responsible for creating Japan’s FMX following
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High achiever: Sato’s impressive riding style is a result of his passion and dedication and not just about pulling the most difficult trick
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ramp Sato had paid for himself, but it soon became a fixture of the travelling shows Sato took around Japan. Most of these were demonstration events, as the Japanese FMX movement was too small to support competition, but by 2001 the country had its own professional team, MX-Virus, the birth of which allowed Sato to give up racing and instead travel his homeland as a professional FMX rider. It also gave him the chance, in 2002, to achieve his dream, by competing in America. “The first overseas competition I attempted was the elimination round of X Games, and I came in 13th I think,” he says, ruefully. “I was at a low level, where I had no idea even what was good or bad. Really the gap was wide, but I kept telling myself, ‘It’s not that wide!’ and I fought to close that gap.” Today Sato boasts an impressive, tricksy riding style that’s the legacy of his talent and sheer application. And he loves the crowd buzz he gets from showing off his skills in front of a live demo audience. It’s a bigger buzz, he reckons, than competition. Why? The answer seems to lie in selfexpression. For Sato, FMX isn’t just about pulling the most difficult trick. It’s about incorporating into his style the cultures of surfing, snowboarding and BMX. Since 2003 he has taken part in more and more demos, along with overseas competition, but he has never thought about living outside Japan. In his homeland, where the number of FMX riders is small and the sport’s visibility low, Sato can use his experience to show leadership and vision. He encourages young riders to gather at his local course, while also organising a Japan tour called the ‘Go Big Competition’ through which he hopes to boost the skills of Japanese riders and thereby increase the
number of fans all over Japan. His focus and energy has yielded results, and riders such as Metal Mulisha’s Takayuki Higashino, who has based himself in America, cite Sato as their guide and inspiration. Sato’s dedication to growing the sport at home almost certainly cost him the chance of earlier overseas success. But his arguably greater legacy is the many young riders now attempting to conquer the world by following the trail Sato blazed. Many might be content with the levels he has already achieved, but Sato continues to push, analyse and improve his own riding while passing on his knowledge to others. It’s this flexibility, generosity of spirit and willingness to learn that have made Sato’s age irrelevant against younger rivals. “My field of vision has naturally broadened,” he says. “When I began FMX I had eyes only for the X Games, and I had a disdain for Europe. But when I appeared at European events I realised they were good in their own way. In the end it’s a matter of what I like. America looks cool, but I also like the sense of oneness with the European spectators. It made clear for me that FMX must always be fun.” Fun, you’d guess, is pretty important when onethird of each year is spent abroad and the many business pressures of building FMX in Japan come knocking daily at the door. Those home roots of Iwaki City keep him strong, however, and there’s the new energy of his marriage in 2008 and the birth of his first son to draw from. And while it won’t be long before he’s putting Sato junior into the saddle, we haven’t seen the last of Sato sailing through the air with a smile on his face. Bring this story to life at en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 Check out Sato and his rivals at www.redbullxfighters.com
photography: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull Photofiles
Heroes
kunde
Heroes
ZoË Bell
One of Hollywood’s most famous stuntwomen is a 31-yearold from New Zealand who does the really hot stuff: she likes being set on fire – and that’s just for starters Words: Peter Krobath Photography: Ture Lillegraven
NAME Zoë J Bell Born November 17, 1978, Waiheke, New Zealand Grew up Auckland, New Zealand Currently resides Venice, California Education Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, Selwyn College in Otago. Gymnastics, taekwondo from age 15 Career Stuntwoman and double for stars such as Lucy Lawless (in TV series Xena), Sharon Stone (Catwoman), Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) and Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds). Has acted in Death Proof and Gamer (among other films). Game of Death is her next film to hit the big screen
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Zoë Bell was Uma Thurman’s stunt double for the really hot scenes in Kill Bill. Swordfights with 30 ninja gangsters at once and a couple of somersaults thrown in, that kind of thing. The film crew went to the Great Wall while shooting in China and while there, Bell answered a call of nature. She snuck into the bushes and promptly fell backwards over a drop. For most, her fall would have resulted in broken bones and a trip to the emergency unit. For Bell, a smooth backflip to land on her feet rescued the situation. It also earned her a new nickname: The Cat, one that was swiftly adopted by Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino. For this feat, and others more scripted, Tarantino has become a paid-up fan. He asked for Bell to be Diane Kruger’s double in Inglourious Basterds, which received eight (no less) 2010 Oscar nominations. Bell’s China incident is also told in Tarantino’s film Death Proof, if in a somewhat diluted form. She told me the whole story in Cannes. “No, I kept my trousers on. Good question though.” The unquestioning admiration and respect of Hollywood’s often macho culture is something that Bell is used to as she grew up in a male environment. Once she started working in the stunt business, her reputation for reliability meant she was the first name on the ‘stunt double’ roster for female leads. There’s no ignoring Ms Bell: her skimpy outfit shouts of the self-confidence that’s essential for any performer in Tinseltown. With testosterone-fuelled directors calling the big money shots these days, there’s no room for shrinking violets. But then Bell has never been the shy, retiring type. “Even as a kid I would climb the highest walls. I started gymnastics when I was nine and discovered martial arts when I was 15. I practised as if I was learning a trade. It’s a job, even if I do love the speed and action.” Zoë Bell is now 31 and she’s already been working in the stunt business for more than 12 years. “My dad’s a doctor. But I never wanted to be a doctor myself. I asked him if he minded. ‘What?!’ he said. ‘As far as I’m concerned you can become
a prostitute as long as you enjoy what you’re doing.’ I was 14. The analogy struck me as harsh. But that’s how Kiwis speak. And I understood what he meant.” In Death Proof, Zoë Bell survives the coolest car chase since Steve McQueen in 1968’s Bullitt. She’s pursued by a crazy highway killer down Californian dirt tracks at top speeds nudging 145kph as she hangs onto the bonnet of a 1970s Dodge Challenger. No camera tricks or safety net. But it wasn’t as dangerous as it looks in the film. “In this sequence we’re pulling a fast one on the audience. They must think I was scared to death. But actually I had fun.” Bell was the stuntwoman on the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess for three years. That meant swordfights 12 hours a day, six days a week. Then came five years of Hollywood which brought her two accolades and two nominations at the Taurus World Stunt Awards. Which makes her think… “What’s the most dangerous stunt I’ve done? It’s easy to lose track. In Catwoman [another A-list role], I had to sit on a ledge for Sharon Stone. It was too difficult to get me down between shots. They thought I should just stay up there and chill. But how can you chill when you’re 23 floors up with a sheer drop below?” Cue that throaty laugh again. Zoë Bell played herself in Death Proof. It was the first time, and a success, leading to roles in the thriller Gamer, starring Gerard Butler, and action adventure Game of Death, which opens in cinemas this year, with Wesley Snipes. Already one of Hollywood’s most famous stuntwomen, she’s not averse to the idea of becoming well-known for her acting. “But then,” she reflects, “I wouldn’t be able to perform my own stunts. And how would I feel watching others do my job for me? It would be hard. But maybe I’ll think differently soon. When I’m 40 and have children… it might not be a bad thing if I’ve stopped wanting to jump off buildings. Let’s just see what happens.” Get a taste of the stunt world and discover more of Zoë Bell’s award history at www.taurusworldstuntawards.com
Fire fox: Zoe Bell is admired by Quentin Tarantino for her acting ability as well as her skills as a stuntwoman
Heroes
jeremy philLips
He’s a big-wave rider with a difference, and although he’s more used to being behind the camera, he’s also responsible for Lara Croft’s jet-ski skills in the second Tomb Raider film Words: Tim Spicer Portrait: Craig Kolesky
Name Jeremy Phillips Born September 18, 1973 Lives Durban, South Africa Nickname Hutch Achievements South African National Freeride Champion 1997; First place and two second places at Pro Freeride tour USA 2002; South African National Freeride Champion 2007; Third place IFWA World Finals, Brazil, 2007 Best Trick Barrel roll re-entry at 6m
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With a wave building into an arc behind him, Jeremy Phillips drops back, encasing himself inside a glassy tube. Re-emerging triumphant, he cuts low on the wave then charges up the face of it, bursting off the lip into an enormous barrel roll. The hundreds of people standing at the shorebreak at Doodles, Phillips’ local break in Cape Town, fall silent. After completing the 360-degree rotation, he lands perfectly. “I like to go really big,” says Phillips. “I think a move looks much better when it’s done at 6 or 9m.” Such fearlessness is typical of Phillips: a technical innovator, Hollywood stunt co-ordinator and star of the nascent, if underexposed, freeriding scene. Freestyle jet-skiing is a constantly evolving hybrid of surfing and freestyle motocross, where riders use lightweight stand-up craft with moving handle-poles and snarling two-stroke engines. And if the heart of the sport is wave-riding, its soul is defined by big-air tricks. In 1995, American Rick Roy set the pace for everything that was to come by pulling the first-ever backflip on a jet ski. Since then, the establishment of the International Freeride Watercraft Association (IFWA) has taken place and a worldwide tour now happens every year. “Jeremy is one of the most hardcore freeriders out there,” says Tchello Brandão, president of the IFWA. “He is a very good surfer and goes huge with his jumps. I’m a big fan of his style.” The Durban native’s youth was spent both surfing and riding motocross bikes, a perfect blend of the skill sets needed in freeriding. “Since I could walk, all I wanted to do was motocross,” says Phillips. “I used to ride Italjets before moving onto 80cc.” That was in 1985. Ten years later, riding in the surf off a dusty Mexican beach, Phillips tried jet-skiing for the first time. “I absolutely loved it. Freeride jet-skiing was both of my passions combined,” he says. In 1997, when a national contest hit Cape Town, Phillips entered and won five out of the six heats. At the same time,
a small jet-ski shop called Off The Wall opened at his local beach and they needed a rider to represent them. They recruited Phillips, or ‘Hutch’ as he’s more commonly known, and a pro career was born. His passion for surfing remained, however, and he helped out at contests at Dungeons, South Africa’s perilous big-wave surf spot, patrolling the waters to retrieve surfers who got caught in. With the popularity of big-wave riding climbing with each jaw-dropping bit of footage, Phillips saw another opportunity, and brought a cameraman out on his jet ski. “It proved effective, but it wasn’t very easy to shoot and get out before being eaten by a 12m wave,” he says. So he set about designing a seat mechanism with a steady-cam attachment that allowed the cameraman to stay in position while Phillips placed him in the critical section of a wave. The ‘Hutch Mocean-cam’ is now used by Red Bull for any water-based footage they need in South Africa. “The footage,” says Phillips, smiling, “is insane.” His flair for the cinematic was fed further after a chance conversation while filming a Pirelli tyre commercial in Malta. Phillips was chatting to director Jan De Bont, who worked on the Speed movies and Twister, and mentioned that he jet-skied professionally. “Two months later, I got a call asking if I could oversee a stunt in the second Tomb Raider movie, and if I could teach Angelina Jolie how to jet-ski,” says Phillips. “Of course, I agreed.” During the film, directed by de Bont, he worked closely with the actress. “She’s a great girl – very cool. She loved jet-skiing and wasn’t scared at all,” he says. “The scene we worked on is at the beginning of the movie, where Angelina is being chased by some other skis and then barrel rolls off the wake of a ship – in true Lara Croft style.” With a little inspiration courtesy of Jeremy Phillips, of course. To view what Phillips sees with his Mo-Cean Cam visit www.surfline.com and search for XXL Dungeons Super Session
Making waves: Phillips is not only a pioneer of the Freedride scene, he’s making a name for himself in Hollywood, too
Heroes
Marc Possover
Not content with his life as a highly respected surgeon, he’s now working miracles, helping paraplegics to get back on their feet. With his pioneering new operation, patients can now lead much more independent lives Words: Werner Jessner Photography: Philipp Horak
Name Dr Marc Possover Born January 22, 1963, France Lives Zurich, Switzerland Profession Surgeon Achievements Father of neuropelveology, reviewer for the organisation Best Doctors, member of the World’s Leading Surgeons Web www.possover.de
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Ever wondered what would annoy you the most – after the initial anger – if you were to become a paraplegic? Fate, God, human impotence, the pizzas at the rehabilitation clinic? The fact that you couldn’t play football? The fact that you can’t get a book down off the shelf without someone’s help? The young Marc Possover, aged just five, had a view based on his own experience. His best friend’s father had become a paraplegic after an accident at work. Marc the child found the endless tapping on a naked man’s bladder to empty it unpleasant. He didn’t think the wheelchair was so bad: that was just a funny kind of bike. Then he forgot about it all for 10 years. He finished school, moving up three classes along the way. Not only did he outstrip his twin sister, now a sports teacher, he also overtook his twoyears-older ‘big sis’. By the time he was 16 he was studying medicine, which is what he’d always wanted to do, bar a brief period in his youth. “The alternative would have been competitive swimming, but a couple of years before I had to make a serious decision, the swimming pool burned down.” Possover’s father was a tailor. His mother was interested in medicine, but there was no chance of her pursuing it as a career after the war, even less as she was a woman. But Marc did get the chance and was lucky to receive good training – never guaranteed in medicine – thanks to good teachers. That’s how things were in medicine in France at the time. You didn’t have to specialise young then, as you do today; you were given three or four months on every ward. At 22 years of age, Marc Possover became Dr Marc Possover, graduating, need it be said, with top marks. To make sure he wasn’t under-stretching himself by merely being a heart surgeon, Possover became a gynaecologist too, for good measure. But why is it that a gynaecologist and heart surgeon – admittedly a very gifted one – should come to be the solution to
one of the most pressing problems for paraplegics? First, because he could. Secondly, because he doesn’t break down medicine into categories. “I’ve always started out with the patients and their problems,” he says. “How can I improve their lives? There’s a lot we don’t know and can’t do when it comes to the human body.” Possover has always been more interested in concrete problems and solutions than the question of whether his research suits the system. As he was soon considered one of the best gynaecologists in the world, awkward cases started landing on his desk: hysterectomies and cervix removals, bowel resections. Possover, now a professor, has performed more than 2000 such operations. The human pelvis – especially the lower, narrower section – became his second home. Evolution has placed particularly valuable body parts under the protection of man’s largest bone including vital nerves which range in size from millimetre-thin to as thick as a finger. Possover calls the lesser pelvis “the body’s crossroads”. As a gynaecologist he understood that anyone who delves into this delicate area had to proceed as cautiously as possible. On average, a paraplegic still gets two urinary tract infections a year. And the problem isn’t just that this sort of inflammation has a negative effect on scar tissue in the spinal cord. Until the 1970s, kidney failure was the number-one cause of death in paraplegics. To this day, this creeping internal poisoning is countered with indwelling catheters, but the relatively basic operations to insert them, while remedying bladder problems, are irreversible, as they destroy nerve tracts. This is unacceptable from Possover’s point of view: “If I want to pick an apple off a tree, I can either go and fetch a ladder or cut the tree down. I still get the apple. But what about the future? Any surgeon’s paramount rule must be respect.” Even as a gynaecologist, his logic was that one function
Healing hands: Possover’s innovative techniques have improved the lives of paraplegics
Heroes
Future positive: Marc Possover is delighted with the progress Markus Gfatterhofer has made. “His energy is infectious,” he remarked
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The nerves 1 Pudendal nerve 2 Femoral nerve 3 Sacral plexus 4 Inferior gluteal nerve 5 Ilioinguinal nerve Iliohypogastric nerve Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve Genitofemoral nerve
The lesser pelvis The lower, funnel-shaped part of the human pelvis is home not just to particularly valuable organs, but also to eight vital nerve cords (only in the brain and spinal cord are there more nerves). The nerves in the lesser pelvis (see above) control walking and balance as well as bladder, bowel and sexual function. Depending on how much electricity there is and the level of intensity, the same nerve can be responsible for different functions. The nerves are controlled by a pacemaker. Technically, this control ought also to be feasible via a body-brain interface in the same way that amputees can control their prosthetics via their thoughts. However, until the interface can be made reliable, development won’t be pursued.
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(eg, continence) mustn’t be sacrificed for the sake of achieving another goal (eg, removing a tumour). He combined his two areas of specialisation and worked as non-invasively as possible on the pelvis by inserting optical instruments through the abdominal wall – a technique known as laparoscopy. The cases that Possover operated on as a gynaecologist were always accompanied by the risk of bladder or bowel evacuation problems. His female patients were poisoning themselves from within. He implanted electrodes in one of them right onto the nerves responsible for bladder and bowel evacuation. It worked. He remembered his friend’s paralysed father and the undignified tapping to empty the bladder. A logical link-up for Possover, new territory for medicine. And so it was that he invented neuropelveology. Anyone who paid even half as much attention in Greek and Latin at school as French-born Possover will recognise the etymology of ‘nerve’ and ‘pelvis’ in there and the term covers a broad range of knowledge. In addition to the nerves mentioned above, electrodes can also help control the legs and even sexual function in men. Thanks to the stimulation, the muscles and nerves below the injured area do not degenerate and this lessens the problem of bedsores. Marc Possover and his team have conducted almost 20 operations of this kind in recent years at the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich. But why in a Swiss private clinic? Professor Possover used to live and work in Cologne, and in Germany, an operation needs to be recognised by the system to be accepted by health insurance companies. If it isn’t, then it doesn’t exist as far as the insurance company is concerned. After paying for the second operation out of his own pocket, Possover resettled in Switzerland and tried to establish the new discipline of neuropelveology from his base in Zurich. “I would like as many people as possible to have the chance of an operation,” he says. “Even patients who are worse off socially should be given the chance to have laparoscopy. Wings for Life, the spinal cord research foundation, was the only organisation that
illustration: sascha bierl
Markus Gfatterhofer works out as hard as any top sportsman, so that his body will be as fit as possible when, some day in the future, his paralysis can be reversed
Additional Photography: nikolaus similache (1)
Heroes
gave us money for clinical trials in the area. You can’t value that highly enough.” Anyone who has the operation with Professor Possover, which lasts for almost two hours, is still a pioneer. One such is 18-year-old Markus Gfatterhofer from St Martin am Tennengebirge in the state of Salzburg in Austria. Gfatterhofer is paraplegic. Which means he can control his arms and partially control his core muscles. They first discovered each other on the Wings for Life homepage and Gfatterhofer then went to Switzerland so doctor and patient could check each other out more closely. Gfatterhofer knew within an hour. “I’ll do it! Even if the operation doesn’t help, it doesn’t harm any nerves, it lasts under two hours and I can come home again after three days.” When Possover describes his revolutionary operation, it sounds like someone playing with Lego. He introduces a probe through a tiny cut in the abdominal wall and places electrodes on the nerves. In the case of bladder function, this means placing them on the millimetre-thin pudendal nerve. “You don’t even have to attach them,” he explains. “They stay put thanks to the pressure in the pelvis.” He implants a pacemaker the size of a coin on the lefthand side of the stomach as a control unit. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we have at the moment. When industry comes up with special equipment, we’ll be able to do a lot more.” Still, they can already be modulated; the voltage ranges from 0.1 to 12 volts, the frequency from 1 to 1000Hz and the pulse width from 10 to 1000 microseconds. Gfatterhofer can control his functions using a remote control by sending different levels of electricity to the nerves. So he can stand up, for example, at the push of a button. Other patients of Marc Possover’s can now ride a bike or walk, with stiff knees, admittedly. There’s very little similarity to normal walking; every step that’s taken is an incredibly complicated process with an unimaginable number of computations built in. “For paraplegics, electrodecontrolled walking feels like flying because they can’t feel the ground,” says Possover. But it isn’t Professor Possover’s goal to turn wheelchair-users into remote-controlled marathon runners. He wants to improve their quality of life and, more importantly, their independence. Markus Gfatterhofer is a perfect example of independence in the very strictest sense of the word. The 18-year-old got his driving licence a year ago and has driven 70,000km this year. He goes to evening classes and works out as long and as hard as a top sportsman so that his body will be as fit as possible some day in the future when his paralysis can be reversed. Just a few months after his accident, he was on holiday in California, travelling around with his friends. He even managed to work out during our interview. When we’re done, he gets a Zippo-sized control unit out of his pocket and guides it to the left-hand side of his stomach. “I’ve got to turn my legs back off,” he says. He had been exercising his thighs by tensing the muscles all the way through our interview. For more on Marc Possover and Wings for Life, visit www.possover.de and www.wingsforlife.com
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heinz kinigadner
The Motocross World Champion and Wings for Life founder describes just how far we’ve gone down the long road to a world without wheelchairs A belated Happy 50th Birthday. How will your son, Hannes, who is currently 25 and paraplegic, celebrate his 50th? It’s now seven years since Hannes had his accident. If I’m honest, I thought we’d have found a cure for spinal injuries more quickly. I mean, I thought it would take years, but I also thought that the research would make greater and quicker progress. Whatever improvements there have been in Hannes since July 2003, he’s earned for himself with his disciplined training regime. We’ve had to accept you can’t compare a sportsman’s speed to the speed of research. Having said that, Hannes won’t be in a wheelchair on his 50th birthday. What makes you so sure? A lot of the theoretical knowledge was already available in 2003. Even back then there were projects that had the potential to be tried out on humans. Why has that still not happened? Clinical trials devour a lot of money and even more time, and there’s not much pressure from the public. In practice, the important step from the laboratory to the clinic often doesn’t materialise because the money can’t be found to pay for it. We’re talking sums in the millions here. And even more importantly, many researchers consider their job done in the laboratory. A thorough clinical study is still new territory and is very difficult to complete. Wings for Life is currently the only spinal cord foundation which invests in clinical research, ie which transfers laboratory results to real people. Why is no one else interested? Researchers get deeply engrossed in their specialisation and in extreme cases might only be interested in their one molecule. As they become more specialised, which they have to do, they lose sight of the bigger picture. So now we can replicate parts of the spinal cord, for example, but no one’s yet thought how to get the finished product back into the actual spinal cord. It’s very hard to understand. Wings for Life opens up bottlenecks so that the knowledge gets through and it puts the pressure on for things to be seen through to the end. ‘To the end’ means in concrete terms that clinical trials are also being carried out now based on laboratory results. But, first of all, trials had to be designed so that results could be compared. And for the trials to be significant, you need a lot of case studies as paralyses differ from one another greatly. We compare notes with the international umbrella organisation, the ICCP [International
Founding father: Heinz Kinigadner set up Wings for Life with a very particular goal – he wants to find a cure for paralysis Campaign for Cures of Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis], to avoid duplication. The world-leading Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has a budget 10 to 20 times as big as Wings for Life’s. So why should Wings for Life be the ones to have the breakthrough? Fundamentally, we’re all working towards the same goal. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has done a lot for the progress in the last 20 years. Wings for Life is very flexible, is organised efficiently and serves as an example to many other foundations. Our advisory board is very diverse, so it can evaluate precisely which projects are worth supporting. We have an overview of which projects are the most promising anywhere in the world. There are a good 20 scientists who work closely with Wings for Life, including some of the world’s best spinal cord researchers. But most importantly, Wings for Life goes to the root of the problem. We want to cure paralysis. Other foundations try to make things better too – spasms and bedsores are huge problems. But curing those only touches on the symptoms, not the causes. Eighty per cent of those affected by paralysis have a social network to support them. A handicappedaccessible flat or adapted car can make life easier, but they don’t solve the problem. Are there already concrete results? In recent years we’ve supported 34 projects. Wings for Life helps knowledge spread and also contributes to projects being seen through to the end. We expect the next step to come from clinical trials based on the most interesting projects from around the world in recent years.
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photography: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Bowling them over: Reggie Bush, running back for the New Orleans Saints, helps his team on the way to Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts – the Saints’ first Super Bowl win – as the Colts’ Clint Session hits the ground
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Follow the clash of the titans, from field, stage and track 52 football in new York City 60 Formula one 68 Red Bull Soundclash 74 reggie Bush’s Super Bowl
football’s empire state Sympathic pastime for intellectuals and other underdogs or a cure for homesick Europeans, Africans, and Latin Americans. In New York, the beautiful game has become a way of life like nowhere else
Words: Lars Jensen Photography: Kevin Trageser, Gerhard Stochl, Peter Sutherland
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O Come rain or shine, these New yorkers spend an hour or two On the pitch on their way to work at law firms, studios and agencies
Name: Gerhard Stochl, 36 Origin: Vienna, Austria Profession: Photographer
Name: Jason Goodman, 38 Origin: Pennsylvania, USA Profession: Director
n any given morning you can walk around the southern end of Chrystie Street and witness Chinatown overwhelmed by chaos. Just like a hundred years ago, countless merchants sell anything from oranges to dried jellyfish; fortune-tellers and masseuses offer their services. On the northern end of Chrystie Street you’ll find the counterpart to Chinatown’s unpredictability, the Lower East Side. Its overrated restaurants, overpriced apartments and overambitious galleries represent the 21st-century version of Manhattan. Between these two extremes, there is a communal park, created by the city during the 1980s in order to clean out the vicious drug scene. Every morning, should you wish, you can watch a great game of football here. As soon as the grey-headed Chinese women wrap up their Tai-Chisessions, football players take their place on the astroturf. Homeless people are kibitzing through the fence and are amused by what they see. Passersby usually pause and join the game. One of the fields on Chrystie is what the Chinatown Soccer Club calls home. Its members hold down steady jobs in agencies, law firms and studios, but before continuing to office life, these guys enjoy an hour or two of play – no 53
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matter if it snows, hails or a storm blows. What began during the 2002 World Cup in the spirit of spontaneous fun has developed into a lifestyle – at least for the most committed CSC players. Against the fence leans the coach who goes by the wonderful Austrian name of Gerhard Stochl. In real life he works as a photographer and wears a woolen hat to accompany his black glasses. On matchday mornings you see him in a black-redyellow uniform – the colours of CSC. “Most of our players live in the area,” says Stochl, who also acts as manager, spokesperson, treasurer, kitman. “That’s why, from the early days, we tried to embrace the neighbours, the aborigines of this part of town, which is threatened with gentrification by people like us.” This is where CSC draws its right to
Fever pitch: The CSC team (top) celebrate during an exhibition match of FC Barcelona against New York Red Bulls; getting into the spirit at multicultural football pub Neveda Smiths
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exist: this isn’t an exclusive members’ club – a clan of only artists, writers and other hipsters – it also welcomes merchants, or fortune-tellers whose families have lived here since way back. Actually anybody who owns two healthy legs is invited. Ultimately, the greatest attraction of this sport is its appeal to people from any country or culture. Nobody knows the final count, but approximately 40 players from 20 countries are involved with CSC. Some learned to play in lower-level European clubs, others just follow their instincts. Feared by opponents and team-mates alike is the Chinese midfield-prodigy Kang. His mates estimate his age at around 55 years, but what makes him such a threat are his tricks, that not even he can anticipate himself. Eight years ago, Stochl and his buddies Vikram Kansara, Ryan McGinness, Jason Goodman jumped the 9m fences on Chrystie for the first time. After long overnight sessions watching live broadcasts from the World Cup in Japan and Korea they were eager to sweat out the beer. Those were the days when Manhattan’s cool elite rated football about as sexy as playing rounders in tight cotton pants. Kicking a football was a rebellion of the nerds against the hepcats from the basketball court. Without a doubt basketball ruled those thousands of yards, empty lots and lawns which Manhattanites turn into sports facilities. On the larger spaces you could see people play roller-hockey, while others would work on their skateboarding skills. Back then, nobody could have anticipated how football replaced basketball as the most popular street sport. In any corner of New York you can find at any time of day (and in some gyms, even at night) a couple of boys or girls to join a game. On Manhattan’s east side, astroturf courts are spreading from underneath the bridges up the East River; on the west side, dozens of teams play on the rooftops of former warehouses or at Chelsea Piers sports centre. In some parts of Central Park, baseball players have given way for football. The same is happening in Queens and Brooklyn. No longer does the city ‘gift’ concrete floors and baskets to its empty traffic islands; today there’s more demand for artificial turf and goalposts. Even veterans like Stochl are at a loss to explain football’s rise from a frowned-upon activity to the hippest sport. Obviously the make-up of the population helps. Two out of three New Yorkers were born abroad. For many
Africans, Europeans and Latin Americans, playing football is a medicine against homesickness. But this fact alone can’t explain football’s success. New York has always been populated by foreigners. For sure the area’s professional teams did not contribute to football’s popularity. New York Cosmos – with their style of play nicknamed “soccer-ballet” – entertained the masses during the late 1970s with a glamorous team featuring Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Johann Neeskens and Ivan Buljan. But Cosmos went out of business in 1984 when the North American Soccer League filed for bankruptcy. On the field, the ensemble of former world greats played a lazy ball, but off the field, the heat was definitely on. In the days of disco, Beckenbauer and Pelé were regulars at the famous nightclub
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Name: Mark Gonzales, 40 Origin: Los Angeles, USA Profession: Skateboarder and artist
Name: Denise Vasel, 28 Origin: New Jersey, USA Profession: Lawyer
Name: Zach Korman, 33 Origin: Washington, DC, USA Profession: Creative director
Match of the day: A director, the owner of an agency and a marketing specialist get together for a pre-work game at Chinatown Soccer Club
Name: Justin Fines, 33 Origin: Detroit, USA Profession: Designer and artist
Name: Peter Bici, 36 Origin: New York, USA Profession: Fireman
Studio 54. The Cosmos celebrated their 1981 Christmas party at the Studio, joined by Bianca Jagger and Grace Jones. Pictures of partying Cosmos players added to the fame of the team, which often drew 70,000 or more spectators to Giants Stadium. Since the inception of Major League Soccer, a club called New York/New Jersey Metro Stars represented the Metropolitan area in America’s top league, but struggled to achieve any success. In 2006 Red Bull took over and renamed the team New York Red Bulls. Mass media ignores local soccer as if nothing has changed – unless, of course, David Beckham sports a new tattoo or the women’s national team wins Olympic gold. Attention and money continue to be shared by the big four: baseball, basketball, American football and ice hockey. But maybe therein lies an explanation for football’s rise. Once you’ve seen a basketball match at Madison Square Garden and endured the unnerving commercial breaks and careless play of multimillionaire stars, you’d rather spend your next free evening with a couple of friends on a football field. Scores of NBA and NFL players are involved in drug and gun scandals; numerous stars of MLB and NHL have admitted to doping – even many die-hard fans have seen enough. Football benefits from this crisis in American sports. Over 17 million people are playing it – no other sport comes even close. Football is considered the sympathetic, anti-commercial, morally superior alternative. Once you try it, it appears also to be way more fun. Mid-January, Wednesday night, in the gym of Borough of Manhattan Community College: through the gym’s windows the lights of the construction site at Ground Zero shimmer. Snow is 56
Name: Dan Funderburgh, 31 Origin: Seattle, USA Profession: Designer and artist
Name: Ryan McGinness, 37 Origin: Virginia Beach, USA Profession: Artist
Name: Vikram Kansara, 32 Origin: London, England Profession: Publicity strategist and author
Name: Everard Findlay, 38 Origin: Trinidad and Tobago Profession: Artist and philantropist
Takeover strategy: Football is invading the city and baseball and basketball are giving way. This match is taking place on a former baseball pitch at Central Park
falling. On the pitches a dozen teams are completing match-day three of the Urban Soccer League. On Wednesdays teams made up of some of the financial industry’s giants go head-to-head. Citigroup v Goldman Sachs; Wachovia v Chase; Deutsche v Bank of America. Just one of hundreds of leagues in which footballers organise themselves. These players act more aggressively and look more serious than the relaxed regulars of Chinatown Soccer Club. “Everyone here is eager to win,” says TJ Johnson, dressed in the red jersey of hedge fund DE Shaw. “It comes with the nature of these people.” Every subculture develops its own style of football. Artists fool around like young dogs; firefighters and policemen (each district runs its own team) argue for the best part of the match over the ref’s mistakes; gay teams applaud when the opponent scores a nice goal; Australians and the Irish stop playing for a sip of beer. Bankers acknowledge only one purpose in playing: victory. One of the oldest clichés about New York describes its unique diversity of mentalities. Anyone who visits the football fields between the Bronx and Staten Island recognises that this concept isn’t a cliché at all, but a reality. An even easier way to witness the special fabric of New York’s population is to visit Nevada Smiths, an East Village bar on Third Avenue and 11th Street. Owner Jack Keane opened it in 1995 – a foregone age when foreign football fans had to call home to check their teams’ 57
Exploring the Cosmos: International players such as Franz Beckenbauer and Pelé introduced the glamorous side of football to New Yorkers – both on and off the pitch
results. Or waited until the newspapers printed them, two days after the fact. The internet was more-or-less unknown and American TV didn’t show football. Keane invested a lot of money into a complicated satellite receiver and started showing English league matches, particularly those featuring his club, Manchester United. On his window he wrote: ‘Where Football Is Religion.’ He explains: “In this bar we don’t say ‘soccer’ since the world game of football should never have to act like a second-class citizen.” Fifteen years later, Keane’s bar turned into the epicentre of footballrelated activities in New York. He shows all the important games of all the major leagues in Europe and Latin America as well as most of the inconsequential ones: that’s more than a hundred matches a week on 17 screens. Nevada Smiths also serves as headquarters for official fan clubs of – among others – Olympique Marseille, PSG, HSV, Juve, AC, Inter and most English clubs. Only Liverpool supporters never show up, since their ancient rivalry with Man U won’t allow it. The most amusing days at Nevada Smiths come around every four years,
Name: Mike Messenie, 37 Origin: Newport Beach, USA Profession: Wine importer
Name: Kang, 55 Origin: China Profession: Footballer
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Name: Andrew Sutherland, 32 Origin: Michigan, USA Profession: Artist
The big league: AC Milan’s World Champions Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Alberto Gilardino try to defend their goal during a friendly against CSC
when decisive World Cup qualifiers are played and matches on all continents take place the same day. People line up in front of the bar for 24 hours straight. The party begins around midnight when matches start in East Asia, bringing Japanese, Koreans and Australians flooding to the bar. One time zone after another kicks off matches and the audience changes nationality accordingly. Indians, Persians, Arabs show up in the morning; Europeans and Africans around noon and in early evening Americans follow them. Keane is proud that in all those years he never had to solve a serious fight. Back to Chrystie Street, where on a cold Tuesday morning, nine o’clock, the CSC boys hop over the frozen ground underfoot. Not every pass reaches its destination, sometimes the feet just don’t execute the brain’s intentions. But, hey, it’s hard to play in this icy place. More important, everyone here wants to have fun and look good. This isn’t a competitive organisation, but a street kick-around in New York. Most CSC players look more than averagely talented. Even some Adidas scouts spotted them during a summer tournament and offered to collaborate on designing a football boot. “We agreed to that one straight away,” says Stochl. “You don’t get an offer like that every week.” Seems even a multinational like Adidas
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New York’s newest football arena Five million people living in the New York area are involved with football. Finally they have a home
Match fit: After two years’ planning and building, the Red Bull Arena will open on March 20, with the home side facing Brazil’s legendary Santos FC
Additional Photography: Getty Images, Tom Kaminski WCBS 880, Imago sportfoto
sees New York street football as a way to keep in touch with the grass roots. The special-edition boot is called Top Sala CSC and was presented in summer 2008 with a barbecue on Chrystie Street. Marking the occasion, Adidas and CSC simultaneously published an elegantly photographed and designed booklet paying tribute to the battles fought on Chrystie Street. Bleeding knees, open eyebrows. The pictures are accompanied by poems from defender Laijon Liu, who expresses his eternal love for football: Soccer in my heart and mind; Soccer my love and life Soccer I wake up and play; Soccer I hold it to sleep; Soccer I get the yellow and red card; Soccer my moves and stop; Soccer my endless thought; Soccer my very last breath “Soccer my very last breath!” Has ever a poet written more eloquently about the sport? Laijon, the genius. In a few lines the CSC defender manages to express the feelings of anybody who loves the game of football. A universal emotion, shared by the players on Chrystie Street as well as those on any other pitch in New York, on any other pitch in the world. For news, blogs, photos and info in Chinatown Soccer Club visit www.chinatownsoccerclub.com and www.arkitipintel.com/reporters/csc
Five million football players and fans live in greater New York – there’s nothing they wish for more than a team representing their city with a realistic shot at winning the Major League Soccer championship. In the past, New York’s contribution to America’s professional league was not competitive enough to capture the attention of supporters. Last season, roughly 12,000 people shared the 80,000 seats at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In March, the 2010 season starts, and from match-day one onwards the New York Red Bulls hope to enter a new age of success and attractive play. New manager Erik Soler, a former Norwegian international, hired as a coach Hans Backe, a veteran from Sweden. The two of them replaced about half the roster. Juan Pablo Ángel, the team’s captain and its most experienced player says: “Backe knows this sport extremely well.” Especially proud are Soler and Backe about the acquisition of midfielder Tony Tchani from University of Virginia. He is one of America’s most hopeful prospects. The experienced and reliable goalkeeper Oka Nikolov joins from Bundesliga team Eintracht Frankfurt. But the most generous gift to New York’s football community will be the new Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. The facade looks like a giant inflatable boat. The building’s interior offers visitors all the comfort that was missing from unpopular Giants Stadium. The stands are steep and located so close to the pitch that fans will almost be able to hear the players’ breathing. A European-style roof covers all 25,000 seats and 30 skyboxes, yet the stadium is intimate enough to allow New York’s supporters to experience games in a way they could so far only have dreamed of, while watching the leagues in England or Germany on TV. Just as in Metro Stars days, the Red Bull Arena is located in a suburb across the Hudson River in New Jersey. But the owners
have eliminated one major obstacle to New Yorkers wanting to watch a football game: the hopelessly inconvenient commute across all five boroughs of New York to East Rutherford. The new stadium is easily reachable by PATH trains, which take 10 minutes from the West Village to Harrison station next to the arena. Although local media continues to ignore the game and directs more attention towards lacrosse or bowling, and despite the fact that nine other professional teams compete for audiences and sponsorships in the region, the New York Red Bulls finally have a reason to expect public support. Experiences in other cities prove that there’s still room for professional ‘soccer’ – as long as you market it smartly and host games in an attractive venue. Recently opened arenas in Columbus and Los Angeles, Seattle and Salt Lake City are sold out more often than not. Teenage girls and Latin Americans are excited about Major League Soccer. Hopefully the New York Red Bulls won’t have to wait for long before New York’s girls and Latinos hop on the PATH train to Harrison. Find a webcam, stadium news and list of what’s on at www.redbullarena.us
Moving forward: New York Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Ángel is hoping to lead his team to their first MLS title
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RB6
Something Old, Something
Newey
A guide to the new car by its creator 1. Engine “Our relationship with Renault has always been extremely good. We haven’t felt we get any less support as a customer team than Renault give their own team. What’s been a shame is that the outright engine performance has probably been slightly behind one or two of its competitors. Renault were very honourable in observing the engine development freeze, whereas some competitors have probably spent as much on development since the freeze came in as they did before. It meant Renault fell a little behind, but they are committed to redressing the balance and if they can achieve that then we’ll see an engine that is competitive again.”
The 2010 Formula One season brings new rules, new drivers, and a new car from Red Bull Racing design chief Adrian Newey. But a small mop-topped Brit remains in charge…
Red Bull Racing’s stunning new RB6 (right) might look like last year’s car, but don’t be fooled: it’s tailor-made to meet 2010’s updated rules and regulations Words: Matt Youson
Change makes Adrian Newey very happy. Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer insists Formula One becomes “a little less interesting” when everything is stable. The team recently unveiled RB6, its 2010 F1 world championship challenger, and this season’s new technical regulations require it to be more than an evolution of the car it replaces. But isn’t it a little odd to welcome change to the car that won the final three Grands Prix of 2009? Not for Newey, whose fascination lies with things new and so is in his element as F1 goes through one of its periodic episodes of seismic correction. “I do enjoy regulation changes,” he says. “They allow me to sit back with a fresh sheet of paper and work out solutions from first principles. There’s a large contrast between that and the situation we’ve had for most of the last 10 years. Stability makes F1 very iterative. Nobody comes up with new ideas, instead there are lots of little alterations on well-established themes. 60
The more resources you have, the more iterations you can afford, so winning becomes a question of who can assemble most resources. It’s not as stimulating as doing something new.” For a second season in succession Newey gets to have the F1 he wants, the one where the brain is mightier than the wallet. The main differences between 2009 and 2010 are narrower front tyres and a ban on refuelling. It doesn’t sound like edge-of-the-seat stuff, but the effects might be dramatic – and not just for the garage crews keyed-up for the return of the six-second pitstop. Last year, regulation changes turned the grid upside down: everyone expecting another instalment of McLaren v Ferrari were surprised to get Brawn v Red Bull Racing. This year it’s all up in the air again. Newey says he’s been “far too busy to study the competition in any great detail”, though admits to having taken “just a very quick look”. “Both Ferrari and Mercedes [the former Brawn team, taken over by the Stuttgart giant at the end of the season] look like evolutions of the cars that finished last season, though both have adopted the V-section chassis we introduced with RB5. The McLaren looks… complicated, particularly at the rear where they seem to have done an awful lot of work on their diffuser design.” Beyond that he won’t speculate. “We set targets for ourselves. We hope to achieve them, but even if we do, it’s not to say others won’t go further. Until the first race it’s a guessing game. Even with the experience and the science and technology, you never know until the racing starts.”
2. Radiators “The larger fuel tank creates packaging issues: we have to get the extra fuel in by either making the chassis longer or wider. Wider would be preferable, but the downside is that you tend to end up making the radiators smaller, and losing cooling efficiency. RB6 is a compromise: we have a slightly smaller radiator and a slightly longer chassis.”
3. Floor
Photography: Getty Images, Rick Guest/Red bull racing
Nip/Tuck
“The packaging of the RB6’s rear and the floor of the car are an evolution of the RB5. The principle was introduced at the British GP [June] and then developed for the Singapore GP [September]. The RB6 floor is a further development along those lines, doing things we were never able to do on RB5, such as change the shape of the gearbox casing.”
4. Tyres and balance “While the fuel tank is taking most of the headlines, the other significant rule change is that Bridgestone have introduced a narrower front tyre. It means the cars will tend to understeer more, which we counter by moving the weight around. Compared to the RB5, the RB6 moves weight rearwards slightly.”
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5. Diffuser
“Apart from the three teams that started 2009 with a double diffuser, everybody else designed their own version retrospectively. The RB5 wasn’t conceived around a double diffuser and it was quite difficult to fit one that worked reasonably well with the rear of the car. The RB6 has allowed us to start again with a clean sheet of paper and design an optimised package.”
Print 2.0
en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 Watch Vettel and Webber as they get to know the RB6
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6. Rear Suspension “We’ve decided to stay with pull-rod rear suspension for the RB6, but we’ve repackaged it to suit the double diffuser. Without a doubt, the double diffuser makes pull-rods more difficult to package, but the inherent benefits it offers, compared to a push-rod, means it’s still ahead overall, even with a double diffuser – though it’s certainly a finer judgement and one we debated for some time. Of the teams that launched before us, only Toro Rosso have pull-rods. Had we not used them originally on the RB5, then we would not have gone down the road of studying how to make them work with a double diffuser, but having done the work last year, we’ve learned the strengths and weaknesses and stayed with the design.”
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7. Fuel tank
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“The principal change in regulations for 2010 is a ban on refuelling. The RB6 fuel tank will be almost double the size of what we had last year. One of the interesting ramifications is that the cars will qualify with a light fuel load, begin the race heavy with fuel and finish it light again. Because we’re not allowed to change the set-up of the car between qualifying and the race, we’ve had to design a car that will work across a broader range of mass change than it has had to do for the last few years.”
8. Brakes “Extra fuel means extra weight, which means the cars will be tougher on brakes and tyres in the early stages of a Grand Prix. It’s going to be a big factor and it’s something we have had to take into account in the design of the RB6.”
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F1 SEASON
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Onward, Christian Soldiers Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner has dragged his team from mid-grid to title contenders in five years. And there will be no let-up until the title’s won. Maybe this year?
There’s a crackle in the air down Bradbourne Drive, Milton Keynes. In this unremarkable service road, on an unremarkable industrial estate that’s part of Britain’s most infamously unremarkable town, something truly exceptional is happening. And you can feel it. Only a week remains before the car that will lead the Formula 1 world championship charge for Red Bull’s senior team, Red Bull Racing, is put together for the first time. Every single component has been designed or redesigned from scratch; every sexycurved body part has been formed into a uniquely functional shape after thousands of hours’ testing in the team’s military-spec wind tunnel and similar computer time spent on CFD (computational fluid dynamics – sensationally advanced numbercrunching that allows engineers to model such complex forms as wind flow, without needing any wind). It will be assembled like a giant, and hugely expensive, infinitely intricate, Lego toy car. But RB6 is no toy. It is one of the most advanced driving machines ever created – the very state of the motor racing art – built with the sole aim of winning world titles against such formidable opposition as Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes. By the time you read this, the early performance potential of the RB6 will be known, as drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will have tested it on a former home of the Spanish GP, the Jerez circuit, in southern Spain, and the current venue, the Circuit de Catalunya just outside Barcelona. Hopes and dreams of world championship titles, of scorching summer days in Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, the likely rain of Belgium and Japan, seem impossibly far away on this
Photography: neil bridge
Words: Anthony Rowlinson There’s a crackle in the air down Bradbourne Drive, Milton Keynes. In this unremarkable road, on an unremarkable industrial estate that’s part of Britain’s most infamously unremarkable town, something truly exceptional is happening. Only a week remains before the car that will lead the Formula One world championship charge for Red Bull’s senior team, Red Bull Racing, is put together for the first time. It will be assembled like a giant, and hugely expensive, infinitely intricate, Lego toy car. But RB6 is no toy. It is one of the most advanced driving machines ever created built with the sole aim of winning world titles against such formidable opposition as Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes. By the time you read this, the early performance potential of the RB6 will be known, as drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber will have test-driven it hundreds of kilometres. Hopes and dreams of world championship titles, seem impossibly far away on this dark British winter evening. But step inside the factory gates and a magical world of excitement opens up. This is an F1 team on the precipice of destiny. Intense, intelligent-looking engineers scurry between the two main factory buildings. There’s team manager Jonathan Wheatley, deep in conference with one of his crew. And there, speeding towards his appointment with The Red Bulletin, is Christian Horner, still looking barely old enough to have finished prep school, let alone be running a top F1 team. Before he reaches us there’s a moment to take in some of the mundanity behind the magic: at reception, pizzas and Chinese takeaway are being ordered to see boffins and fantastically skilled ‘spanner-monkeys’ through late, late nights and into the wee small hours. That’s before the night shift proper starts work, of course. “So it’s £74.60 and £24.50,” confirms Thelma Spragg behind the desk, “and
for 6.30 please? Thanks. That’ll make sure the car gets built,” she twinkles as she puts the phone down. Horner’s here now, ready – readiness being one of those qualities he brought to this team on his appointment as sporting director (he was soon promoted to team principal) at the very tail end of 2004. He was the youngest team boss in F1, just 31 (and, boy, did he look it up against such grizzled veterans as Ron Dennis or Sir Frank Williams), but swiftly proved he was up to the job: Red Bull Racing’s first Grand Prix, in Australia, brought a 4-7 double-points finish for David Coulthard and Christian Klien and the team went on to finish seventh in the constructors’ championship with a more-than-respectable 34 points. The team has grown and strengthened since then, recruiting widely – most notably with the addition of F1’s most respected technical brain, Adrian Newey, for the 2006 season – and investing towards the eventual aim of winning the F1 world title. Last year the team came achingly close to that goal, finishing on 153.5 points to the 172 of Brawn, and in Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, found two drivers both capable of becoming world champion. All so much gas out of the exhaust now, though. Like any F1 team, Red Bull Racing is, well, bullish about the year ahead, with the clear goal of going one better this time around. So, Mr Horner, can you do it? “That’s the aim, certainly, to win both titles. The championship trophies are the only ones missing from our trophy cabinet – the big two. We’re respecting the formidable opponents that we have of course, but we’re targeting them as they’ll have targeted us, I’m sure.” Last year three teams, including Brawn who won the title, started the year with a so-called ‘double diffuser’. Your technical team believed it was illegal before getting an all-clear from the governing body and designing one of your own. Do you feel you were robbed of the titles? “You have to put all of these things down to experience. The double diffuser cost us dearly in the first half of the season – the performance it was worth was considerable. One team [Brawn] did a good job in exploiting the loophole and history will say that they’re the winners and that’s the bottom line. Hopefully we can go one better this year.” Seems to be pretty nonstop here right now. How many hours do you work? “A lot! The day usually starts for 63
Action me before 8am as I’m talking calls from Austria and I go home around 8-8.30 most evenings.” Tough week. You must love your job. What’s the best thing about F1? “No question, the fact that every two weeks throughout the spring and summer you’re going head-to-head with the competition and it never stops. There’s never a dull moment. The competition is a fantastic challenge and winning is the objective. What goes into winning is what makes it enjoyable. That’s the essence of F1. It can be a very hard sport, but it can be very rewarding. If you actually win a Grand Prix [as Red Bull Racing did six times in 2009] it makes you realise what all that work is for.” There must be some bad things about F1? “Some of the politics during the last couple of years were pretty bad. There were some unpleasant incidents, but the sport always overrides it. Losing teams through the global financial situation was not good, but out of these losses have come opportunities and F1 is well placed – costs have been contained and we have more competitive teams.” You mention politics. Do you have to be a politician to be an F1 team boss? “We try to keep to the sporting side and avoid the manoeuvrings of some other teams. This team exists to go racing in a fair and sporting manner that’s extremely competitive in its aspirations. That’s our focus.” Who do you rate as an F1 team chief? Did anyone inspire you? “Ron Dennis [of McLaren] and Flavio Briatore [formerly of Renault and Benetton] both achieved a lot in very different manners and with different styles of management.” Neither will be running teams this year. Will F1 miss them – or Max Mosley, the former boss of governing body the FIA? “Initially, yes, but time moves on. It’s now a new era, a new dawn.” Of course, the daddy of them all – Bernie Ecclestone – is still very much part of the scene. Can you imagine F1 post-Bernie? “Well in about 50 years, when he finally retires! He’ll be about 130, so maybe he’ll fancy doing something else then. Maybe. It’s an interesting question. He’s built F1 into an incredible spectacle and sport. The sport has been successful because of his strong leadership. It’s difficult to see how it can be run by committee. I hope he’ll be around for a long time.” You must feel like a well-established player now that you’re in your sixth season? “I hope I’ve been around long enough that people respect my opinion. At the end of the day I represent the interests 64
“What goes into winning is what makes the job enjoyable. That’s the essence of Formula One” of Red Bull, not Christian Horner. I certainly think Red Bull Racing has established itself in the sport as a credible team, one that has the respect of its peers. I think we’ve has earned that respect.” Did you ever feel out of your depth, running an F1 team at such a young age? “No. I came into the sport right at the height of a big power struggle between the teams and the governing body. It looked like there was going to be a breakaway series and halfway through that year [2005] we had the situation at Indianapolis where all the teams on Michelin tyres [including Red Bull Racing] had to pull out. So it was a tricky time and yes, I was thrown in at the deep end. But you just have to sink or swim.” You were the successful boss of the Arden Racing team, which competed at a level below F1, before joining Red Bull. You also used to be a pretty quick racing driver. Do you miss racing yourself? “Not any more, no. It seems an awfully long time ago now [Horner stopped racing in 1998 aged 24]. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from racing though, driving for good and bad teams.” How has your experience of racing helped you? “The best aspect is the way it enables you to relate to racing drivers, particularly with foreign drivers, when maybe they’re not able to express themselves as they’d like and you can see misinterpretations happening. At that point you can step in and help with communication. It has helped enormously on the pitwall and in certain aspects of race strategy” So you don’t ever feel the need to play a racing game, to scratch the itch? “Ha! Hardly ever, no. About the only times I’ve played seem to be with Adrian [Newey]. We’ve raced around the old Nürburgring [fabled former home of the German GP] in 2CVs. Adrian was as competitive playing that as he is at every other form of sport, and both of us struggled to get up the hills. I seem to remember I beat him though, even after he’d done about 60 practice laps…” It’s getting late and ever darker in this anonymous corner of northern Europe. Time to leave. Horner bids us a gracious farewell then he’s onto the next thing. Moments later, a delivery man laden with pizzas walks into reception.
Mr E: Still the Wheel Deal At 79, Bernie Ecclestone – aka Mr Formula One – retains a grip on the sport that has yet to be rivalled. In this exclusive interview, he explains why the sport still turns him on and why sometimes, in this toughest sport-business, you have to let down an old friend Words: Norman Howell
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Photography: getty images
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I arrive for my interview with Bernie Ecclestone at his office in London’s Princes Gate, opposite Hyde Park. It’s easy to recognise: it’s the only building in its elegant white Georgian Terrace which is black and glass fronted. Once inside, there’s a corridor leading to two meeting rooms and, through another short corridor, to Bernie Ecclestone’s office. On the walls are a number of strong, large contemporary works of art. Large sculptures are positioned all over. It’s not what a visitor might expect. Tasteful works of art, carefully displayed, somehow don’t fit with the stereotypical image of motor racing. Nor does the subdued décor. But Number 6 Princes Gate is very much the heartbeat of Formula One, the global, multi-billion-dollar sport, where money, fast cars, drama, scandals, heroes and villains appear as if by magic in 20 glamorous and exotic locations,
burning fuel, money and reputations at mind-numbing speed. It’s a magical mystery tour, to borrow from the Beatles. And the ringmaster of this ever-moving and evolving circus is Ecclestone, still mischievously sporting a Beatle mop. And here he is, darting out from one meeting room into the next. Then he pops out again, escorting visitors to the door. He sees me: “You know where my office is, wait for me there.” The holy of holies. I have to confess that I have known Mr E (and as the single-letter moniker suggests, he remains mysterious, elusive) for some time now. Indeed I worked for him for a while, and though during that period I went to his office many times, he would always be stationed behind his desk, shredding machine to his left, the telephone always alive. The exchanges were always short. Mr E does not waste
words, or time. It was either a yes, or a no. Hardly ever “we’ll see”. So I had never been there on my own, in the holy of holies. I stood for a while, unsure where to sit, or whether to sit at all. There are two long sofas, a large coffee table, more paintings and sculptures. And a rather exquisite armchair. Knowing Mr E, all the furniture would be ‘important’, or have history attached. Some items were easier to place: a football signed by Pelé, many autographed photographs reflecting Mr E’s extraordinary network of influence with the world’s shakers and movers. Then two sculpted hands, one holding a hand grenade, another a truncheon: Mr E’s humour. Just like one of the meeting rooms where he has paintings and sculptures making fun of the Press and of his own alleged cash purchase of this building. Then a mobile rings: it’s the theme tune to Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad 65
Action and the Ugly: it’s loud and startling. Mr E bustles back in, answers it, then looks at me: “You all right for a minute?” “Of course,” I say. “’Cos I’m not!” And out he goes again. I am still standing. Men can’t multi-task. No one told him. As far as I can tell there are two legal negotiations going on in both meeting rooms, with the ringmaster shuttling to and fro. Then there’s the busy mobile which demands his attention, then your reporter, awaiting his audience. In he comes again. As I look up expectantly – I’ve found the courage to sit down at last – he’s now accompanied by one of F1’s big hitters who gives me a puzzled look. “Don’t worry about Norman, he won’t listen.” Oh dear. A handshake and a pleasantry later I’m back at my place, scribbling in my notebook and fiddling with my digital tape machine, looking busy and definitely, definitely not listening. After arranging to meet his visitor a little later “after I’ve got rid of Norman”, he finally turns to me. Well, I have worked for the man, I have been in many formal and informal media situations with him, and a few that were neither. He will always seek the upper hand at the start of a meeting or conversation. He is the grand puppet master of destabilisation. So far today I have seen him being very busy, sharing his time with different people at the same time; he has warned me that he does not even have ‘a minute’ to spare, and told one of the sport’s big hitters that he wants to get rid of me asap. And that he is about to go to his favourite pub for a lunchtime appointment. Phew! Nervous? Moi? Now he’s ready for me. I rise to take up the usual position on the other side of his desk, but he motions me to stay put and sits beside me, all smiles and light banter. I am destabilised, that’s for sure. He’s in a great mood as we chat about the tremendous success of the first 2010 test session: 38,000 Spaniards greet Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s first ever outing (“Magic!”) and how Britain’s Autosport website crashed under the weight of 1.5 million unique users all trying to access the testing times (“Really? Beautiful! Wonderful!”). I start with the usual… “So Mr E, it’s going to be a tremendous season, what with…” And as usual, he is about two or three questions ahead, so he jumps in: “There has been so much hype about Michael (Schumacher), which is super as he’s an amazing superstar. The danger I can see is this enormous build-up to the world championship, which is wonderful 66
Bernie Ecclestone is the grand puppet master of destabilisation. He will always seek the upper hand of course, but in the end it is going to come down to the cars. There is a whole bunch of guys out there who could win a world championship, if they have the right equipment. It’s the case now of knowing who has the right equipment and we will not know that until two or three races into the season. This testing that is going on at the moment is not showing anything. It’s going well, which is good, and I hope we can deliver what people want to see during the season.” Yes of course, but the sport is also about people… “…of course Michael wants to win the world championship. He would not be back if he did not think he could win. He has not come back to be beaten, it’s just a case of the car being up to him being able to win the championship.” So, Mr Ross Brawn [Schumacher’s technical boss at the Mercedes F1 team], no pressure on you or your team. If Schumacher doesn’t win, it’s down to the car. That tells you something about the awe the seven-times world champion carries with him, even in Mr E’s office. Though when I wonder if, were Bernie still a team owner, would he sign Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel he has no hesitation: “Sebastian.” He pauses. “We don’t know how long Michael intends doing what he is doing, but we do know Sebastian will be there for as long as it takes. Hopefully as long as Michael. I’m a big supporter of his.” All drivers are mentioned by first name, and he talks in rather affectionate, fatherly tones about them. They all sound very young when he mentions their names. Which of course they are, as Mr E is 79 years old. Not that you’d know. The energy levels are astounding, the sharpness, in dress, repartee and mental agility cutting, his humour mischievous. “Michael,” he says, “is a very competitive person, in everything he does. He wants the best at whatever he is doing. He is charming and unique, he is a very nice guy. People who don’t know him criticise him sometimes, saying he’s standoff-ish, but it’s not true, he’s not. “Fernando [Alonso, double world champion in 2005-06], is a different character. Maybe because of where he comes from: he is very Spanish in his ways, also, as far as I am personally concerned, we are very close friends. He
is a nice, sensible, reliable person. He has very high morals, about what he thinks is right and wrong. “And Jenson [Button] is Jenson. He’s ‘old-school’ in his way of performing. He is charming, nice and a super guy. He is a good world champion, but is he as talented as some of the other guys that have been world champions? I don’t know, this year we’ll see. “Lewis [Hamilton] is unique, coming from where he has, so suddenly. He is extremely talented. Also it’s so nice these guys are such nice people, charming people, they really are. All that trouble Lewis had in Spain [he received racial abuse from Spanish fans during his and Alonso’s acrimonious 2007 season together, at McLaren], he handled that matter quite well. He’s now levelled out and nobody thinks any different of him than anybody else.” So much for the drivers, his ‘children’. What of those long-term close allies such as Flavio Briatore, former Renault team boss, and Max Mosley, former President of motorsport governing body the FIA, who have departed the F1 scene amid much controversy? Although not a man known for his sentimentality, these were long-term relationships, something Ecclestone values highly. “Flavio is a character and we needed him in F1,” he reflects. “He always had something to say to the Press and TV,
F1
photography: getty images
SEASON PREVIEW which was good. Max has been around an awfully long time, and we have been together for just as long, so we are going to miss him. He got criticised for doing things, and they picked out the things which they thought he did wrong. All of us do things wrong, but they [the Press] forgot to praise the good things Max did. I think he’ll be missed as time goes on.” Mr E pauses. He stiffens a little. Then: “We are still friends, we always have been friends through the changes, although I was not too loyal with him when he had his problem, for which I apologised openly to the FIA: I was wrong, but I was under a lot of pressure from a lot of people to suggest that he should stand down.” Mr E’s references take us back to two periods of controversy in which Briatore and Mosley were involved, contributing to their departures from the F1 scene. Mosley had aspects of his private life published in explicit detail and with F1 being a rather conservative environment, Mr E came under huge pressure to add his considerable gravitas to the calls for Mosley to resign. There were many old scores to settle and Ecclestone, one of Mosley’s oldest and most trusted friends was placed in an invidious position: a choice between protecting the future of the sport, or the future of his friend. I hazard that many of us with some insider knowledge were aware Ecclestone could not have acted much differently, that the welfare of the sport and its commercial side had to be above friendships. No one would blame him for acting in the way he did…. “I could have said [privately]: Max, you know, I’m coming under huge pressure, you ought to stand down: it would have been as easy as that. But I should have not said it in the Press. Or it should not have been reported… but I don’t make any excuses for it.” To F1’s more sporadic followers, it might seem surprising that Ecclestone was put in this position of pressure, as so many see him as the ultimate boss of the sport. So who – really – runs F1? “Formula One Management [FOM, one of Ecclestone’s companies] still runs F1. We look after all the commercial side of things. The FIA are the regulators, they make sure people comply with the regulations properly, with input from the teams. They write the regulations.” Simple enough, but not much in F1 is what it seems, and Ecclestone is not keen on the many committees that seem necessary to spin F1’s wheels. Meetings, he says “are an unnecessary waste of time, with people who want
to have meetings. If I could retire gracefully from what I do, I would like to get the mineral water concession for these meetings: I would make an absolute fortune. The way things are constructed at the moment, the people they have in the working groups are not the people who pay the bills. So they think in a different way. The Technical Working Group guys [a group of senior F1 engineers charged with charting the most appropriate technical direction for the sport] are in there for one reason only: winning for their team. They will do anything they can to win. Do they care how good it is for F1? Definitely not. You will never, ever get these people to agree to something that is good, generally, for the business. They are in a business with us, commercially, and you’d think they had nothing to do with us at all.” So, not enamoured with some of the teams in F1 is Mr E. On, then, to a question journalists are told not to ask Ecclestone. It’s the ‘what comes after him’ question. A number of F1 grandees have said, in private, they would like the job. Names have been mentioned, and they have come, and they have also gone. But Mr E is still standing. So let’s try another way: “Mr E, if you had the power to construct a bespoke successor, tailor-made, who could run F1 after you have left, what would this person look like, be like?” His glasses seem to sparkle. But of course it’s the very clear eyes behind them. The sparkle spreads to a crinkle around his eyes, then a wide grin: “I’d probably go and look for another used car dealer.” That’s how Mr E started in business, and seemingly his life in southeast London. So, we are looking for a quick brain, flexibility of thought…. He jumps in now, more serious: “When I am not here – I think it would be wrong – but I think this is what will happen: the company will be run corporate-wise. Maybe someone could do it, but I couldn’t run it like a corporation. So it’s a case of finding someone who can manage the people we’ve got – because we have some very good people, who know what they are doing – and that is what it really needs. “The good side of me is that I’ve been around a long time and I’m very friendly with all the people I deal with, like on a handshake. On deals, we trust each other, we know where we are going. When we’re in trouble, I try to help them, and vice versa. That’s a relationship which takes a long time to build up. You can’t build with a corporation, you can only build with a person. So, you just need to find
the right guy. And he will come along. But it’s no good saying, have the guy with you now, because if he is that good he will be arguing with me all day long, or I would be arguing with him. And if he is that bad, I don’t want him anywhere near me, as I’d just be wasting my time. “So it’s difficult…. You need someone who is going to make a decision and stick by it. Or, if they have made a mistake, own up to it. If I think I have made a mistake I will say ‘Listen, I have really cocked it up this time, let’s start again. When I go, whichever way it’s going to be (more twinkle behind the glasses), there’s enough people here to look after things until they find the right guy.” So, no exclusive scoop here, but what of the handshake? Does he still do business that way? It’s a rhetorical question: I know he does, it’s his style. When he hired me, and I asked about a contract, he leant over the same desk in the same office and offered his hand: “Is that enough?” he said. It was. The handshake. He told me that is why he keeps the old, black and white photo of Enzo Ferrari: “That was the man I could shake hands with. Human trust is fundamental. I don’t want to deal with people I can’t trust.” The twinkle has changed to a steely glint and there’s an edge to his voice. “And when I find I can’t trust them, I will never deal with them again.”
The 2010 F1 Calendar 12-14.3.2010 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir) 26-28.3.2010 Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne) 2-4.4.2010 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix (Kuala Lumpur)
23-25.7.2010 Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland (Hockenheim) 30.7-1.8.2010 Magyar Nagydij (Budapest) 27-29.8.2010 Belgian Grand Prix (Spa)
16-18.4.2010 Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
10-12.9.2010 Gran Premio Santander d’Italia (Monza)
7-9.5.2010 Gran Premio de Espana Telefónica 2010 (Catalunya)
24-26.9.2010 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)
13-16.5.2010 Grand Prix de Monaco (Monte Carlo)
8-10.10.2010 Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
28-30.5.2010 Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul) 11-13.6.2010 Grand Prix du Canada (Montreal) 25-27.6.2010 Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe (Valencia) 9-11.7.2010 Santander British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
22-24.10.2010 Korean Grand Prix (Yeongam) 5-7.11.2010 Grande Premio do Brasil (São Paulo) 12-14.11.2010 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina Circuit) For the new car go to en.redbulletin.com/ print2.0. The team is at www.redbullracing.com
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TEXAN SHOWDOWN What happens when an electro-punk band covers Erykah Badu? How about when the neo-soul singer herself tries country and western? Welcome to Red Bull Soundclash, where no genre is safe Words: Gretel C Kovach Photography: Matthew Salacuse
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Cannabinoid heroine: The night before the big American football game between the universities of Dallas and Oklahoma, there’s a musical version of the same battle; local girl and neo-soul diva Erykah Badu (below) and her band The Cannabinoids go head-to-head with electro-punks Shiny Toy Guns at Red Bull Soundclash
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usk has fallen on a stretch of reclaimed wasteland in downtown Dallas, silhouetting the wink and glow of jumbo screens that beckon to the crowd gathering in a canyon of sleek new skyscrapers. Electric guitars and keyboards, drum sets and drum machines wait for their absent musical masters on stages at either end of the plaza. Speakers blast pure, sweet sound and B-Boys breakdance in mock battle. Even the weather is co-operating for the first Red Bull Soundclash USA event held outdoors – the sky is clear this evening after weeks of rain. The show begins with the plaza filled with some 2000 fans. The crowd is a discordant jumble of young American footballers sporting rival team jerseys, hip-hoppers draped in gold bling or jazz caps, punk rockers in tight pants, some sipping Red Bull and vodka. It’s an unlikely mix of people, but the Red Bull Soundclash concept keeps this potential cacophony of music lovers in harmony. Everything is falling into place before showtime, but the artists huddled in white tents backstage are unusually anxious for seasoned performers prepping for yet another concert. This, after all, is no standard tour gig. Red Bull Soundclash pits artists from opposite ends of the spectrum in a musical conversation, testing their creativity and showmanship as they compete for crowd approval covering their opponent’s songs and other challenges. In one corner tonight are electro-pop rockers Shiny Toy Guns channelling, of all things, hip-hop, versus Dallas-bred neo-soul queen Erykah Badu and her psychedelic DJ collective The Cannabinoids, and their take on “hippie white people” music, as Badu describes it. Shiny Toy Guns don’t seem convinced they’ll be able to pull it off. Keyboardist Jeremy Dawson is worried about the crowd: will Guns fans fill their end of the plaza when Dallas is buzzing with special events for the city’s biggest American football match of the year? “Some bands don’t give two shits about the crowd,” Dawson says. Not Shiny Toy Guns. “We’re powerless if there’s only five people there.” And 69
No dope: A year ago, Erykah Badu (above) asked on Twitter what cannabinoid meant. Knowing full well that it is the effect marijuana has on the body, this was actually how the soul queen wanted to present her new band. The Cannabinoids, a team of DJs, producers and amateurs from Dallas, have supported Badu at her live shows ever since
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they’re on homegirl Badu’s turf now. The Cannabinoids have dressed for battle in tweeds, fingerless gloves and natty hats, and, in the case of keyboardist and musical director RC Williams, a gladiator-style vest. While they wait in the green room for Badu to arrive, turntablist A-One suddenly draws a blank on the lyrics to their cover of Shiny Toy Guns’ ‘Le Disko’. If they don’t back up Badu on vocals as she sings the song, with its balanced male-female harmony of Chad Petree and co-singer Sisely Treasure, the Cannabinoids version will sound flat. “The part where we come in is the part where she changes the melody and starts to sing “woo oohooh”. What’s the lyrics, though?” he asks. The group huddle for a refresher, reading the words off A-One’s phone, until their voices blend in falsetto: “If what they say is true, you’re a boy, I’m a girl”, which they cap with an unexpectedly delightful chorus of beatboxing. Another Cannabinoid hollers into the tent, “Yo! Erykah’s here.” Each group plays a warm-up round of three of their hits and then it’s on to round one: the cover. When the Soundclash DJ plays a snippet of the Jackson Five song ‘Never can say goodbye’, Badu is inspired to pull one silver glove slowly onto her hand. Channelling the recently departed King of Pop, Badu’s vocal-heavy version is a heartfelt tribute. But the Guns shoot back with a lush recreation and Petree’s mournful “goodbye” hook, making the song sound as if it was written for them. Even Badu is grooving to it from her stage across the plaza. “Wow, Michael Jackson is smiling up there,” a host says. Then comes the true test. In the Cannabinoids corner, the crowd musters 131 on the decibel meter. Then the roar for the Guns puts Dawson’s earlier concerns to rest: 132. The Guns win – this round. This will be the fifth Red Bull Soundclash held in the US after several years in cities across Europe. It’s a different animal from a standard concert, and requires a special kind of performer, says producer Oren Avineri. “We go after artists who have good musicianship going on, who obviously are thinking outside the box, artists that are interested in pushing the envelope,” he says. “It is never boring.”
This applies equally to both rivals tonight. Shiny Toy Guns have interrupted recording their upcoming album, which follows Season Of Poison (2008) and their Grammy-nominated debut We Are Pilots. Badu is just back from promoting her album New Amerykah Part One: The 4th World War. And although she’s just given birth to her third child and is currently working on her latest record and going to the studio every day to help her band The Cannabinoids record their debut album, she’s also kept this evening free.
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ound two, the takeover, begins with Badu singing her 1997 hit ‘On & On’, and the crowd singing along to every word. “Oh what a day!” they shout, finishing her line. But Badu stops the music a few bars in. “What you got Sisely?” she says, taunting them in a childlike tone: “C’mon Shiny Toy Guns!” Badu listens to their performance with her arms crossed, a bemused smile on her face betraying her thoughts – maybe the Guns can do Jackson, but who can out-diva Badu? Then it’s their turn. The Cannabinoids reinvent the Guns’ ‘Le Disko’ rock anthem with a hip-hop heartbeat. This time it’s The Cannabinoids’ rendition that sounds like it was composed for their eight-member collective. The lads unleash sonic waves of beats and bytes onto the crowd while Badu’s voice races ahead (and, thanks to their last-minute green room rehearsal, the backing vocalists remember their lyrics). “We’re going to ride the racecar!” Badu sings, “Supersonic overdrive, hello hello.” The Shiny Toy Guns slap right back at them in the next heat by revving up Badu’s hit ‘Tyrone’, giving her soulful dig at all the underperforming men in the world a slow-fast alternation reminiscent of the Pixies. This one is going to be close. The Cannabinoids fans scream. The Guns fans scream in return, but the decibel meter is stumped. A few of the crowd stake out the centre of the plaza, refusing to succumb to either side as they yell and direct their arms overhead to declare their allegiance bout by bout. On a second try the Cannabinoids edge into the lead by a whisper at 140 decibels. 71
Gun jam: “Two completely different acts cover each other, make one of the other band’s songs their own.” This is how Shiny Toy Guns (below left) describe their personal highlight at Red Bull Sound Clash. And although both sets of artists are rivals during the open-air concert (bottom right), backstage it’s all harmony (above)
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Guns drummer Mikey Martin ducks outside for a break and reflects, “It’s two bands that are completely opposite, but they’re taking our song and making it theirs. That’s what’s fun about it.” Who knows what they’ll take away from this unusual experiment; quite possibly, “a patch or a sound or a bridge in a tune later on”, says Dawson. “It’s in a pool of scraps from which you can pull to make your hot rod.”
additional photography: Mark Polito/Red Bull Photofiles
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he Soundclash format is “a band’s dream”, says Badu. “To me it’s not a battle or a competition, it’s more of a creative collaboration.” Still, ask her who is going to win and she smirks. The question is not even worth answering. If The Cannabinoids lose, watch out. “We’re going to pout. We’re going to tear shit up!” she says. The competition is rigged anyway, she adds: “They got us doing a country and western song. Come on!” Back on stage, round three – the clash – is the most challenging. The DJ plays a snippet of three different musical styles for the bands to emulate. But the hosts’ announcement of “Shiny Toy Guns in the style of dub!” was rather optimistic. Afterward Petree admits: “I still don’t know what dub is...” The Cannabinoids, on the other hand, open with a classic synth reggae beat and rework Badu’s song ‘Love of My Life’ into an ode to dub and a shout-out to Dawn Penn’s dancehall classic, ‘You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)’. Things get really interesting when the DJ calls on them to cover a Johnny Cash song. Petree’s garish red eyeshadow looks devilish under his black cowboy hat, but he strums an earnest acoustic number. As for Badu and the Cannabinoids, most African-American musicians have not embraced the cowboy and honky-tonk soundtrack of the formerly slave-holding southern states – but they steal the moment with a country remake of Badu’s song ‘Soldier’. “OK, here we go,” Badu says, “Yeehaw everybody!” The ‘woo, woo’ that brought to mind the sound of the police siren in the original is now the yipping of a cattle call. “Just say yessireeee … yessiree, Bob,” she sings in a southern twang over the
beat, giving the line “Dey be trying to hide the history,” a whole other meaning. Surprisingly the bout ends in a tie. A re-vote is announced. The bands deadlock three times this round on the decibel meter before the hosts announce, “And the winner is… George W Bush!” Things get weirder in the final wildcard round, when The Cannabinoids invite Tim Delaughter from the Polyphonic Spree on stage to bang on his xylophone and scratch on a mini Stylophone synthesiser, and Shiny Toy Guns bring Scandinavian battle DJ Billy Sexcrime into their mix. Despite the many tied rounds, there can be only one winner. And the Dallas Soundclash title finally goes to Badu and The Cannabinoids, by barely a beat. For their grand finale the hometown champions decamp from their end of the plaza and climb on stage with Shiny Toy Guns. In the riotous musical free-for-all that ensues both bands crowd together, jamming on each other’s instruments while Treasure bounces like a pogo stick and Badu plays her vocals like a drum machine. When the music stops Badu tosses her mic aside and the stand falls to the floor with a thud, which she follows with a mock he-man squat and muscle flex. Petree, meanwhile, steps off the stage with one word on his lips: “Wow…” See videos and find out about upcoming Red Bull Soundclashes at www.redbullsounclash.com
Erykah Badu
was born Erica Abi Wright in Dallas in 1971. As a teenager she changed her first name, which she regarded as tainted by slavery. Badu is a made-up favourite word she repeats over and over when singing. In 1997 she recorded her debut album Baduizm, winning a Grammy for it. The queen of neo-soul is also a political activist – explicit in the title of her upcoming album: New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh.
Shiny Toy Guns
were founded by childhood friends, keyboardplayer Jeremy Dawson and singer Chad Petree, in 2002. Their musical direction is clear: electronic beats meet punk guitar, hysterical vocals meet great melodies. And they pull it off, with their first album, We Are Pilots, receiving a Grammy nomination. The four-man group from Oklahoma demonstrate their humour with their current single: a cover of Neue Deutsche Welle [New German Wave] classic ‘Major Tom’ by Peter Schilling.
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Reborn Saints
It was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the Super Bowl win in 2010 is a victory for the city: New Orleans is back with a vengeance. Share Red Bulletin hero Reggie Bush’s triumphant journey
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photography: ap photo (1), getty images (6), imago (1), garth milan (2), reuters (1)
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Reggie Bush: the diary of his success 1 It’s Monday before ‘Super Sunday’. The New Orleans Saints start the most important mission in their club’s history – Super Bowl 44, Miami. The rivals: hot favourites Indiana Colts, with superstar quarterback Peyton Manning. 2 -3 Tuesday, the famous media day for the entire team. For two hours, the players face questions from some 3500 journalists from around the world. 4 Fans get a look-in as Bush heads off for training. 5 Daily training on the campus of the University of Miami – in theory. Due to heavy rain, the Saints have to dodge each other in the Miami Dolphins’ gym. 6 Sunday, February 7, 2010: Super Bowl Sunday is (unofficially) the USA’s most important holiday. Anyone in possession of one of the precious 75,000 tickets has already done a fair amount of celebrating. 7 16:40: two hours until kick-off. The New Orleans fans start to take their seats… 8 …and they are all ready to cheer on Reggie Bush, the Saint’s prized all-rounder, during his warm-up. 9 17.22: the New Orleans Saints transform the stadium into the Superdome. The famous chant rings out: “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?”
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photography: ap photo (1), getty images (11), reuters (1), www.picturedesk.com (1)
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1 0 17:42: running back idol Emmitt Smith offers Bush a few last-minute pointers. 11-14 18:31: New Orleans have made a slow start. But as play progresses, the variety of attack is giving Indiana increasingly greater problems. 1 5 21:46: this is the biggest achievement in the history of the New Orleans Saints. This success for the team signifies the resurrection of the entire Gulf of Mexico region after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 16-17 21:48: immediately after the game, Reggie consoles Pat McAffee of the Colts. Then he rushes over for a winner’s kiss from his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian. 18-19 21:56: as the entire United States celebrates this historic victory, the Vince Lombardi Trophy can barely make its way through the throng to team owner Tom Benson. The 83-year-old receives the trophy, traditionally presented by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. He passes it to coach Sean Payton who hands it on to the rest of the team. 20-22 22:19: “It’s like a gift from God to become part of history,” Reggie declares, in the interview after the game, to the accompaniment of adulation from his fans. 23 23:21: back in the dressing room, Reggie gives his new love a kiss.
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Photography: Naish/Red Bull Photofiles
More Body&Mind Things to see and do on surf and turf
80 Hangar-7 interview 82 get the gear 84 Red Bull Air Race World Championship preview 86 Listings 90 Nightlife 96 short story 98 Mind’s eye
High life: Champion surfer Robby Naish swaps hang 10 for Hangar-7 when he stops for a bite to eat and a little light grilling. See page 80
Print 2.0
Hangar-7 Interview
en.redbulletin.com/print2.0 Have a swell time with Robby as he rides some monster waves
Robby Naish The windsurfer, kiteboarder and kit-maker of world renown has almost 35 years as a champion wave rider under his belt. Here’s what happened when we sat down and broke bread with him
RED BULLETIN: Do you cook...? robby naish: Every night. I’m always trying out new stuff but my favourite is all different kinds of pasta. Oriental, Italian, Chinese, Korean, everything really... I never serve a large piece of meat. I like to mix it into the rest of the food! Your herd of cows will be happy to hear that. How are they doing? They’re great. I’d never eat them. I’m not the classic American barbecuing type. There’s something I find disgusting about barbecuing. So what do you do on a weekend? What are your plans for 2010? As few as possible. I’ve got three appointments in my diary so far.... You must have thought about doing something for your birthday? No, not that. I just have three really important work appointments, things like extending contracts, etc. Otherwise I’m not letting myself be talked into any specific appointments so that I can react to things on good terms. That’s why my favourite word at the moment is ‘maybe’. 80
What does a motorsport fan like you think of Michael Schumacher’s chances for the new Formula One season? Can he be champion for the eighth time? He’s definitely got the ability, but it’s going to be really hard for him. He’s experienced the good life now and built up friendships and relationships with people and places that he’s going to have to completely push aside so that he can be as focused and motivated as the old Schumi was. It’s how things are with me too; I’ve got a family now and a business to run. I always have to remember that one stupid decision doesn’t just affect me; it affects the 27 families of my employees as well. Is that a strain? No, I just have to be aware that I’m 46 now and I can’t avoid everything just so that I can achieve certain goals in my sport. It’s good that I’ve become an adult. What do you mean by that? Now, for example, I can go out in the water with younger surfers without having to think, “I’ll show them.” I can
help them to improve and don’t have to compare myself to them. As an athlete you’ve always got to try to be better than everyone else. You need to be to win. But in the end it’s exhausting when everything has to revolve around you. But there must be times that you put yourself first and think, ‘What Would Robby Do?’ OK… I did buy myself a new Porsche last Christmas. I’ve got another one, but that’s been in the repair shop in California for the last year and a half. So I decided to buy myself the new Panamera – the first one in Hawaii. A nice way to get around. How did the Robby Naish of 30 years ago get from A to B? I used to go everywhere by car, and I used to sleep in it, too. Whenever I travelled to Europe, I always flew to Munich in Germany so that I could start my trip by car from there, regardless of whether I was competing at La Rochelle in France or Tarifa in Spain. It’s how I discovered the world.
Photography: Philipp Horak
Chairman of the board: Robby Naish gets to grips with the fine dining at Hangar-7. The 25ºC temperature diffrence between Salzburg and his Hawaii home was more of a challenge
Photography: Jürg Waldmeier
more body & mind
You check into five-star hotels now, of course… I still like to sleep in the car. If I’m not on the road with my wife, I prefer my car seat to a hotel bed. On your travels, when you woke up and looked through your windscreen, where and what has impressed you most? Extremes, regardless of whether they’re good or bad. Like New York City. Everyone should see this unique, living, breathing city at some point in their life, regardless of whether they love it, hate it or feel intimidated by it. Or South-East Asia: just pick a country. Hong Kong in the 1980s: seething, working city. With all those factories, you could practically smell the work. And Tokyo: another unique place. Have you ever taught a celebrity how to surf? The most famous person I’ve taught was [tennis champion] Steffi Graf. She came to my place in Hawaii in 1988 or thereabouts for a truly private vacation. We met at the Stanglwirt Hotel during the Hahnenkamm [ski races] at Kitzbühel, and she called me afterwards to ask if she could come and see me. She was really talented. Speaking of fame, how many followers do you have on Twitter? I’ve never been on Twitter. Who cares that, “This morning I went to the toilet.” I don’t get it. If I sit down at my computer, then it’s just to work. But a whole lot of people have come up to me and said, “You’re my friend on Facebook!” But they couldn’t have found my page there because I’d never been on Facebook. Then, of course, I wanted to take a look, but to do that you’ve got to register and create your own page. I’m now Robby Naish number 14, because there were already about 13 huge Robby Naish pages set up by fans. So now I get all these messages on my page like, “Hey, how are you?” and “We went to high school together,” blah, blah, blah. But I really don’t have time for it or, more importantly, the desire. What would Robby Naish be, if life had treated him differently? A graphic designer. I do all the design for my business, from the logos to the board patterns. I actually wanted to study graphic design at college. I did a lot of airbrushing during high school, had an apprenticeship with an artist and wanted to work in that field. But surfing got in the way. For Naish in action go to en.redbulletin/print2.0 For more info visit www.naish.com
New man: Nieder is keen on modern cooking methods. “Why should we still cook like we did 100 years ago?” he says. “Molecular cooking is the latest development, like ABS on cars.”
A Question of Taste
Heiko Nieder German Michelin-starred chef Heiko Nieder, from the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich, takes stock of the most important things in his kitchen The one cooking ingredient he can’t do without is… “My chicken stock,” says Nieder without a moment’s hesitation. It’s no surprise, then, to learn he uses it as the basis for many of his dishes and why up to 120 litres of the stuff is made every week at the Dolder Grand Hotel. The stock needs to be strong and neutral and Nieder uses a lot of onion, bay leaves and parsley in it.
The food he’s learned to love the hard way is… “Granny’s cooking,” he says, after thinking for a while. Not that he had much choice. His grandmother worked as a cook at an abattoir and she always cooked for him when he was a child. He ate whatever was put on the table and there was no question of whether he actually liked it or not. His most important item of kitchen equipment is… “My hands,” he says initially, but then decides to elaborate. It’s his knives. He has six favourites, three of which he’s had since his days as an apprentice. They’re now 20 years old and have been sharpened so often that they’re considerably thinner than they were originally. Although, as Nieder points out, that’s not a problem because they were good quality to start with. Heiko Nieder is this month’s guest chef at the Ikarus Restaurant in Hangar-7, Salzburg. Find out more at www.hangar-7.com
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Secret Hollywood
“And the Oscar for Best Hidden Red Carpet Wardrobe goes to…”
FOR HIM Dinner suit by Dunhill Shirt by Marc Jacobs Tie by Dior Homme Shoes by Paul Smith Heel lifts from Orthotics Online Hairdryer and diffuser by WAM Hair powder spray by Bumble and Bumble Self-tanning spray by Fake Bake Elnett Hairspray by L’Oréal Tooth-whitening kit by Boots Eye drops by Optrex Dry mouth spray by Boots Hair colour by Just For Men Watch and cufflinks by Dunhill FOR HER Dress by Ashley Isham Shoes by Rupert Sanderson Gel instep cushions by Apara Vintage purse Control pants by Wacoal
Photography: Will Thom. Styling: Beth Dadswell. Special thanks to the May Fair Hotel, London
‘Chicken fillet’ silicone inserts by chicken-fillets.co.uk Deodorant by Perspirex Very Hollywood fragrance by Michael Kors Facial hair bleach by Jolen Fat Girl Slim skin firming cream by Bliss Waxing strips by Nads Wrinkle filler by Tri-Aktiline False eyelashes by Mac Lipstick by Chanel
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more body & mind Flying high: Matt Hall wowed the crowds last year in Barcelona. The Catalan capital is off the schedule this year, but there will be new races over New York, Lisbon and the EuroSpeedway Lausitz racetrack near Berlin
The Sky’s the Limit The Red Bull Air Race is set for its best year yet, with eight races on five continents and a spectacular new venue in New York
You can find everything you need to know about Red Bull Air Race 2010 at www.redbullairrace.com
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Red Bull Air Race 2010: Where and When 1 Abu Dhabi, UAE March 26/27 2 Perth, Australia, April 17/18 3 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 8/9 4 Windsor, Ontario, Canada, June 5/6 5 New York, USA, June 19/20 6 EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Germany, August 7/8 7 Budapest, Hungary, August 19/20 8 Lisbon, Portugal, September 4/5
photography: David Blundell/AP Images, Markus Kucera/Red Bulletin
The only way is up: Rookie Matt Hall put Australia well and truly on the map last year when he finished third overall
The Red Bull Air Race World Championship welcomes a new superstar venue to its calendar for 2010: the Big Apple. Yep, New York, New York will buzz to the sound of high-powered aerobatic planes scorching through the skies above the world’s most recognisable skyline. It’s a huge coup. CEO Bernd Loidl sees it as a reward for years of patient building of the series. “Both safety and quality are our priority,” he said, “but we were also given the attention and the openness we needed to be able to bring off something wonderful and unique. New York is due to become a regular fixture on the calendar.” The race – to be flown over the Hudson River by Liberty Park within view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan – was agreed with the aeronautical authority and those in charge of New York’s airports. According to Loidl, it’s the perfect arena: “The people will be close to the action,” he notes. Germany also returns to the calendar, with the EuroSpeedway Lausitz racetrack, south of Berlin, making the event something of a motorsport festival. Presentations, show-runs and competitions in a variety of land-based motorsport categories will add to the occasion. “We’ll stick as close to the track as possible, to offer spectators a very new perspective,” says Loidl. Lausitz will be the first race since Interlaken 2007 to be held above terra firma, and for one simple reason: in city centres, where it’s most convenient for fans to watch, the races are only held over water.
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BEYOND THE ORDINARY THE RED BULLETIN
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hot SPOTS
Photography: Rutger Pauw/Red Bull Photofiles, Australian GP Corporation, Agustin Munoz/Red Bull Photofiles, Robyn Trnka/Red Bull Photofiles
Your global guide to the best events in sport and music European Freeski Open 03 - 06.03.10
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 07.03.10
The Open offers amateur freeskiers the chance to take on their idols on the slopes. In this, the event’s fifth anniversary, challengers compete for glory, but there’s also a share of a US$50,000 prize purse up for grabs. Laax, Switzerland
As this year’s season reaches its fourth stage, Red Bull Racing driver Brian Vickers is determined to build on last year’s huge success, when he entered The Chase for the first time, a division containing the top 12 drivers who fight it out for the coveted Sprint Cup. Atlanta Motor Speedway, USA
Red Bull Discesa Libera 05.03.10 Around 400 amateur skiers line up for the mass start of this downhill race with a difference, or discesa libera, to use the local lingo. The first to the finish gets the glory. But actually completing the course is extremely tricky. Selva di Valgardena, Italy
WRC Corona Rally Mexico 05 - 07.03.10 Defending champion Sébastien Loeb will be looking for a good result in the second event of 2010 World Rally Championship season. León, Mexico, plays host, and the sounds of its famous strolling minstrels will be replaced by the roar of engines in a series of street stages, run around the service park in León’s Poliforum centre. León, Mexico
PRO-X EXTREME GAMES 06 - 07.03.10 Now in its third year, this adrenaline-fuelled event features a combination of local and international FMX, skateboarding, BMX, mountainbiking, and wakeboarding stars pushing the limits. Live music and DJs provide the soundtrack. Cape Town, South Africa
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ASP World Tour 27.02.10 – 10.03.10 After a victorious 2009, Mick Fanning sets out to defend his title. He faces fellow Australian Joel Parkinson and nine-times champion Kelly Slater. Gold Coast, Australia
hawkstone International 07.03.10 Expect a strong turnout of international contenders in both the MX1 and MX2 classes, when the 2010 action kicks off at Hawkstone with a day of preseason competition. British champion Shaun Simpson is among the MX2 racers. Hawkstone, England
Ästhetiker Wängl Tängl 2010 10 - 13.03.10 This is the eighth year of the memorably named event, which seamlessly merges the worlds of arts and action sports. The Vans Penken Park tests the best on a board, with the annual Red Bull end section adding a unique obstacle. The Ästhetiker board sports crew bring in a skateboard jam session and art events, including graffiti and poetry. Mayrhofen, Austria
FIS Ski World Cup Final 10 - 14.03.10 Both men and women compete in downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super G disciplines. Reigning women’s champion Lindsey Vonn will be fighting to retain her title. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Australian F1 GP 28.03.10 Last year, Red Bull Racing left Melbourne empty handed, but both Toro Rosso cars scored points. Both teams are looking for a good result this time. Melbourne, Australia
more body & mind Snow Kayak World Championships 13.03.10
Red Bull tag air 07.03.10 Freeski rookies get the chance to tag along with the pros, including champion freeskier Shinji Osada. Pro/am pairs score points for technique and skill. Niigata, Japan
Athletes in a canoe are pitted against a powder-covered piste. With a dedicated following, these championships now attract around 200 participants. Lienz, Austria
Boarding: Wake Cup Series 2010 13 - 14.03.10 As event locations go, they don’t get much better than the Náutico Escobar Country Club in Argentina. This month, the country’s best wakeboarders and international guests head there to show off their skills in the latest leg of the Wake Cup. Buenos Aires, Argentina
FIS Snowboard World Cup 18 - 21.03.10 Spain’s oldest snow resort hosts the world cup’s final events. Men and women compete, and former world cup winner and last year’s number two, Austrian boarder Benjamin Karl, is hoping for a great result. La Molina, Spain
FIS Ski Flying World Championships 19 - 21.03.10 The best place for this sport is the world’s biggest jumping hill. Austrian Gregor Schlierenzauer, the former world cup and championship winner, is a firm favourite to take the title. Planica, Slovenia
Ice Speedway World Cup 20 - 21.03.10 Racing motorbikes with spiked wheels, at speed, on ice, is not everyone’s idea of a good time, but a select few have mastered the art. Top Austrian rider Franky Zorn will try to better last year’s third place in the fifth and final round at Berlin’s Horst-Dohm Skating Rink. Berlin, Germany
Red Bull Air Race 26 - 27.03.10
Month of Mayhem 06.03.10 Mountain bikes meet mud at the Farm Jam, for a series of dirt jam events. Frew’s Farm, Invercargill, New Zealand
For the fifth consecutive year, the skies of Abu Dhabi provide the backdrop for the start of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Current champ, British pilot Paul Bonhomme, only managed second place here last year, as Austria’s Hannes Arch just beat him. Abu Dhabi, UAE
Superbike/ Supersport Grand Prix of Portugal 26 - 28.03.10 British rider Jonathan Rea is aiming to improve upon last year’s solid fifth place in the Superbike class, while Irish Supersport rider Eugene Laverty has his sights set on the podium’s highest step. Portimao, Portugal
Ronnie Renner Freeride Tour 26 - 29.03.10 At freestyle motocross guru Ronnie Renner’s freeride sessions, aficionados can ride alongside the record-breaking X Games gold medallist, while those less at home in the saddle can enjoy the action from the sidelines. Ocotillo Wells, USA
Chill and Destroy Tour 27.03.10 This ski and snowboard rookie tour gives young riders the chance to show their skills in a slopestyle championship. The the grand final takes place in Arosa, Switzerland next month. Zell am See, Austria
Red Bull X-Fighters Jams 03.04.10 When visiting the historical Sacsayhuaman Fortress, an Inca Temple of the Sun, freestyle motocross isn’t what you’d expect. But four of the world’s best FMX riders will add their aerial acrobatics to the Peruvian landmark. Cuzco, Peru
FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 04.04.10 World champions Antonio Cairoli (MX1) and Marvin Musquin (MX2) are ready to defend their hardearned titles as the season, which takes in 15 stages in 13 countries, gets underway. Sevlievo, Bulgaria
Thomas öehler In bahrain 05 - 07.04.10 There isn’t much champion trials rider and high-jump world record holder Thomas Öehler can’t do on a bike, so it will be a treat when the Austrian takes his skills to the streets for a series of sessions. Manama, Bahrain
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night spots
Music, club nights and festivals – the best from around the world Skepta 02.03.10
Dorian Concept 05.03.10
The north London grime heavyweight heads to the north of England to spit at one of Sheffield’s best-loved venues. Backing up his sounds will be fellow London MC and MOBO award winner Chipmunk. Plug, Sheffield, England
He lists his influences as jazz, a Fisher-Price tape recorder, hip-hop, a keyboard sound named ‘snow flake’ and Super Nintendo, so it’s no surprise that the keyboard player has created a unique sound. De Kreun, Kortrijk, Belgium
The Black Box Revelation 03.03.10
Red Bull Music Academy: A Taste Of Sónar 05 - 06.03. 10
Photography: Aleksi Kinnunen, James Pearson-Howes, ross hiller, Thomas Butler/red bull music academy
With a setlist featuring the energetic, psychedelic sounds of debut album Set Your Head on Fire, the Belgian two-piece continue their bid for European rock domination. Merleyn, Nijmegen, Netherlands
5 Days Off Festival 03 - 07.03.10 Ten events and more than 100 acts have signed up to celebrate the 10th birthday of the festival advocate of taking a break. Chart-toppers Groove Armada, French electro wizard Vitalic and London newcomer Floating Points are all set to grace the stages of iconic Amsterdam venues Melkweg and Paradiso. Various Venues, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Red Bull Music Academy: Rollerskating Jam 04.03.10 The spirit of Detroit soul keeps on rolling with this one-off arrival of wheels other than the steel variety. Deep house legend Moodyman, who has kept the roller-disco days alive with his US favourite Soul Skate, is bringing the party to British shores for the first time with a little help from his famed four-wheeled dancers and disco revivalist Horse Meat Disco. Renaissance Rooms, London, England
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Tony Nwachukwu For young electronic musicians, Tony’s CDR clubnight at Plastic People is an important event. It’s the chance to air their music on one of the best sound systems in London. See page 93.
Summer hits London early as Barcelona’s Sónar lands at the Roundhouse for a two-part taster. The Red Bull Music Academy joins in to showcase up-and-comers at a dedicated stage in the Studio Theatre. Hudson Mohawke, Katy B and Bruna will all be sharing space with the likes of Montreal’s Lunice and his wall-wobbling bassy electronica. The Roundhouse, London, England
The Lost Weekend Festival 05 - 07.03.10 Rockers and ramblers unite at the inaugural The Lost Weekend festival, which takes rock riffs to the wilderness. The alt-rock sounds of Dinosaur Jr, indie poppers The Thermals and progpunk rockers Deerhoof find a new home in parkland and forest with its very own billabong. Ivory Rocks, Brisbane, Australia
The Rileys 06.03.10 Despite being unsigned, the London pop rockers have built up a dedicated following so large they headlined at the Shepherds Bush Empire last year. With considerable online chart success too, 2010 could be their best year yet. Bush Hall, London, England
Institubes The French electronic music label is always up for new challenges, such as a collaboration with mainstream pop singer Alizeé. Read more on page 94.
more body & mind juho kahilainen
Sunday Social 07.03.10
The techno producer takes you on a very personal tour of Helsinki: saunas, hot-dog stands and no-frills bars are on the agenda on page 90.
The party weekend will go on a little longer as the Sunday Social invites fans of live funk, house and electro to join the seaside all-dayer, featuring punk-funk outfit A Certain Ratio and godfather of UK house Danny Rampling. Concorde 2, Brighton, England
Secretsundaze 07.03. 10 When a dance event gains a reputation as one of the most innovative, it can be hard to live up to the hype. Unless it’s Secretsundaze, the daytime clubbing extravaganza that has extended weekend debauchery for seven years. A list of house and techno royalty including Giles Smith, James Priestly and Sound Stream will join Red Bull Music Academy guests at Paramount’s panoramic top-floor paradise. Paramount, London, England
Metallica 10.03.10 It’s one year shy of the band’s 30th birthday, but the US rockers are still going strong. Their World Magnetic Tour, which began in October 2008, has now reached its penultimate leg in Latin America before heading back to Europe. World domination must be good for the bones. Parque Simón Bolívar, Bogotá, Colombia
Dam-Funk 10.03.10 The Stones Throw Records’ artist, producer and DJ has been dubbed the ‘ambassador of boogie funk’, but with deep house, old-school rap and electronica added to his mix, the California creator is not that easy to pigeonhole. Bowery Ballroom, New York, USA
Panda Bear 10.03.10 goldfish 07.03.10 Live saxophone, jazz vocals and funk breaks: the dance duo’s recipe is simple and effective. Leaving their adopted home in Ibiza, they’re heading back home to conquer Cape Town. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South Africa
Although psychedelic pop panda Noah Lennox drums with indie outfit Animal Collective, he’s equally happy making noise with a synth and a sampler under his cuddly moniker. The Baltimore bear is touring ahead of the release of new album Tomboy, due out in September. Cabaret Sauvage, Paris, France
Breakin Boundaries 2010 11.03.10 Some of the world’s best B-Boys and girls come to London each year for this hip-hop extravaganza, to battle it out for glory and to raise money for Oxfam International. Eight of the best UK breakdance crews will spin for a win while Reeps one, the UK’s best beatboxer, takes to the stage. Add Brazilian funk drummers, body poppers, graffiti and stalls, and you have a night stuffed to breakin’ point. Tutus, London, England
Red Bull Music Academy Presents: 12x12 11.03.10 The Academy pays tribute to London’s thriving music scenes by inviting 12 landmark producers to present their anthem that shaped a generation of sound. The greats include Roni Size, Zinc, MJ Cole and Jazzie B. Scala, London, England
BLOC 2010 Festival 12 - 13.03.10 Usually home to families and screaming kids, this weekend the Butlins resort is transformed into a mecca for all things dance. Grandmaster Flash, Flying Lotus, Roots Manuva, Skream, Benga and Wiley are some of the acts on a line-up that’s all killer, no filler. Butlins Resort, Minehead, England
Mushug 13.03.10 With a love of fusing dubstep, afrobeat, techno and garage, the Portuguese DJ and producer can be found anywhere the bass is deep and the music’s grimy. His skills have taken him around the globe, including Sónar and Glade music festivals, but for now he’s returned home to entertain the local crowds. Opart, Lisbon, Portugal
Benji B 13.03.10 Fresh from his weekly slot on UK radio programme 1Xtra, Benji B has ditched the airwaves in favour of delivering his blend of hip-hop, dubstep and broken beats in person. Brama Jazz Cafe, Stettin, Poland
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From Sauna to Disco Stray foxes, saunas with terraces and squeaky cheese: techno-producer Juho Kahilainen shows us his slightly morbid Helsinki
Ruskeasuo is not what one would call the beating heart of Helsinki. The suburb north of Helsinki’s city centre consists of one house after another, with small tree-lined streets and elderly gentlefolk out walking their grandchildren. The area was constructed as the Olympic village in 1952. Once the athletes left, the city’s residents took over. So it’s perfectly feasible that the Italian swimmer and spaghetti western star Bud Spencer, who took part in the 100m freestyle at the 1952 games, might briefly have lived in the small grey house right next to Eläintarha park that a young man by the name of Juho Kahilainen lives in today. The 28-year-old’s hair is cut short at the temples but flops down over his pale forehead; his orange T-shirt hangs 90
Juho kahilainen Helsinki
loose over blueish-grey jeans. By day Juho’s a journalist for Helsinki daily IltaSanomat; by night, he produces techno tracks on synthesisers in his home studio. His portfolio ranges from remixes for House legend Laurent Garnier to records for Munich label Prologue, which music magazine Resident Advisor has crowned label of the month for their ‘head-fuck techno’. A dubious distinction, and one that would suggest music crafted under the influence of some fierce pharmaceuticals in a dark basement. Instead, Kahilainen’s elegantly-appointed studio is light filled and located between his kitchen and balcony, where our jolly host serves up leipäjuusto [Finnish squeaky cheese] with cloudberry jam. A traditional
snack, the cheese has been squeaking between Finnish teeth for hundreds of years and the cloudberry, Juho explains, is the emblem of Lapland and, thanks to its rarity and value, it even adorns the Finnish €2 coin. At 7pm on the dot, Kahilainen’s brother picks him up. It’s sauna time. “Even when we were young, the sauna was a place for the family,” he said. “At least two evenings a week we’d go to the steam room with our parents and afterwards we’d watch nature documentaries on TV.” Now, Kahilainen is happy to share the heat with friends, preferably on the top floor of a 10-storey block of flats in the workingclass district of Merihaka. In contrast to the neo-classical centre, socialism’s legacy
more body & mind
The Dead Weather 17.03.10
Dog days: Juho samples his favourite snack; waiting to be served at Sirdie; working up a sweat in the sauna with his brother and a friend
Despite having formed just over a year ago, this alt-rock foursome arrived on the scene already dripping with pedigree. Members include Jack White of White Stripes fame and members of The Kills, Queens of the Stone Age and The Raconteurs, earning them the title of supergroup. Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
James Pants 17.03.10
väylä
From punk to funk, retro to futuristic, the multi-instrumentalist producer defies labels by switching genres in the same way the rest of us do underwear, but his hip-hop electro sounds are seamlessly woven together with a je ne sais quoi that’s all his own. Van Krahl, Tallinn, Estonia
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Photography: Aleksi Kinnunen (4). Illustration: Andreas Posselt
1 Hot-dog stand Harrin Nakki, Agricolankatu 11 2 Pub Sirdie, Kolmas linja 21
lives on here in the east of the city, with one drably functional prefab block of flats after another and their surrounding yards covered with concrete. Only from the top of the building, close to the sauna, do you get an unimpeded view over the city. Kahilainen, his brother and a friend sit in the steam room with bottles of beer. They don’t talk. They sweat. They pour scented water onto the stones. They sigh. “If we were at our cottage in the country, we’d jump into the icy water now,” says Kahilainen with a glassy-eyed expression after the first 15 minutes. “Here we’ve got to make do with cooling off on the roof terrace.” The three of them stand naked by the railings and look out over the city. The smokestacks of the coal plant opposite soar over the rooftops. A ship’s horn bellows in the background. After their session in the heat, the three friends are ready to hit the town. Their route takes them through the dark streets of Kallio, an area on the up. “Aki Kaurismäki (prize-winning Finnish film director) shot his first film here,” says Kahilainen. “And it still looked much the same until recently. Pretty run down. But because rents are low, more and more young people are moving into the area.” And the first bar the men make their way towards would do the film-maker proud. It’s called Balcony Bar but it has no balcony,
The Courteeners 18.03.10
Kahilainen explains. Until recently there was a sign on the broken loo telling customers to use the sink instead. Luckily it’s closed, so they make their way to a small showcase bar called Sirdie (2). The 1960s jukebox is playing a maudlin old hit. “The singer is comparing life to a year in Finland: a quarter joy and three-quarters grief and cold,” Kahilainen says. The walls are cluttered with chessboards and skis, caricatures and kitchenware. A newspaper cutting signed by Finnish poet, singer and folk-hero MA Numminen takes pride of place next to a rustic bookcase. “Helsinki off the beaten track,” Kahilainen says with a smile as we head off for a late bite to eat. Past the dingy massage parlours, past the stray foxes that wander around the area all night and on to what is perhaps the city’s main hot-dog stand, Harrin Nakki (1). “When Tarja Halonen was elected President of Finland, there were dozens of photographers waiting outside parliament to get a shot of her. But they had to wait. Before Halonen took office, she came here to Harrin Nakki for a hot dog with her bodyguards first,” Kahilainen says, as he orders a huge one for himself. It’s cut square and served without bread. At this point the musician bids his friends good night. They are planning to carry on. But he’s got a stressful day ahead of him; he’s in charge of one of the stages at the Flow Festival, an alternative music event held in Helsinki in the summer. And what’s the stage called? Acid Sauna. What else? Find out what Juho’s up to and check out his music on www.juhokahilainen.com
The Manchester rockers had a pretty good 2009, playing the main stages at many of the summer festivals, including Reading/Leeds, Coachella and T In The Park. With last month’s release of new album Falcon , 2010 could be even better. 02 Academy Brixton, London, England
Four Tet 18.03.10 Using his guitar to weave a musical thread from which he hangs samples from hip-hop and techno to jazz and folk, the experimental Londoner creates a melodic, layered sound and refuses to play to a pop song format keeping his sounds a constant surprise. Plug, Sheffield, England
High Places 19.03.10 Experimental US duo High Places have attracted a broad fan base with their own blend of sound that encompasses ºvaried samples, mellifluous vocals and heavy bass. The Echo, Los Angeles, USA
Onra and Nosaj Thing 19.03.10 A night of hip-hop and electronic sounds layered with samples as exotic as vintage Vietnamese pop classics picked up in the back streets of Saigon are guaranteed when the French beatmaker unites with the Californian musical modulator. Icon, Berlin, Germany
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Lack of Afro and Rosie Ray 20.03.10 There aren’t many musical pies that Adam Gibbons, the man behind Lack of Afro, doesn’t have a finger in. As a multi-instrumentalist performer, producer, DJ and re-mixer, his name now stands for innovation in funk and dance scenes. Dojo Cuts’ Rosie Ray adds her dulcet tones. Cargo, London, England
Off Festival Club: Mount Eerie + No Kids 24.03.10 Before Poland’s biggest alternative music festival gets fully into swing this summer, the Off Festival Club gives music-lovers a chance for a taste of things to come. Indie-folk band Mount Eerie, headed by cult music man Phil Elverum, has made the festette the first stop of his European tour, bringing with him support in the form of pop trio No Kids, with tracks from their debut album Come into My House. Alchemia, Krakow, Poland
World’s Best Clubs
In the Heat of the Night Florian Schroeder submerges himself in Zouk, the club that turns up the temperature on already sweltering Singaporean nights
Editors 25.03.10 Riding high on the success of third album In This Light And On This Evening, which was released to critical acclaim at the end of last year, the indie rockers are embarking tour England and Scotland for the first time in two years. O2 Academy Brixton, London, England
Zouk Club singapore
Ultra Music Festival (Winter Music Conference) 26 - 27.03.10 The word ‘ultra’ gets bandied about, but in terms of A-list talent, it’s hard to imagine a festival that better lives up to its title. As part of the Winter Music Conference, Tiësto, Passion Pit, Carl Cox, Will.I.Am, DEADMAU5, Groove Armada, Faithless, Skream and Toddla T are just a few of the dance DJ heavyweights taking to the stage. Bicentennial Park, Miami, USA
Sound:Frame Festival 26.03.10 - 18.04.10 This multi-venue visual extravaganza aims to push further into the world of electronic music visualisation. Visual artists, DJs, VJs, video artists, sound producers and technicians of all kinds are invited to take part in the three-week programme of live performances, workshops and exhibitions. Various venues, Vienna, Austria
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Zouk Club brought house music to Asia, and is a mecca for Singaporeans and visitors alike
It’s so hot here. Fire-spitting hot. The shimmering air hovers over the busy streets of Singapore where countless stylish little restaurants offering air-con and pricey food are bustling with people, while everyone else is just trying to avoid moving at all. Singapore is Asia’s cultural melting pot and number-one choice for thousands of creative folks looking for adventure. When the blistering sun sets on the modern and distressingly clean city, the streets fill with never-ending streams of shiny cabs, music epicures and hipsters of every culture and nationality. Most are heading to Zouk nightclub – one of the city’s hubs. What was once just three early-century, dusty warehouses along the Singapore river is, 18 years later, one of the world’s most established House clubs with big names spinning the decks more frequently than you can change your wet T-shirt in this tropical heat. Millions have been poured into the space’s renovation over the years, the original timber trusses that supported the roof have been replaced and the interior carved up into three clubs – Phuture and Velvet Underground join Zouk – and a wine bar. The investment has been well worth it. Whether it’s the indulgent comfort of Velvet Underground, the stark modernism of Phuture or Zouk’s main attraction, the place is packed every night of the week. Most are drawn by its reputation for attracting DJ royalty and its unabashed ambition to become “the world’s number one dance club”, says spokesperson Sofia Chandra. “Our aim is to create a total, unique clubbing experience.” When other nightlife institutions were whipping up the same tired recipe of Top 40 dance hits and retro playlists in the 1990s, Zouk brought house music to Asia. As others went on to imitate, Zouk upped the ante one more time, installing a state-of-the-art sound system. Designer Gary Stewart returns every year to tweak and fine-tune the set-up, which has had seasoned legends – from Oakenfold to Paul van Dyk, Tiësto and the Chemical Brothers – rushing to rebook. Not that the resident DJs, regularly sent over to Europe to top up their knowledge, are sub-par. Zouk reaches its zenith long after midnight, when the crowd moves ecstatically to the crystal-clear tunes. Weekend nights typically don’t end until five or seven in the morning, says Chandra. On rare occasions, like the New Year’s Eve four years ago when house legend Danny Tenaglia held court, the dancefloor was packed until 11 the next morning. So much for Singaporean reserve. Zouk Club, 17 Jiak Kim Street, Singapore. Tel +65 6738 2988; www.zoukclub.com
photography: Zouk (3)
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Tony Nwachukwu london
Green Room
Spotlight Night
photography: Thomas Butler
From home studio straight to the club: Tony Nwachukwu’s London clubnight CDR is the first port of call for young musicians with fresh ideas. Florian Obkircher dropped by An icy wind whistles down Curtain Road and there’s hardly a soul to be seen on this cold winter night, here in the normally lively heart of London’s Shoreditch. A small posse of people has formed in front of a dimly lit entry to a basement, the words Plastic People written above the iron gate in unimposing letters. One of the crowd rummages frantically in his coat pockets, pulls out a CD and enters the club. He’s come all the way from Uxbridge – an
hour and a half’s journey – as he does every second Thursday of the month. A young woman takes it off him and hands him a small slip of paper in return. “Bergs,” he writes on it. “Track 4, Untitled.” Inside the small club, there’s a big, hefty guy at the decks and 300 people dancing in front of him. He nods along to the beat, holds the right-hand side of his headphones to his ear and rummages through a stack of CDs with
his left hand. The same pile that Bergs’ deep-house disc will end up in a little later. It was Tony Nwachukwu who – along with partner Gavin Alexander – runs CDR, who first started the bi-monthly London clubnight that has emerged in recent years to become the British capital’s most important event for nascent electronic music talent. “The principle is straightforward: musicians bring their new tracks to the club straight from home,” explains Nwachukwu. “Often it’s stuff that’s been pretty well produced, but equally often it’s just ideas, outlines. And it’s the latter that we’re looking for at CDR nights because a piece of music is never finished. It’s in an ongoing process of development.” Every second Thursday of the month, young producers get the chance to listen to their own creations on one of the city’s best sound systems here at Plastic People. They can talk to like-minded people about their work and forge new alliances, find out if their fresh track is a hit on the dancefloor or whether the base-track has been mixed a bit too loud. A musician himself, Nwachukwu understands the new talent’s needs. He’s released records with his trip-hop project Attica Blues, on what was Mo’ Wax, once London’s most renowned electronic music label; his current deep-house single, T Times Too, has just come out on the Swiss label Drumpoet Community. This versatility and openness comes across on CDR nights. Dubstep, nu jazz, house, soul, hip-hop – no style limits are placed on the producers contributing their music, which is often a challenge for the night’s DJ, Nwachukwu. “I’m close to a heart attack every time,” he says. “Instead of playing my own stuff, I’m putting on stuff from a pile of CDs that I don’t even know. But that’s also the appeal. You go on a musical journey. Anything from ambient tracks which the public usually listens to, to up-tempo party-starters.” Since he began the clubnight in 2002, the archive of tracks that musicians have entrusted him with, either personally or over the internet, has just gone over the 5000 mark. You can trace the careers of many a producer back to his collection. Floating Points, Simbad, Daisuke Tanabe or even Bergs, to name but a few, got their start here. And CDR is growing. There are now outposts in cities as far and wide as Sydney, Tel Aviv and Barcelona and the compilation series Burntprogress brings snapshots from the club to the world. And what colourful snapshots they are. CDR Night Red Bull Music Academy Special on March 11, Plastic People: www.burntprogress.com
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Institubes Paris In Profile
Bureau de Change French record label Institubes combines art, music and technology to stay afloat in the dance-music scene. Tom Hall went to their home city to learn if it’s sink or swim
Emile Shahidi, A&R scout and promotions manager for French electronic music label Institubes, paces the office flipping flyers and vinyl promos in search of a bottle opener. Failing that, he grabs a discarded water bottle and levers it, miraculously popping the lids from our beers with a deft squeeze. Add Boy Scout to that list of talents too. “MSTRKRFT taught me that,” he says referring to the Canadian dance duo and taking a swig. “We’re just a small label. You learn some tricks on tour. I can just as easily become a roadie!” The 28-year-old Frenchman with straggly long hair and a full beard stands surrounded by stacks of vinyl piled high on all sides. Next door in the modest ground-floor office in Paris’s Montmartre district, things are slightly more in order. A stereo sandwiched between a couple of desks is overlooked by art from Institubes label manager Jean-René Etienne. Sun beaming through the shop-wide window 94
illuminates fine illustrations with nods to surrealist fantasy scenes reminiscent of prog-rock from the 1960s and 1970s. His design imprint, House Of Kids, established with graphic artist Lola Raban-Oliva, is currently showing at Red Bull’s Paris gallery space 12 Mail. The delicate details stand out in a place known more for thumping futuristic beats. Etienne and friends Jérôme Echenoz and Julien Pradeyrol, better known as dance act Tacteel and rapper Teki Latex, formed Institubes in 2003 after realising their passion for forward-thinking electronic music and hip-hop had outgrown the amateur arena. In 2010, a decade after Napster burst the bubble for physical formats, the industry as a whole still struggles to offer music fans a tangible product worth paying for. But for labels like Institubes, born after that seismic shift, the new alien landscape is more like a clear slate. “Everybody’s saying nobody buys records anymore,” says Teki Latex, who now handles
the label’s digital house music arm, Sound Pellegrino, “so it’s time some credible labels started showing the same kind of love for the digital format. It’s not just about tossing out mp3s with a generic logo. We put out stuff with specially designed artwork, and it only exists in digital form.” Shahidi says the digital output is born from a need to react faster to dance music’s evolution. The success of another French label, Ed Banger, and its chart-conquering act, Justice, has meant the distorted-house music sound on anthems like ‘D.A.N.C.E’ has now become something of an albatross to the French scene. “We grew up as a label side-by-side with Ed Banger,” says Shahidi, “Their offices are just around the corner and Gaspard Augé from Justice designs record sleeves for Surkin on our label, so we’re all good friends. But now there’s so many bad imitations coming from other places trying to do what Justice were originally pioneering, and we
Photography: James Pearson-Howes (5)
French connection: Emile Shahidi (above) formed Institubes with his two friends as they felt they could take electronic music and hip-hop forward. Their collaboration is now paying off
Jennifer Evans and The Ripe Intent 26.03.10 Jazz and blues meet edgy folk sounds when Dublin singer/ songwriter Evans takes to the stage with her band, and tonight they will showcase their new EP Salient Point in their hometown. Twisted Pepper, Dublin, Ireland
Time Warp 27.03.10 One of Germany’s most celebrated dance destinations is returning for the 16th year, ready to answer the pleas of the beat-hungry masses. Sven Vath, Laurent Garnier, Richie Hawtin and Ricardo Villalobos are among those ready to live up to the event’s hefty reputation. Mainmarkthalle, Mannheim, Germany
Retro Eclectic 27.03.10 Craig Bartlett, house hero of worldrenowned Lamerica club nights, invites Cardiff clubbers to take a trip back to the days of Studio 54 with funk, soul and house classics of a former generation on the decks. Crystal, Cardiff, Wales
Dizz1 & DJ Kentaro 27.03.10
We are family (clockwise from top): Para One provides instrumental productions for Institubes; rapper Teki Latex at work; Emile, Surkin and Para One get creative in the studio
always feel the need to move on. These digital labels and sub-labels (Institubes also has a rap offshoot, Stunts, and indie-rock arm, Unsunned) allow us to do that. You couldn’t fit everything we do on a vinyl anyway!” The Institubes roster now spreads from the left-field instrumental productions of Para One, through Teki’s rap group TTC, to the prog-indie-dance of Australian band Midnight Juggernauts, including the minimal Chicago-house influenced sound of Parisian acts Surkin and Bobmo along the way. “We know all our artists as friends,” explains Etienne, “and any decisions we make, be it for designing sleeve-art, or business, we try to reflect the artist as much as possible. The label should disappear behind the artist.” This year looks to be Institubes’ biggest yet. In a move that Etienne describes as akin to Kylie Minogue adopting Aphex Twin as her studio sidekick, French mainstream pop singer Alizée is involved with the label. The roster’s underground acts like Chateau
Marmont, Para One and Tacteel have collaborated to write and produce her album, which will be released in March. “I’m really proud to be involved,” says JeanBaptiste de Laubier, the enigmatic producer known as Para One. “I like to do records that are totally different from one another. I wouldn’t do music if I couldn’t change.” The sentiment fits Institubes. With the mainstream calling, they’re embracing the challenge in their own way. Back underground on the Metro, Shahidi grumbles through the crowds lamenting the state of the Parisian tube. He’s oblivious to the French quirks – like Parisians don’t queue, they bundle – that help define the city. “It shouldn’t work but it does,” he says. He snaps out of reflective mode as we pull into Gard du Nord station and piles back into the crowd heaving into the dusk. And the Parisian underground moves on. Find out more on www.institubes.com. The House of Kids exhibition is at www.12mail.fr
A night at The Forum can take you around the world in one evening. Australian hip-hop DJ Dizz1 brings an international mix to his sound with influences from Detroit, London dubstep and Ethiopian jazz. He’s joined by the Japanese legend DJ Kentaro, winner of the DMC World Championships, and supporter of hip-hop heavyweights like The Roots and The Pharcyde. The Forum, Sydney, Australia
Autechre 28.03.10 Over 20 years of partnership has seen the Mancunian duo’s sound develop from techno to electro to hip-hop, and they have now transcended genre labels with their experimental, unpredictable creations. This month’s release of new album Oversteps shows Warp Records’ finest are still going strong. Kino Siska, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Passion Pit & Mayer Hawthorne 30.03.10 Euphoric electro-pop from Boston meets California hip-hop and soul as two of America’s rising stars unite for a US tour. House Of Blues, Cleveland, USA
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White Fang The tale of a cat who got more than the cream
George and Fang fatly occupied the battered, fake, leatherette-’n’-plywood Eames armchair one mundane Friday night, in front of Big Brother. They had no idea what they were watching. It was just ‘telly’. Some kind of pointless white noise so vapid, so meaningless, so empty it could be rendered no worse by the TV in question being 15 years old, with greasy-finger-smooth black buttons and a cake of grime across the speaker grille. It had been a Baird once, before the label fell off, in silent suicidal protest at the joylessness of its surroundings. That small event had passed years ago. Maybe even a decade. Had George ever been bothered to clean, he might have found the inch-long, plastic ‘BAIRD’ resting in the thick fuzz of dust and cat hair that carpeted his carpet. But such things didn’t concern George Thomson. Very little did. He was a paunchy, middle-aged, balding bachelor, with not much in his life apart from blank hours of TV, takeaways, his computer (boasting a 240GB hard drive rammed with enough porn to help him compensate auto-erotically for his otherwise absent sex life) and a peculiar obsession with pedicures. For despite being scaly, smelly, oblivious to fashion and obliged through worsening myopia to wear bottle-bottom specs, George’s feet – his butter-soft, buffed, creamed, pampered, immaculate feet – were beautiful. There was no explanation for this. It just was. One of those quirks of nature that make one man different from another. George could live with stained trousers and personal malodour, but an overgrown toenail? The horror! It was fortunate indeed that George had blundered into a line of work tolerant of his absence of social skills: he was a freelance magazine sub-editor. Like many of his stripe, he’d stumbled into the business without direction, armed only with a solid education, and an enthusiasm for caravans born of surprisingly happy family holidays with 96
ma and pa, back in a distant childhood of security, warmth and optimism. He’d found expression for his innocent mobilehome pleasure after an encouraging result in his English exams had prompted him to begin submitting his whimsical holiday diaries, for publication, to the Morpeth Gazette Observer Herald. George’s simple tales of unglamorousbut-contended journeys proved immensely popular with the paper’s mostly toothless and feeble audience and lead to a call one day from the editor, Reginald Stoker, with an offer of a job. It was a low-paid, undemanding, position, but it would allow George to earn a crust from his caravanning passion, as his occasional diaries would not only be continued, they would be expanded into a weekly Motors Extra column, under the proud, 48-point bold title: ‘Caravan Man’. It proved a hit – enough of one, in fact, to oblige Stoker to overlook George’s ineptitude in all other aspects of his work. For George was not a diligent subeditor and his lack of skill, accuracy and application ensured the paper’s generous sprinkling of error – both typographic and factual (the very howlers he was employed to spot) – continued to go unnoticed. George’s bodily odour, however, did not. And after 12 months, his contract went pointedly unrenewed, Reginald Stoker admitting that a rare moment of compassion for George’s colleagues had “left him with no alternative…” Fortunately for George, caravans would
once again prove his salvation: in the very week of contract termination, he received a letter from the moribund journalistic backwater that was Caravan and Motorhome Enthusiast magazine, offering him five-days-per-month freelance sub-editing work and a whole page (in a glossy magazine!) for ‘Man and Caravan’ (as George’s now fabled diaries were to become). He could scarcely believe his good fortune! No longer would he have to go to an office and be muttered about by nasally offended colleagues. No longer would he have to get dressed (he much preferred working at his home computer, attired only in slippers, vest and Y-fronts). No longer would he have to do much at all, really, apart from write his column (this week’s theme: ‘Why real men love caravans’) and proofread a few pages. So he bought a cat, for company and to fill those odd hours of life that tipped from the comfortably numb into the interminably dull. He did so because, although George was a pretty sad character all-in-all, he was not a dark, bad, unfeeling sociopath. Sure, he’d rather stay in than go out, and most of the 21st-century’s apparently urgent concerns were of no matter to him. But he knew what love meant (his deceased parents, both tragically killed in the Paddington rail crash, had doted on their ‘little King George’) and a degree of their abundant affection had distilled through the years, through his
illustration: James Taylor
A story by Vernon J White
More Body & Mind hands, to the fingertips that were now tickling the ears of his feline companion. Fondly, George stroked Fang’s head and neck, pulling back the skin, to make him appear an Alice-in-Wonderland grinning Cheshire cat. Fang’s sleepheavy warmth oozed through George’s straggly dressing gown, into his flabby, never-exercised thighs. George especially loved to tickle the little velvety patch where the ‘root’ of Fang’s ears joined the top of his head. As George did so, Fang dribbled, purring deeper and more loudly, in somnolent appreciation. George could tell his cat was fast asleep – dreaming, most likely, of catching flies – so he risked the most delicate of tugs to Fang’s left cluster of whiskers, just enough to lift the top lip, and expose Fang’s most remarkable feature: his fierce, curved, carnivorous teeth – an atavistic echo of his sabre-toothed forbears. This would have been a manoeuvre not without risk, had Fang been awake. For this little kitty was a keen killer, teeth and claws always eager to unsheath, draw blood, impale. Time without number, George’s fingers or the backs of his hands had fallen victim to a lightning paw, five perfect blades scoring five parallel tracks into his flesh. Always, Fang would draw blood. And whenever he was hungry, Fang would communicate very clearly, nipping at one or other of George’s lower legs, which were invariably uncovered, given his aversion to clothing. Secretly, this pleased George, as it reminded him that this soft, purring creature had a wild heart and a Terminator spirit completely at odds with his status as a domestic pet. George had chosen Fang, four years ago – then, just a bundle of fluff in a pet store – as he had seemed, even as a kitten, to be the most alert, the most interesting, the most hungry of his litter. While Fang’s brothers and sisters lay curled up in the bottom of the cage, Fang stood apart, nose pressed against the cage’s wire frame, occasionally giving it a tentative chew. He wanted out, that was obvious. Instinctively, George had extended a finger towards this lovable ginger-and-white furball, hoping to establish contact and gain approval. This he did, as Fang (unnamed, then, of course) tilted head towards fingertip and indulged George. Encouraged, George pushed his right forefinger full through the wire. Bad move, for in a flash, Fang had leapt upon it bodily, attempting to sink in needle teeth and still-soft claws. “Shit!” George had yelped, yanking his hand away from the cage, before realising with embarrassment that
‘Fang, normally so eager to kill, appeared to have become lazy and perhaps even a little fat’ children nearby were laughing at him for having been set upon by a kitten. Chastened though he was, George was kitten smitten. He loved the spark of savagery this tiny creature had exhibited, finding it at once completely alien yet utterly thrilling. Three hours later they were back in George’s fetid dwelling together. A fussier animal might have scorned the decrepit surroundings, but for Fang, it proved the ultimate killer’s playground. Cockroaches, flies, the occasional mouse – even, once, memorably, a curious badger – all found their way into George’s home through cracked floorboards and skirtings. All (badger excepted) fell victim to the lithe pounce, slashing claws and relentless jaws of Fang. As the months and years passed, George came to think of his contented feline as White Fang, in mischievous, though not by any means inaccurate, acknowledgement of the canine hero of Jack London’s famous wilderness novel. George had read White Fang for his school English exams and had been captured by the tales of its fictional dog-wolf hero, unable to resist the call of its darkest, bloodiest, instincts. Fang – his Fang – was nowhere near so fearsome (how could he be, as a domestic pet?) but he was nonetheless all Whiskas-scorning carnivore. Fang particularly loved to catch summer flies and had a highly evolved technique for so doing: he would wait, motionless, on the roof of the bin-shed that drew them in their hundreds; then, from a compressed hunch, drawing all the power from his back legs, he would spring forward, simultaneously bringing both front paws together like crashing cymbals around the fly’s tiny world. Eagerly, victoriously, Fang would then devour its black body like a raisin, revelling in the unorthodoxy of his self-appointed position in the food chain. George liked that about Fang. Even when measured against high feline norms of insouciance, his cat truly did not give a shit. One sweaty English afternoon sometime in July, George died. Pop. Done for by a pulmonary embolism that the post-mortem concluded was the
undoubted legacy of a sedentary lifestyle. Predictably, no one noticed. George lived such a very quiet life, determinedly disconnected from his fellows, that he barely had an exterior existence. Those few who knew of him were cat-lovers attracted to Fang, and Fang’s continued daily appearances on top of the bin-shed indicated, of course, that all was well at home. Had they looked more closely, though, they might have noticed a small change. Fang, normally so eager to kill, to consume live flesh, appeared to have become lazy and perhaps even a little fat. He looked happy enough, rolling his white belly towards the sun, basking, in warm repose, but this was unusual behaviour for one so quick to slay. It was only one fraught Caravan and Motorhome Enthusiast press day, when George failed to reply to emails, then phone calls, then urgent phone calls enquiring as to the whereabouts of this month’s ‘Man and Caravan’, that alarm bells rang. George had never once, in more than 15 years, filed late. On-time delivery of his reassuringly untroubling prose had been his sole point of professional pride. What could be the matter? The police, duly, were informed. The police, duly, visited George’s shabby abode (observed from a safe distance by a large, full-bellied, ginger-and-white tom). The police, duly, forced entry, whereupon they were greeted by the appalling sight of George’s partially decomposed form slumped over his computer desk (the homepage of www.girlzgirlzgirlz.com still shining brightly from the screen). A pool of liquid, now a dry crust, had seeped from the side of George’s mouth to flood his computer keyboard. His eyes remained shock-wide open, as if continuing to realise at that very moment that his heart had just exploded. And his leg! George’s right, lower leg. The one that led up from his perfectly pedicured right foot. It was gone! All trace of flesh, muscle, ligament and gristle had been stripped away to the very bone, then licked white-clean. As the police puzzled to think of an explanation, Fang, plumply languid on the bin-shed roof, rolled onto his back and dreamed of supper.
About the author
Vernon J White once thought about becoming a police officer, but ended up working for a media relations agency. He hates motorhomes and caravans. But he’s very fond of cats 97
C
apital cities? Let me see. London. Edinburgh. Cardiff. Dublin. Belfast. Paris. Brussels. Berlin. Luxembourg. Amsterdam. Athens. Sofia. Bucharest. Moscow (for about half an hour at Sheremetyevo). Madrid. Lisbon. Rome. Valetta. St Helier. Copenhagen. Oslo. Stockholm. Helsinki. Bastia. Bern. Prague. Palermo. Vaduz. Washington. Singapore. Tokyo. Delhi. Havana. That’s not a very long list for someone who has spent a lot of time travelling, but there’s something odd about capitals: they are not necessarily cities you want to visit. For example, you’d have to be howlingly certifiable, sitting in a corner wailing and tearing your hankie, to choose Ankara over Istanbul, Rabat over Marrakech, Washington over New York or Canberra over Sydney. So, the curious traveller often goes elsewhere. Anyway, my overwhelming feeling about travel is that it does not broaden the mind, instead it narrows it. One of the most persuasive and destructive cons of contemporary life is that travel is pleasurable. How this perversity can have gained currency against all rational evidence to the contrary I do not know. In any rational or well-organised life, arrival is much better than getting there. And when you have arrived, why not stay put? My home is full of books, wine and art. The garden has figs, vines, lemons and artichokes. Sure, the sun is inconstant, but unless I am to be attended by 72 shameless and sexually experimental virgins with PhDs in massage and access to a continuous supply of grande marque champagne, leaving home means I experience an expensive drop in my standard of living. I have a cod poem half-written in my head. Well, I have two lines of it written in my head. They are: “The places I shall never go/The list grows longer every day”. I can tell you now with absolute certainty that (unless captured, tranquilised and taken against my will) I will never visit Bogota, Kiev, Warsaw,
Mind’s Eye
Location, location Stephen Bayley explains why certain cities give him the urban blues Belgrade, Pristina, Winnipeg or Harare. I am sure they all have their charms, but life is not long enough for me to spend all the time I want in Rome or Paris. If I travel anywhere at all, I like going back to the familiar rather than exploring the strange. I like reducing my options the better to concentrate on my pleasures. The only place I have not already been to which holds any interest is Trieste. And that’s not a capital. Unless you think Friuli-Venezia-Giulia is a country. So the question is not so much what makes a great capital as what makes a great city? After too much dead time contemplating this in, say, the echoing chasms of Hartsfield Airport, Atlanta, or the gloomth of Liege-Guillemins railway station, I have made tentative progress towards the answer. And it’s something that is easier to detect than to define: great cities have a sense of place that is highly particular. It’s what the ancients called genius loci, the feeling that in this location and this location alone an
important variety of traditions, sensations and physical attributes converge into something palpable and unique. It’s partly to do with memory. If I were the sort who quoted Proust, I’d mention ‘l’edifice du souvenir’, that neuro thing where physical taste and emotional remembrance collide in voluptuous feeling. But I can do better than that. Great cities need to be on water. River, lake or sea, it doesn’t matter, but inland canals don’t count. Water brings trade and with trade come cosmopolitan influence and an invigorating social mix. Water smells, and smell is important. Smell short-circuits the consciousness and cuts straight to the brain’s memory centre. Water brings fish and fish bring restaurants. And restaurants stimulate commercial and social life, not to mention fishermen. Show me a good fish restaurant and I am certain it will be in a lively city. And if restaurants are stimulated by seas, rivers and lakes, so too is architecture. Marine trade requires a huge variety of different building types. And with architectural variety you get a stimulating intellectual life. Architectural culture and food culture are inextricable from art. There is a direct – even linear - relationship between, say, the gastronomic life of a city and its literary or artistic vitality. And its buildings. Capital cities are, on the other hand, where you find governments. Sometimes the presence of administrators and an atmosphere of greatness go together. But this is rare: London and Paris are exceptions. Strange, perhaps, to say, but the great cities of the world are by no means all the seats of government. Which, of course, tells you all you need to know about politics. Just think about the smell of the sea… or the smell of administration. Stephen Bayley is a former director of the Design Museum in London and an award-winning writer
The Red Bulletin is published by Red Bulletin GMBH Editor-In-Chief Robert Sperl Editorial Office Anthony Rowlinson (Executive Editor), Stefan Wagner Associate Editor Paul Wilson Contributing Editor Andreas Tzortzis Chief Sub-editor Nancy James Production Editor Grant Smyth Photo Editors Susie Forman (Chief), Fritz Schuster Deputy Photo Editors Markus Kucera, Valerie Rosenburg, Catherine Shaw Design Erik Turek (Art Director), Claudia Drechsler, Miles English, Markus Kietreiber Staff Writer Ruth Morgan Contributors Stephen Bayley, Tom Hall, Norman Howell, Andreas Jaros, Lars Jensen, Werner Jessner, Hitoshi Kajino, Uschi Korda, Gretel C Kovach, Diane Leeming, Alexander Lisetz, Florian Obkircher, Olivia Rosen, Thomas Schrefl, Florian Schroeder, Steve Smith, Robert Tighe, Vernon J White, Matt Youson, Nadja Žele Production Managers Michael Bergmeister, Wolfgang Stecher Technical Manager Adam Carbajal Repro Managers Christian Graf-Simpson, Clemens Ragotzky International Project Management Bernd Fisa, Norman Howell, Sandra Sieder Web Manager Will Radford Web Editors Paul Keith (Chief), Alex Hazle Office & Editorial Manager Kate Robson Administrator Sarah Thompson Editor, South Africa Steve Smith. The Red Bulletin is published simultaneously in Austria, the UK, Germany, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand on the first Tuesday of every month. Website www.redbulletin.com. UK office: 14 Soho Square, London W1D 3QG, +44 (0)20 7434 8600. Austrian office: Heinrich-Collin-Strasse 1, A-1140 Vienna, +43 1 90221 28800. Printed by CTP Printers, Duminy Street, Parow-East, Cape Town 8000. For all advertising enquiries, contact Anthony Fenton-Wells, +27 (0)82 464 6376, or email anthony@tfwcc.net
The next issue of the Red Bulletin is out on april 6, 2010 98
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In order to guarantee riding safety following the installation of superstructural parts to the rear of the motorcycle, such as top or side cases, it is of the upmost importance to observe the speed limits specified in the user manual.
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