IRELAND
BEYOND THE ORDINARY
WILD RIDES TR AVIS RICE’S QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE SNOWBOARD ADVENTURE
OCTOBER 2016 €2.50
SCOTSCOT T REDDING T REDDING BY SE BY ANSECUS AN TER CUS TER | CAPTURED | CAPTURED
THE WORLD OF RED BULL
30 WILD AT HEART
Snowboarder Travis Rice on the epic quest that became his latest documentary
WELCOME In this issue of The Red Bulletin we’re all about seekers – people who have taken the road less travelled in order to express their individuality. Pioneering snowboarder Travis Rice takes us on a pan-Pacific quest in pursuit of the “geological oddities” that provide him and his crew with some of the world’s wildest rides. We take a different kind of wild ride in Ireland with the drift kings who have embraced an ‘outlaw’ sport and are taking on the best in the business. Elsewhere, legendary Hollywood auteur Oliver Stone reveals his quest for truth and we showcase the work of some seekers of beauty – the photographers who have gone to the ends of the Earth to capture the spectacular images that have earned them a place in the semi-finals of Red Bull Illume. 08
Travis Rice “Snowboarding is about so much more than guys doing triple corks at the Olympics”
THE RED BULLETIN
OCTOBER 2016
46
AT A GLANCE GALLERY
SLIDE RULES
14
How the Irish have taken on the world in the sport of drifting and never been beaten on home tarmac
GOOD SHOTS! Red Bull Illume
semi-finalists’ photographs
BULLEVARD 23
INSPIRATIONS Unique talents
FEATURES 30 Travis Rice
How tracing the path of an ecosystem inspired new movie The Fourth Phase
46 Irish drifting
SCOTT SERFAS (COVER), JANE STOCKDALE, PAMELA LITTKY, SYO VAN VLIET/RED BULL ILLUME, WOLFANGO.IT, ERIC RYAN ANDERSON/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
Drivers pushing their cars to the limit for the sake of national pride
66
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ROLLING WITH STONE
Hollywood maverick Oliver Stone talks about his new biopic of notorious whistleblower Edward Snowden
54 Heroes of the month
Singer Alicia Keys, surfer Frank Solomon, rock band Twin Atlantic and singer/songwriter Paul Banks
ILLUMINATING IMAGES
Amazing pictures from Red Bull Illume, the world’s greatest contest for action and adventure sports photography
60 Jamie O’Brien
The freesurf legend gets out of his comfort zone in wild Irish waters
66 Oliver Stone
The US director tells us what we can learn from Edward Snowden
ACTION! 73
79 59 RAGING BULL
If you like your cars to be a bit of an animal, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce is the beast for you THE RED BULLETIN
BRANCHING OUT
Interpol frontman Paul Banks has taken a new direction with his latest album – working with Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA
SEE IT. GET IT. DO IT. The best travel,
gadgets, innovations, watches, wheels, films, music, games and events. Plus what’s on Red Bull TV this month, our cartoon, and how to survive a wipeout 93 GADGET GUIDE Latest outdoor tech 98 FLASHBACK Generation games
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CONTRIBUTORS INSIDE THIS ISSUE OCTOBER 2016
WHO’S ON BOARD
GEORGE KARBUS
Cold snap: photographer Tim Zimmerman
Playing the waiting game Filming The Fourth Phase (page 30) took an evolving crew of filmmakers, photographers and snowboarders to five different, sometimes unforgiving, areas of the world. Many days of waiting for conditions to settle, snow to appear and, in one case – unsuccessfully – for a Russian military guard to process their papers, presented unique challenges. But for the crew of five photographers, including Tim Zimmerman (above), who were there throughout, the chance to catch top snowboarders in remote locations made it worth it.
The Czech lensman, winner of the 2013 British Wildlife Photography Awards, shot a different kind of beast when he tracked freesurf star Jamie O’Brien on a trip to ride Ireland’s wild waves. See the results on page 60.
THE RED BULLETIN AROUND THE WORLD RÜDIGER STURM
The German journalist is a friend of three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone. On page 66 he talks to the director about his lifelong search for justice and his new movie: a portrait of whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The Red Bulletin is available in 10 countries. This cover, featuring Moto3 rider Brad Binder, is from this month’s South African edition. Read more: redbulletin.com
IN FOCUS BEHIND THE LENS
“An unforgettable weekend and such a good vibe with all the drivers” JANE STOCKDALE, PHOTOGRAPHER Scot Jane Stockdale travelled to Ireland’s Mondello Park circuit for a weekend in the slide area – documenting the country’s hugely popular drifting scene (see our feature on page 46). She even hitched a ride in a competitor’s car: “I loved it, but for the first five seconds thought I was going to die!” From there, Jane’s next stop was the Rio Olympics.
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All adrift: spectacular Irish racing
THE RED BULLETIN
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THE RED BULLETIN Ireland, ISSN 2308-5851 Editor Ruth Morgan Associate Editors Tom Guise, Justin Hynes Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Advertisement Sales Deirdre Hughes, redbulletin@richmondmarketing.com
THE RED BULLETIN USA, ISSN 2308-586X Editor Andreas Tzortzis Deputy Editor Nora O’Donnell Copy Chief David Caplan Director of Publishing and Advertising Sales Nicholas Pavach Country Project Management Melissa Thompson Advertisement Sales Los Angeles: Dave Szych, dave.szych@us.redbull.com New York: Regina Dvorin, reggie.dvorin@us.redbullmediahouse.com
THE RED BULLETIN
MADE FROM RECYCLED BEACH PL ASTIC
O N E I L L.C OM / B LU E
DECISION TIME Red Bull Illume is the world’s greatest contest for action and adventure sports photography. Four of this year’s 275 semifinalists reveal how to get amazing shots under difficult circumstances – using drones, on the ocean bed, or skydiving on a jet-black night 14
BENEATH THE CRYSTAL WAVES TEAHUPO’O, FRENCH POLYNESIA PHOTOGRAPHY: BEN THOUARD CATEGORY: MASTERPIECE BY YODOBASHI “I decided straight away only to shoot underwater photos that morning, because the waves were perfect: they were completely glassy, as there was no wind at all. I spent four hours shooting below the surface. Everything lined up perfectly and I was really happy with the result. However, it took me almost a year to find out who the surfer was. Thanks to social media and the three-coloured fins, Landon [McNamara] was later able to identify himself to me.” instagram.com/benthouard
SCREEN GRAB BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA PHOTOGRAPHY: ALE DI LULLO CATEGORY: NEW CREATIVITY “I’d been shooting through transparent surfaces for a few years, but it was during a drive across Europe that I had this idea. No one had done an extreme sport shot from inside the car, with someone riding across the windscreen. And what better to use than a New York cab? Aaron Chase was the natural choice for the rider. I kept shooting, scared the glass would break, and 12 shots later I’d nailed it.” instagram.com/aledilullophotography
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RED BULL ILLUME:
ADRENALIN SHOTS Red Bull Illume has been celebrating outstanding achievements in action and adventure sports photography every three years since 2007. For this year’s competition, we received 34,624 images from 5,645 photographers in 11 categories. The winners, as decided by a jury of experts, will be announced on September 28 in Chicago. The best 55 pictures, plus the 11 category winners and the overall winning photo, will then form part of a travelling exhibition. The Red Bull Illume Exhibit Tour will take the images around the globe, presenting them in light boxes after dark, until 2018. For more semi-final pictures, information on the award ceremony and all exhibition dates, go to: redbullillume.com
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BIG AIR MUNICH-RIEM, GERMANY PHOTOGRAPHY: LORENZ HOLDER CATEGORY: PLAYGROUND “I found this spot on Google Earth, which is a great tool for scouting when shooting with a drone. It’s just a garden with small hills and winding concrete tracks, but I thought it would look really good from above, especially if a skater did a kickflip and the sun’s shadow made the trick visible. The plastic surface was horrible, but Conny [Mirbach] is a hell of a skater, so he could fire flips even on that terrain.” instagram.com/lorenzholder
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC KAZIMIERZ BISKUPI, POLAND PHOTOGRAPHY: KUBA KONWENT CATEGORY: ENERGY “I began jumping from planes in 2014, but I had to gain experience before I could do it with a camera. Shooting a night jump had been on my mind since I heard my dropzone does one each year. My first try was unsuccessful – too humid – but it was worth another year’s wait. The camera was fixed to the wing with a mount I’d made myself. I took the picture with a wireless remote, then we all jumped.” instagram.com/konwentphotography
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ALL-NEW JAGUAR F-PACE
ABOVE ALL, IT’S A JAGUAR. FROM €44,100*
Welcome to Jaguar as you’ve never seen it before. Now you can enjoy the dramatic drive and beauty Jaguar is renowned for, with added practicality. Inspired by F-TYPE, its powerful, muscular looks give the All-New F-PACE a head-turning road presence. And it delivers the connected steering feel and sharp, responsive handling of a sports car too, thanks to its aluminium double wishbone front and Integral Link rear suspension. A master of sporting performance and everyday practicality, F-PACE raises the game. jaguar.ie
Official fuel consumption figures for the F-PACE in l/100km: Urban 5.7 – 12.2, Extra urban 4.5 – 7.1, Combined 4.9 – 8.9. CO2 emissions g/km: 129 – 209. Drive responsibly on and off-road. *Price quoted is for the F-PACE RWD 2.0 i4 D Pure and excludes delivery and related charges.
BULLEVARD THE HOME OF PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE, ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE, INNOVATE
DEEP FOCUS
AUSTIN HARGRAVE/AUGUST
MARK WAHLBERG HAS USED HARD WORK AND DOGGED DETERMINATION TO RISE TO THE TOP When he was 16, Mark Wahlberg was convicted of assault and spent 45 days in jail. While behind bars, he thought of his gang buddies and his sister and his brothers, all of whom had been incarcerated. He decided that life was not for him. It took him a while to change (he was still an angry young man in his early 20s), but he stuck to his word. He worked hard, got married, had four kids. In Hollywood today, he’s considered one of the good guys: great to work with and for, well-mannered, humble. Some problems are alleviated when you are one of the highest-paid movie stars in the world – oil spill drama Deepwater Horizon coming in September; Patriots Day, about the Boston marathon bombing, in December; another Transformers movie next year – but you need to be on your game to succeed and, aged 45, Wahlberg shows no sign of losing focus.
THE RED BULLETIN
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BULLEVARD
THE DUEL THIS MONTH, IT’S A BATTLE BETWEEN THE WORLDS OF MUSIC AND FOOTBALL. WHO WILL WIN THIS ED-TO-ED?
vs ED SHEERAN
EDEN HAZARD
English. Aged 25. Award-winning singer-songwriter
£64.5 million
In 2015, the flame-haired troubadour had Earth’s secondbest-selling album of the year, X – beaten only by Adele’s 25 – played 119 gigs and earned £43.2 million overall.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV
Belgian. Aged 25. Chelsea and Belgium midfielder
NET WORTH
0 ::11
£76 million
Currently 85th on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Athletes list, he took £16.7m in the year to June 2016 and is the Premier League’s fourth-highest earner on £220K a week.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
TRANSPORT
Sheeran only got his driving licence last October. He owns a Mini Cooper and has been seen driving around London in a black Mercedes SUV.
The attacking midfielder was seen in an Audi R8 V10 Plus when the German marque sponsored Chelsea, but is now said to own the Merc with the gullwings.
0:2 LOVE LIFE
16.7mTwitter followers
Sheeran’s last tweet, on December 12, 2015, was an Instagram note about having a social-media “break”. He’s still on it, but he’ll be back to push new music.
‘No-style’ look
STYLE
Strawberry-blond ambition
“There are a lot of ginger dudes in England who are using [my fame to meet women]. That’s why I’m not hating on it. You know what, we’re finally getting laid! This is a good thing.”
He won Song Of The Year – and received two other nominations – at the 2016 Grammy Awards for Thinking Out Loud. Not bad for a penniless wannabe who spent 2009 and 2010 sofa-surfing and crashing on friends’ floors.
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2:3 GREATEST WEAPON
Sheeran dresses like a 25-year-old with far less money and little time on his hands, but the casual approach only boosts his normal-guy persona.
Nat’s the way
In 2012, Hazard married long-time love Natacha Van Honacker, who he met when he was 14. They only need two more sons for a five-a-side team.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLOUT
Strings of life
He plays guitars made by Martin – as also strummed by the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan.
Zero to hero
1:3
3:4 3:4 ED SAID
4:4 DEFINING MOMENT
5:5
4.5m Twitter followers
Seems the footie star can tweet the future: in 2012, he wrote that he was signing for Chelsea… seven days before the club officially confirmed the deal.
Triple threat
“A creator, a goalscorer and the hardest of workers” was the verdict when he won FWA Footballer Of The Year in 2015.
Off-trend
He has a very un-footballer look: no tattoo sleeve; neat hair; and a mainly sportswear wardrobe (from sponsor Nike). No points all round.
Honest player
“Everything went so well in the past; [2015-16 for Chelsea] not so much. But you have to tell yourself that football is like that. I’ve had more ups than downs in my career. All you can do is keep working.”
Most games ever?
When he turned 25, Hazard had notched up 446 senior games for club and country (Ronaldo at 25, 407; Messi, 431). Ten more years at the top could make him one of the few attackers to exceed 1,000.
THE RED BULLETIN
GETTY IMAGES (4), SPLASH NEWS, ATLANTIC RECORDS, PA
Ex on X
The album track Nina was inspired by a former squeeze, singersongwriter Nina Nesbitt. He’s now seeing old school pal Cherry Seaborn (left).
BULLEVARD
WARRIOR QUEEN GEMMA ARTERTON THE BRITISH ACTRESS FORGING A CAREER PLAYING STRONG WOMEN
ZIMMERMANN/MADAME FIGARO/LAIF
The title of Gemma Arterton’s new movie, The Girl With All The Gifts, could just as easily be a description of the actress herself. The 30-year-old Brit has been a Bond girl (2008’s Quantum Of Solace), starred in comedies, blockbusters, indie films and dramas, and seen her name in lights outside theatres in London’s West End. Having lived in Paris on and off for the past few years, Arterton speaks the language well enough to bag leading roles in French movies, too. At a time when kick-ass heroines are giving male action heroes a run for their money,The Girl With All The Gifts – a sci-fi zombie thriller, which hits cinemas on September 23 – places Arterton among the best of them, and later this year she’ll play iconic female warrior Joan Of Arc on the London stage. In a recent interview, Arterton revealed her mantra, given to her by a fellow actress: “She said, ‘Do things that scare you.’ I’ve always remembered that and I try to keep to it.”
“I AM NORMAL. I HAVE JUST ONE RULE: DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!” THE RED BULLETIN
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BULLEVARD
EXPAND YOUR NETWORK
SAY WHAT?
FOLLOW, LIKE AND RETWEET YOUR WAY TO A SMARTER MONTH
WE ALL HAVE GOALS, WHETHER THEY’RE EVERYDAY TASKS OR MAJOR LIFE CHANGES, SO PRIME YOURSELF FOR THE CHALLENGE WITH THE ADVICE OF THESE HIGH-ACHIEVERS
“I’ve viewed myself as slightly above average in talent. And where I excel is a ridiculous, sickening work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping? I’m working. While the other guy’s eatin’? I’m working. While the other guy’s making love? I mean, I’m making love, too. But I’m working really hard at it”
“I always think that part of success is being able to replicate results, taking what is interesting or viable about yourself as a professional person and seeing if you can bring it into different situations with similar results”
WILL SMITH, MAN IN BLACK
ROBERT DOWNEY JR, AVENGER
“For everyone, I think, there is always a pressure to conform, and I guess that as you get older you realise it’s less interesting to do that. It starts with you, though, saying, ‘I know what I like doing and that’s what I’m going to do’” FELICITY JONES, ROGUE ONE
“If you have a back-up plan, then you have already admitted defeat” HENRY CAVILL, SUPERMAN
“I’m competitive with myself, and that goes hand in hand with how I present myself. I’m not only trying to put one foot in front of the other, I’m trying to put my best foot forward” KATY PERRY, POP SIREN
HYPE MACHINE twitter.com/hypem This aggregator of new music has remained one of the world’s leading sources of boxfresh sounds for more than a decade because it’s really, really, really good. Follow it and you’ll hear at least one song every day that will make you sit up and pay attention on your snoozy commute.
CRANK AND PISTON
“I happen to be a pessimist, and maybe that’s a good thing because I don’t stop to smell the roses… I don’t stop and enjoy those moments, I’m just [snaps fingers] on to the next. Always on to the next and never in the moment”
instagram.com crankandpiston Don’t follow this account if you don’t like cars, because the Dubai-based bloggers in charge of this popular feed are obsessed with all things automotive. They simply love to post amazing photos of amazing cars, taken by amazing photographers – and who can blame them?
NICKI MINAJ, RAP QUEEN
“If Plan A isn’t working, I have Plan B, Plan C and even Plan D” SERENA WILLIAMS, SERIAL GRAND-SLAMMER
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THE RED BULLETIN
GETTY IMAGES (7)
KILL SCREEN facebook.com/ killscreendaily For 24/7 videogame news and reviews, there’s IGN, GameFAQs and GameSpot. For the cool stuff at the cutting edge of creativity and technology in gaming, and to get more than new screenshots and info (although there is some of that), introduce Kill Screen to your Facebooking machine.
LAUGAVEGUR, ICELAND Goal Zero team member Philipp Tenius crossing the volcanic highlands completely unsupported, relying solely on the Nomad 20 and Sherpa 100 kit. Photo by Andres Beregovich.
ROUGH RUGGED READY
There is more to the world than what the grid has to offer. Our products are built to help you rethink the way you venture into the world. Learn more at GOALZERO.COM
BULLEVARD
GORDON BENSON THE TRIATHLETE WHO WON BRITAIN’S FIRST GOLD MEDAL AT THE EUROPEAN GAMES IS A KEEN CAFÉ RACER…
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THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT BENSON TRAINS EACH WEEK On a typical day, he trains in all three disciplines, with breaks for refuelling. This can mean a 90-minute morning swim, a 60-minute afternoon run and a 65K evening bike ride. To increase running speed, Benson recommends strides: “Not a sprint, but running at 80-90 per cent for 100m.” For swimming, he advocates training with paddles “to build up your lats, allowing for a better catch”. And for cycling, he suggests spinning at a high cadence and changing down the gears: “It’s easier on the legs, so you can exert more power when racing.”
3
THE NUMBER OF GOLD MEDALS HE HAS WON When going for gold, fine-tuning the transition from swim to cycle is vital. “I would hose down my wetsuit, then practise taking it off as fast as I could,” says Benson. He suggests signing up with someone else, too – “You’ll enjoy it more and spur each other on” – and taking coffee breaks during training: “Low body fat puts you at risk of catching a cold, so I never go straight from swimming to cycling – I’ll make a café stop to let my hair dry.”
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3,500 BENSON’S DAILY CALORIE INTAKE DURING TRAINING Breakfast is porridge, with Golden Syrup added for flavour, and on competition days he’ll have a croissant, too, for extra carbs. Benson eats three proteinbased main meals throughout the day, with Müller Rice or poached eggs on toast between training. Hydration is key: “I drink squash and Red Bull, and I’ve always got a bottle of water in my hand.”
1
THE NUMBER OF DAYS HE SPENDS RECOVERING Friday is Benson’s recovery day each week, but he doesn’t rest completely. He swims – “The water helps the muscles recover” – and does yoga. “I find yoga relaxing, mentally and physically,” he says. “It’s also helped with my bike position. I feel more comfortable, so I can put out more power. That generates speed, so it’s brought on my results as well.”
VITAL STATISTICS
Discipline: Triathlon Age: 22 Height: 190cm Weight: 78kg Achievements: Three gold medals for triathlon: European Triathlon Champs 2014 (individual); World Triathlon Champs 2014 (team); European Games 2015 (individual). (individual) Part of Team GB for the Rio Olympics.
FITNESS TRACKER THE HOTTEST THINGS IN HEALTH
THE APP DIRT SCHOOL
An MTB coach for your smartphone. Learn new skills and everything you need to keep your bike nice, upload footage of runs and tricks, and even get feedback from an actual coach (for an extra fee). dirtschool.co.uk
THE TECH PEBBLE CORE
Recently funded to the tune of $12.7m on Kickstarter, the new range of Pebble wearables includes the Pebble Core, a 4cm2, 50g device with GPS and 3G for streaming Spotify. Ships in January 2017. pebble.com
THE FUEL GOLDEN MILK
This year’s trending health drink is a milky brew containing wonder spice turmeric, which is said to ward off colds and coughs, keep joints supple and have anti-inflammatory properties. Google’s 2016 Food Trends report tips turmeric as a ‘rising star’. goo.gl/yxNzlu
THE RED BULLETIN
DAVID ROBINSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
WINTER
PURSUIT TRAVIS RICE IS THE MAN BEHIND THE BIGGEST SNOWBOARDING FILMS OF ALL TIME. NOW IN THE FOURTH PHASE, HIS RELENTLESS DRIVE TO GO BIG – AND THE CONSEQUENCES THAT COME WITH IT – TAKE CENTRE STAGE. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BIG AIR ISN’T ENOUGH? WORDS: ANDREAS TZORTZIS PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOTT SERFAS, TIM ZIMMERMAN
● JACKSON HOLE,
WYOMING
Rice’s proving grounds since he was a toddler on skis
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â—? TORDRILLO
MOUNTAINS, ALASKA The range routinely offers up the gold standard in bigmountain riding conditions
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● TORDRILLO
M OUNTAINS, A LASKA
The infamous ‘Crack’, which Rice first rode in 2014 and skier Cody Townsend descended shortly after in a POV video that went viral
T
hough Travis Rice is at the centre of two snowboarding films that have forever altered the sports-documentary landscape, he remains an enigma of sorts. For two decades, the Jackson Hole native has been the byword for going big in the backcountry. He chooses lines down peaks that only a handful of his peers would conceive of, let alone attempt. That’s It, That’s All (2008) and, five years ago, The Art of Flight, brought his skills on a snowboard to mainstream audiences with a cinematic treatment typical of Hollywood blockbusters. But very little was revealed about Rice himself, a deepthinking young man who chooses his words carefully. In The Fourth Phase, which has its debut on Red Bull TV on October 2, Rice’s snowboarding vision, and the drive that allows him to break boundaries, is firmly in the foreground. The narrative of his quest – which took three-and-a-half years – to follow a weather pattern from Tahiti, to Japan, to Russia and Alaska before returning home to Wyoming, is the backbone of The Fourth Phase. However it’s also the story of Rice, a seeker attempting to come to the grips with the fact that the relentlessness that has defined his career might have limits. the red bulletin: You grew up in Jackson Hole – a place that features prominently in all of your films. Snow sports must have been a given. travis rice: My dad was a ski patroller.
THE RED BULLETIN
Travis Rice One of the best big mountain snowboarders of his generation, Rice grew up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a region that features prominently in his three films. A big-air prodigy as a teenager, he continues to push boundaries with his backcountry escapades.
My mother was the first one to get me on skis when I was two or something. I skied until I was 12 or 13 years old. I wanted to try snowboarding. It looked super fun, and I was kind of torn because I had skied forever. Also, your dad being a lifelong skier… The unsaid was kind of, ‘Are you sure you want to do that?’ In the end it was
the simple fact that I didn’t get much pleasure from just turning on skis – it had to be an epic powder day. When I was snowboarding and starting out, it was a challenge; the simplicity of making a turn. There was a joy and thrill about getting the nuances of a turn dialled. Snowboarding is asymmetric. It’s a little harder than skiing and it’s more awkward, but with that comes this sort of art form of leaning into a single rail turn. Is it like trying to find a rhythm, trying to find the music in it? One hundred per cent; and the beauty of finding a rhythm with the turn is, if you listen to a song it usually stays to this 4/4 measure and there’s something 35
â—? KAMCHATKA,
RUSSIA
A volcanic peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, its unpredictable conditions demanded a lot of downtime
An day off allows for some zero-gravity hijinks. Rice and friends indulged, in a Cold War-era Russian helicopter
Encountering locals in Kamchatka, Rice and his fellow riders got to experience their traditional music performance before joining in
The effort it took to get to the surf spot was nothing compared to the frigid waters the riders encountered there. For Rice, the chance to catch waves was one of his journey’s highlights
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“YOU RUN THE THING OVER IN YOUR HEAD. YOU CONVINCE YOURSELF YOU CAN DO IT. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT“
● TORDRILLO
M OUNTAINS, A LASKA
The Tordrillo Mountain range in Alaska offers some of the most remote, rideable backcountry in the world. It’s the reason why the region features heavily not just in Rice’s films, but in those of other riders and skiers as well. Here, Rice takes flight
39
● HAKUBA,
JAPAN
The forest sessions in the Japanese Alps are the film’s most visually stunning segment. Local Shin Biyajima gets deep after dark. Mikkel Bang is in the treetops
40
“THAT’S THE BEAUTY WE’RE TRYING TO FIND UP THERE. PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIND THAT FLOW. IT’S JUST ACTION, REACTION“
consistent about it. While there are patterns, Mother Nature is not consistent. You find the rhythm, but it’s spaced differently than a structured song. Because as you’re going down, you’re playing with the topography of the land, so your rhythm is constantly in flux. Translating that approach to the big mountains you ride – do you have to have some sort of topographical recall in order to know what’s next? You get really good at eyeing things up, and through trial and error you get better. The lines we ride, we are rarely winging it. When you scope your line from afar, it’s about picking out landmarks and monuments. As you go down, you have a lot of blind rollovers – you can see maybe 6m in front of you, but after that you can’t see anything except the bottom of the valley. So you focus on sections. So you know that blind rollover, that’s a landmark. You remember that landmark and you let go of any type of fear of going over it. And once you go over it, you find your next landmark. That’s how it works. But we’re talking about mountains with 30m drops off cornices and cliffs and incredibly steep angles. How do you make those quick adjustments? That’s the beauty that we’re trying to find up there. People are trying to discover that flow, where you’re not trying to cognitively compute. It’s just action, reaction. At the top, how much nervous energy is there? Is it about controlling fear? It’s a beautiful thing where you have to make fear your ally. Because fear is not a bad thing, it’s there to keep us alive. The primal fear that is there, it’s there for a reason. I love it. You’ve got to love it. It’s like an old friend you’re embracing again. I’m definitely not fearless. I have a healthy relationship with that fear. So how do you actually work up the courage to drop in? You run the thing over and over in your head; you convince yourself that you can do it. Fake it till you make it [laughs]. You kind of let doubt wash out. For me it’s crucial to always let it all go. The 1015 seconds before I drop in, I’m thinking, I’m analysing and I’m doing all these geometric equations in my head, but then I’ve got to let it all go, I have to clear my mind. The last couple of breaths are to bring that angst and energy from your cranium, throat and upper chest, and bring it back down into your stomach. It’s more a place of certainty. The Fourth Phase is about you coming to terms with being a seeker – as 42
● TAHITI,
FRENCH POLYNESIA An avid sailor for most of his adulthood, Rice says that he has yet to live life on land as he does on sea. His catamaran features prominently in The Fourth Phase. And it was the first place he headed after filming and editing had wrapped on the three-and-a-half-year project
someone constantly looking for the next big challenge on untouched terrain. When did that begin? I think it started for me at a young age. In the summer, my father was a fly-fishing and backpacking guide, so we were always doing adventuring on some level.
“YOU’RE FORCED INTO SLOWING DOWN... THERE’S SOMETHING BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE ABOUT THAT” THE RED BULLETIN
ALASKA
RUSSIA
● ALASKA RANGE,
ALASKA
Oyashio current
● KAMCHATKA,
CANADA
Alaska current
RUSSIA
● JACKSON HOLE,
WYOMING
● HAKUBA,
USA
JAPAN
NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
Kuroshio current
California current North Equatorial current
TIM-MCKENNA.COM
Equatorial Counter current
I would work for him in the summer when I got older, when he did pack trips. I was the llama boy. I would lead the llama train and take care of them. It’s still one of my favourite jobs of all time. It was so simple: you were the caretaker of these beautiful, majestic, ornery, stinky creatures that would spit at you. But secretly, they probably appreciated you being around. By the end of the trip they would know I was responsible for their food and their water and they spat on other people. So going into the backcountry was the product of a lifetime of adventuring. So what are you seeking? We’re looking for these geological oddities. We want weird. Weird is good. You spend enough time in the mountains to look for weird topography or features to play on. The glimpses of weird are few and far between, but you know they exist. You know that if there’s a small example of weirdness and it’s perfection, there is more out there. Ultimately, it’s about finding these topographical oddities that are aligned with other elements like the right amount of snowpack, the right temperature, protection from wind… the factors have to all line up. But is it about being the first to descend that particular mountain? Or is it about finding solitude? It’s the fact that we, as snowboarders, are trying to find creative expression, an interpretation of how to ride the mountain. When you ride a beautiful flat mountain face, you can work on the nuances on how you turn. But the weirder it gets, the more you have to interpret. It’s these strange perversions of landscape that provide this puzzle that you have to pick apart – and that’s what I love about the weird factor. Now, the solitude aspect, that’s one of the reasons everyone I know likes to go into the backcountry. It isolates you, and usually THE RED BULLETIN
The North Pacific Gyre The film’s narrative arc traces the path of the North Pacific Gyre, Earth’s largest ecosystem. Following it from the South Pacific, the crew journey to the Japanese Alps, the volcanic Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands in Russia, through the Alaska Range near Anchorage, before coming home to Jackson Hole – all in the name of finding bigger and more remote riding.
a couple of your dearest friends, and lets you get together and experience and problem-solve and co-create. It’s that magic of being separated out and getting to do things as a small group. There’s a great quote from you in the film: “There’s something amazing about being with someone who’s gone somewhere they never anticipated going.” Expand on that. I think it’s about sharing human growth, as individuals. In my own life, I’m constantly presented with things that I’m not comfortable doing. It’s so easy to just walk away and say, ‘Naw it’s cool, I’m not into that.’ Because, deep down, there’s this deep-rooted fear with any of us of getting it wrong or looking like an idiot. And if you’re willing to try you always get something out of it, even if it’s not positive. And I have done a lot of the going into the uncomfortable zone. That’s why I’m good at snowboarding. I went there at one point. I think it’s amazing to witness someone move past and basically say ‘F--k it’, and give it a try. Or, how wonderful it is to suck at something again? Yes, amen, whether it’s your first time or whether it’s something you’ve done your whole life, but maybe not thought you were capable of. I’ve lived a life where I’ve had incredible breakthroughs doing that, and being with friends and knowing that they’re capable of it, they just don’t see it.
For me, there’s almost nothing more rewarding than being with somebody and helping them into this place that they didn’t know they could go. That’s one of the threads running through the film, too. You’re bringing people to these unique locations based on what you think their potential is on a particular mountain. Yeah, and this is the tough thing with this film. I set out for this film to be about not just me but about my people, my brothers in arms, the fellas I look up to and like to ride with. But it’s always tough when the film, at this final stage, narrows its focus. This film is about these places we go to, these people we’re with. You don’t think your life is interesting enough to merit a film? I think I’m the wrong person to ask. If it were up to me – which is probably good it’s not – this film would be more equally distributed, and unfortunately there’s just not enough time. I created and conceived this journey that we go on, and I was lucky enough to have the privilege of inviting these other guys on these trips, and I do that because I’m a huge fan of all the other guys in this film. They’re all dynamic and unique humans in their own way, and I love them very much. But maybe that’s the next chapter. These guys also say of you that you don’t stop until you get what you want. What is it you want? I want an idea to go from nothingness to somethingness. Aren’t we here to create and show and to share? Sure, but you seek it out on 3,000m peaks and ridges with deadly drops. That’s something that’s been progressive. It’s something I’ve done for so long and you get comfortable doing things one way and you want to take it a little bit further… Ultimately, we want to keep it interesting, to keep it challenging and it evolves into this ‘little bit further, little bit bigger, little harder’, trying to prove mind over matter. It just progresses. That sounds taxing. It’s incredibly satisfying and at a certain point, you realise it’s linear. You realise that it has no end. It’s this reciprocal loop that just continues for as long as you want it to continue and I think at a certain point it gets to a certain place of ‘What is the point?’ When did you arrive at that place? I’m still trying to hit it. The realisation first rose quite a long time ago, because I’ve been driven to explore and I’ve been a seeker for quite some time. I think at a certain point I realised that my early innocent, open-minded, open-hearted 43
● TORDRILLO
M OUNTAINS, A LASKA
Avalanches constitute an occupational hazard for the crew
exploration had shifted into a little bit more of an escape. I could either deal with the blandness of answering emails and dealing with the mediocre madness of my day-to-day existence or I could go and do something more exciting. It became more of an escape. Could you have a day job? When did you realise that you could make a living from doing this? I didn’t realise that I was going to be a snowboarder until quite late on. I was doing construction in the summer, so I could afford to do some travel during the winter. Beyond that, I was interested in the natural sciences. Your respect and love for nature is a constant thread throughout, but how do you get closer to that by snowboarding down mountains?
“I WANT AN IDEA TO GO FROM NOTHINGNESS TO SOMETHINGNESS. AREN’T WE HERE TO CREATE, AND SHOW AND SHARE?” 44
The snowboarding aspect is just the vessel, just the tool to be able to spend time outdoors, spend the time to be able to go into the eye of these storms and see nature at its rawest. You’ve run into your fair share of avalanches as well. What are the after-effects of those encounters? It’s a beautiful reminder of the raw forces that exist that we’re constantly trying to dance around out there. We have a big crew and we have a lot of people on the mountain, especially in a camp-type situation where everybody is hiking, everybody is walking. It’s a lot of exposure. For us, the most important element is getting people home at the end of the day. For me, that experience was this gift – bring this with you on your next journey to keep everyone out of harm’s way. You start off sailing around French Polynesia, where this hydrological cycle you’re following begins. You seem more at peace out there than in the mountains, where you’re always searching for the next big thing. You’re forced into slowing down – you’re forced into dealing with all the inputs you have at that particular time and
keep a boat going at its slow speed. The wind’s constantly shifting, the weather’s constantly moving. And you are just a caretaker, captaining this boat. There’s something beautifully simple about that. The last two films you made were about capturing the spectacle of what you do on a mountain – was this one meant to be different? With the last two films we felt that we did a good job of bringing crazy cinematography with incredible locations… the aerials, being able to immerse people and bring them along for the ride. After we finished The Art of Flight, I didn’t feel the need to spend years making that film again. I think our crew were ready to try something a little more challenging. Ultimately, with a documentary-style process like this, we didn’t know where the end of this movie was going to take us. We didn’t know we were going to get shut down from doing this camping trip in the amazing region of Alaska. We thought that three years was enough time. We had these goals and principles we wanted to touch upon, but we definitely didn’t know how the film was going to turn out. THE RED BULLETIN
To what extent do you think about the audience in this? Do you create just in order to create? We don’t think too much about how the outside world perceives it. We rely more on how we would like to see it. And it’s been a tough process, because we’re core-centric in how we look at things and this film further walks the line. But you’re not core-centric. I’ve been watching snowboard videos since I was 12. I’ve been in it for so long that I need something more, but I still hold those core principles. But I think to put the core mentality in this box and label it that all we want is just hard music and action, that’s not the case at all. One thing the core does well is they live it. They appreciate the simplicity of a film that is good music, and it’s good riding… but then they go and they live the whole experience. They don’t have be told about how it’s so much more than that. But you don’t want to keep it for yourself. You want to get it across to people. I went into this project trying to allow an honest thing to come out of it, which has been a taxing and challenging process during the whole film. It’s been beautiful being able to go out on these locations, but ultimately, the toughest part is having to wrap it. What do you want your legacy to be? It’s trying to share how I see snowboarding. I see it as this multi-dimensional thing. It’s so much more than guys doing triple corks at the Olympics. You watch our
Filmmaking in leaps and bounds In the three years Rice and director Jon Klaczkiewicz spent filming The Fourth Phase, a number of industry-wide advances in equipment enabled them to capture scenes they never could before. Hand-held gyro-stablised sticks on which they stuck a GoPro camera produced footage of Rice following a rider down a ridge “that looked like a video game”, says Klaczkiewicz. New drones that were more stable and could carry heavier loads opened up the possibility of shooting Phantom camera footage at 4,000 frames/second from an aerial point of view – no helicopters required. “The tech right now is insane and the barrier to entry is getting lower,” says Klaczkiewicz. “It’s going to make the creativity and storytelling be more of a factor for a competitive advantage.” GoPro cameras captured both action footage as well as the moments between the riders that a cameraman would have missed
Photographer Tim Zimmerman takes it easy down the precipice
film and it’s so much more than us in the backcountry, pushing against weather, hitting these jumps, riding these big lines. I think through the films we’ve tried to do, we go into the mountains and share with friends real intimate experiences. If I can help portray that – because that’s what I got out of snowboarding – I try my hardest to pass that on, and pay it forward. Snowboarding has done a lot for me and I hope I can, through these films, spark a little bit of interest to go try it. Or beyond simply snowboarding – go find yourself out in nature a little bit. I think everyone wins in the end. The Fourth Phase debuts on Red Bull TV on Oct 2
THE RED BULLETIN
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DRIFTING HAS FOUND AN UNLIKELY HOME IN IRELAND, FAR FROM THE POLISH AND GLAMOUR OF FORMULA ONE, AND ITS DRIVERS PUSH THEIR CARS AND THEMSELVES TO THE LIMIT TO DEFEND NATIONAL PRIDE
THE
SLIDIN’ IRISH
WORDS: RIC MCLAUGHLIN PHOTOGRAPHY: JANE STOCKDALE 47
JOHN SHANAHAN IS AN ANGRY MAN. “Get in that car!” he bellows, frustrated by a mechanic’s inability to locate reverse gear in one of his team’s bright-green Nissan Silvias. His son, Conor, a skinny 13-year-old in tracksuit bottoms who pilots the 700bhp beast, jumps cat-like through the car’s complex rollcage and with two hands hauls the sequential gearbox into reverse. Accompanied by a couple of low bangs from the exhaust, the car slips neatly into the garage. Placated, however briefly, Shanahan turns to grab the bacon sandwich left warming on the bonnet of the car belonging to his other son, Jack. It’s a world away from Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix. Indeed, in many ways it’s a continent away from most motorsport events, but drifting isn’t most motorsport and that’s exactly what makes it special. Born on the high mountain roads of Japan as far back as the 1970s, drifting, which essentially involves floating a car sideways through corners by oversteering, has exploded in popularity over the past two decades, initially as an underground, outlaw pursuit, but increasingly in formalised competitions in its homeland, in the US, the Middle East and Europe. And in Ireland it has found a natural home. Cheap, competitive and reliant on bravado and showmanship as much as it is on razor-sharp driving skills, drifting has become the perfect gateway to track competition for a generation brought up on video-game racing and modified machinery – in short, it’s track action for the Fast and Furious generation. Leading that generation, the Shanahans are one of Ireland’s fastest families, with 16-year-old Jack set to be one of the top local drivers charged with defending his country’s honour at the Irish Drift Championship’s annual international invitational event, Global Warfare 3. For 12 years, no foreign driver has triumphed at a meeting held on Irish tarmac and the locals are keen to keep it that way. This year, though, may not be as straightforward as the form of a dozen straight victories suggests. At Mondello Park circuit, just outside Dublin, the sun ducks in and out as the 16 visiting international teams begin to unpack their trucks. The machinery decanted from the shipping containers, from as far away as Dubai and South Africa, very much looks like the real deal. For Irish drifting poster-boy James Deane, a driver who has never lost a competition he has entered, defending local pride is looking a tall order. “Usually, a lot of the drivers who came to defeat the Irish here in Mondello had to borrow their cars, 48
or hire their cars, but this year everyone has brought their own vehicles, so it’s serious now. There are no excuses,” he says grimly. “This is going to be the toughest event that we’ve ever had in Ireland, if not in Europe. I definitely want to win it, but it’s not going to be easy. With motorsport, and drifting in particular, nothing’s a given, no matter how good you are or how good your car is. It all comes down to the battle and what happens in those 30 seconds or so.”
D
rift cars are, like the sport itself, just about a million miles apart from any other form of motorsport. The standard pursuits of racingcar set-up – aerodynamic efficiency, eking out performance advantages measured in milliseconds, enormous power-to-weight ratios – are in many ways anathema to a competition concerned with creating screeching, tyre-smoking spectacle. To boost steering angle, front wheels are set as far apart as possible. Differentials are tweaked to assist in locking up wheels. Semi-slick tyres are stretched over lightweight rims and exhausts protrude from holes cut into bonnets. By and large, though, none of the tuning is unapproachably high-tech. In drifting, there are no transmissions hand-carved from pure unobtanium. Here, carbon fibre makes way for easy to weld steel underneath cheap to replace glass-fibre; these are hands-on machines fixed with a hammer. “This is the good thing about Irish drifting; the tracks aren’t so big, so a cheaper car with less power can still be competitive,” explains Deane. “If we get typical Irish weather and it starts raining, then they’ll actually have the advantage. When it comes to this sort of shorter track, the big advantage you have with this car is more power means more tyre smoke and more speed on the straight, both of which can make things difficult for an opponent.” Japanese cars from the ’90s are the weapon of choice, for simple reasons: they speak to the sport’s origins, a plethora of aftermarket drift-specific parts are available, they’re relatively easy to build and maintain, and tellingly, they’re cheap. Only a handful of BMW’s hold out as a last bastion of European metal. Janis Eglite is behind the wheel of one such ‘Beemer’. He’s from Latvia and calls his car ‘Forest Beast’ – the interior is wrapped in images of pine
Top: Jack Shanahan gets ready just before the final race against James Deane (left). Above: spectators appreciate every slide
Drivers heat up their rear tyres before battle commences. Below: Fellow drivers and mechanics cheer on the action
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“IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WHAT HAPPENS IN 30 SECONDS OR SO”
A driver misses his line and slides off the edge of the tarmac
cones and trees. The beast growls – a Chevrolet Corvette engine, the twin-turbos of which poke through the bonnet, producing close to 1,000bhp, almost 10 times that of the average family saloon. This is Ireland, the home of the underdog, and squaring up to Eglite’s BMW, having qualified through the ranks of the Semi-Pro competition yesterday, is Dan Moorhead from Carlow and his less than beastly Nissan Skyline. He’s some 700 or so horsepower down on Eglite, but is more than ready to mix it in battle. Painted in purple and green, his car’s mainly glass-fibre bodywork looks less than pristine and one of his friends saws strips from a freshly fitted bumper in order to add tyre clearance. The car has cost €6,500 by Moorhead’s reckoning, nearly a third of the value of the sequential gearboxes favoured by the pros. “No pressure!” Moorhead laughs, “I’ve the car very light in weight, so my power-to-weight ratio is up there with a car with maybe 400-500hp. I really don’t give a shit, so I’m not under the slightest bit of pressure. All I’m hoping for today is to have fun. “I’ve been drifting now for 10 years,” he adds. “I’ve made all my friends through it. I make a lot of my living through it, through my garage, and it’s my passion.” Drifting sees two drivers face off across two runs with each taking a turn to lead. The lead car looks for the perfect racing line around the track, while the chase car attempts to shadow it as closely as possible. Turbo engines flutter and chirp over the shrieking of revs as acrid white tyre smoke billows from the rear arches of both cars. Flashes of flame and shotgun-like bangs emanate from the exhausts. Piotr Wicek is one of the big international names, and has arrived at the event in a huge race rig complete with two cars and a team of 16 mechanics, but is quickly sent packing by Norway’s Fredrik Oksnevad. The big names are tumbling and it’s the immaculate driving of Deane that has the home crowd on their feet the most often. One driver who’s in trouble is Lithuania’s Andrius Vasiliauskas. The front end of his BMW has been damaged, and he calls a five-minute rule to allow him to try and make his second run. John Shanahan is already waiting for Vasiliauskas by the time he gets back to his pit box, and the father of one of the Lithuanian’s biggest competitors is underneath the car almost before it has stopped. One by one, various spanners, pry bars and even hammers are passed to the Corkman. Live on the big screen, the packed crowd in the grandstands erupts, as with seconds to spare the BMW powers back out of the pit lane leaving John, a used car salesman by trade, to accept hearty back slaps from the paddock. For Moorhead, the gesture embodies the spirit of drifting in Ireland. “You don’t see the same camaraderie that you see over here,” he says. “If you go out and you damage your car, your competitor’s pit crew will be over helping to fix your car. In Ireland, if you win a battle, you want to have beaten someone properly. You don’t want to have won it on a technicality.” For Vasiliauskas it’s all in vain, however. Deane defeats him, sending the home fans through the roof, and an all-Irish final is in the offing. The Irish 52
Jack Shanahan races ahead. Below, right: he takes the top step on the podium (centre) ahead of James Deane (left) and Andrius Vasiliauskas
“THERE ISN‘T ANY OTHER BUZZ LIKE THIS”
winning streak is safe. Jack Shanahan, the 16-yearold who drove his first car at just four years old is to battle his mentor, Deane, in the final. “A lot of people look down on drifting, supposedly because of the tyre smoke and the amount of fuel we use,” says Shanahan before scanning the packed grandstands. “But look, there isn’t any other buzz like this. You’re doing 100mph and heading for a concrete wall. Even if you crash, the crowd still cheer. If you were in a race and you crashed, they’d all think you were a dumbass, but here they all know that you’re pushing yourself beyond your own limits.” Deane agrees, adding: “When you see a crazy battle, then it’s just the best thing in the world and you have to jump out of your seat. In rallying you get
The smoke-generating action takes its toll on both engines and bodywork (left)
excited when you see a car going sideways, but in drifting that’s all we’re doing all weekend. Two cars going sideways together at 100mph... I think that it’s the greatest thing that you can do in a car.” Deane leads them through the first run and Shanahan stays close. The defeated drivers, who have assembled on the bank just beside the track, clutch hands to heads in disbelief as the pair flick their cars towards the wall at over 70mph, before swapping direction completely in a barrage of smoke and noise. As they punch back out of the cloud, Shanahan is right on Deane’s door. It’s a stellar drive from the youngster and puts pressure on the champ. As they start the high-speed entry to turn one on their second pass, Deane makes his first mistake of the weekend and turns too late. His Nissan straightens abruptly and veers off the track. Shanahan keeps his cool and drives home to a stunning victory. The best in the world travelled to take on the little country carving it’s name into drifting folklore, but in the end it was left to a 16-year-old from a couple of hours down the road to collect his first win and maintain national pride. “I’m not joking, I actually cried driving back,” Shanahan laughs puffing out his cheeks at the enormity of what has just happened. “It means so much to me, in front of this many people.” He pauses and takes a long look around the scrum of people celebrating all around him: “It’s just unreal.” mondellopark.ie
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HEROES
“ACCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE” ALICIA KEYS The soul star may be at the top of her
game, but she doesn’t play by the rules. Should you strive for perfection? She thinks that’s absurd
the red bulletin: Your most recent single, In Common, was a celebration of people’s individuality and imperfections. What is it about the concept of perfection that annoys you? alicia keys: Let me answer your question with a question: how do you define perfection? 54
Completeness? That gets us closer to the core of the problem. Isn’t it absurd for a human, with all our foibles, to strive for perfection? Take that route and you’re only heading for failure and frustration. But there’s nothing wrong with setting yourself higher goals, is there? You have to ask yourself who is setting these goals. Is it really you? Or has someone else forced them on you? Take a look around you. Society tells us how we should look, what we should eat. The
But I strongly believe that we can only improve the world if we discuss difficult questions openly and honestly. I try to get the discussion going with my songs. Like in your new song, Holy War, where you sing, “War is holy, sex is obscene. Aren’t we getting something very wrong?” Exactly. It’s so absurd. We think that war is a legitimate means of pushing our interests, while at the same time, we make a taboo of something as natural as living out our sexuality. Not everyone has the same megaphone that you have. How can we get a discussion going ourselves?
“I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN ONLY IMPROVE THE WORLD IF WE DISCUSS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS OPENLY AND HONESTLY” industry forces us to live up to some ideal, just because it wants to sell a product. But surely your branch of the industry is just as guilty of promoting this image of perfection? You’re absolutely right. That’s why I’m laying down a marker against it. I don’t wear make-up anymore. I don’t wear it in my private life or on stage, because I realised that my whole life I’d been using make-up as
What could men learn from your attitude? That’s easy: accept yourself the way you are. And don’t let anyone talk you into hiding your true self. Don’t hide your face behind a wall of makeup, and don’t hide your views against prevailing attitudes. Which means what, specifically? It’s often easier and safer in life to just keep your opinions to yourself, so that you avoid confrontation.
You must start with yourself. Open your eyes. And then? Try to see things from another perspective. Break out of your current thinking patterns. Get informed. You’ll soon see that you’ve become more self-confident in the way you think, and that it’s easier to express your own opinion with greater conviction. Marcel Anders aliciakeys.com THE RED BULLETIN
PAOLA KUDACKI
A
licia Keys is one of the most successful pop stars of our times, having sold an estimated 75 million records to date and won 15 Grammy Awards. But what makes this US artist different from many of her contemporaries is the fact that right from the release of her debut album, Songs In A Minor, in 2001, she has penned her own songs. Keys has written her own career rule book, too: “I’m not interested in show-business conventions,” she asserts. The 35-year-old recently declared that she never wants to wear make-up again – a clear statement in favour of natural beauty. Only when you love yourself can you achieve success, she explains.
a shield to hide my true self, thinking it would make me glamorous. I thought I had to be made-up to be successful in show business, but that’s complete nonsense. Many managers in the entertainment world might disagree… Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against women wearing make-up – it’s a personal decision. But I feel more comfortable without make-up. And I’m happy to say I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from young women for making my decision. I believe that you have to feel good about yourself if you want to be successful in life.
Alicia Keys, 35: “I believe that you have to feel good about yourself if you want to be successful in life�
“LIVING YOUR DREAMS ISN’T AN EASY THING TO DO” FRANK S0LOMON The big-wave surfer has done the
hard yards. Now, his struggles are the subject of a new movie – with Solomon in the starring role
the red bulletin: How did Let’s Be Frank come about? frank solomon: I never in my wildest dreams thought anyone would want to make a movie about me. But I went to a premiere that [surf filmmaker] Peter Hamblin had put on for his film The Wright Side Of Wrong, and afterwards we started chatting 56
and I told him my story. After we’d had probably too many beers, he said we should make a movie and call it Let’s Be Frank. I was like, “Whatever,” and carried on partying. But a couple of days later he called, saying, “Remember me? I really want to do this. I think it would be pretty cool.” What did you tell him when he asked for your story? Well, I would post photos of my travels, so I guess from the outside it looked like I was always in these super-exotic locations. It’s true that I was travelling – I was going to
at me. But here I am. I will tell you one thing, though: living your dreams is not easy. It has taken me 10 years of complete dedication and commitment to get on this path. I was already telling people that I was a pro surfer even when I wasn’t. I was just so committed. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking the first time I went on that trip… Did you think your profile would develop this way? In this day and age, you can explore and do different things through social media and stuff, which means you can be a pro surfer without taking part in too many competitive events. I do surf them, but it’s definitely not my main focus. For me, it’s about being visible and
“I WAS ALREADY TELLING PEOPLE THAT I WAS A PRO SURFER EVEN WHEN I WASN’T. I WAS JUST SO COMMITTED” California and surfing Mavericks – but in between I was working four or five jobs and sleeping on people’s floors. I wasn’t posting about that, though, so from Peter’s perspective I was living the dream, surfing these amazing spots all around the world. I think for him, as a filmmaker, the contrast between his perception and the truth was appealing, and, being supercreative, he saw how we could turn that into a movie.
Hawaii, California – all places where I’ve travelled and surfed. We also shot the movie while I was actually travelling and surfing. Peter would come and meet up with me while I was in these locations and we’d do some movie work. It all sounds pretty mad. Did you always know you would live this life? If I had told someone [in the early days] that I wanted to be a professional surfer, they would have laughed
creating cool content, which is just as important for brands. So if I can keep my sponsors happy and remain relevant, that would be really cool. So you’re making it happen for yourself? Yes. And people really respect those who try to do that. Louis Raubenheimer franksolomon.co.za
Let’s Be Frank premieres on Sept 19 redbull.tv THE RED BULLETIN
CHRIS SAUNDERS
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ape Town native Frank Solomon is a damn good surfer, incredibly brave and, if we’re completely frank, just about crazy enough to be one of those guys who trades a relatively quiet life for the pursuit of the big waves – the really big waves. Solomon is also as tenacious as hell. Here is a man who simply refuses to take no for an answer; it’s equally hard to imagine the seemingly laid-back surfer ever using the word himself. Behind his relaxed demeanour lies a steely resolve – a resolve illustrated not only by his ongoing mission to conquer the world’s mightiest waves, but also by the fact he found the time to document it in a movie, Let’s Be Frank.
So he made a fictional movie based on that contrast? Yeah. I mean, I have had a very interesting life. I have a lot of stories, and Peter managed to take those and escalate them. Before we started, he sent emails to my friends, asking for the best stories about me. From that, he changed what really happened into this wild, creative vision that is still rooted in the truth. Like the bare-knuckle fight scene in Ireland? In the movie, I run out of money, which is based on the truth – but I’ve never had to take part in an underground bare-knuckle fight to get some. That scene was heavily influenced by the movie Snatch. We shot in Ireland, the UK, South Africa, Mexico,
Frank Solomon, 33, has spent 10 years dedicating himself to being a pro surfer
Sam McTrusty , 28 (second from left), says, “you have to take risks to achieve real success�
“WHAT MATTERS IS AUTHENTICITY” TWIN ATLANTIC The Scottish rockers refuse to get
rid of their quirks. And that’s exactly why they’re so successful, says singer Sam McTrusty
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STEVE GULLICK, ERIC RYAN ANDERSON/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
lmost 10 million people heard Twin Atlantic’s Free on October 14, 2012, as the victory anthem of the live broadcast of Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space. The event promoted the Scottish foursome into the premier league of rock, with sell-out concerts and a top-10 position in the UK charts for their third album, Great Divide. An extraordinary achievement, considering that, early on, several music industry experts deemed them to be of limited potential, due to singer Sam McTrusty’s heavy Scottish burr. the red bulletin: An unwritten law of the music business says: if you want to become famous you have to get rid of your quirks. You sing in a thick Scottish accent – and still, Twin Atlantic are very successful. sam mctrusty: The accent isn’t too important to me. What matters is authenticity. When I write songs I want to express my thoughts in my own voice, rather than pretending to be someone else. And I think that’s exactly why our fans love us. But do you think U2 would be superstars today had Bono not toned down his Irish accent a little bit? I don’t know. To me, the thought that someone would be so desperate to be famous to be willing not to be themselves is really embarrassing. It feels like it’s THE RED BULLETIN
a much bigger achievement to be accepted for who you are. Which kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? I think it’s essential to take risks to achieve real success. As a band, we pretty much take a risk every day for something. Not because we’re ultra-cool daredevils, but there is so much competition out there that you need to think outside the box. So a healthy sense of suspicion is key to success? You do need people along the way, not just in music, but in any walk of life. But you should ask yourself, does that person believe in me or is this someone working for me so they can get a pay cheque? Make sure you feel their passion, and there has to be a vested interest. When it comes to advice, always question things and listen to the voice in the back of your head. What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received? It was the first piece of advice we were ever given. We wanted to move from Glasgow to London, to get a record deal. Someone told us, ‘You need to pull a crowd in your hometown first. If your own people don’t support you, how do you expect anyone else to believe in you?’ We took that literally and worked really hard. So that even before we signed our record deal, we had sold out shows in Glasgow with more than 1,000 people. Florian Obkircher New album: GLA (Red Bull Records) twinatlantic.com
Paul Banks, 38, is a misanthrope who may have seen the light, “…regardless of whether anything comes of it or not”
“INSTINCT IS ALL YOU HAVE” PAUL BANKS Interpol’s frontman loves a challenge. He tells us what he learned from working with Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA the red bulletin: Your new album, Anything But Words – with RZA, as Banks and Steelz – is a mixture of indie rock and hip-hop. Will your fans like the experiment? paul banks: That’s not the most important thing. As an artist, your instinct is all you have to go on. That’s what’s most important, because if you lose it, you’re screwed. You lose your way if you try and fit in with people’s tastes. You’ll only please the people who like you if you pursue your own vision. Was the stylistic balancing act a challenge? I don’t think of genre when I’m writing songs. Making music relaxes me, regardless of whether anything comes of it or not. What did you learn from working with RZA? He’s much friendlier than I am. He enjoys dealing with other people. I’m very introverted and negative. People get on my nerves. Now I’m deliberating about that, because RZA showed me how powerful positive thinking is. Andreas Tzortzis Next gig: Austin City Limits festival, September 30, live on redbull.tv
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A SORT OF HOMECOMING
For freesurf star Jamie O’Brien, the decision to temporarily quit the sun-drenched, girls-and-good-times Hawaiian backdrops that have made the Oahu native a bona fide YouTube sensation through his show Who Is JOB, was inspired by two apparently opposing imperatives: looking backwards and moving forwards. “I’ve wanted to go to Ireland for a long time, it was really intriguing to me, especially having an Irish background. To be able to bring my dad as well was amazing. He has always wanted to explore the heritage. Also, you hear all these stories about these insane waves and I wanted to explore that. It really took us out of our element and I think people want to see that. I want to show them another side of what we do.”
COLD COAST
FOR SEASON SIX OF HIS HIT SHOW ON RED BULL TV, FREESURF LEGEND JAMIE O’BRIEN WANTED TO GET OUT OF HIS TROPICAL COMFORT ZONE OF HAWAII AND TEST HIMSELF – IRELAND’S WILD WEST COAST DID JUST THAT AND A WHOLE LOT MORE… WORDS: JUSTIN HYNES PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE KARBUS
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LIFE IN THE FREEZER
“They told us it was really cold so I was expecting that, but I didn’t imagine it would be as cold as it was,” says O’Brien, grimly. The Hawaiian made his trip to the west coast of Ireland in March, intending to take on some of the country’s biggest waves. “On a normal day it would rain, sleet, snow – everything. A couple of weeks before I was in Canada and the temperatures were similar, but Ireland was a different kind of cold. It’s that wet cold, the kind that gets into your bones.”
RIVER MAN
O’Brien’s Irish sojourn wasn’t just about big waves. “We heard of a river wave, so I sent something out on my social media and it led us right there [to the standing wave at the Curragower Falls in Limerick City, right],” he explains. “We do a lot of river surfing in Hawaii, so I adapted pretty comfortably. The scenery was fantastic, with [King John’s] castle in the background. It was perfect timing to catch that wave; we were really lucky. I could have done that for a week straight and I would have been happy!”
FOALS GUY
The target of O’Brien’s visit was a wave known as Aileen’s by locals. Branded the “perfect wave” by scientists at the National University of Ireland Galway, the swell, off the Aill na Searrach (the Cliff of Foals) area of the 214m-high Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, can grow to 12m. The weather, though, conspired against O’Brien and his crew of fellow surfers. “When we got there it was raining and it was like 75mph offshore. It was crazily dangerous. The waves were just too big to paddle, so we had to tow my buddy (Australian surfer) Ryan Hipwood in on the jetski.”
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“I COULD HAVE SURFED THIS WAVE FOR A WEEK AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY”
DUNE HUNTERS
The key to the success of O’Brien’s Who Is JOB show is mixing the radical with the ridiculous, and when he isn’t tackling massive waves, he and his faithful crew are getting their adrenalin-fuelled kicks wherever they can. “Taking it to Ireland was just a little bit outside the envelope and we found some cool stuff to do – sandboarding down these crazy cliffs, rolling my friend Poopie in a mattress and pushing him down this dune,” says O’Brien. “It’s work when you don’t have your friends there. It’s still work when you do, but it makes it so much more fun and easier.”
HISTORY BOYS
O’Brien’s journey to his home country saw him visiting the coastal town of Lahinch, the city of Limerick and a fair selection of local hostelries in a bid to get in touch with his heritage. “The pubs are insane,” he laughs. “How old they are, how much history they have. It was so beautiful. It really wasn’t so developed. I know it has developed massively in recent times, but it still feels like the real Ireland – real countryside, the green hills, how you imagine it. We tried to embrace the culture, embrace the surfing and just enjoy ourselves, and in Ireland we did.”
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“THE WAVES ARE WORLD CLASS, BUT THEY’RE UNPREDICTABLE AND SO HARD TO READ”
AILEEN’S REVENGE
“That’s my buddy Ryan Hipwood about to get a lip to the head at Aileen’s,” says O’Brien of the fearsome wave. “He got pounded – he dislocated his finger, he got slammed on the bottom, he got pinned up against a rock. He was like, ‘it’s your turn’, but after that I was like, ‘nah, I’m good’. It was terrifying! I’m just in awe of how good the waves can get there. They’re world class, but they are so hard to read. Unless you put in the hard yards, you’re from there and you’re there every day, only the chosen one gets to score the perfect wave.” Watch Who Is JOB on redbull.tv
O L I V E R S TO N E , H O L LY W O O D ’S N O N C O N F O R M I S T I N C H I E F, R E T U R N S A F T E R A F O U R -Y E A R A B S E N C E W I T H A B I O P I C O F N OT O R I O U S W H I ST L E B L O W E R E D WA R D S N O W D E N . T H E AC A D E M Y AWA R D W I N N E R TA L K S A B O U T T H E F I L M , H I S S E A R C H F O R T R U T H A N D H I S F I G H T A G A I N ST I N J U ST I C E
“YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD” WORDS: RÜDIGER STURM PHOTOGRAPHY: PAMELA LITTKY
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doing was wrong. As a consequence, I lost my popularity with everybody else. You could argue that ever since that day I’ve taken up the cause of the underdog.
Do you share these qualities? I never could have done what he did at 29. I just didn’t know enough. But now you’re known as an adventurous filmmaker who has repeatedly challenged and criticised the status quo… I would still not compare myself to Edward Snowden. The expansion of my consciousness took time. For example, I didn’t protest the Vietnam War initially. I was confused and I had to gradually grow against it. And it was only when I was between the ages of 50 and 60 that I started to become more active. I went back to college and began to read American history because I wanted to see the pattern behind US politics. OK, let’s go back and trace the expansion of your consciousness. What were you like as a kid? I didn’t ever think of myself as a guy who was asking impossible questions; I considered myself a conformist. There was a streak within me that despised injustice, but I didn’t quite see it at that time, and I didn’t practise it. Because I had a lonely childhood and felt inferior in many ways, I was just trying to get along. I was trying to fit in. Always? When I was in third or fourth grade, there was a boy in my class who was bullied. He was taller than everybody else and looked very gawky and unsophisticated. I didn’t particularly like him, but I stood up for him because I thought that what the other kids were 68
Where were you in the pecking order? I was in the middle. I was a hider. I was quiet. I minded my own business. That had been my father’s advice. And above all, he used to say, don’t tell the truth. But you did just the opposite… Yes, because I was tired of all the lies. I thought my parents were happily married, but then they got divorced when I was 16. And when I went to Vietnam, I realised that was all built on lies, too. Since then, I have had a lot of anger about injustice and being lied to. Were you drafted into the army for the Vietnam War? After my freshman year at Yale, I went abroad to teach at a school in Saigon, which turned into six months. It was a fascinating time. I was one of the few white people there, and the kids were great. In hindsight, it was very dangerous, because there were Viet Cong squads all over the place; they were taking out people all the time, and a teacher would have been a big deal to them. Then, when I returned to the States in 1966, I couldn’t get a handle on my life. For that reason, I joined the army. Edward Snowden enlisted as well. Can you recommend the experience? No. That’s a problem with America: they
worship the military. Only in the USA do you see soldiers celebrated in that way. On a personal level, I can tell you the military was a mixed bag: lots of good guys and lots of bad guys. But you appear to have come out of the experience physically and mentally unharmed… I survived it through a share of luck… whatever you want to call it. But things could have escalated. There was a potential My Lai Massacre [the incident in 1968 when a company of American soldiers brutally killed – it is estimated – more than 400 Vietnamese villagers, including women, children and the elderly] happening all the time, because you could get away with stuff when you were at the front. I showed this in [his 1986 film] Platoon. But what helped me retain my humanity were the black guys. I really got into their music. And all those experiences began the process of opening me up and making me think for myself. What would you have told your eldest son [Sean, now 31] if he’d shown an interest in enlisting? He did. He came to me when he was about 17, 18. He was unhappy and wanted to toughen himself up and go to Iraq. I managed to talk him out of it. You’re now 69, but you still get a lot of flak for your candid views. How do you go about counterbalancing all that negativity? I have a good life; I am lucky. Being a Buddhist, I try to find the balance – the middle way. Otherwise, I’d wear a hair shirt all the time and be pretty miserable. Sometimes too much misery takes you to a place of cynicism. Would you have preferred to live an easier existence? Without pain, but perhaps lacking insight? To be a well-fed American living in
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM EDWARD SNOWDEN? “CLARITY. AND LOVE” THE RED BULLETIN
ACTION PRESS (2), PICTUREDESK.COM, GETTY IMAGES
the red bulletin: Edward Snowden [the former National Security Agency employee currently in exile in Russia after being charged with leaking thousands of classified documents to the press in 2013] appeared to require either a huge degree of courage or foolhardiness. What do you think we can learn from him? oliver stone: Clarity. A formidable degree of focus. A great conscience. And love. Most people don’t know he had been with his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, for 10 years. And through her, in a way, he maintained his soul.
Did you like school? I wouldn’t say that. It was an all-boys’ school, and that male environment became very competitive and cut-throat. A lot of kids were brutally hurt. It was a Lord Of The Flies thing. There were the champions, and then there were the guys at the bottom who would get their asses kicked. It was not fun to see that.
Midnight Express (1978, as scriptwriter)
JFK (1991)
One of Stone’s first major hits was his adaptation of Billy Hayes’ true-life account of drug-smuggling hell in a Turkish prison in the 1970s
Stone speculates that a conspiracy between the CIA and the upper echelons of the US government is behind the murder of President John F Kennedy
OLIVER’S ARMY HIS MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILM PROJECTS
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Comandante (2003)
This black satire about a couple of telegenic serial murderers and the media’s obsession with them is alleged to have inspired a number of copycat killings
Stone’s documentary about Fidel Castro presents him as a revolutionary hero and glorious leader, rather than the dictator he’s branded by conservatives
“FAR TOO MANY
AMERICANS LIVE IN A DISNEYLAND OR ON A GOLF COURSE“
BLOW BY BLOW THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WHISTLEBLOWERS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS 1971 Military analyst DANIEL ELLSBERG (1) leaks documents to The New York Times that provide evidence of chicanery by the US government in the course of the Vietnam War. 1972 Erstwhile FBI agent MARK FELT (2) (alias Deep Throat) tells Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward about President Richard Nixon’s involvement in break-ins and illegal wiretapping at Democratic Party HQ at the Watergate complex.
2 1974 Chemical technician KAREN SILKWOOD (3) reveals scandalous safety infringements by the US nuclear industry. She dies later in a mysterious car accident. 1996 JEFFREY WIGAND (4), the manager of a leading tobacco corporation, publicises the fact that the cigarette industry systematically covers up the risks of smoking.
GETTY IMAGES (5)
2010 CHELSEA (Bradley prior to her gender reassignment) MANNING (5), a member of the US armed forces, leaks documents to WikiLeaks about human rights violations by US troops and secret wires from US embassies.
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Kansas City in a traditional relationship that was causing me pain without me even realising it; to be completely dead in the spiritual sense and be solely involved in materialistic issues… that would be hell on Earth to me. If I had not confronted some of these problems, I would have led a useless life. My life had to be about meaning. What kind of meaning? A spiritual, political, social and economic meaning. It’s important to wake up. Once you’re aware of the world, I don’t see how you can live quietly. That’s the problem in America: too many people live outside the spectrum of history. They live in a [kind of] Disneyland or on a golf course. Yes, they all struggle economically to improve themselves materialistically, but that’s all they’re thinking about. They’re devoted to this worry about themselves, instead of thinking about the world. You need a world consciousness. How can you develop that global viewpoint? Reading helps. I would recommend a book called The Untold History Of The United States, which I wrote with Professor Peter Kuznick [Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University in Washington, DC]. Other influential names I could give you are [political theorist] Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn [an American historian, now deceased]. Ultimately, it’s a question of education. In other parts of the world, like Europe or Asia, I find the citizens to be far more educated. They know it’s important not to just make money. But you’ve made a pretty good living out of Hollywood, haven’t you? I didn’t go into the film business because of that, but because I wanted to tell stories. I had no idea it would become this billionaire box-office kind of stuff. That has not helped movies; it has not made them better.
SNOWDEN: “AT LEAST I CAN GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT I HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING” THE RED BULLETIN
You said earlier that love had made a difference in Edward Snowden’s life. Is there any truth in the notion that love is all we need? Let’s hope that love conquers all; I know that many times it does not. Life, in many instances, is disappointing and crushing. Nevertheless, love is an important quality. You must not lose track of it. But sometimes you are misled. The Buddhists say that you have to be in love with the world, in love with life and not just one person. If a couple becomes too self-involved, that’s a form of selfishness that rarely works out. People who are not balanced with the world can’t make successful couples. You’ve been married to your third wife [Sun-jung Jung] since 1996. Would you say you’re a successful couple? My wife and I have completely different points of view spiritually, but we get along. She’s much more hardcore and conservative than I am, because she had a very tough childhood in Korea. Whenever there’s a protest in America and someone gets thrown into jail, it’s namby-pamby to her. Do you think the quest for truth and justice can be successful? Or will you get your reward in heaven? I think heaven and hell are right here in our lifetime on Earth. We can all make our own heaven. How would you achieve that? I believe in man’s determination to lead a conscious life and to grow consciousness. That’s as much as you can hope for. You can also help others in a good way, not by making them dependent, but able to help themselves. That is a life well led. My spiritual meaning is encapsulated by Socrates’ statement: “Know thyself.” That is the work that can be done on Earth. Know thyself and behave accordingly. If you can do that well, I don’t know what else you can expect; you can’t expect angels and trumpets. At the end of Snowden, there is a great moment when he looks inside himself and says, “At least I can to go sleep at night knowing that I have done the right thing.” snowdenfilm.com
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ADVENTURE ISN’T A REHEARSAL. PREPARE ACCORDINGLY. FindMeSPOT.com/RB
HELP/SPOT ASSIST
Request help from your friends and family at your GPS location. Or ask for help from professional assistance organizations.
CUSTOM MESSAGE
Let contacts know where you are by sending a pre-programmed message with your GPS location.
S.O.S.
In an emergency, send an S.O.S. with your GPS location to GEOS, who facilitates search and rescue.
TRACK
Automatically send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress using Google Maps™.
CHECK IN
Let contacts know where you are and that you’re okay with a pre-programmed message.
See it. Get it. Do it.
AC T I O N ! TRAVEL
WATER WORLD
Become a yacht racer in four weeks, sail the world for the next 48
CLIPPERROUNDTHEWORLD.COM
Want an excuse to take a year out and see amazing new sights? Then pack in your job, bid farewell to friends and family, and kiss dry land goodbye to take part in one of the world’s most gruelling round-theworld yacht races. The craziest part? No previous experience is required…
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TRAVEL
GEAR
WHEELS
CULTURE
EVENTS
HOW TO 73
ACTION
TRAVEL SHORE LEAVE
While your racing yacht is in port
Top view
“I’ve been at sea most of my life,” says Captain Peter Thornton of the Great Britain crew in the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race. “My father having been a seafarer, I have this drive to be a great seaman.” That’s a good thing, because in August 2015, the 39-year-old ex-Royal Navy lieutenant was one of the few members of his crew with any sailing experience. And he was aboard a 70ft ocean-racing yacht at the start of an 11-month, 40,000-nauticalmile circumnavigation of the globe. “I’d say at least 50 per cent of the crew had not been on board a boat,” says Thornton. “It shows how mentally tough they are. And there are few challenges to equal a clipper race.” Conceived in 1995 by Sir Robin KnoxJohnston – the first man to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe – the Clipper race recruits potential candidates for its 12 identical
THE INSIDER “Taking the helm is a great cure for seasickness,” says Yachtmaster instructor Mark Burkes. “It connects you to the movement of the boat and gives you something else to concentrate on” fierceturtle.co.uk
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Race start: London Gatwick Applications are now being accepted for the 2017-2018 race at clipperround theworld.com
racing yachts with three preconditions: they must be aged 18 or over, have a good level of fitness and possess a thirst for adventure. Those who are successful then undertake four weeks of training (“Best not all at once, as it’s quite intense,” remarks Thornton), learning to sail, race, cook, clean and be self-sufficient at sea. “On some legs we can spend more than four weeks at sea,” says Thornton. “It can be hot and uncomfortable, with salt sores, heat rash and little sleep. Tempers get frayed. On leg one, a man went up the mast to retrieve a halyard, but the tether slipped and he spun around, breaking his arm in two places, with a severe laceration to his armpit. “We were thousands of miles from any safe haven, so I put 17 stitches under his arm, resetting and splinting it. He stayed on board for two weeks and he wanted to stay for the next leg, but that was a little unsafe. However, when we arrived at Cape Town, I gave him the all-clear and he rejoined the crew.” Not all accidents have such a happy outcome. The only two fatalities in the event’s 20-year history took place during the 2015-2016 race. However for many participants it’s a chance to gain a fresh perspective and a sense of achievement. “Mother Nature is the strongest, most unpredictable opponent I’ve ever faced,” says Great Britain crew member Dan Hardy, a UFC fighter. “You really need strength of mind to put yourself through it. I would rather fight anyone over 25 minutes than battle the Atlantic. It was relentless.”
Minecraft Leg five stopped at Da Nang, Vietnam. Take a 7km subterranean tour through one of the world’s most exciting cave systems in Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park. danang experience.com
Hop to it Leg six began in Tsingtao, home of China’s suspiciously European-tasting beer. Visit the brewery and it’s clear why – it was established by British and German settlers more than 100 years ago. tsingtaobeer.com
THE RED BULLETIN
CLIPPERROUNDTHEWORLD.COM/GETTY IMAGES
Clipper crews can spend four weeks at a time at sea
Last year, leg one ended in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – home to some of the world’s most spectacular urban climbing routes. Scale the rock faces above Rio’s favelas for unforgettable views. ancoraue.com
ACTION
GEAR
ADVENTURE TIME Striking out into the wilderness? Leave those feeble urban gadgets at home and arm yourself with tough tech that will withstand any force of nature
Leatherman Tread Have the ultimate multi-tool to hand without reaching into your pocket. Worn on the wrist, each of its 29 links is a gadget. leatherman.com
The stainless-steel links include Phillips screwdriver heads, Allen keys, box wrenches and, of course, the trusty bottle opener
BioLite PowerLight Mini
Mophie Powerstation Pro
Carry this phone-sized lamp in your pocket, wear it or use it as a camping lantern. Emits 135 lumens for up to 52 hours. bioliteenergy.com
This USB battery keeps your devices running for days, while its dust-and-water-resistant shell and rubber armour ensure its survival. mophie.com
Trekker-M1
Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus
Rainshadow 36 OutDry
This is the phone Batman would use: impervious to dust, fully submersible, with a Gorilla Glass screen that even responds to wet fingers. crosscall.com
Rapid-charge your devices using the sun’s rays. This portable solar panel has a real-time intensity indicator for optimal positioning. goalzero.com
The main compartment of this 36-litre backpack is guaranteed watertight, while the front pocket drains damp gear on the go. mountainhardwear.com
THE RED BULLETIN
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ACTION
INNOVATIONS: REINVENTING THE WHEEL
After 5,500 years, one man claims to have improved on our greatest invention – by turning it into a square
GEAR What is the Shark Wheel? THE IDEAS There are two types of wheel: one has MAN friction and goes fast; the other David Patrick, little has a lot of grip, but is slow. Ours is fast 51 and grippy. It moves in a sine wave, like
While working in his usual field of rotors and turbines, the Californian inventor stumbled upon a new shape of wheel that rolled smoother, faster and provided more grip. Teaming up with former-tennispro-turnedbusinessman Zack Fleishman, he raised almost $80,000 on Kickstarter before walking away from entrepreneurial reality show Shark Tank – the US’ own Dragons’ Den – in 2015 with another $225,000. The Shark Wheel had scored its first bite.
how a fish moves its tail. You push less with your foot, because it rolls forever, and when loaded up with grip it grabs hard. If you hit a speed bump with both front wheels of a car, you feel the full shock, but taken at an angle it’s far gentler. Our wheels do the same, always approaching at an angle. The numberone concern of a skateboarder is if you hit a rock, you die. Our wheel kicks it out of the way or goes right over it.
How did you get the idea?
We came up with the shape while we were developing a propeller. One day, this part fell onto the floor and rolled. Spotting its potential, we turned it into a wheel to get a patent on the design. Skateboarding was a great market to go into, because people buy just wheels; I didn’t have to do a deal with a stroller company and convince them.
Has it been a success?
Initially, the pro longboarding industry viewed us as a gimmick and we were abused on social media as a joke. So we sent wheels to all those who hated us; every single one gave us a glowing review. Then we got in touch with some pro riders, who helped us develop them. Now, we’ve won some big contests, like the 24-hour Ultraskate in Miami. We know we’re a long-distance wheel and we roll great, so we ended up winning. Now, we’re making a wheel for the professional market.
Does it have any other uses?
A regular, thin wheel will carve into soft surfaces. The Shark Wheel undulates over a larger surface area
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Would it benefit cars?
We were asked to develop a prototype for a military Hummer: the wheel would dig its way through sand and also be crazy-smooth on the highway. But to make a car tyre you have to go through the Department of Transportation, which is so expensive I can’t imagine us undertaking that. Golf carts, on the other hand – we’re perfect for those. It’s being prototyped right now.
How else does the Shark Wheel beat the regular kind?
In water, our wheels are crazy good – they act like propellers. Whether it’s a pleasure craft or a bicycle that goes on the water, we want to do an amphibious vehicle. That would be fun.
THE RED BULLETIN
HERI IRAWAN
The new wheel has a helical shape with the properties of both a cube and a circle
Being a wheel, there ought to be an infinite number, though not on anything that leans [due to its undulating shape]. There are industries we’re just going to crush. Number one is castors, like you see on a hospital trolley. Ever pushed a grocery cart with a fluttering wheel? Our wheels never do that. The second is agriculture. Tractor wheels dig ruts and slip; ours bite their way out like a snake moving through the grass.
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ACTION
GEAR A lunar month isn’t 30 days, but more precisely 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. Look closely and you’ll see an astronaut’s footprint on the moon phase every cycle.
WATCHES Edited by Gisbert L Brunner
TIME & SPACE
– in pursuit of the right stuff. On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin was the first man to step out onto the moon wearing one; Neil Armstrong had left his in the lunar module as a back-up to a faulty electronic timer. Ironically, neither featured the inscription seen on subsequent models: ‘The First Watch Worn On The Moon’; and no classic version has ever displayed a moon – until the new Speedmaster Moonphase. With its Liquidmetal tachymeter, anti-magnetic housing and exacting Master Chronometer movement, it can track the lunar cycle precisely for at least 10 years – surely enough to pass NASA’s requirements with flying colours. omegawatches.com
Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Co-Axial Master Chronometer
Only one mechanical wristwatch took part in the first Apollo moon landing: the Omega Speedmaster Professional. That it got so far can be credited to the Sputnik Crisis – the launch of the first Soviet satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957, shook the US into kickstarting the Space Race. The Speedmaster Professional was a racing chronograph, but when the newly formed NASA needed a standard-issue watch for its space programme, it devised a series of ruthless tests – extreme Gs, severe temperatures, shocks and noise
MOONSTRUCK More lunar-themed timepieces
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Girard-Perregaux 1966 Full Calendar
Junghans Meister Calendar
Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques Phases de Lune
Named after the year the model first appeared, the 40mm steel-cased 1966 Full Calendar features day, date and month indicators, and accurately tracks the moon’s phases. girard-perregaux.com
A mechanical timepiece showing the day, date, month and moon phases, the Meister Calendar lives up to its name. German watchmaker Junghans, creator of timepieces since 1861, has really risen to the challenge. junghans.de
Scratch-resistant sapphire glass and a stainless-steel case protect the moonphase movement of this Swiss watch. It’s also water resistant to 50m, though that’s not a hazard you’re likely to encounter on the moon. mauricelacroix.com
THE RED BULLETIN
ACTION
WHEELS
MOTOR MERCH
The Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce: the most engaging of Lamborghini’s current prize-winning stock
Adding acceleration to your accessories
The Classic Car Book From Chevy’s Bel Air to the Ferrari Testarossa, if you like your cars oldschool and classic, this tome by auto expert Giles Chapman features 250 of the all-time greats. dk.com
RUNNING OF THE BULL
Lego Technic 911 GT3 RS
Shmee150 tames Lamborghini’s newest beast, the Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Most things Lamborghini gain their name from founder Ferruccio’s fascination with bullfighting – in the case of the Aventador, it’s the animal that won the Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera in 1993. But the word I’m most interested in here is superveloce, which translates as superfast, no bull. Track-focused and pared-back accordingly, I’ve been eager to see how the SV compares to the original. Not easy with only 600 made and all sold. First impression is that it feels bigger, even though it’s the same size. Not taller though: I’ve always thought Lamborghinis were built for smaller people and this is no exception. Its roar comes in three sizes. There’s Strada mode for comfortably cruising along the motorway, Sport is more performance-oriented, and then there’s Corsa for aggressive track days. Strada feels smooth and the steering ratio is very pointy. If you like your sportscars to excite, this is how to do it. In Sport mode, things get a little louder and the car instantly feels faster. Paddle-shifting brings out the drama of the big V12 engine and going up to the redline at 8,500rpm, it sounds epic – big, angry and in-your-face – and that’s exactly what a Superveloce should be.
Tim Burton, aka Shmee150, is one of social media’s mostfollowed supercar connoisseurs. Now he brings that expertise to The Red Bulletin. Watch Shmee’s full video review of this month’s cars at redbulletin.com
BIG TUNES
active exhaust system. Want a car that will cruise down the Autobahn at 300kph without breaking sweat? It’s this. Inside, the displays have a customised skin with every gadget imaginable. There’s a fridge, a glass roof, and you can even create a businessclass-style bed. Although if you have a Brabus Rocket 900, you can probably afford a five-star hotel room.
High-performance tuners Brabus turn the dial up to 11 on the Mercedes-Maybach S600
THE RED BULLETIN
Here’s an exercise in upping the ante: Mercedes S600 becomes AMG S65 becomes MercedesMaybach becomes Brabus Rocket 900 – arguably the most luxurious super saloon car made. It’s a 900hp, 1,500Nm, 6.3-litre, V12 beast. Being a Brabus edition, just about everything under the bonnet is changed. To crank it up to 900hp, the engine block gets new twin turbos and Brabus’
Everything is awesome, especially if you build this Lego Technic 2,704-piece recreation of the iconic Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Perfect as a desk toy, for serious collectors or seriously cool kids. shop.lego.com
Living the Supercar Dream Shmee150’s love of supercars has made it into paperback. This book, written by Tim Burton himself, takes you on a trip with 76 supercars across 14 countries. amazon.co.uk
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ACTION
CULTURE FILM
TALL ORDER
Jack Reacher is back, played by 5ft 6in Tom Cruise. Who better for the role, eh? Well…
Liam Neeson
Robot wars: it’s humans versus automatons in new drama Westworld
ALMOST HUMAN
New series Westworld sees lifelike, artificially intelligent robots go bad at a theme park. So, could this vision of the future become reality? What is Westworld? It’s originally a 1973 sci-fi movie, created by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton, about a theme park where the animatronic attractions start killing the guests. Now the robots are being rebooted for a TV series that tackles the current techno fear du jour – “artificial consciousness” – while delving deeper into the concept of a resort where tourists can live out their fantasies. “What happens in Westworld stays in Westworld,” co-creator Jonathan Nolan told Entertainment Weekly. “We intend to make the most ambitious, subversive, f--ked-up television series.” When do we get to visit a real-life Westworld? Walt Disney created the first-ever human animatronic – a robot Abraham Lincoln – for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, and the public’s fascination with automatons such as this likely inspired Crichton’s film. But don’t hold your breath for full-blown artificially intelligent theme-park attractions. “We’re not going to reach human-level intelligence in our lifetime,” says Dr Simon Stringer of the Oxford Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence. “When you’ve worked in the field, you’re aware of the limitations that the media people may not be.” Actually, that’s probably a good thing… Perhaps. Some of our greatest current thinkers have voiced concerns over AI. Tesla CEO Elon Musk reckons it could be “more dangerous than nukes”, while Stephen Hawking believes “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race”. Dr Stringer is more optimistic. “Science fiction has always stimulated the imaginations and ambitions of scientists and engineers,” he says. “It’s made an overwhelmingly positive contribution in advancing the fields of AI and robotics.” Westworld airs on Sky Atlantic in October. hbo.com/westworld
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CONTROL-ALTDESTROY!
More murderous machines in movies and TV
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” is probably the politest version of “Computer says no” you’ll ever hear. Original paranoid android HAL’s dispassionate congeniality masks one of cinema’s most enduring AI psychopaths. The Terminator (1984) Unimpressed by the robot FX in the original Westworld – essentially a circuit board beneath a prosthetic face – James Cameron created ”an indestructible machine, an endoskeleton design”, with a nuclear winter caused by a sentient defence computer.
Dolph Lundgren Author Lee Childs describes Reacher as having “dirty-blond hair and iceblue eyes,” and says in the book 61 Hours, “His face looked like it had been chipped out of rock by a sculptor who had ability, but not much time.” Roughly chiselled and fair-haired? Sounds like this Swedish tough guy.
Itchy & Scratchy Land (The Simpsons, 1994) A riff on Westworld where the mechanical cats and mice at a decidedly Disney-esque theme park go on the rampage. Euro Itchy & Scratchy Land, thankfully, is unharmed.
Dwayne Johnson In the book Never Go Back, Reacher is said to have “a chest like a suit of NFL armour, and biceps like basketballs”. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s chest and arms look even bigger in his actionmovie roles than during his wrestling career, making him the perfect fit. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is in cinemas from October 21.
THE RED BULLETIN
HBO, GETTY IMAGES(3)
TV
In A Wanted Man, Reacher is described as “extremely tall and extremely broad, long-armed and long-legged; his gaze was both wise and appealing, both friendly and bleak”. At 6ft 4in tall, the Taken star is an inch too short, but he exudes wisdom and weariness.
www.volkswagen.ie
Access All Areas.
The new Tiguan. From only €359* per month. The design of the new Tiguan leaves an impression. To say the very least. And with an optional App Connect System together with a host of ground breaking innovations, the stunning new Tiguan allows you to access all areas with ease – online or offline. From only €359* per month with PCP. Call into your local Volkswagen Retailer or visit www.volkswagen.ie to find out more information about the fantastic new Tiguan. It’s more than just a car. Tiguan 2.0 TDI 150hp CO2 emissions (g/km) 125. Combined fuel consumption 4.8 (l/100km). Model shown for illustrative purposes only. Typical Finance Example: Tiguan Trendline 1.4 TSI BMT OTRP €30,495. Deposit / Part Exchange €8,800.22. 36 monthly payments of €359. 5.9% APR. Optional Final Payment €11,590.80. Total cost of credit €2,970.02. Total cost of credit includes acceptance fee (€75) and completion fee (€75). Minimum deposit is 10%. Subject to lending criteria. This offer is made under a hire purchase agreement. Volkswagen Bank GmbH is authorised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. Please contact your local Volkswagen retailer for full details.*Please visit your local retailer for the latest pricing.
CULTURE
THE PLAYLIST STEPHEN MARLEY Bob Marley’s second-born son has been a musical all-rounder since childhood. Aged seven, he joined his siblings in The Melody Makers, singing and playing guitar and drums; he also performed at festivals with his father. Today, the 44-year-old has six Grammy Awards to his name – more than any other reggae artist in history – thanks to his ability to fuse the music of the past and present. His new album, Revelation Pt II: The Fruit Of Life, combines roots reggae with rap verses from the likes of Busta Rhymes and Iggy Azalea. Here, he gives a five-song guide to the music of his home country, Jamaica. stephenmarleymusic.com
Toots & the Maytals
One Love
Pressure Drop
“It won’t come as a surprise that my first pick is a song by my father. Considering the global impact his songwriting has had over the last 50 years, he is the ultimate gateway to Jamaican music. No other song of his captures the vibe of the island better than One Love. He wrote it as a call to unity during the turmoil of the Jamaican elections of 1976. It’s a timeless peace anthem that I love to cover at my live gigs.”
“Uncle Toots, as we’ve always called him, was a friend of my dad. He’s still such a vibrant character – I love him. His high-energy live performances earned him the reputation of being Jamaica’s answer to James Brown. This upbeat song featured on the soundtrack of the film The Harder They Come and helped introduce the world to reggae music. It remains one of the best Jamaican songs of all time.”
Alton Ellis
Culture
I’m Still In Love With You
Jah, Jah See Dem A Come
“If you want to explore Jamaican music tradition a bit further, I suggest you listen to this song. A lot of people know Sean Paul’s cover version, but the original was by Alton Ellis, one of the innovators of the rocksteady genre. Rocksteady was a precursor to reggae; it was a little faster and borrowed heavily from US soul music, hence many rocksteady songs have a very positive vibe. It’s beautiful – check it out!”
“Some people think of reggae as nice sunshine music, but at times it’s extremely political – especially during the 1970s. Spurred by the civil rights movement in the US, Jamaican artists such as Burning Spear and Culture recorded socially conscious songs that opened my eyes to what was going on in the world. In my teenage years, songs like Jah, Jah See Dem A Come were an integral part of my political education.”
1865 (96° In The Shade) “This song is like a lesson in Jamaican history. The lyrics retell the events of the Morant Bay rebellion of 1865 [a protest by poor black Jamaicans against an unjust government and judiciary] in a very poetic and beautiful way. I was only nine years old when I heard the song for the first time, but I feel like I really understood the political message. It’s proof of the revolutionary power of Jamaican music.”
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Tune up your daily commute with these essential apps for music-obsessed car drivers
CAR VITALIZER
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Third World
PIMP MY PHONE
If you’re serious about in-car sound, this app by German audio manufacturer SPL will be music to your ears. It finds the optimal playback levels according to driver and speaker position, and modes such as Virtual Subwoofer can turn your ride into a rave. Available on iOS only
CARTUNES MUSIC PLAYER This app delivers the most clear and intuitive music controls for when you need to focus on the traffic around you – ie, all the time. CarTunes has an easy-to-use interface, and every setting, from volume to track-skip, can be customised and operated at a glance. Available on i0S only
THE GADGET Domio
This puck-shaped Bluetooth device offers helmet-wearing athletes a safer way to experience music. When fixed to regular headgear, Domio uses microvibration technology to transmit sound through the helmet’s shell, creating 360° audio while, unlike earphones, also allowing you to hear the outside world. domio.co
RADIOOOOO This musical time machine brings you songs from all over the world – and various eras, too. Pick a country and a decade between 1900 and present day, specify what you’re looking for – slow, fast or weird stuff – and get ready for a road trip through time and space, from Finnish tango to Russian techno. Available on iOS and Android
THE RED BULLETIN
WONDER KNACK
ACTION
ACTION
CULTURE
MY LIFE IN GAMES BRYNLEY GIBSON
CATCH ’EM ALL
As PlayStation VR prepares to bring immersive entertainment to the masses, the executive producer of one of its launch titles walks us through his world THE FIRST GAME I EVER PLAYED: BATMAN
Action-adventure; 1986; ZX Spectrum/Amstrad PCW/CPC At home I’d play Manic Miner and Sopwith Camel, but a friend of mine owned an Amstrad, so I spent a lot of time round there playing this game, based on the first movie. With hindsight it was pretty terrible, but it was Batman, so we loved it. Gamers were more forgiving back then.
MY LATEST GAME: PLAYSTATION VR WORLDS
Virtual reality; 2016; PS4 With this five-game collection for PlayStation VR, we wanted to create unique experiences that would wow people. In VR Luge, you’re inches off the floor, hurtling down a Californian hillside; The London Heist puts you in your own Guy Ritchie film; Ocean Descent pits you against great white sharks; Danger Ball is a futuristic sport; and in Scavengers Odyssey you’re a three-fingered alien pilot. The common thread of the anthology is not a theme, but VR itself. Out on October 13
THE FIRST GAME I WORKED ON: THE MOVIES
GIBSON’S TOP TIP “This may seem like stating the obvious, but remember to look all around when playing VR Worlds – you never know what you might see. People often forget to do that. When you do, you’ll really find yourself transported to a different world”
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Simulation; 2005; PC/Mac This was my first job in games after university. In The Movies, the player had to run a studio from the dawn of cinema to the present day, building sets, commissioning scripts and releasing movies while looking after egotistical stars. You could even make little movies and post them online. It was ahead of its time and won a BAFTA, but wasn’t such a hit commercially.
Stay one step ahead in Pokémon GO with these top hunting tools
Pokémon GO Plus Pulling out your smartphone is so two months ago. Instead, wear this official Nintendo gadget, which buzzes when Pokémon are close by. Then just hit the button to nab ’em. pokemongo.com
THE GAME THAT MOST INSPIRED ME: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME Action RPG; 1998; Nintendo 64 For me, this is the perfect game – a huge leap from the previous, 2D Zelda title. You were in this glorious 3D world with swords, loot, time travel, and the catchiest music you’ll hear in a windmill.
MY CURRENT FAVOURITE GAME: POKÉMON GO
Augmented reality; 2016; iOS/Android This is the most fun I’ve ever had with GPS gaming, other than geocaching with friends. You have to walk around the real world, hunting for Pokémon using your phone’s camera. Then, when you spot one on the street, you lob a pokéball at it to add it to your collection.
Pokédrone Walking around to catch Pokémon? Such a drag. Use the GPS and camera inside this minidrone to ensnare those hard-to-get beasts over expanses of water and lethal motorways. trndlabs.com
iPhone Smart Battery Case Apparently, tracking Pokémon on your phone all day drains its battery. A charging case, like this official Apple number, delivers extra juice to your Pokéhunt without restricting portability. apple.uk
THE RED BULLETIN
CULTURE
ACTION
CAN ART
DIETMAR KAINRATH
Dietmar Kainrath’s pointed pen
RYDER CUP GOLF, MINNESOTA, USA, SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 2
THE RED BULLETIN
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ACTION
“Red Bull Rampage is the only contest on natural terrain where riders have to face their fear and weaknesses” Szymon Godziek, mountain-bike freerider
Szymon Godziek takes a steep line at Red Bull Rampage 2015 in Virgin, Utah, USA
WHAT’S ON IN OCTOBER
FROM THE SEAS TO THE SKY
This month’s TV takes us from the shores of Hawaii to the peak of the Matterhorn, with an electrifying mix of classic events and thrilling new original shows
RED BULL RAMPAGE LIVE OCTOBER 14 16.45 (PRE-SHOW), 17.00 (LIVE SHOW)
Now in its 11th season, the raw, untamed freeriding mountain-bike competition returns. Live from Virgin, Utah, 21 big-mountain riders are put to the test on an all-new event zone, with even more perilous natural terrain than before.
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THE RED BULLETIN
CULTURE RED BULL TV HIGHLIGHTS
RED BULL GRC LIVE OCT 9, 00.30 and 22.30
Returning to LA for the final two races of the season, the 600hp supercars – capable of going from 0-60 in less than two seconds – go wheel-to-wheel across dirt, asphalt, and table-top jumps.
CHAPTER ONE: THE KITEBOARD LEGACY BEGINS ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERES OCT 10 FOR 24HRS
WATCH RED BULL TV ANYWHERE Red Bull TV is a new global, multi-platform channel that features inspirational and entertaining programming beyond the ordinary. Available across devices, watch Red Bull TV anytime, anywhere.
To learn more, visit redbull.tv
THE RED BULLETIN
BARTEK WOLINSKI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL (2), DEAN TREML/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GARTH MILAN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL (2), YDWER VAN DER HEIDE, SCOTT GARDNER
Kiteboarding legends unite in this original, feature-length movie full of storm chasing, personal stories, travel and stunts.
THE HORN
NEW ORIGINAL SERIES PREMIERES ON DEMAND OCT 17
This new Red Bull TV original series follows the best search-andrescue team in the world – Air Zermatt – as they risk their lives saving others around the treacherous terrain of the Matterhorn.
STRAIGHT RHYTHM LIVE OCT 23, 01.00
Head-to-head supercross on a track with no turns – just a halfmile straight rhythm section. This year, practice, qualifying and racing take place on the same day, with a floodlit night final.
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ACTION
EVENTS SAVE THE DATE From rocket cars to racing zombies, dash through these days
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October Dead fast
October 6-30: Liverpool, Oct 6-9; Glasgow, Oct 13-16; London, Oct 19-23; Leeds, Oct 27-30 Four cities, four weekends: October sees the Red Bull Music Academy take to the road to entertain music lovers with a diverse series of over 25 shows, lectures and workshops. The final tour stop in Leeds sees grime godfather Kano giving a public lecture before putting on a show with genre icons such as Jammz and Slimzee (Oct 27); last year’s indie horror-film sensation It Follows gets the live-score treatment by Red Bull Music Academy alumna Emma Jean Thackray (Oct 30); and disco don DJ Harvey celebrates the 25th anniversary of his club night, Moist (Oct 29). Get all the tour dates and details at uktour.redbullmusicacademy.com
October 14 Mumdance The Admiral, Glasgow The academy teams up with London’s finest experimental grime producer, Mumdance, to take his label, Different Circle, to Glasgow for a showcase (Oct 14). Next day, it heads to basement club La Cheetah to celebrate the nightlife institution’s seventh birthday, then there’s a talk with 2014 Mercury Prize winners Young Fathers (Oct 16).
October 21 Boy In Da Corner Live Printworks, London Together with a showcase by Atlanta’s freshest hip-hop label Awful (Oct 20), the London leg of the tour shines with Dizzee Rascal (above) who will, for the first time in the UK, perform his Mercury-prizewinning 2003 debut album, Boy in da Corner, from start to finish (Oct 21).
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October It’s a knockout Red Bull Steeplechase returns to beautiful Exmoor National Park. Twenty-three miles, 500 runners and three checkpoints where the slowest are eliminated until only 40 competitors remain for the dash to the finish. redbull.com
29 October Speed demons
October 9 Rhymantics St George’s Hall, Liverpool The Liverpool leg includes a gig by digital soul men Jamie Woon and SG Lewis (Oct 6), before dedicating a night to celebrating the legacy of criminally forgotten ’80s dance genre hip house with pioneer Kenny Dope (Oct 7). There’s also a show starring grime icons such as D Double E and Lady Leshurr, exploring the space between spoken word, poetry and rap (Oct 9).
Leon Vynehall, Palms Trax and Job Jobse are joining jubilarian DJ Harvey (above) for a long and sweaty night at Canal Mills in Leeds
Lady Leshurr
Spend the Halloween weekend hollowing out a pumpkin, or watching the tricked-out treat of jet- and nitro-powered dragsters, monster trucks, stunt bikes and flaming burnouts at Santa Pod’s Flame & Thunder. santapod.co.uk
THE RED BULLETIN
CARLO CRUZ/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, MARIA JOSE GOVEA/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY UK TOUR
Need fresh motivation to go running? Try being chased by the undead. Zombie Run in the Jungle, near Moneymore, Co Londonderry, is a 5km obstacle course with mud traps, cargo nets and bloodthirsty zombies – the fast kind. thejungleni.com
ACTION
HOW TO
SURVIVE A MASSIVE WIPEOUT Big-wave surfer Ross Clarke-Jones explains how to tackle huge swells
“I should have died long ago,” says Ross Clarke-Jones. Instead, the Australian has spent the last three decades battling the biggest waves on the planet. In 2001, he became the first non-Hawaiian to win the prestigious Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay, a rarely run competition that’s only held when the open ocean swells reach 20ft. In February, the now-50-year-old came runner-up. So, how has he managed to stay alive? We’ll let Clarke-Jones tell you himself.
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Grasp which way is up
“It can be pitch black underwater and hard to tell where the surface is. I’ve been surfing so long I’ve got a sense for this (it’s a pressure thing). Stay alert: in the clear water below a big wave when it breaks, there are long, cylindrical pockets of turbulence – like a washing machine. Open your eyes and try to avoid them.”
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Check your head
“When you’re underwater, the turbulence can flail your limbs around uncontrollably. Lots of guys dislocate shoulders, tear ligaments and wrench necks. Tense up your body, but relax your mind. Go into a foetal position, keep your arms and legs in a ball, hang on tight and protect your head. If you’re knocked out and stay out, you’ll drown.”
Know that you’re going to get out
“If a big wave is bearing down on you – don’t panic. Panic jacks your heart rate and uses up oxygen. Get a couple of big, slow lungfuls of air. If you have to breath out underwater, do it in small, spaced-out measures. Even without a buoyancy vest, those lungfuls will bring you back to the surface.”
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Jump, don’t fall
“If you find yourself at the top of a wave, about to be pitched off your board, jump forward. Try to pin-drop your landing, feet first, to penetrate the wave face. Do it right and you’ll come up behind the wave. Otherwise, you’ll just skittle down the wave face, go up and over with the lip and get launched into a freefall… or worse.”
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THE RED BULLETIN
MARK THOMAS
“When you’re getting thrashed around, a minute feels like an hour. But it’s maybe only 18 seconds between waves in a big, clean swell. To avoid coming up under a wave, wait until you feel it pass. You’ll hear it, along with an unmistakable sensation of water pressure, and you’ll feel the drag. When it’s passed, surface.”
BEN SMITHURST
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Sometimes, stay under
THE NEW SPARK
1749G BUILT WITH PERFECTION, BRED TO WIN NO SHORTCUTS Weighing only 1749g incl. shock and hardware, the new Spark is the lightest full suspension mountain bike frame ever created. The frame includes a host of minute, exquisitely detailed technical solutions which in total make it one of the best overall mountain bike packages. Thanks to new carbon fibers and our proprietary EvoLap-Technology, an intelligent new way of carbon lay-up mapping, SCOTT's R&D team has succeeded in heralding a new era of carbon engineering.
SCOTT-SPORTS.COM © SCOTT SPORTS SA 2016 | Photo: Fred Leiser
THIS IS WHY
CANYON.COM/THISISWHY
T H E R E D B U L L E T I N GU I DE TO T ECH A N D G A DGE T S
SHARE THE ACTION
GET ACTIVE WITH THESE OUTDOOR COMPANIONS... THEN LET THE WHOLE WORLD SEE YOUR HANDIWORK
A F LY W E I G H T W I T H STAY I N G P OW E R WHEN USED WITH THE SKYCONTROLLER REMOTE CONTROL, THE DRONE’S RANGE EXTENDS TO 2KM
One common problem with drones is the limited flying time they offer. The Parrot Bebop 2 is the first leisure drone in the 500g category with 25 minutes of battery life. Steering it via your smartphone or tablet is easy and intuitive, and it also comes with an important safety feature: the propellers are flexible and lock if they make contact with another object. parrot.com
THE RED BULLETIN
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TECH AND GADGETS
D I V E FO R C OV E R Why buy an expensive submersible case that only works with one camera? The OverBoard Waterproof Zoom Lens Case is compatible with most of today’s compact models and effective to a depth of 6m. over-board.co.uk
AQUAT I C R O B OT I C S The SeaDrone is a propellered underwater drone you can operate with your tablet. Chiefly used by sailors and fisheries for low-cost inspections, the device was designed to stabilise itself easily in deep water – and that means good, clear pictures for the amateur marine explorer. seadronepro.com
L I G H T M AC H I N E THE GARMIN VIRB XE IS A POWERFUL PIECE OF KIT – AND IT’S WAT ER P ROOF TO 50M
F I R E F LY FO B For when you can’t find your key or locate the lock in the dark, the TEC-S3 Embrite Glow Fob is a stainless steel keyring filled with a special luminous powder. After exposure to sunlight, it will radiate light for up to 12 hours. tecaccessories.com
No more dim, insufficient light at base camp – the BioLite BaseLantern XL will give you 500Lm of the stuff (for almost eight hours when fully charged). It also doubles up as a 12,000mAh charger for various mobile devices. Available from November. bioliteenergy.com
M OV I N G P I CT U R ES The Garmin VIRB XE records HD video at 1440p/30fps – just flip the switch and off you go. To make your action-packed videos all the more impressive, integrated sensors can track data such as speed, height and GPS position, and display it in the viewing panel. Also, manual controls, including white balance and exposure compensation, allow greater flexibility in your recording. Not for nothing is Garmin the official camera sponsor of the Red Bull Air Race. virb.garmin.com
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TECH AND GADGETS
I F Y O U H AV E A C R A S H , THE FUSAR SYSTEM WILL ALERT YOUR EMERGENCY C O N TA C T S A N D C A L L FOR HELP H E A D ST R O N G Smart motorcycle helmets can easily cost anything up to €1,500. The FUSAR Universal Smart Helmet System gives any standard helmet a hi-tech transformation, and comes in at only a third of the price. The set-up includes an HD action camera, activity tracking (including GPS and acceleration data), a navigation device, a communications unit, music playback and a black box. High time, then, for that next road trip. Due out in December.
S P E A K TO M E The Amazon Tap is no ordinary portable speaker. Voice service Alexa is available at the touch of a button and will help you call up your favourite songs via Amazon Music Prime, Spotify or TuneIn. (Tap is currently only available via the US site.) amazon.com
fusar.com
S H A R P S H O OT E R The YI 4K Action Camera records videos in 4K at 30 frames per second – the battery is good for 120 minutes of recording – and has an integrated LCD Gorilla Glass retina touchscreen. It’s a declaration of war on GoPro. yitechnology.com
LUX I N T E R I O R Now this is how to get yourself to the heart of the action. The Dakar Rallytested Toyota Hilux is your reliable partner for rougher terrain. It has an impressive multimedia system and a high level of comfort, while retaining the Hilux’s original, uber-functional and fun vibe. toyota.com
LIFE THROUGH A LENS Gloryfy G9 Radical blue glasses have everything you need for that sporting adventure. They’re indestructible, right down to the reflective lenses with anti-fog coating, and the frameless construction saves on weight and guarantees optimal ventilation. gloryfy.com
TECH AND GADGETS
THE TOMTOM BANDIT H A S A B U I LT- I N M E D I A SERVER, ALLOWING YOU TO EDIT AND SHARE VIDEOS IN MINUTES
ICE COOL The Polar V800 is perhaps the most complete sports watch on the market. Perfect for triathletes, it records the intensity of each of your workout exercises, allowing you to improve personal performance in a structured way. polar.com
I N BA N D I T C O U N T RY With its 16MP image sensor, the TomTom Bandit 4K action cam is for anyone who wants quick, presentable footage of what they’re doing – right here, right now. Connect a smartphone to the camera and in no time you’ll have an action video with defined tags. You can also hook up a pulsometer, which will register when your heart-rate increases and tag the video accordingly. Changing the TomTom Bandit’s battery is quick and easy, too. tomtom.com
B L A D E R U N N E RS The downside of roller skates is that you have to propel yourself. Not so with ACTON R10 RocketSkates. Slip them over your shoes, switch on the engine, push down gently with the tips of your toes… and you’ll soon be cruising past pedestrians at speeds of up to 20kph. actonglobal.com
PA R A L L E L WO R L D Don’t have time for an adventure holiday this year? Simply take your Samsung Gear VR and escape into a virtual world of breathtaking 360° panoramas, films, videos and more than 150 games. samsung.com
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P OW E R STAT I O N These days, going anywhere – even on an extreme action tour – without your gadgets is unthinkable. But what if there’s no power socket? The Goal Zero Nomad 7w Plus Solar Panel can generate up to 6,000mAh of power a day and charge USB and 12V devices. goalzero.com
TECH AND GADGETS
R E A DY, ST E A DY, G O The most annoying thing about action-cam videos is the shake factor. But now help is on the way in the form of FlowMotion ONE, a unique imagestabilising attachment that’s compatible with GoPros. Due out soon. flowmotion.one
E A R W I T N ESS It’s not all about the pictures – quality sound is vital, too. Athletes helped design the Sennheiser MX 686G SPORTS earphones, which are resistant to rain, sweat and the vibrations of intense movement. Most important of all: they sound great. sennheiser.com
THE GOPRO OMNI PROVIDES SPHERICAL 360° VIDEO IN SUPERSHARP 8K RESOLUTION
T H E D I E I S CAST You can shoot spectacular videos with just one GoPro Hero4 action cam – so imagine what you can do with half a dozen. The GoPro Omni is a compact, robust aluminium rig containing six synchronised Hero4 Black cameras, making it perfect for those looking to create professionallevel, HD, VR and 360° videos. And with the right Kolor software, videostitching is child’s play. As for the price? The GoPro Omni isn’t cheap, but it is reasonable, costing around US$5,000. vr.gopro.com
THE RED BULLETIN
P E R F ECT V I EW You can leave your camera at home – the Sony Xperia Z5 offers arguably the best photo quality of any smartphone: 23MP with lightningquick autofocus (0.03 seconds). It’s also excellent at dealing with poor light conditions. sonymobile.com
BIG CHILL A cool six-pack of beer just isn’t enough when you want to dance the night away with your friends after some outdoor action. The sturdy Igloo Trailmate offers 66 litres of storage capacity – that’s enough to accommodate 144 cans – and keeps ice cubes frozen for up to four days. igloocoolers.com
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MAKES YOU FLY
Swiss sailors Sébastien Schneiter and Grégoire Siegwart steer their Flying Phantom to victory at the Red Bull Foiling Generation regatta on Lake Geneva. With its ultra-lightweight construction and the boost of J-shaped foils, the catamaran leaves the water at only 13kph. Red Bull Foiling Generation finals: October 18-23, Newport, USA. foilinggeneration.redbull.com
Red Bull Foiling Generation winner Grégoire Siegwart, 19, ploughs the hull of his catamaran across Lake Geneva, with Sébastien Schneiter
THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE RED BULLETIN IS OUT ON OCTOBER 11 ALSO WITH THE IRISH TIMES ON OCT 10, AND WITH THE EVENING STANDARD ON OCT 20 98
THE RED BULLETIN
LORIS VON SIEBENTHAL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND JUNE 29, 2016
“At times like this, sailing feels like flying”
All-New
Renault MEGANE Feel the drive
Multi-Sense Technology* – Personalise your driving experience 8.7” Touchscreen Multimedia System* Reversing Camera & Parking Sensors* The official fuel consumption figures in (l/100km) for the All-New Renault Mégane GT: Urban 7.8; Extra Urban 4.9; Combined 6.0. The official CO2 emissions are 134g/km. EU Directive Regulation 692/2008 test environment figures. Fuel consumption and CO2 may vary according to driving styles, road conditions and other factors. Model shown: Mégane GT Nav TCe 205 RRP €30,690. Price excludes metallic paint, delivery and dealer related charges. Maximum recommended delivery charge €725. *Specs vary per trim level.
GO WITH YOUR GUT. THE NEW MINI CLUBMAN. Give yourself something big and beautiful to brighten up your summer drives with the new MINI Clubman. Featuring five seats, buckets of room, MINI Navigation System as standard and a range of advanced TwinPowerTurbo petrol and diesel engines, it’s the biggest way to say hello to summer. Order your 162 MINI Clubman today. Visit mynewmini.ie