The Red Bulletin October 2016 - ZA

SOUTH AFRICA

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

BRAD BINDER

9 772079 428009

00916

SA’s racing prodigy on his wild ride to Moto3 glory

R30 INCL VAT (R4.20) OCTOBER 2016

Ultralight Ultralight warmth warmth forfor any any activity activity

™ ™ NEVER NEVER STOP STOP EXPLORING EXPLORING

Tim Kemple

Tim Kemple

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. Krugersdorp native and Moto3 World Championship contender, Brad Binder left home on the ultimate quest to climb the biking ladder all the way up to MotoGP. Pioneering snowboarder Travis Rice takes us on a pan-Pacific adventure in pursuit of the “geological oddities” that provide him and his crew with some of the world’s wildest rides. Elsewhere, legendary Hollywood auteur Oliver Stone reveals his search for truth and we seek out the brains, beauty and outrageous skills of former surfing pro and current jet-setting world-tour reporter, East London’s very own Rosy Hodge.

08

BRAD BINDER “The ultimate aim is to be in MotoGP” PAGE 46

THE RED BULLETIN

OCTOBER 2016 ROSY OUTLOOK

When her pro surfing career came to an abrupt end, Rosy Hodge found a whole new skill set

58

AT A GLANCE GALLERY 14

GOOD SHOTS! Red Bull Illume

semi-finalists’ photographs

BULLEVARD 25

INSPIRATIONS Unique talents

FEATURES 30 Travis Rice

How tracing the path of an ecosystem inspired new movie The Fourth Phase

46 Brad Binder

The rise of the Moto3 rider with the nickname “Bradical”

PHILIP PLATZER (COVER), SCOTT SERFAS, MIKO LIM, PAMELA LITTKY, WOLFANGO.IT, SYO VAN VLIET/RED BULL ILLUME, ERIC RYAN ANDERSON/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

66 ROLLING WITH STONE

Hollywood maverick Oliver Stone talks about his new biopic of notorious whistleblower Edward Snowden

79

52 Heroes of the month

Singer Alicia Keys, Scottish band Twin Atlantic singer/songwriter Paul Banks and entrepreneur Brent Bushnell

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

14

58 Rosy Hodge

How surfing waves led to a new career on the airwaves

66 Oliver Stone

The US director tells us what we can learn from Edward Snowden

ACTION! 73

55 ILLUMINATING IMAGES

Amazing pictures from Red Bull Illume, the world’s greatest contest for action and adventure sports photography 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

09

SCOTSCOT T REDDING T REDDING

BY SE BY ANSECUS AN TER CUS TER | CAPTURED | CAPTURED

CONTRIBUTORS INSIDE THIS ISSUE OCTOBER 2016

WHO’S ON BOARD

RÜDIGER STURM

Fully focused: 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.

IN FOCUS BEHIND THE LENS

German journalist Sturm 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 AROUND THE WORLD PHILIPP PLATZER

The Austrian snapper is a trackside regular and has worked with some of motor racing’s biggest stars, so he was ideally suited to shoot SA Moto3 star Brad Binder at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Page 46.

The Red Bulletin is available in 10 countries. This cover, featuring Australian actor Travis Fimmel, is from this month’s Mexican edition.

Read more: redbulletin.com

Life’s a beach: Rosy Hodge enjoys the location

“Rosy has a natural vibrancy and lights up when she’s near the ocean” MIKO LIM The US photographer (whose work has featured in GQ, Esquire and Vogue) is a surfer at heart. For us, he took the portraits of South African former pro surfer and surf journalist Rosy Hodge in San Clemente, California. Get on board on page 58.

12

THE RED BULLETIN

Editorial Director Robert Sperl Editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck Editor-at-Large Boro Petric Creative Director Erik Turek Art Directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English Photo Director Fritz Schuster Production Editor Marion Wildmann Managing Editor Daniel Kudernatsch Editors Stefan Wagner (Chief Copy Editor), Ulrich Corazza, Arek Piatek, Andreas Rottenschlager; Contributors: Werner Jessner, Clemens Stachel, Florian Wörgötter Web Kurt Vierthaler (Senior Web Editor), SchinSu Bae, Christian Eberle, Vanda Gyuris, Inmaculada Sánchez Trejo, Andrew Swann, Christine Vitel Design Marco Arcangeli, Marion Bernert-Thomann, Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz Photo Editors Rudi Übelhör (Deputy Photo Director), Marion Batty, Ellen Haas, Eva Kerschbaum, Tahira Mirza

THE RED BULLETIN South Africa, ISSN 2079-4282 Editor Louis Raubenheimer Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Country Project and Sales Management Andrew Gillett Advertisement Sales Andrew Gillett, andrew.gillett@za.redbull.com Printed by CTP Printers, Duminy Street, Parow-East, Cape Town 8000 Subscriptions Subscription price R228, for 12 issues/year, www.getredbulletin.com, subs@za.redbull.com Mailing Address PO Box 50303, Waterfront, 8002 South Africa Office South Wing, Granger Bay Court, Beach Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8001 +27 (0) 21 431 2100

THE RED BULLETIN Austria, ISSN 1995-8838 Editor Ulrich Corazza Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Country Project Management Thomas Dorer, Lukas Scharmbacher Advertisement Sales Alfred Vrej Minassian (manager), Thomas Hutterer, Corinna Laure, anzeigen@at.redbulletin.com

Illustrator Dietmar Kainrath Publisher Franz Renkin Advertising Placement Andrea Loprais Creative Solutions Eva Locker (manager), Verena Schörkhuber Country Management and Marketing Stefan Ebner (manager), Thomas Dorer, Manuel Otto, Kristina Trefil, Sara Varming Marketing Design Peter Knehtl (manager), Simone Fischer, Alexandra Hundsdorfer, Mathias Schwarz

THE RED BULLETIN France, ISSN 2225-4722 Editor Pierre-Henri Camy Country Co-ordinator Christine Vitel Proof Reading Audrey Plaza Country Project and Sales Management Leila Domas Advertisement Sales Cathy Martin, cathy.martin@fr.redbulletin.com

Head of Production Michael Bergmeister Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O Sádaba, Friedrich Indich, Michael Menitz (digital) Repro Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Claudia Heis, Maximilian Kment, Karsten Lehmann Office Management Kristina Krizmanic, Petra Kupec IT Systems Engineer Michael Thaler Subscriptions and Distribution Peter Schiffer (manager), Klaus Pleninger (distribution), Nicole Glaser (distribution), Yoldas Yarar (subscriptions)

THE RED BULLETIN Germany, ISSN 2079-4258 Editor Arek Piatek Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Country Channel Management Christian Baur, Sophie Herkommer Advertisement Sales Martin Olesch, martin.olesch@de.redbulletin.com

General Manager and Publisher Wolfgang Winter Global Editorial Office Heinrich-Collin-Strasse 1, A-1140 Vienna Phone +43 1 90221-28800 Fax +43 1 90221-28809 Web redbulletin.com Red Bull Media House GmbH Oberst-Lepperdinger-Straße 11–15, A-5071 Wals bei Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 Directors Christopher Reindl, Andreas Gall

THE RED BULLETIN

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 Mexico, ISSN 2308-5924 Editor Luis Alejandro Serrano Associate Editors Marco Payán, Inmaculada Sánchez Trejo Proof Reading Alma Rosa Guerrero Country Project and Sales Management Helena Campos, Giovana Mollona Advertisement Sales Rodrigo Luna, rodrigo.luna@mx.redbull.com Humberto Amaya Bernard, humberto.amayabernard@mx.redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN Switzerland, ISSN 2308-5886 Editor Arek Piatek Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Country Channel Management Antonio Gasser Product Management Melissa Stutz Advertisement Sales Marcel Bannwart, marcel.bannwart@ch.redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN South Korea, ISSN 2465-7948 Editor Jung-Suk You Deputy Editor Bon-Jin Gu Publishing Director Michael Lee Advertisement Sales Hong-Jun Park, hjpark@kayamedia.com

THE RED BULLETIN United Kingdom, ISSN 2308-5894 Editor Ruth Morgan Associate Editors Tom Guise, Justin Hynes Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Country Project and Sales Management Sam Warriner Advertisement Sales Mark Bishop, mark.bishop@uk.redbull.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

13

DECISION TIME Red Bull Illume is the world’s greatest contest for action and adventure sports photography. Five 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

16

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

18

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 NARROW WAY SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA, USA PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN PONDELLA CATEGORY: CLOSE UP “During five days in the Sierra Nevada, we found this little slit in the cliff. I knew if the couloir was going to get any light, it would be at sunrise and only for a few minutes.

Fortunately, Max [Hammer] agreed to get up at 4am for the trek. As luck would have it, the sun rose perfectly into the couloir and we got some amazing images. Here, I’m standing above Max for a close-up that revealed the tight walls and the narrow gap he was descending.” instagram.com/christianpondella

21

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

22

THE FLAVOUR OF TROPICAL FRUITS. THE WINGS OF RED BULL.

THE RED BULL SUMMER EDITION.

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

25

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 :1

£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.

26

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, out soon – 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

27

BULLEVARD

GORDON BENSON THE TRIATHLETE WHO WON BRITAIN’S FIRST GOLD MEDAL AT THE EUROPEAN GAMES IS A KEEN CAFÉ RACER…

30

THE T HE 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.”

28

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

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

GETTY IMAGES (7)

KILL SCREEN

“If Plan A isn’t working, I have Plan B, Plan C and even Plan D” SERENA WILLIAMS, SERIAL GRAND-SLAMMER

THE RED BULLETIN

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.

29

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

31

â—? TORDRILLO

MOUNTAINS, ALASKA The range routinely offers up the gold standard in bigmountain riding conditions

32

● 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

37

“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

45

CALL ME

BRADICAL Earlier this year, a young upstart from South Africa scythed his way through an entire field of Moto3 riders, having started last on the grid. This West Rand native has biking in his blood.

He also knows how to maintain belief and remain calm when success seems virtually impossible WORDS: LOUIS RAUBENHEIMER PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP PLATZER

Flat out! Binder gives it horns on his KTM down the straight at The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria

46

Just six months ago, Brad Binder would not have been a name that many South Africans – or, indeed, fans of MotoGP – recognised. But all that has changed. Fast. In April this year, Binder wrote himself into motorcycling folklore and gave rise to an unprecedented wave of expectation in SA biking circles

On April 24, in Jerez, Spain, Binder became the first racer since two-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez to win a Moto race from the back of the grid. Márquez came from dead last to take victory in Estoril in 2010.

In doing so, the Spaniard announced himself to be a future superstar, and his status was rubber-stamped when he did it again two years later in Valencia.

It took four years and many races for the feat to be repeated. But when it was, the accomplishment sowed belief among South African racing fans that, finally, we could welcome a world champion back to the country at the end of the season.

With that first win came a boost in confidence as Binder went on a run of victories, which took the young rider to the top of the Moto3 leaderboard and made him one of the most feared competitors on the grid – and favourite for the world championship.

So, how did the rider with the awesome nickname – Bradical – make this turnaround? How, in spite of starting in last position, did he remain certain that he could go all the way to the top of the grid? And how has that incredible race impacted on his confidence?

Here are Binder’s tips to maintaining belief, even when the odds seem insurmountable…

A new approach The one thing that’s different this year from previous seasons is that Brad made the decision to give himself plenty of time between races to just chill out and be more relaxed.

“In the past, I maybe took things too seriously, focusing too much on racing and fitness, and I was 48

Above, left: easy through the corners. Binder has seen a dramatic change in his fortunes this year Eye on the prize. the Moto3 World Championship is in sight for the rider nicknamed Bradical

always very hard on myself when I failed. This is my fifth year in Moto3, and I’m definitely taking things a little easier. It’s still important to put in the hard work, do the training and look after yourself, but it’s also important to know how to relax.”

Not even the drama of Binder’s KTM being sent to the back of the grid after qualifying – he was hit with a mapping infringement after using nonapproved ECU (engine control unit) software – could throw him off.

“I definitely approached it in a more relaxed way; if I had gone out there with the mentality that ‘I must get past everyone’, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have happened. I just tried to take it one lap at a time and pick them off one by one. At the end of the day, it’s all thanks to my team; they did such an amazing job in keeping me calm, it took all the pressure away.”

Tale of the unexpected “I knew I had the speed to do well, and that I just had to keep believing. On Saturday, in qualifying, we’d found out that we had some problem with the bike, but as far as I was concerned we were carrying on as usual. There was just a chance I might have to start in last position at the next race in France.

“When I woke on Sunday, I thought I’d be starting in second. But then, 15 minutes before the race, I found out I was last. Obviously that was a bit strange, and I was definitely nervous, but the team said, ‘Just see if you can get some good points – that’s the main thing.’ So I went out and gave my 110 per cent, going at it as hard as I could. To cross the line in first place

50

Left: the focus is on taking a relaxed approach off the track, but on it, Binder remains concentrated Right: the Red Bull KTM Ajo has been the perfect steed, carrying Binder to a number of podium finishes

was an incredible feeling. I didn’t know at the time that I was the first guy to do it since Marc Márquez.

But it’s always cool to hear things like that – when a big name like Márquez is mentioned, it feels a bit crazy. At the time, all I could think about was how happy I was to get my first win.”

Keep on keeping on Despite it being his fifth season in the sport, Binder felt an immediate increase in his self-belief. And that, he says, is down to his tenacity and perseverance.

“Things definitely changed after that win. I’ve been close a few times, but getting it right in the way I did was a huge confidence boost. Since then, things have felt much easier. Now, when I get out on the track, I know I stand a really good chance of fighting for the win. It doesn’t matter what goes wrong, I’ll still back myself.

“This year’s been good so far – up until Holland, I was on the podium after every race. But you’ll always have weekends that don’t go entirely to plan.

When that happens, you’ve just got to stay calm, go away and build again for the next race.”

My secret to success “I like to keep the same programme in the build-up to a race. I walk round the track on Thursday, and I have the same warm-up routine before I ride. Consistency is key – if we can try to keep our place on the podium every week, the championship will sort itself out.

You never know what’s going to happen – things can change overnight – but at this stage it’s looking good.”

Learn to adapt Every time you go up a level, things get more difficult.

Binder is aware that if he progresses to Moto2 and ultimately to MotoGP, it’s going to be tough, just as it was when he started in Moto3.

“I’ve got my sights set on MotoGP. It’s always really hard in the beginning. You see it with all the guys – they struggle at the start. You’re going from a bike that weighs something like 85kg to one that’s a lot heavier. It’s a lot faster, too. It really takes some time to adapt and settle into Moto2. It’s one of those things that everybody has to go through and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.

“There’s no way that I’m going to stop until I’ve done what I set out to do. The ultimate aim is to be racing MotoGP.” And while Brad isn’t running away with things yet, he leaves no doubt as to what the aim for this season is. “I’m going to take things one day at a time, but put myself in the best possible position to fight for the world championship. I know that if I just focus on what I have to do right now, it’s going to help shape my future.”

Pushing ahead Making sure that the job gets done requires focus.

“When we go out on track, the best thing about it is

that we forget about everything else. When you get on your bike and the visor goes down, that’s when it’s time to do what’s required of you. You’re giving it 110 per cent on every lap, you learn more about your bike and about the track. Doing more laps and pushing the limits, you find the quickest way to get around it.

“I feel like if I just stick to my programme and keep working really hard, things will happen for me.

I want to fight for the world championship this year and next year I want to progress to Moto2. It’s going to be a big challenge, that’s for sure.”

Trust your tools Binder feels the key to trusting a bike that gets up to speeds approaching 250kph is familiarity and absolute trust in those who look after it.

“The best you can do is spend as much time as you can on the bike. The more comfortable you are, the quicker you’ll be.

“I have six guys on the team who are there just for me. It’s so important to have a good relationship with your team – they’re the people you’re around every week, and then every second weekend you’re racing.

We spend a lot of time together, so it’s not just about what happens on the track, but off it, too, like when you’re travelling. It all makes a difference.”

Time for a braai You might expect a degree of cockiness from the boy from Krugersdorp made good, but there is none.

Motorcycling is in his blood: his dad is a bike maniac and his 18-year-old brother, Darryn, races in Moto3, too, so, given the considerable talent pool he’s drawing from, he could be a future breakthrough rider. Home is most certainly where his heart is.

“South Africa is home and every time I go back I never want to leave. Because of where I’m from, things were a lot tougher when I arrived overseas, and having faced that challenge has definitely helped me in my battle to get to the top of MotoGP.” What about the new-found adulation stemming from SA? “It’s a bit strange, to be honest, but the support I’m getting from home is incredible. There’s a lot more press to do, but things are pretty good.”

Binder’s Rs are still good as gold, and he’s still as fond of SA cuisine as he was before he left. “Hahaha, yeah, look we try to hook a braai here in Spain every now and then, but it’s not so easy. It’s not like home, that’s for sure.” This is one local boy who has made a whole lot better than good. motogp.com

51

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?

52

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�

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

A

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

55

Bushnell, the CEO of Two Bit Circus, wants to rebrand what it means to be a nerd and demonstrate that learning about science can be fun

“YOU DON’T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO BE FUN” BRENT BUSHNELL The 38-year-old CEO of LA

company Two Bit Circus taps into his inner child to create a new form of entertainment

G RICK RODNEY

rowing up, Brent Bushnell was the kid on the block with the best toys.

As one of the sons of Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, he learned from an early age the joy of invention and the thrill of entrepreneurship. “Making my own games – that was my dream,” Bushnell explains.

But sometimes childhood dreams get pushed to one side. Following stints working in web hosting and DNA synthesis, he rediscovered the fun of making games when he met fellow engineer Eric Gradman. Together, the two men founded Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based company that infuses science and technology into the spectacle of a carnival. the red bulletin: Your dad founded Atari. What was that like when you were growing up? brent bushnell: My dad is an engineer and an entrepreneur, and we were raised doing both of those things. We didn’t just have a lemonade stand – we had an entire convenience store!

THE RED BULLETIN

What was the most important lesson you learned back then?

In those early entrepreneurship days, my dad would always say, “I don’t care about how big this could possibly be – how do you make one dollar this weekend?” That idea of ‘engage early and often; test, iterate and trial quickly’ is something that has stuck with me. It’s something that we apply intensely here at Two Bit. We’ll come up with something in the morning and have a working version ready by the afternoon. That’s

just knew the things that were working and we were able to develop from there. There’s something to be said for keeping your ear close to the ground, iterating quickly and trialling. We joke that the best test subjects are kids and drunks, because neither will tolerate instructions – they want instant gratification and they’re totally violent. They put your stuff through the ringer.

And you’re teaching them that science can be fun…

One of the big failures of our current education system is how it works in silos. It’s not inspiring to have to take Calculus I, and the only reason is so you can go to Calculus II. That’s not relevant. Why do

solving boredom or social problems by getting people to play together.

So science has a problem with its branding?

When people visualise engineers, they’ll think of pencil ties, lab coats and boring stuff. But we get to play with lasers and robots all day. We felt we had a special opportunity to share the fun we were having and get kids excited. After doing hundreds of other people’s events, we decided to do our own event and use it as a platform to rebrand what it means to be a nerd. Let’s get kids excited about creativity and invention, but use games, fun and play as the hook.

“ENGAGE EARLY AND OFTEN; TEST, ITERATE AND TRIAL QUICKLY. SOMETIMES THE RANDOM STUFF ENDS UP BEING THE BEST” a really powerful approach, because you don’t always know what’s going to be fun.

Eric and I joke that the things we’re often most excited about end up being terrible.

Sometimes the random stuff we just throw up against the wall ends up being the best.

So, how did Two Bit Circus come about?

We didn’t wake one morning and declare, “We need to do a circus!” We didn’t have everything scripted out. We

I need to know this? Because I’m trying to solve this particular problem. That’s the way we approach problems in our real lives, so why should we expect kids in school to do it differently? One way I think you can get really engaged is to have some meaning to what you’re doing. One of the reasons why we love inspiring inventors is because inventors solve problems. They’re doing a real thing. Even if you’re just building a game, then you’re

Your STEAM Carnival brings high tech to the circus. The kids are excited, but what about the adults?

It’s our goal at STEAM to pull back the curtain and show people that they can invent, too. Adults can be just as intimidated by electronics.

And socially, it’s a nice way to break down barriers and get people off their screens.

Nora O’Donnell twobitcircus.com

57

THE POWER OF

STOKE When the really rather awesome Rosanne Hodge’s professional surfing career came to an abrupt end, sponsor Roxy gave her the opportunity to commentate at one of their events. Today, she’s a global broadcast darling, travelling to the most idyllic locations on Earth and interviewing the world’s best surfers as millions of viewers, across every time zone, sit glued to the action on the live webcast Words: Jazz Kuschke Photography: Miko Lim

58

Former world tour surfing pro Rosy Hodge is making an indelible mark commentating on the sport she so clearly loves

Hodge still spends quality time in the water as often as she can. Some industry insiders believe she’s still good enough to surf professionally

60

THE RED BULLETIN

“Be mindful of opportunities that come your way. I’ve been so

fortunate in that respect”

R

THE RED BULLETIN

osanne ‘Rosy’ Hodge has a few stamps in her passport. A snapshot from earlier this year looks like this: Maldives for 10 days, home (San Clemente, California) for five, Fiji for three weeks, back home for a few nights, then off to her native South Africa for two weeks to work on the live broadcast of the J-Bay Open.

Somewhere in between, she also touched down in France for five days to attend a speciality women’s fitness event for Roxy, the brand that has sponsored her since the age of eight.

“I’ve got the best job in the world,” says the 29-year-old from East London on South Africa’s east coast. Few would argue: as part of the official commentary team of the World Surf League (WSL), Hodge gets paid to visit – and surf in – many of her sport’s most exotic

and iconic spots, without having to shoulder the stress of competing. “I think I surf more now than ever, and that has just been so good.”

Her life has always revolved around surfing; she’s damn good at it, too. Hodge grew up in an area of powerful waves, heavy reefs and fierce surfing talent. Her skills were noticed early on by her older brother, who provided encouragement. By the age of seven, she was charging; by 14, beating the boys. Nurtured by the likes of four-time world champion Wendy Botha and former World Tour campaigners Greg Emslie and Royden Bryson, Hodge enjoyed a glorious junior career, taking nine South African Championship titles before qualifying for the then ASP Women’s World Championship Tour in her first year after 61

“I was shattered about not pre-qualifying –

being on Tour had been my dream since I was a grommet”

62

By no means has it all come easily for her, however.

“Public speaking freaks me out so much,” she jokes.

While broadcasting is not strictly public speaking, Hodge knows that there are thousands of viewers around the world watching the Tour live, glued to her every word. Stats from the Tahiti event in 2014 – the largest recorded live audience in pro-surfing history – show the webcast delivered 2.2 million consumed hours of live competition and reached more than 12 million households on television.

“Just thinking about it makes me want to hyperventilate,” she says. So how does she deal with those stressful situations? “It is easy to let your nerves get the better of you and mess things up. I think the solution is remembering to breathe THE RED BULLETIN

JOLIPHOTOS.COM

school. She travelled the world competing and spent four consecutive years on the ASP World Tour as a top-10 campaigner. But, late in 2010, this run came grinding to a stop when she failed to pre-qualify.

Surfers have to stay within a certain ranking on the Championship Tour – contested at the best breaks in the world – or they’re relegated to the Qualifying Series (QS). “I was obviously a bit shattered about that, because being on Tour had been my dream since I was a little grommet [young surfer],” says Hodge.

“Then I was hanging out at Rocky Point in Hawaii and I bumped into one of the women who worked on the Roxy and [brother brand] Quiksilver productions.

She asked what I was going to do now.” Hodge had no clear answer, because the truth was she didn’t know: grind it out on the QS to try to pre-qualify, or return to South Africa and get a ‘real’ job?

“She asked me if I would mind commentating at the Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast [of Australia],” says Hodge. “I was like, ‘I got nothing to do!’ Obviously going to the Goldie is a great opportunity, and trying something new would be fun.”

So, in early 2011, she found herself on the Gold Coast, commentating rather than competing as the year before. “Obviously it was fairly nerve-racking, but I had so much fun,” she says. “From there, Rip Curl asked me to do the Bells Beach event, and then I got asked to do the Western Australia events, too.”

Later that year, she also commentated on the Quiksilver Pro in France, and she was soon doing all the Roxy events. During this time, Hodge also had a minor part in the movie Blue Crush 2; she followed this a few years later with a role in The Perfect Wave, alongside Clint Eastwood’s son Scott.

In 2013, when media company ZoSea acquired the ASP and set about creating the WSL, there was a definite move away from what they called ‘brocasting’ Tour events toward slicker, more professional broadcasting, and part of this was the creation of a full-time commentary panel.

“They wanted to create a commentating team and really take the broadcasts to the next level,” she explains. “I was beyond excited when they approached me, because I was really enjoying doing the commentary and I was learning all the time, so they offered me a full-time position on the Tour.”

Hodge’s life in surfing had been given a new focus. But her lithe, bikini-model build and ubiquitous dimpled smile alone were not enough to earn her a place on that panel, alongside the likes of seasoned broadcaster Joe Turpel, former champs Martin Potter (known as Pottz) and Peter Mel, and World Tour veteran Ross Williams; she still needed the legitimacy of her former pro surfing career.

And how she flourished. Hodge managed to keep the stoke and to continue travelling the world and surfing after the prize money had dried up, by reinventing herself to remain relevant. She used the experience of years on Tour, riding the various breaks and getting to know the athletes, to carve out a new career direction in the field she loves.

While hers may seem a glamorous and extraordinary case, Hodge believes this approach can be translated to most careers. “Be mindful of opportunities that come your way,” she says.

“I’ve been so fortunate in that respect, especially that the timing was right so I could take advantage,” she says. “Surfing is obviously something I love and I’m passionate about, and I believe you need to follow that passion, whatever it may be, and see where you end up.”

Hodge’s insane schedule meant we had to catch up with her at T-Street beach in San Clemente, California

63

Could one ever tire of travelling the world and hanging out in the most idyllic spots with the planet’s best surfers? No chance

“For me, commentating is about being

aware of what happened in the water and feeding off that energy”

JOLIPHOTOS.COM

and using that nervous energy in a positive way.

You need to harness it and tell yourself, ‘OK, this energy can be good,’ then just roll with it. Also, I think interviewing – much like everything else in life – is better when you are just yourself.”

With no formal speech or broadcast training, Hodge has relied a lot on being herself, but being surrounded by the professional outfit that is the WSL, as well as her fellow commentators, has provided heaps of on-the-job experience. She’s also constantly learning, something she believes is crucial to any success.

“I still get so nervous, and I try to just take a couple of breaths and hope that I don’t mess up,” she says. “I hate seeing myself do it, but obviously I need to watch the replays, because it’s part of learning – you pick up on the mistakes. I still stutter a lot at the end, though, and drop the dreaded ‘back to you, guys…’ Aargh!

“With the World Surf League, they do put a lot of effort into making sure that we are well taken care of, and they give us advice along the way. We have a really well-oiled team that kind of comes and gives us the guidance we need. Obviously I respect Joe [Turpel], Ronnie [Blakey] and everyone else on the commentary team, and we give each other advice. I’ve learned a lot from that.”

THE RED BULLETIN

According to Hodge, broadcasting live on Tour is a unique experience. “It’s emotionally charged, especially if they haven’t made it through the round.

For me, it’s all about being aware of what happened in the water and then feeding off that energy. With every event, it’s getting better, and I’m getting a bit more confidence, I guess.”

Of course, the Tour is not all work. A typical WSL World Championship Tour event will have a 10-day waiting period, but need only four (when conditions are best) in which to finish, so there’s a fair amount of downtime. “It is too much fun,” says Hodge. “I honestly thought that I would be so sick of the guys by now, but we’re a really tightknit crew. Even on the days when there are no contests, we’ll send group texts to each other and there will just be constant banter flying back and forth between us. I have to pinch myself – we have world champions like Ross Williams, who I’ve looked up to since I was a kid, on the team and Ronnie and Joe, who are just so funny and amazing at what they do. It’s such a cool group.”

So does she ever miss the competition and wish she was still on the other side of the microphone?

“I feel like the level right now is so high that when Pottz or someone else gives me a compliment and says that I still surf really well and that I could be on Tour, it’s a huge pat on the back,” says Hodge.

“I’m really proud of the level the women are at today. I’ve known Carissa [Moore, three-time world champ] and the girls since we were young, so I’m just so proud of where they are. Especially Bianca [Buitendag] – she’s doing so well. I admire them all, but I think I have a better job.” instagram.com/rosyhodge

65

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 OTO 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 A C 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

66

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.

1

3

4

5

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

71

SUBSCRIBE NOW! R ED BULL R ACING TE AM CAP

12 months + Red Bull Racing 2016 Team Cap (valued at R299) all for only R228 (R19 per issue).

SUBSCRIBE NOW to the men’s active lifestyle magazine

getredbulletin.com

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…

73

75

79

80

90

91

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

74

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

75

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

76

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.

JHB 53175/OJ

As seen on DStv

The World’s Best Leagues and Cup Competitions.

Unmissable, Unrivalled, Undoubtedly The Best.

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

78

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

79

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

80

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.

CULTURE

ACTION

CAN ART

DIETMAR KAINRATH

Dietmar Kainrath’s pointed pen

RYDER CUP GOLF, MINNESOTA, USA, SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 2

THE RED BULLETIN

81

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.”

82

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

p ro m ot i o n

Must-haves!

1

1 dc heathrow prestige The Heathrow Prestige : Engineered for performance, designed for life. This athletic inspired, casual silhouette is comfortable, light and stylish, available in unique prints, lux materials, and classic colors. The Full Bootie Construction provides a snug fit & optimum comfort. The UniLite sole is highly flexible , and super light while still maintaining an unrivalled comfort level. The Perforated Suede upper features a screen print toe cap for added durabiity, and reflective lace accents add the finishing touches. Available in stores now.

Suggested retail R1299.

www.dcshoes.com 2 swatch the eyes Three shapes, 7 templates, 30 looks and 210 different style combinations – Swatch presents “SWATCH THE EYES”: the ultimate interchangeable look. Why settle for one pair of sunglasses when you pick and choose frames for every outfit and event? Routine is so yesterday and Swatch is clearly focused on equipping you for today’s life-styles, where scene changes have to be smooth and fast. The finished creation – designed, engineered and produced in Europe – is super-comfortable to wear, robust and also safe due to excellent UV protection.

RRP R1445.

2

www.swatch.com

3 4

3 garmin vivofit 3 The vívofit 3 is an activity tracker which features a backlit display that shows steps, calories, distance, intensity minutes and time of day. The vívofit 3 includes new features such as Move IQ™, auto activity detection and intensity minutes. Automatically capturing activities such as walking, running, biking, swimming and elliptical training, Its move bar with audible alerts reminds users when they have been inactive too long. A couple minutes of activity will reset the move bar, keeping users motivated to stay continuously active during their day which can help counter the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Water resistant to 50 meters and featuring a user replaceable battery that lasts up to one year, users rarely ever have to take off their vívofit 3.

RRP R1899.

www.garmin.com

5

4 futurelife smartbars You‘re a superhero in your own right, but when it comes to fighting busy days, work stresses or energy dips, you need a sidekick you can count on. The FUTURELIFE® range of SmartBars makes for ideal everyday snacks and even healthier lunchbox treats. With varied Glycaemic Indexes (GI) across the range to suit a multitude of needs, there‘s a bar for everyone!

FUTURELIFE® SmartBars offer HIGH ENERGY, HIGH PROTEIN or HIGH PROTEIN LITE in a convenient, on-the-go bar. Introducing, FUTURELIFE® High Protein Crunch Bar a crunchy on-the-go snack that is HIGH IN PROTEIN, filled with peanuts, crispy puffed rice, soya nuggets and coated in milk chocolate. Available in a 40g bar and in 12g bite size bars.

SmartBar High Energy 40g: R10.99.

www.futurelife.co.za 5 vans the transit line sk8-hi Vans The Transit Line Sk8-Hi Reissue DX, the legendary Vans high top reissued with a vintage sensibility, features deluxe pig suede and leather uppers, UltraCush sockliners for long lasting comfort, padded collars for support and flexibility, and signature rubber waffle outsoles.

RRP R1799.

www.vans.com

KINGJAMESII 257 KINGJAMESII 257

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”

86

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.sa

THE RED BULLETIN

KINGJAMESII 258

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 17.45 (PRE-SHOW), 18.00 (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.

88

THE RED BULLETIN

CULTURE RED BULL TV HIGHLIGHTS

RED BULL GRC LIVE OCT 9, 01.30, OCT 10, 00.30

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, 02.00

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.

89

ACTION

EVENTS SAVE THE DATE Musical, nautical and kiting events heading your way

1

October Cultural explosion The Macufe festival in the Free State capital, Bloemfontein, aims to be the most culturally balanced, and biggest African arts and culture festival in the world.

The festival runs until October 9 and offers an almighty line-up. macufe.co.za

October 29 Kick start FNB stadium, Nasrec The fiercest sporting rivalry in all of Mzansi once more offers the prospect of a titanic clash.

As is often the case at the start of the season, there are lots of new faces in both camps.

Coach Steve Komphela’s Kaizer Chiefs have the early upper hand, having cruised to a 2-0 victory in the Carling Black Label cup when goals from Erick Mathoho and Lewis Macha sank Pirates. Muhsin Ertugral and his Buccaneer troops will be out for revenge. psl.co.za

September 24 Hip-hop heavies

October 7-9 The geek galaxy

Grace Performing Arts Centre, Cape Town Get ready for the African Hip Hop Indaba. Founded by Emile Jansen of rap group Black Noise as a vehicle to grow SA breakdancing, the event includes all manner of styles in workshops, dance battles, graffiti demos, and shows. africanhiphopindaba.co.za

Ticketpro Dome, Joburg The rAge Expo and its tech paradise returns to Jozi and the Dome in Northgate. Bring your own console and log onto the NAG LAN, where gamers can spend as many as 52 hours on the same network taking each other down in an array of games. Exhibitors will have all the latest tech and gadgets from the gaming universe and visitors will have the chance to touch and experiment with a mountain of gaming consoles and accessories. Sound like gaming-geek heaven? That’s because it is! rageexpo.co.za

October 6-9 Go wild in the country Cloof Wine Estate, Darling

Daisies means that people officially click into party gear. Yes, it’s the start of the summer season. Expect Darling to be rocking out as the festival celebrates its 11th year.

Organisers have secured some sterling talent – the line-up already includes highlights like Foster the People, AKA, Mango Groove, Nakhane Toure, Moonchild Sanelly and Killer Robot. rockingthedaisies.com

90

14 October Set sail

The V&A Waterfront plays host to the Cape Town International Boat Show from October 14-16. Indulge your inner captain and spend time eyeing hulls and traipsing around on deck on some of the most luxurious watercraft and toys. boatshow.co.za

29 October Fly a kite

Cape Mental Health hosts Africa’s premier kite festival. Bring your own kite to the two-day event, or simply pull in to watch the many kiting displays. There will be giant inflatables, stunt kites, kite-making workshops, stalls and competitions. capementalhealth.co.za

THE RED BULLETIN

GETTY IMAGES, JULIAN GRAHAM

Ntuka and Mhlongo battle it out

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.

1

3

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.”

4

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.”

2

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.”

5

Sometimes, stay under

BEN SMITHURST

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.”

THE RED BULLETIN

91

RCS Card accepted at Musica stores

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

93

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. overboardafrica.co.za

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

94

THE RED BULLETIN

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 R22,500. 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.

TO U GH C H O I C E You can safely take the Hisense Infinity KO smartphone on any adventure. This high-end Android smartphone with octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 13MP camera and 5MP front camera is dustproof, waterproof and shock-resistant. hisense.co.za

fusar.com

MASTER OF THE HUNT What is survival in the wilderness really dependent on? Finding food! The Suunto Traverse Alpha Foliage GPS watch shows moonrise and moonset times, sunrise alert, weather trends and special points of interest for hunting and fishing. suunto.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

I N BA N D I T C O U N T RY

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

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

96

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

R A ZO R S H A R P When a smartphone producer and German camera maker Leica get together, you know the result will be impressive.

A 12MP dual lens was designed especially for the Huawei P9 – providing greater light, focus and contrast. huawei.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

97

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 THE RED BULLETIN IS AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING STORES AND OUTLETS: PICK N PAY | SPORTSCENE | DUE SOUTH | MUSICA | BILLABONG | VANS | QUIKSILVER | AIRPORTS 98

THE RED BULLETIN

LORIS VON SIEBENTHAL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND JUNE 29, 2016

“At times like this, sailing feels like flying”