The city of Granada, Spain will be renaming one of their town plaza’s to be named “Plaza de Joe Strummer.” Strummer mentions the city in The Clash’s song “Spanish Bombs,” and was said to have loved all of Spain. Along with the renaming of the plaza, a film will be released documenting Strummer’s travels to Spain called “I Need A Dodge.” The film is still currently in the works, but you can check out the trailer below. Long live Joe Strummer! “…Spanish songs in Granada, oh mi corazón, oh mi corazón, oh mi corazón, oh mi corazón.”
Supported by Converse, Chinese graffiti artists WHYYY, NAN and SINIC (aka IDT Crew) traveled for 50 straight days from Southwest China’s Kunming region to the highest region on Earth: Tibet. Their journey of more than 1,200 miles was a mission to paint on an array of unique and unorthodox surfaces. Along the way they faced numerous obstacles including cultural backlash, resistance from authorities, and a general sense of misunderstood youths. But through perseverance and determination, this crew accomplished a shared goal by embarking on a mission following passions in a country that doesn’t always see their talents for what they are. This 30 minute documentary highlights their journey and experiences as they wander through China dropping some cool murals along the way.
About two weeks ago MindTai flew over to New York to catch some hurricane swell and some fine ass tail. Upon arrival we saw nothing but glorious frothing chocolate barrels, a magnificent way to start off what would be a banger of a trip. The rest of the days were filled with spliffs, skateboards, tattoos, and debauchery. One night we snuck into the Ty Segal and Thee Oh Sees show, which was as even more epic than expected. Midway through Ty Segal’s set it started raining a hazy mist, amping up the natural energy which splashed and bashed in every direction. We were lucky enough to catch the Fuerza Bruta show thanks to our loving friend Roxy. The show was an raging interactive performance including confetti, tons of water, and thumping African jungle beats. We left the show soaking wet from head to toe with smiles across the board. What an epic trip…we’ll be back soon NYC.
Recently surf filmmaker legend Taylor Steele reunited in Indo with an empire of all-star surfers he helped build with his camera nearly 20 years ago. Consisting of some of the most talented and memorable surfers growing up in the 90′s, the Momentum Generation includes such legends as: Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Kalani Robb, Benji Weatherly, The Malloy Brothers, Shane Dorian, Ross Williams and many more. Gaining exposure, respect, and fame through Taylor Steele’s series of ongoing surf videos, The Momentum Generation dominated the surf media through out the 90s and eventually paved the way for many groms to come. 20 years after Taylor Steele’s “Momentum” video put them all on the map, the gang is back and still ripping as hard as ever. SurferMag cruised out to Indo with them, documented the epic reunion as depicted in the clip below, and will be running a print feature in their upcoming November issue! Cheers to 20 years and counting mates!
Russell Houghten and Richard Houghten are an amazing brother duo that collaborate on many projects together. Russell shoots and edits his films, while Richard will score the projects with his music. This short video was taken during a trip out to “The Domelands.” This particular desert area used to be covered by the Sea of Cortez and has fossilized sea life and amazing landscapes everywhere.
Imagine a city that truly never sleeps. A city where food, booze, love, & well… everything, is free. A city where people put their guards down, shedding pride & prejudice, freely exchanging not only services, but ideas, good vibes, high fives, real hugs, heartfelt eye contact, genuine smiles & more… without asking for a single thing in return, because why not? A city & community built by & full of the most open-minded, creative & amazing human beings absolutely thriving off each other in all the best ways, in beautiful harmony – constantly producing & evolving, together. A city where everyone & everything & everywhere you look is art – & every single day is purely a celebration of life & life’s temporal nature, hence nothing is taken for granted. Imagine this city, where the people cheer & applaud the sunrise every single morning. This my friends is an ideal world, & the best part is that it exists.
Every year during the week prior to Labor day, a temporary city is erected in the middle of nowhere in the harsh deserts of northern Nevada, USA. For the single week the city exists, it becomes the 3rd most populous city in all of Nevada. It is known as the playa of Black Rock City, & is formally known as Burning Man. Chances are these days that you have probably at least heard about it…
Twenty six years ago, a carpenter by the name of Larry Harvey constructed an 8 foot tall structure of a man & took it to Baker beach in San Fransisco, where he enjoyed the company of a few friends, & for whatever reason, decided to burn his creation down at the end of the night. This act instantly drew people in from all over the beach that he had never met before. The mesmerizing image of the burning man created an interesting dynamic – amongst others, one woman spontaneously came over & held his hand, as someone else came over, sat down, & started strumming their guitar as they all watched it burn. Inspiration-fueled, Larry & his friend Jerry James were eager to turn it into a tradition, & returned the next year with yet a bigger man. Needless to say, every year since then the amount of eager people involved in this idea turned project, turned event, turned community… has simply exponentiated. From the essence & traditions of its simple beginnings, Burning Man has evolved into the incredible beast that it is today.
Today – this coming together produces an experimental self-sustaining community / society as an officially ordained ( however temporary ) city – complete with a post office, fleet of rangers, airstrip, radio station, city news paper etc., all from the combined effort of more than 60,000 people. These 60,000 people from all age groups & backgrounds venture from every corner of the world to spend a week living in the extreme conditions of the Black Rock desert, taking on the challenge of radical self expression & self reliance amongst other equally adventurous & like-minded individuals. This venture is truly a commitment, as living in the desert for a week without readily available water, food, shelter, electricity, trash pick-up & all your other every day comforts are simply non existent. This creates the participatory spirit, & is what gave birth to the ‘gifting economy.’
Currency has no value here. & No, people do not barter at Burning Man. They simply give. On any given hour at Black Rock city, you are lovingly offered an incredible amount of everything from amazing musical / dance etc. performances, grilled cheese sandwiches, classes & workshops of all kinds, rides across the desert grounds on ‘art cars’ ( which is an experience in itself ), cocktails, stimulatingly diverse interaction / conversation & more amongst numerous equally amusing, humerous & thoughtful art installations. From the largest tangible gift to the smallest intangible gift, all this passion & good will freely & abundantly exchanged here really creates an undeniable buzz of awe & appreciation that leaves no person without a huge smile on their face for the entire week. The people who spend their time in this desert city go home anew & tell everyone they know about what many consider to be one of the most unforgettable experiences of their lives.
As fast as the word & interest has spread, so has the enormous growth of this extraordinary event – which can’t always keep up to its demand. 2011 was the first year that Burning Man sold out, as it reached its capacity allowed by the US Bureau of Land Management at some 50,000+ people. A little more than 3,000 extra people showed up additional to the cap, & Black Rock City LLC was placed on probation. In 2012, the organization instated a ‘Lottery’ ticketing system to give an equal opportunity to all, & people started to worry when they were not able to get their hands on a golden ticket after the second round. Eventually, the people of Burning Man were somehow able to raise the 2012 capacity for yet another 10,000 people. With a largely shared feeling of unease by the Burning Man community in regards to the escalating ticket demand & correlating BLM permit issues, many are concerned about the complicated future of this incredible week in the desert. The truth of the matter is that all Burning Man ever was, is what it is, & what it will become. Revolution, Evolution, Resolution. No doubt it will continue to change in countless ways, but its creative community is solid & will adapt, prosper, & endure – as has been the exciting lifeblood & spirit all along.
There’s no place like home,
There’s no place like home,
There’s no place like home…
Here are some of the videos from last year’s burn through various eyes:
Every goody found on this website is solely promotional and provided for the pleasure of your eyes, ears, and maybe other extremities. Everything on this site is there because we think it's rad, and we back the creativity in its utmost respect. If you are the rightful owner of any of the material posted below and you'd like it taken down, please contact us at recipes@mindtai.com. If you find anything offensive or in bad taste that isn't yours, grab your kookies and go back to Rancho Kookamungo.
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Round 2 of our creatively drunken cocktail to stimulate your sensory pleasures. All full size images on MindTai.com No Foam // All Froth
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