This and That: Go Fast, Turn Left

Weekend Reading: Great Brittin

Do yourself a favor and dig into some Charles Brittin this weekend. His seminal work West and South is truly something to behold. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of reading the long-winded beatniks. The photography of this era, however, is always welcome on my coffee table. And nobody captured this time of creative upheaval quite like Brittin, who ruthlessly snapped portraits that stung the heart of 1950s Venice Beach, the beats, anitwar movements and general American boredom. And you know when guys like Dean Stockwell, Walter Hopps and David Meltzer are making regular appearances at your beach shack, you're probably doing something pretty awesome. Put on some Getz or Davis and let all the cool wash over.

[images via Hatje Cantz and Eat Tarantula]

This and That

Bust Issues

[via Fourteensquarefeet]

The Mad Shattered

I am a firm believer that a steady diet of slow-motion samurai, shattered glass and screaming brides can make for a creative life well lived. Luckily, so too does The Naked and Famous. And their latest music video for the bombastic single "No Way" is an absolute sensory stunner. Directed by Joel Kefali and Campbell Hooper - who make up the design collective Special Problems - the pseudo-Lynchian video is a welcome reprieve from the heritage-y Americana that is saturating (and spewing) over so much of our creative cultures. Put on your leathers cause this video is a controlled power-slide of all things awesome. And the song isn't half bad either...

[via Inspiration Grid]

Stussy Surf

I do love a good studio visit. And if Shawn Stussy is involved, well, let's just say we should all pause for a couple minutes and enjoy the view. For most, the name Stussy is immediately associated with streetwear and mega collaborations. And for good reason. However, what many forget is that it all began in the shaping bay. A quiet place where the dust flurries and fiberglass sorcery became the reality of a super-brand known the world over. With the launch of a new board-only shop in Tokyo, it seems only fitting that the Citizen Kane of street-cred step back into his lab and start plowing out some handmade quad-fin rosebuds. Luckily, Shawn helps us keep a proper sense of perspective with his Ferrari earmuffs and Rolex. The smoking jazz soundtrack doesn't hurt either.


Shawn Stussy at his Studio from Seth Epstein on Vimeo.

[via Aether]

Utah Moon

One of the many highlights of my trip to Sundance was the intergalactic view from the window seat. It's a sparse, multi-layered landscape full of mystery and intrigue. A place, when viewed from above, that transforms into something truly out of this world. In all honesty, words don't even do these images justice. One part post-modern abstraction and two-parts Kubrickian. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Utah Moon.