the red bulletin may 2016 - za
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SA’s most successful
pro surfer right now?
IT’S NOT WHO YOU THINK
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NEXT LEVEL TRAVELELITE ATHLETES LIVING LIFE ON THE EDGE
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BEYOND THE ORDINARY
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BEYOND THE ORDINARY
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CIRCLE OF HELLInside the world ofAmerica’s oldest extremesport, the Wall Of Death,and its fearless riders
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WELCOME We’re scaling heady heights in this month’s The Red Bulletin – at times literally, as we catch up with a selection of the world’s most extreme athletes (what’s the proper collective noun for that?) and get them to relive their top adrenalin-fuelled moments in some of the planet’s most exotic corners. We also meet perpetual winner and Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp, who lets us in on the secrets of his success, and hang out with South African pro surfer Bianca Buitendag, who’s just had a year to remember for all the right (and wrong) reasons. Plus, we teach you how to win at poker, and embrace the Glasgow party scene. We hope you enjoy the issue.
“The bestpeople to
have powerare those who
don’t want it”KIT HARINGTON, PAGE 19
THE WORLD OF RED BULL
06 THE RED BULLETIN
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THE SCENE THAT JACK BUILTNo one throws a party like Glasgow’s Jackmaster. And when it’s his birthday and the Buckie is flowing, all bets are off
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OFF THE SCALE Eight extreme athletes, including French freediver Pierre Frolla (pictured), revisit their most epic achievements
PRESSING THE POINT Few football managers can motivate and inspire players like Jürgen Klopp can. The Liverpool boss tells us how he does it
TRUNK FUNK Swedish rapper Elliphant is stomping all over the rule book with her defiant mix of pop, hip hop and dancehall
AT A GLANCE
GALLERY
12 GOOD SHOTS! Photos of the month
BULLEVARD
19 INSPIRATIONS Unique talents
FEATURES
26 Destination AdventurePostcards from the edge of endurance
38 Wall Of DeathOne motorbike. One rider. One huge drum. And a whole lot of danger
50 Bianca BuitendagSA’s top female pro surfer on riding waves and working through grief
56 Jürgen KloppLiverpool FC’s enigmatic manager gives his 10 tips for success
62 Heroes of the monthSwedish rapper Elliphant, Daredevil star Charlie Cox, actor Alfie Allen and Red Bull Air Race pilot Mélanie Astles
68 JackmasterThe king of Glasgow’s party scene
ACTION!
75 SEE IT. GET IT. DO IT. The best travel, gadgets, innovations, films, games, music, wheels, watches and events. Plus Wings for Life World Run, our cartoon, and how to win at poker
93 COOL RUNNING The latest hi-tech gear98 FLASHBACK Big air in Cape Town
PERFECT SURFHow Victoria Bay surferBianca Buitendag turnedpersonal tragedy intoChampionship Tour success
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MAY 2016
THE RED BULLETIN 07
La borne d’arcade a fait de Daigo l’un des patrons du sport électronique.
LES LEÇONS
DE SON SUCCÈSAUTORITÉ PLANÉTAIRE DU JEU VIDÉO DE COMBAT, DAIGO UMEHAR A A UN REGARD UNIQUE SUR LA COMPÉTITION. POUR LE JAPONAIS, LE CHEMIN VERS LA RÉUSSITE OFFRE PLUS QUE LA VICTOIRE ELLE-MÊME.
Texte : Ulysse Mailletan Photos : Julie GlassbergManga : Daigo Umehara, Kengoro Nishide,
Maki Tomoi / KADOKAWA
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WHO’S ONBOARD
NICK AMIESThe journalist and adventurer sought out some of the world’s most intrepid athletes for our extreme travel feature on page 26. “Talking to them made me want to dig out my backpack and hit the trail,” he says.
IN FOCUSBEHIND THE LENS
Photographing pro surfer Bianca Buitendag at sunrise at her local break in Victoria Bay was another career highlight for Cape Town’s Dewald Daniels, alongside shooting pop star Lily Allen and his work for Cosmopolitan and Pepsi. See his shots on page 50.
Shore thing: Daniels captures Buitendag on home sand
“It was a great opportunity to photograph such an inspiring woman”DEWALD DANIELS, PHOTOGRAPHER
CONTRIBUTORS INSIDE THIS ISSUEMAY 2016
RAPHAEL HONIGSTEINThe Bavarian journalist is one of Europe’s leading football experts, writing for the likes of The Guardian and Süddeutsche Zeitung. On page 56, he gets Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp to reveal his rules for success.
Thanks to the challenges (racing an old motorbike on a vertical track), the dangers (crashing from a height of 4.3m without protection) and the lifestyle (sleeping in a trailer on the road), Wall Of Death riding is a dying sport. But, for the American Motor Drome Company, keeping this 100-year-old tradition alive is a dream job. Photographer Jim Krantz and Red Bulletin editor Andreas Rottenschlager joined trick rider Charlie Ransom and his crew in Florida, and found that even a broken ankle can’t stop the show. See page 38.
From left: Jim Krantz, Andreas Rottenschlager and Charlie Ransom
Fighting pain in the Wall Of Death
THE RED BULLETIN AROUND THE WORLD
The Red Bulletin is available in 10 countries. This feature on gaming champion Daigo Umehara is from this month’s French edition.
Read more: redbulletin.com
08 THE RED BULLETIN
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[email protected] Korea Office
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10 THE RED BULLETIN
CREATE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
RIDE YOUR WAY
THE ALL NEWTHE ALL NEWSHARE THE EXCITEMENT WITH FRIENDS
BUILT FOR BIKERS
VISIT TOMTOM.COMSPEED CAMS
57 AFRICANCOUNTRIES
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TOP FLIGHTDACHSTEIN, AUSTRIA
PHOTOGRAPHY: JÖRG MITTERBefore the Red Bull Air Race World
Championship stop in Austria in September 2015, local hero Hannes Arch (right) and Frenchman Nicolas Ivanoff (left) took US
pilot Kirby Chambliss for a sightseeing tour in the Alps. Considering their top speed of
370kph, the three pilots arguably managed the quickest ascent of the Dachstein ever.
Red Bull Air Race, April 23-24, 2016, Spielberg, Austria. Get tickets:
redbullairrace.com
13
DUSI POWERINANDA DAM, SOUTH AFRICAPHOTOGRAPHY: KELVIN TRAUTMANChoppy waters and punishing headwinds often combine to make Inanda Dam one of the major challenges of the Dusi canoe marathon. Roll all three stages of the world’s toughest canoe marathon into one and you have the Non-Stop Dusi, the ultimate river race of attrition. KwaZulu-Natal local Sbonelo Khwela made short work of the Inanda flat water, finishing third in the 2016 Dusi (a K2 race this year) and then taking a hugely impressive fifth Non-Stop Dusi victory in a K1 two weeks later.twitter.com/sbonelokhwela
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DRY RUNDUBAI, UAEPHOTOGRAPHY: STEFAN EIGNERWith a motto of ‘go big or go home’, pro skateboarder Alex Sorgente definitely practised what he preaches at the Aquaventure waterpark at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. The Aquaconda waterslide had been drained, and the 18-year-old Italian took the opportunity to be the first to skate its steep face. More amazing skate action: redbull.com/skate
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THE FLAVOUR OF TROPICAL FRUITS.THE WINGS OF RED BULL.
THE RED BULL SUMMER EDITION.
BULLEVARD
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THE HOME OF PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE, ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE, INNOVATE
Spoiler alert: Jon Snow is back in season six of Game Of Thrones. This means London-born Harrington reprises his role as the dour-faced fulcrum to HBO’s epic tale of family feuds and fornication. And we couldn’t be happier about it. At 29, Harington’s humility shows a maturity lacking in so many of the preening Hollywood fraternity. Much like his broody GOT character, he gives away little and focuses on work rather than courting the limelight. He’s not one to boast about the theatre successes or burgeoning trophy cabinet his work ethic wins him. Harington shows there’s no need to shout about your achievements; they can speak for themselves. It turns out Jon Snow does know something after all.
ALPHA MALEKIT HARINGTON REMAINS EVER HUMBLE. CRITICS REFER TO HIM AS ENIGMATIC. WE CALL HIM A WHITE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
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NOVAK DJOKOVICSerbian. Age 28. Indisputably the best tennis
player in the world right now
ZAC EFRONAmerican. Age 28. High School Musical’s
most successful graduate
NET WORTH
TRANSPORT
LOVE LIFE
SOCIAL MEDIA CLOUT
GREATEST WEAPON
FAMOUS FANS
WISEST WORDS
BIGGEST WINS
LADIES’ MAN After enjoying the perks of fame, it seems Efron has
settled with aspiring model Sami Miro. Haven’t heard of her? No one has.
FAMILY MAN Far from your average WAG, Djokovic’s wife Jelena holds
a master’s degree and has won awards for her charity work.
TOM CRUISE Hollywood’s stunt-loving maestro has taken Efron under his wing,
offering career guidance and even teaching him to ride a motorbike.
WIMBLEDON 2011 Pete Sampras hailed Djokovic’s 2011 season as
the best he’d ever seen. Wimbledon glory took him to world number one.
BEST SHIRTLESS PERFORMANCE Efron won this
twice at the MTV Movie Awards. With abs of steel, who needs an Oscar?
MERCEDES BENZ CLS 250 Djokovic’s rep is a commercial gravy train, landing him sponsorships from both Peugeot and
Mercedes. We know which one we’d rather drive.
AUDI S5 CABRIOLET A surprisingly understated ride for someone who garners so many tabloid inches. The S5
is a powerhouse of a car, nonetheless.
T H E D U E LIT’S THE KING OF THE COURT TO SERVE AGAINST DISNEY’S
PRODIGAL SON. BUT WHO WILL ACE IT?
$140 millionLast year was particularly lucrative for Djokovic, netting him
more than $17m in winnings and $31m in endorsements.
11.5 millionTWITTER FOLLOWERS There’s no arguing with
the size of his fanbase. Which shows what happens when post-Disney fame leads to success rather than mental breakdown.
$18 millionNo paltry sum, but Efron is rumoured to squander most of his
earnings on his extravagant lifestyle. Who can blame him?
5 millionTWITTER FOLLOWERS Where Efron has
numbers, Djokovic has quality: footballer Juan Mata and actor Samuel L Jackson
are members of #NoleFam.
HIS TENNIS RACQUET Obviously. But perhaps less obviously, Djokovic’s serve once outpaced an Audi R8 LMS race car at full tilt.
MAKING A RACKET We jest: Efron was first spotted for his musical skill. He remains a dab hand at the piano.
GERARD BUTLER The actor reprised his role as the Greek warrior-king Leonidas, bellowing, “This is Sparta” with the pro
after his 2015 US Open victory.
MAKE DREAMS REAL “Belief is the most common word to me. For
one to achieve his dreams, he needs to truly believe in them.”
COME FROM BEHIND “I’m very competitive and I like to be the underdog. To come from behind
and win is a great feeling.”
1 : 0
2 : 1
3 : 1
3 : 2
4 : 2
5 : 3
Vs
6 : 3
4 : 3
BULLEVARD
THE RED BULLETIN 21
“I A M W HO I A M. I CA N ’ T PR E T END TO BE
SOMEONE W HO M A K ES $25,000 A Y E A R”
Just because your ex is the soundtrack to genericism, it doesn’t follow that your career dances to the same tune. From book deals to her nutrition empire, Paltrow remains a brand of variety. And her infamous public candour has been the spark to reignite a persona that might otherwise burn out. Frankness won’t always win you friends. But, used wisely, it can bring you fortune.
G O O D APPLEGWYNETH PALTROW IS A POLYMATH WITH A POLARISING PERSONALITY. AT 43, THE ACTRESS ISN’T GOING TO START APOLOGISING NOW
BULLEVARD
22 THE RED BULLETIN
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S AY W H AT ?IF UNLOCKING THE SECRET OF TRUE HAPPINESS FEELS IMPOSSIBLE, THIS MONTH’S WISE WORDS ARE THE KEYS YOU’VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR
FOLLOW, LIKE AND RETWEET
YOUR WAY TO A STRONGER
MONTH
EXPAND YOUR NETWORK
D W E L Ltwitter.com/
dwellPerhaps you’re an
architecture fanboy or maybe you appreciate
innovative design. Either way, Dwell’s
feed of the best new homes and accessories – as much a celebration
of innovation, green technology and
resourcefulness as it is a gratuitous spectacle
of enviable pads – is worth a follow.
C A F E R A C E R SO F I N S TA G R A M
instagram.com/ caferacersofinstagram
If you’re not a fan of cafe racers, well, what’s
wrong with you? This hugely popular visual portfolio of custom
motorbikes is positively inspiring and sure to
have you drooling over a totally different kind of ‘rear-end setup’ to what you usually get through Instagram.
L I F E H A C K E Rfacebook.com/
lifehackerThe Internet is made of two things: cats
and life hacks. Owning the latter category is Lifehacker – the final
word on the quirky and smart tricks now
so popular on the World Wide Web. Everything
from streamlining your cooking to upping productivity to getting
more from your smartphone is covered.
“Don’t worry, be happy. Embrace your weirdness.
Stop labelling, start living”
CARA DELEVINGNE
“Money doesn’t buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht
to sail right up to it”JOHNNY DEPP
BULLEVARD
“I’m just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn’t paid to be a professional footballer, I would willingly play for nothing”LIONEL MESSI
“I think we’re all born with certain traits and qualities, and
it’s important to just work with it and
be happy”JENNIFER LAWRENCE
“Do things that make you happy. Within the confines of
the legal system”
ELLEN DEGENERES
“I don’t believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately you die at a very young age
or you live long enough to watch your friends die. It’s a mean thing, life”
GEORGE CLOONEY
“There are a lot of people with tons of money who aren’t happy, because either they become a prisoner of their money, or they become so consumed with getting money that they
don’t allow time for happiness”
JAY-Z
“Happiness comes from you. No one else can make you happy. You make you happy”BEYONCÉ
ST R E N GT H I N N U M B E RS
H ECTO R B E L L E R I NTHE ARSENAL RIGHT-BACK’S MIX OF SPEED AND STAMINA JUST SHOULDN’T ADD UP. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE YOUNG SPANIARD TO WORK OUT THE MATHS BEHIND THE MAGIC
BULLEVARD
THE TIME IN SECONDS IT TAKES HIM TO RUN 40M
This makes him faster over 40m than Usain Bolt, who did it in 4.64
seconds during his world-record 100m in 2009. “I do a lot of weight
training: single leg squats, split squats,” says Bellerín. “Technique
work, too, like keeping your trunk low for less wind resistance.” The
smaller your profile, the bigger the threat to your next five-a-
side opponents.
4.41F I T N E S S
T R AC K E R
THE HOTTEST THINGS IN
HEALTH
THE TECH: INFRARED SAUNAS
Ice baths are passé. Today's champs use
infrared saunas for their muscular
and cardiovascular benefits; they're said to burn calories, too. They’re so hot right now. spafinder.com7
THE NUMBER OF DAYS PER WEEK
HE TRAINSFor the dangerous
defender, training hard is also about staying
safe. “If you don’t work hard, you’ll
have problems," says Bellerín. “Not just
stamina problems, but injuries.” Recovery is as
important as the main event. “After a match,
you must make time for stretching and
rest.” Good advice, whether you’re aiming
to be a pro footballer or just a demon on the squash court.
THE APP: EARTHMILES
Turn hard miles into hard (app) cash. Partners such as Hotpod Yoga and
Plenish Juices gift freebies as a reward
for your exercise. itunes.apple.com; play.google.com
THE FUEL: NAKED PROTEIN
POPCORN Hitting your daily
protein target can be a pain in the gluteus maximus, so topping up with an ostensibly
decadent snack is more than OK by us.
theproteinworks.com
VITAL STATISTICS
Discipline FootballAge 21 Height 1.77m
Weight 74kgAchievements
3 Under-21 caps for Spain; 2014-15 FA Cup winner
with Arsenal
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF METRES HE COVERED PER GAME DURING THE 2014-15 SEASONHector covers hectares. In fact, he makes the most distance of any Arsenal defender and has the fourth-highest work rate in the entire squad. And it comes from treating training like a match. “It’s important, especially in pre-season, that you give your maximum in every session, so your body gets used to it,” says Bellerín. “Then you’re less tired in games.”
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THE TOP SPEED IN KPH HE HIT DURING THE 2014-15 SEASON To put things in context, his famously speedy teammate Theo Walcott only achieved 34.60kph. “There’s a lot of banter, but it pushes you,” Bellerín says. “He’s working hard to beat my record; I’m working harder so he doesn’t.” Friendly jostling, whether in the gym or on the pitch, can boost performance, he says. “It definitely helps you improve day by day.”
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5 WARRIOR NATIONS. 18 TEAMS. 1 VICTOR.
This year, Vodacom Super Rugby welcomes 3 new teams, from Japan, Argentina and South Africa, setting the stage for a bigger and better season. To up the stakes, there’ll be no automatic qualification and the top 8 teams will play in the knockout stage to fight their way through to the finals. Watch this epic battle unfold live in HD, on SuperSport 1 from 26 February to 6 August.
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H e r e , e i g h t n ex t- l e v e l p r o s r e l i v e e p i c f e a t s a t t h e w o r l d ’s m o s t e x t r e m e l o c a t i o n s
W O R D S : N I C K A M I E S
Far from the madding crowd: the bone-
chilling water off the coast of Oregon isn’t
your usual holiday spot
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“THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST UNEXPECTED AND UNIQUE TRIPS I’VE EVER HAD”
I A N WA L S H
IAN WALSH, USA Surfer
“What a unique experience this was. We were at the mouth of this massive glacier; the set-ups were cool, with offshore winds and drastic scenery. I was pumping down the line, staring at jagged mountains and snow. There was less buoyancy in the water because of the glacial run-off, and my board felt thinner. The water was absolutely freezing and I was wearing so much neoprene that it felt like surfing in a suit of armour!”
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“The one place in the world that I’d want to surf before I die has probably not even been discovered yet. There’s no way that every place has been found. I may hear a rumour from a fisherman or see something from a plane that leads me to this place one day. But I don’t know where it is… yet.”
HEAVY WEATHERN e a r A n c h o r a g e , A l a s ka
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JUNGLE GYMY u c a t á n , M ex i c o
GARY HUNT, GBR Cliff diving champion
“This is the most impressive place I’ve ever dived. I’d seen pictures of this cenote on bucket-list destinations. It’s in the middle of nowhere, next to Mayan ruins. This was the first time I’d dived into such a closed environment – it was like diving into a jungle from 27m up. It’s very dark down there, so the hardest thing is adjusting to the light. You take off in bright sun, then halfway down you’re blinded! And, diving into a small dark pool, your awareness of the water level isn’t good. You couldn’t judge it until the last second. It was daunting and magnificent.”
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“My next project is to create the hardest dive in the world. I’ve been practising a running take-off, which no other cliff diver is doing. I’m going to try a forward three somersaults with four-and-a-half twists from 28m in Texas at the first competition of the 2016 Red Bull Cliff Diving season.”
“IT WAS LIKE DIVING STRAIGHT
INTO A JUNGLE” G A R Y H U N T D
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“THIS IS A DIRECT DROP, STRAIGHT DOWN – THERE’S NO COMFORT AT THE CHASM”
R YA N R O B I N S O N
ON BALANCET h e C h a s m , Ta s m a n i a
RYAN ROBINSON, USA Highliner
“Every highline is a pretty incomparable experience, but the Chasm was next level. It’s direct – 300m straight down to the crashing waves below. There’s the deafening noise from the ocean echoing up the dense rock, seals on the island screaming eerily, gusts of wind out of nowhere that would hit without warning… It was just mindblowing. The buzz was the most intense I’ve ever experienced. There was just so much space between me and
the water below. I don’t think that there’s been a more exposed line; a more intense, full-on, no-comforts location. There’s nothing to save you at the Chasm.”
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“Number one is the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China. I just think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, and its unique rock columns were made to be strung up! It would be a huge challenge. You’d have to scale each column first, then figure out how to get the line across.”
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“IF YOU EVEN MAKE IT TO THE MIDDLE OF THIS COURSE, YOU’RE STOKED AS HELL!”
S Z Y M O N G O D Z I E K
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“The next Mecca for bike riding is Queenstown in New Zealand, so that would be the spot for me. There’s not just one place there but so many that I’d be spoilt for choice, and that’s awesome. There’s the best dirt-jumping park, sick freeride spots, and a really cool bike park, too.”
FIT TO DROPV i r g i n , U t a h you’re on the very top
of the ridge, you can’t crash – if you fall, you’re done. But when you survive that and head down from the ridge to the jumps, the buzz is absolutely incredible. I’ve jumped the biggest drops in my life in Utah.”
SZYMON GODZIEK, POL Mountain biker
“Riding at Red Bull Rampage in Utah is different to any other contest. The main thing is that you have to build your line, and that’s not easy, because you have endless possibilities. Which is why Red Bull Rampage is so gnarly. It’s exhausting and it’s dangerous, too. When
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DANGER ZONEU m ko m a a s , S o u t h A f r i c a
PIERRE FROLLA, FRA Champion freediver
“I wanted to make the journey to face the animals that had always terrorised me: tiger sharks and great whites. It wasn’t to show courage, but to honour these endangered species. Of course, a place full of predators is always dangerous. It’s a place where prey and predators merge, and where you must constantly defend your position. You have to demonstrate commitment and tenacity. The sea itself was also a danger. It was important to be very switched on while not trying to fight the elements.”
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“I like to travel to the wildest places the world has to offer, so I’d love to dive off the extreme south-east of Cuba. There are still wild corners there with species that have yet to experience man.”
“YOUR SENSES MUST BE AS SHARP AS POSSIBLE. YOU’RE
POTENTIAL PREY IN THE KINGDOM OF THE PREDATOR“
P I E R R E F R O L L A SEG
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“YOU NEED A LITTLE LUCK AND A LOT OF RESPECT
TO SURVIVE HERE”W I L L G A D D
WILL GADD, CAN Ice climber
“Climbing here is just another level from anywhere else I’ve been in the world. The routes around Eidfjord are
ICE BREAKERE i d f j o r d , N o r w a y
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“There’s so much potential for ice climbing. I need to visit China – there are some really interesting new places there to explore. We just got back from Japan, and there’s endless ice there that no one has ever heard of. And I just heard that some years there’s ice in South Africa… Really, there are endless places to explore.”
bigger and harder than any others on Earth. The huge vertical combined with very steep walls makes it unique. It’s certainly the hardest pure waterfall ice I’ve ever done – a blue streak raging across black rock toward the sky. I had dreams for months about climbing it. I had to climb icicles with my hands to get
up it; I’ve never had to do anything like that before or since.”
35
RAFA ORTIZ, MEX Extreme kayaker
“The Río Alseseca is the perfect playground for waterfall descents. But it’s dangerous, which is probably why it had never been done before I got there! Every now and then I’d think, ‘Why are you doing this? Is it a bad idea?’ The waterfall isn’t just massive, it’s complicated. The edge is far from smooth, meaning you could potentially fall at a bad angle – I have the scar to prove it.”
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“I seek out the biggest tests on the planet, and the rivers in Tibet are some of the best; big water, big waves, big currents. The river descents have to be completed over many days, so you have to carry all your supplies in your boat. It would be a great challenge.”
RUSH HOURT l a p a c o ya n , M ex i c o
“M Y H A PPIEST MOMENT WAS W HEN I F LOATED
AWAY H AV ING CONQUER ED THIS BE AST ”
R A FA O R T I Z
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“ THIS PL ACE IS SO SPECI A L – IT F EEL S LIK E HOME. FOR ME, IT ’S ONE BIG PL AYGROUND”
M I C H K E M E T E R
HIGH LIFE Ve r d o n G o r g e , F r a n c e have against gravity
with every move on this grey-blue rock… I love this place. It’s slightly overhanging, with a vertical drop of 180m, and if you do one move without perfection, you just fall off. The fear factor is so important in solo BASE climbing; it’s pushed me over a lot of mental hurdles. I don’t
MICH KEMETER, AUT Solo BASE climber
“The colour of the river beneath your feet, the depth that sucks you down, and the fight you
like danger. I need to feel confident in every aspect of a climb. If I don’t, I’m just not going to do it.”
W h a t ’ s n e x t ?“There are so many amazing places on this earth to climb. If I imagine the one I would like to attempt before I die, it’s the one I’ve never been to, the one I have never even heard of, the one that at this point only exists in my mind.”LU
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HELL ON WHEELSTHEY RIDE MOTORBIKES ON VERTICAL RACE TRACKS, RISKING THEIR LIVES FOR JUST FIVE DOLLARS A SHOW. THE WALL-OF- DEATH HELLRIDERS ARE SAVING AMERICA’S OLDEST EXTREME SPORT – BY LIVING THEIR OWN RADICAL FORM OF FREEDOM WORDS: ANDREAS ROTTENSCHLAGER PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM KRANTZ
Stunt rider Charlie Ransom, 52,
braves the Wall Of Death in Florida
39
“It’s showtime!” Ransom’s riders drum up interest at the tractor show in Fort Meade
40
It’s 10am in Fort Meade, Florida, USA, a flat stretch of land approximately 80km east of Tampa. The distant clattering of engines comes drifting in through the open windows of Ransom’s trailer. His stunt show is making a guest appearance at a display of antique tractors here in the middle of nowhere.
In an hour’s time, Ransom will be straddling a 90-year-old Indian Scout and circling the vertical wall of a motordrome – a 5m-tall wooden drum measuring 9m across, which 200 spectators peer into from above as if they were checking a simmering saucepan. Ransom’s job is life-threatening at the best of times. But he knows that today won’t be like any other day. Ransom, who has been a hellrider for 14 years, will be doing his first show while sporting a broken ankle.
“It happened when I was out walking,” explains Ransom with a shake of the head. “But moaning won’t do any good.
WITH JUST AN HOUR TO GO BEFORE THE SHOW IS DUE TO BEGIN, HELLRIDER CHARLIE RANSOM SITS IN HIS DIMLY LIT TRAILER, MASSAGING A BLUISH SWELLING ABOVE HIS RIGHT ANKLE.
And I can’t allow myself to take days off.”Ransom is 52, sports a grey ZZ Top beard and has tamed his brown hair into a neat plait. He’s wearing a snow-white shirt and sand-coloured riding breeches for the show. He looks like a circus ringmaster from a century ago.
All that’s missing to complete the outfit is his right motorcycling boot. The problem is, he can’t get his swollen foot into it. Ransom has to improvise. He takes a sharp penknife, cuts through the seam on the back of the boot and splits the upper in two. Then he forces his swollen foot into the boot. His face is distorted in agony. He groans. But at least his foot is in.
Ransom wraps black duct tape around the boot. Now he’s ready to perform.
The wall of death is an old sport. It grew out of board track racing, an American pastime in the early 20th century, where motorcyclists would thunder their way round wooden circuits, or motordromes. As time went on, the organisers built increasingly insane circuits. They brought in steep bends. They did away with straights altogether. Ultimately, they were left with a circular drum a few metres in diameter, in which motorcyclists used centrifugal force to wind their way up vertical walls. The riders became the stars of fairs across the country. By the 1930s, there were more than 100 motordromes established in amusement parks, or touring, in the US.
As competition to attract spectators became ever fiercer, the shows spun out of control. There are old photographs that show circus lions sitting in sidecars. Some riders had trained brown bears to sit on the petrol tank of their motorbikes. The stunt drivers would hurtle towards each other and try to swerve at the last moment. Some died in the process, which is how the spectacle became christened the ‘Wall Of Death’.
Interest in the shows waned after World War II. Ransom is one of the last exponents keeping the tradition of the Wall Of Death alive with his team of motorcyclists and kart drivers. “It’s a life of freedom,” Ransom explains. “You don’t have a boss looking over your shoulder on the Wall Of Death.”
Hellriding is all about toying with physics. Ransom’s riders start by circling the floor of the motordrome, then move onto a starting track at the base of the drum. From there, they drive up the vertical wall. The centrifugal force keeps
Above: Rider ‘Hobo Bill’ wheels his bike past the motordrome. Twelve tons of equipment are taken on tour around the US
42 THE RED BULLETIN
The bikes used at the Wall Of Death are
up to 90 years old, including (below
centre) a 1975 Harley-Davidson SX250
Paying the bills: every dollar that Ransom grabs from the crowd goes into a fund for injured bikers
44
them up. Unless a chain splits. Or the handlebars jam. Or a tyre bursts. Or their speed falls below 50kph, in which case gravity comes back into play within a matter of seconds and sends the riders crashing to the floor of the motordrome from a height of 4.3m.
“The [cost of] insurance in this job is enormous,” Ransom explains. None of his riders is insured, which is why every dollar that the show takes from the paying spectators counts. And why there are no days off. Not even if you’re nursing a broken ankle.
At 10.30am, Ransom wedges crutches under his arms and clambers out of his trailer. He hobbles along for 15 steps and stops by the red-and-white outer wall of the motordrome. The American flag flaps in the wind on the canopy above the drum. The words ‘Hell On Wheels’ are emblazoned on the sign above the stairway leading into the arena.
The day’s first visitors appear at around 11am to see the tractor show. That’s problem number two today: 90 per cent
of the crowd are men aged 60 and over, rolling around the place in golf carts to ogle at rickety old tractors and ancient juicers. Not exactly the typical crowd for a motorbike stunt show.
But Ransom says that’s OK – a Wall Of Death rider must always be a showman. He gets up on stage outside the motordrome, clutching his handheld microphone, Elvis Presley-style, and starts trying to grab the attention of the farmers and pensioners milling around.
“Iiiiit’s show time!” The peaks of all the John Deere caps turn his way. Ransom
IN THE 1930S, AS COMPETITION TO ATTRACT SPECTATORS
BECAME EVER FIERCER, THE SHOWS SPUN OUT OF CONTROL
pitches his show with the powerful, persuasive tones of a radio announcer. “See the daredevils on the world’s steepest racetrack!” He’s risking his life for a $5 entrance fee; one show an hour.
Golf carts pull up in front of the stage. Yet more John Deere caps. Shorts, and tennis socks pulled up to the knee. Handlebar moustaches.
Even the construction of Ransom’s Wall Of Death tells the story of a dream come true. Stunt rider Jay ‘Lightnin’’ Bentley from Massachusetts knocked
Ransom and his Staffordshire terrier
Trouble kick back with some tunes
after the show
46 THE RED BULLETIN
View from below: centrifugal force is
all that’s keeping the rider on the wall
RANSOM HITS 50KPH AND TAKES HIS HANDS OFF THE HANDLEBARS
it up in his own garden between the years of 1996 and 1998. By hand. On his own. Without a blueprint.
Bentley, a legend among stunt riders, had been appearing in shows at other people’s motordromes for the previous 27 years. But he had a craving for independence, within a system that was already radically independent.
He stored the wood in his living room. For two long years, Bentley cut the Douglas fir boards, measured the angles and screwed in more than 3,000 screws. When he put up the walls, they almost came level with the roof of his house. Bentley’s neighbours thought he was building a ship. Finally, in 2000, Bentley set off on tour with his Wall of Death.
Ransom first met Bentley in 2002 when he was marooned in his trailer in the Redwood National and State Parks in California. Ransom was 37, newly divorced and looking for work. He helped Bentley with the wall. He climbed onto motorbikes. And he learnt how to negotiate the Wall Of Death.
When Bentley brought his career as a stunt rider to a close, Ransom took over the running of the Wall Of Death show. By now, he knew the background story to
Ransom keeps a steady hand on
his pride and joy: his 1926 Indian Scout
Wahl E Walker (left) gains on go-kart driver Sergeant Mikey J
48 THE RED BULLETIN
up now. The two riders spin back down to the base and bring their bikes to a halt in the middle of the motordrome.
Now it’s Ransom’s turn. He hobbles along and struggles his way onto the 1926 Indian Scout, the holiest of holies for hellriders, with its low centre of gravity and particularly tough frame. Ransom turns on the engine. The Indian roars to life and he begins circling, the bike clattering loudly. Ransom is on the wall. The drum smells of petrol. Centrifugal forces three times his bodyweight keep Ransom wedged onto the Scout. He fixes the throttle in place when he gets to 50kph, then takes both hands off the handlebars. He circles the Wall Of Death with no hands. The crowd go wild.
Walker takes a loudhailer and asks the audience to fold dollar bills and hold them over the lip of the drum; Ransom will pluck them from their hands. Ransom continues circling and licks his fingers. Then he hones in on the spectators’ fingertips with pinpoint accuracy. Vroom! He grabs them, as quick as a flash. Vroom! A single bill per lap. You can feel a wisp of wind as he rushes by on the Indian.
Ransom puts the dollar bills into a fund for injured bikers. It’s the greatest irony of the show: a stunt-rider putting his own life at risk to cover medical bills. After 10 laps, Ransom coasts back down to the base of the drum. First he rides
from the vertical wall to the tilting runway and then back onto the base of the drum. The show has been a success. Ransom soaks up the applause. For a brief moment, he can forget the pain in his right ankle.
Half an hour after the show, Ransom is lying in a rickety camping chair, with his foot up. He’s got his guitar out of the trailer and is strumming a couple of chords. The guitar is custom-made. The sound box is made from a Harley-Davidson Hummer headlight nacelle that’s been painted red.
Ransom says there are only three things he loves in the world: his mother, his motorbike and the Wall Of Death. He hugs female spectators who stumbled out of the motordrome quivering after his show. And he takes delight in the look on the faces of the macho guys who recoiled as he hurtled towards them on his Indian Scout.
And what about the risk of crashing? Pain is part of the deal, Ransom says, when you’re living the dream.
“This is my dream job,” he continues. “If you can get by on not much money, it’s a great life.”
Then Ransom gets up out of his deckchair and hobbles his way back to the motordrome. Ten minutes from now, it’ll be time for his next show.americanwallofdeath.com
every scratch in the wall. That incredibly long dent about 2m from the floorboards? Made by the footrest of an Indian Scout that went flying into the wooden wall in 2014. That jagged double groove halfway up the drum? A shattered go-kart chain punctured the wall in 2015.
A year ago, one of Ransom’s riders went careering to the bottom of the motordrome from the top of the wall. When he crashed to the ground, splinters of wood flew 5m into the air, showering the spectators watching from above.
Back at the motordrome, the riders enter the drum one after the other through a narrow, folding door. White-haired 66-year-old Wahl E Walker gets into the saddle of a 1975 Harley-Davidson. Walker is the world’s oldest hellrider still performing regularly. His favourite manoeuvre sees him hurtling towards the spectators at the top of the drum, staring them in the eyes, “so they think they’re going to be run over”.
Rider number two performs under a stage name: Sergeant Mikey J. He’s a wiry guy who never stops smiling, even when he’s riding round the Wall Of Death. Previous to his life as a hellrider, Sergeant Mikey used to blow up concrete bridges as an engineer in the US Army. Today, he’s at the helm of a 5hp go-kart with a special frame made of shatterproof steel.
Ransom is the last man to enter; there must always be three men in the motordrome. Should Walker and the Sergeant crash during their joint routine, Ransom would be the man to get the rescue workers into the drum. The door of the Wall Of Death is constructed in such a way that it can only be opened from the inside.
Walker and the Sergeant start their performance with the Australian Criss- Cross Race, which is a pursuit. During the stunt, the two hellriders judge each other’s distance by the noise of their engines and have to hope that neither makes a mistake.
The pair start their bikes and begin spiralling along the wall. They do circles in parallel, an arm’s length apart, intermittently sloping away from each other or chasing each other round the motordrome. The drum vibrates from the weight of their bikes.
If one of the two riders comes close to the upper edge, the watching farmers pull back in fear. The crowd is warmed
Some last-minute, pre-show prep for Ransom
“THIS IS MY DREAM JOB. IF YOU CAN GET BY ON NOT MUCH
MONEY, IT’S A GREAT LIFE”
THE RED BULLETIN 49
Buitendag has been riding waves since the age of eight
“PEOPLE WILL R EMEMBER HOW YOU M A DE THEM FEEL”
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50 THE RED BULLETIN
B i a n c a B u i t e n d a g w a s S o u t h A f r i c a ’ s m o s t s u c c e s s f u l p r o f e s s i o n a l s u r f e r i n 2 0 1 5 , t h r i v i n g i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s w h e r e o t h e r s w o u l d h a v e f o l d e dWords: Jazz Kuschke Photography: Dewald Daniels
n flawless surf at the hallowed point break of Maui’s Honolua Bay, South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag fell short by a mere three-100ths of a point in the quarter-finals of the season-ending Maui Pro. But her result – joint fifth – boosted her two places in the World Surf League rankings to a career-high fourth in
the world. For the 22-year-old, it capped a sensational third season competing among the elite top 18 on the Championship Tour, in which she made three finals and one semi-final in the 10 events. It also made her the most successful South African professional surfer – male or female – of the past 18 months, and she did it all despite mourning the untimely death of her father, Colin, who had taught her to surf as a child and who was one of her staunchest supporters.
“If there are good waves and good scores, I would prefer to lose marginally than miss the opportunity to surf to my full potential,” says Buitendag of that quarter-final score, which was actually good enough to win every other heat in that round. “Toward the end of the season, like in Maui, you just want to raise your level of surfing and show ’em what you got. Especially in the conditions we were blessed with on the final day.”
Buitendag’s goal at the beginning of 2015 was to end the year in the top five, so she succeeded and then some. “But being successful in sport or a career means less to me than you might think,” she says. “It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but people won’t remember any of that. People will remember who you were, how you made them feel, how your heart was, and what you achieved according to its convictions.”
Buitendag’s philosophical outlook is typical of how she has approached the best year of her career. The most inspirational part of her story, however, is not her rise to the top of pro surfing, but rather that she pulled off this year- of-years while dealing with the impact of her father’s death.
“I was in New Zealand when we heard what had happened,” says Buitendag of the tragic news in late March last year. “By the time I got home after three flights, everything was already on top of me: funeral, people, people and more people. It’s a great distraction, but they come, they go, and I was left to make the decision whether or not to compete in an event starting three days later.”
No one would have questioned her if she had taken a few months off and escaped the pressures of competing to be able to work through her grief. Instead, Buitendag carried on and not only survived, but thrived. In a sense, surfing and competing was her way of coping.
Buitendag made the call to travel to Australia to compete in the women’s
I ” I ’ d p r e f e r t o l o s e m a r g i n a l l y t h a n m i s s t h e c h a n c e t o s u r f t o m y f u l l p o t e n t i a l ”
Buitendag, who hails from Victoria Bay, is a ‘goofy-footer’, which means she leads with her right foot, rather than the ‘regular’ left
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THE RED BULLETIN 53
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participating in endurance sports – are often better at what they do if they have had to overcome some kind of tremendous hardship in their life. It’s almost as if they channel the survival mechanism they’ve experienced into their racing and training.
Buitendag believes that this may have played some part in her success last year. “It definitely puts you through something you never thought you would survive,” she says. “You get to a point where you become very honest with yourself. You realise what actually matters, and the concept of ‘competing’ evaporates.
“With this revelation of truth – what will and will not pass; what will and will not help others; what will and will not even matter – comes a kind of liberation from the constant pressures of professional sport.”
The story of Buitendag’s extraordinary 2015 is not one of overcoming emotional adversity, it is one of triumph in spite of it. Here is a testament to unwavering commitment. “A quick recipe for success does not exist,” Buitendag admits. “It’s a process, for sure, but many times we’re convinced this process is in our power: if we put in more hours, it will happen for us; or if we do this and that, it will happen. I still remember sitting next to my dad in the car after school, having to decide at the age of 18 whether I wanted to attempt this professional surfing thing or to study in Stellenbosch. It was 50/50. And when I first got onto the tour, a lot of people put an emphasis on ‘experience’, which I did not exactly understand at the time. But, looking back, I guess a growth in experience is what I can attribute my success to.”
Ever humble, Buitendag believes everyone has it within themselves to do likewise, regardless of their situation. And, she’s quick to point out, there are others who have achieved even more despite enduring much worse.
“It’s not only me,” she says. “The tales of the lives of many athletes worldwide will blow your mind. Don’t underestimate the stories behind the successes in those jerseys.” biancabuitendag.com
Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. “It was hard,” she admits. “For me, going to Bells and competing was almost about running away from the turmoil at home. It was a safer and better place to be, thinking that when I returned home, my father would still be there.”
Her dad had taught her to surf in the foamies at the Strand in Cape Town when she was just eight years old. “Surfing surely was a special link to my dad,” Buitendag says. “But that’s a memory, a moment one can recall from the past. When a person’s life is so integrated into your own that you speak his words, have his hands and share his character, it’s not in the past, but in the present that you see him.”
Sports psychologists like to say that professional athletes – especially those
Buitendag refers to the ocean as “my first love” and surfing as “a sport that I will do for as long as I can walk”
“ B e i n g s u c c e s s f u l i n s p o r t o r a c a r e e r m e a n s l e s s t o m e t h a n y o u m i g h t t h i n k ”
54 THE RED BULLETIN
GET
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ES
WIN LIKE JÜRGEN KLOPPThere’s virtually no one better than the 48-year-old German at turning players into winners. The Liverpool manager gives football journalist Raphael Honigstein his 10 personal rules for successIllustration: Mink Couteaux
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Rule no. 2
It’s on your bad days that you prove your worthPassion, hunger and will are fundamental to Jürgen Klopp. He wants “mental giants” in his team, giants motivated by “passionate obsession”. That may sound bold, but there’s a logic to it. “Anyone can have a good day,” he says. “But you have to be able to perform on a bad day. That’s what you live for as a sportsman. You have to put up a fight.”
Klopp’s idol when he was growing up was Karlheinz Förster, a defender for the German national side and VfB Stuttgart, who may not have been over-endowed with natural talent, but always had the right attitude. Holding out against an opponent who is objectively better than you by showing greater effort and passion is an “important experience for the mind and the heart”, says Klopp. “Because it’s at times like those that you understand that you’ve got a little bit more in you.”
Klopp has an exceptional ability – a sixth sense for getting that “little bit more” out of his players. It was precisely this skill that helped him transform average Bundesliga players like Kevin Großkreutz and Erik Durm into Bundesliga stars, and even World Cup winners.
Rule no. 3
Always be yourself, no matter what you’re doingJürgen Klopp is Jürgen Klopp. He always has been, whether as an amateur player in Pforzheim, Sindlingen and Frankfurt, as a professional at Mainz, or as manager at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and now Liverpool. If you ask for Klopp, you get Klopp, 100 per cent. He was authentic long before it became fashionable.
Klopp’s open, friendly personality comes across in the way he manages his team. His players know him as “Kloppo”. Should he create an artificial distance?
Appear to demonstrate his authority? Out of the question as far as Klopp is concerned. He says the players would instantly see through anything so fake.
Which is why Klopp believes that it’s not a problem to show weakness on occasion, too. He wants to work in a pleasant environment himself. For Klopp, it’s a misconception that you can’t be nice if you’re a manager. On the contrary, you should “be on good form as often as possible”, as this approach releases happiness hormones.
At the same time, everyone knows that the volcano bubbling away inside Jürgen Klopp can erupt within seconds if you get on the wrong side of him. Anyone who doesn’t obey him will be weeded out – and mercilessly at that. This comes naturally to Klopp. He isn’t only intelligent, empathetic, and skilled at what he does; he’s 100 per cent professional in his ambitions.
Rule no. 4
Use humour to turn problems aroundJürgen Klopp is a master of motivation. His turn of phrase is perhaps his greatest gift, and not only when dealing with the press. “He’s perfect at getting his point across,” says Hans-Joachim Watzke, CEO of Borussia Dortmund (BVB). “That makes you sit up and pay closer attention. Jürgen is never boring.” Klopp never jots down what he’s going to say in advance. It’s important for him to be spontaneous, and humour is one of his most vital weapons.
He knows that a few well-said words can relieve the pressure and make people find positives in things they had previously viewed in a negative light. Psychologists call this ‘reframing’. Klopp insists he doesn’t do it deliberately, but that’s not the point; the ultimate effect is the same. He has the ability to turn problems into opportunities.
“Anyone can have a good day. But you have to be able to perform on a bad day. That’s what you live for as a sportsman.
You have to put up a fight”
Rule no. 1
Remember that success comes from withinYou’d better stay out of Jürgen Klopp’s way if his team has just lost. Linesmen, journalists, even his club’s press officer… no one is safe from the German’s angry outbursts in times of defeat. This volcano of a manager lives for winning.
There’s one thing that drives Klopp on: maximum success. This has been the case ever since he was a child. Norbert, his sport-mad father, goaded him on, whether at skiing, tennis or football. “He loved me,” Klopp reminisced in a 2009 interview with Die Zeit, “but he never gave an inch, never mind let me win.” One Saturday morning, after his father had beaten him 6:0, 6:0 at tennis yet again, Klopp shouted at him, “Do you think I’m enjoying this?” To which his father shouted back, “Do you think I am?”
Norbert Klopp, the typical Swabian father, demanded much and praised little. Shortly before his death from cancer at the age of 68, already gravely ill, he doggedly represented his senior team in doubles one last time. This obsessive dedication is in Jürgen Klopp’s blood, too. If the ball got away from him when he was a player in the 2. Bundesliga (German football’s second division), he says, it would tear him up inside, whereas jeers from spectators didn’t bother him at all. Then, as now, he wanted to get everything right, to win for himself. “I was a fighting machine with a will of iron,” he says.
This very special drive leaves its mark on Klopp’s players, too. At every training session, he instils in them the idea that success comes purely from within, from your own efforts. Every player must take responsibility for his own actions and commit to a common goal. “If you are full of motivation as a player, if you are full of concentration… I am open arms,” the 48-year-old explained when he arrived at Liverpool last October. “If you are not, of course [I am hard], but only because to work with players who don’t understand the professional part of this life is a waste of time.”
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Sometimes, Klopp does it by simply staying silent. During the 2012 DFB [German Football Association] Cup campaign, he would show players in the BVB changing room emotionally charged pictures of earlier cup finals, but without saying a word. The result was the team romping their way through the early rounds of a competition they had hitherto hated, humiliating Bayern Munich 5:2 in the final.
Rule no. 5
Commit yourself to a common set of valuesJürgen Klopp isn’t a friend to his players, he’s a partner. He has maximum respect for his players and demands maximum respect from them in return: respect for him personally and also for the team and what they’re trying to achieve. “I would never sign an asshole just because he’s great at football,” he says.
The pledge that every BVB player had to sign in 2011 is now the stuff of legend. It had seven points; unconditional commitment; passionate obsession;
determination, regardless of how the game is going; a preparedness to support everyone; a willingness to seek help; a commitment to contribute 100 per cent effort for the good of the team, and the assumption of personal responsibility. Klopp’s pledge is now quoted in management text books.
There are also hard and fast rules for awkward situations. Anyone who doesn’t make it into Klopp’s team is allowed to express his disappointment, but only immediately after finding out, which normally means the day before a game. Klopp allows no further comment once they’re at the ground and ready for the match itself. An individual’s situation can’t take precedence over respect for one’s teammates.
Klopp’s teams know that when they all work together, they’re stronger than the sum of their parts. “If that co-operation isn’t there,” he says, “something’s missing.”
Rule no. 6
Treat every individual as an individual Even if, as Klopp freely admits, his early months at Liverpool weren’t “all sunshine”, it is now strikingly obvious just how completely he has won over the team. To get to this stage, there have been long conversations where he has tried to find out everything there is to know about his players, their hopes and their fears. Armed with this knowledge, he’s able to successfully press all the buttons as the dressing-room psychologist, tailoring his approach on an individual basis. He might give one player a hug while ignoring another altogether. After an outstanding game, one of the younger players, such as Jordon Ibe, might receive a friendly slap to keep his feet on the ground.
If anyone says anything negative about the team in interviews, he will be called upon to repeat the criticism in front of the whole team, at which point it usually stops. In Dortmund, Klopp once went to a car dealership himself to cancel an expensive order placed by one of his young players on receipt of his first pay packet, and which he simply couldn’t afford. Klopp would literally hold up a mirror in the faces of players with outrageous haircuts and ask them, with a knowing smile, if it might not be better to be noticed for their performance on the pitch instead.
Rule no. 7
Always lead your team by exampleJürgen Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football at Dortmund was a game-changer throughout Europe. Pressing – applying constant pressure on opposing players to win back the ball when not in possession – was the name of the game, but almost no other team did it to the extent that BVB did. During his early years at the club in particular, with the team still young and unpolished, the players scampered all over the pitch like hares, pressing with six, seven or eight men at a time. Klopp’s system of pressing became part of their DNA. It was something to behold, and only possible because his players had developed a genuine desire to play that kind of football.
It goes without saying that this highly complex, incredibly exhausting, playing system took great commitment, but then Klopp’s credo was to get every last drop
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of effort out of his players. He might wear himself out on the sidelines, and he expects nothing less from his team, as a matter of principle, regardless of how the match is going. When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, on trial in his first month with BVB, sprinted back more than 60 metres to defend, tackling the ball away at his own corner flag, Klopp almost went berserk – in a good way.
Rule no. 8
Set yourself realistic goalsWhen Klopp started out at BVB, the club was at rock bottom. No one was thinking about winning the title. Klopp picked up on the atmosphere and, at the beginning, set only modest goals. BVB should play fun football again – “I like it when it’s hard and fast, when it’s a battle, when there are chances, when it gets people up out of their seats” – and appeal to the hard-working spirit of the people of the Ruhr. The famous full-throttle style of play was born.
Thinking ahead to the next game is also typical Klopp. “A skier,” he says, “doesn’t raise his hands in the air in celebration after the first gate and turn off.” Klopp is always focused on what comes next: the next goal, the next burst of energy, the next move, the next match. In his early years, the team stuck to this principle, and suddenly they were champions, had won the double, and made it to the final of the Champions League.
“There are people who say that if you don’t clearly set yourself big goals, then you’re not really ambitious,” he explains. “Those people have no idea how to attain goals.”
Rule no. 9
Encourage criticism of strengths, not weaknessKlopp will only criticise weaknesses when a journalist asks him a question he doesn’t like. “What section do you work in, then? Animal films?” he once barked at a reporter from German TV channel WDR. But he never has a bad word to say about his players in public. Even within the team, analysing mistakes plays a relatively minor role. Instead, he prefers to teach the players how to make the most of their potential and go beyond their limitations.
Klopp’s credo is that you can’t go on at players about all the things they can’t do. Instead, you have to think they’re capable of improving and developing. “That way, he’ll have faith – first in me and then in himself.”
Klopp isn’t above going over the basics of football, such as the correct way to take the ball, hundreds of times with seasoned professionals. Training is all about repetition, he explains; a drummer, for example, might practise a sequence 1,600 times until he has it down pat. It’s the same with football: repeat, repeat, repeat…
Klopp says that when he’s putting together a team, it isn’t necessarily a case of finding the best 11 players, “but rather the 11 that are most likely to win”. He learnt when playing with Mainz in the German second division that the right tactics can help you emphasise your strengths and hide your weaknesses. Strategies such as a back four and zonal marking – brought in by his then manager and mentor Wolfgang Frank, and still novelties in German football in the late ’90s – helped Mainz, for example, to succeed “quite independently of our ability or inability, to a certain extent,” he recalls. “Until that point, we had thought that as we were a team with worse individual players than most of our opponents, we’d have to lose lots of matches.”
Rule no. 10
Always stay calm in a crisisKlopp once recounted a conversation he had with a bobsleigher. The guy had told him that you mustn’t oversteer as you try to find the perfect line on the track. Don’t always get actively involved. Sometimes, when the time is right, let things take their own course. When, one New Year’s Eve, Klopp caught one of his players with a large bottle of vodka on the table, he merely smiled at him, told him to have a good evening, and carried on as if he had seen nothing. This way, he creates a bond between himself and his players and strengthens their sense of loyalty.
Most managers take radical action if the results keep failing to come. Klopp does the exact opposite. Halfway through the 2014/2015 season, BVB were in their worst position since his arrival as manager; a team that should have been potential league winners were threatened with relegation. Yet anyone who went off to the winter training camp in Spain expecting to see a beleaguered squad and a nervous manager would have been disappointed. Klopp was calm, relaxed and in good spirits.
This composure and confidence rubbed off on the team. By the end of the season, they had made it into the Europa League – an achievement almost no one had thought possible – and reached the final of the DFB Cup, and the seven-year Klopp era at BVB drew to a relatively peaceable close. “Crises are part of football. It’s then that you learn to value success,” says Klopp knowingly. “You can lose. You can lose again. And again. But you can always win the game after that. And that’s what’s so great about it.”
“It’s not a case of finding the best 11 players, but rather the 11 that are most likely to win”
JÜRGEN KLOPP Born in Stuttgart in 1967. Became manager of Mainz 05 in 2001 at the end of his playing career. Moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2008 and led the team to two Bundesliga titles, one DFB Cup win and the 2013 Champions League final (they lost 2:1 to Bayern Munich). Has been Liverpool boss since October 2015. Worked as a TV pundit for German TV channel ZDF during the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Championships.
RAPHAEL HONIGSTEINBorn in Munich in 1973. Moved to London in 1993 and began a career as a writer and sports journalist. Writes about the Bundesliga for The Guardian and about the English league for German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. Also a football commentator on TV and radio. Who better to write a regular football column for our website? Check it out: redbulletin.com
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an EP of songs that clearly go together. But for now I’m not putting myself in a box.Is breaking the rules part of a masterplan?I do it because it feels right. If I had to pick one genre, I’d get bored. We’re forced into making decisions too often. We have to go for this or that. It’s always either or. That social pressure is dangerous. In my songs, I encourage people to break out of their black-and-white thinking patterns. I like grey-zone people. Grey-zone people? People who are in between
things. Our society is scared of human beings who don’t make up their mind. It’s seen as a weakness. In school you are supposed to make decisions that determine your future. People who have a hard time making those choices are quickly stigmatised as outsiders.It sounds as if you’re speaking from experience.I was diagnosed as having ADHD and dyslexia when I was 19. I felt relieved, because
Katy Perry is a fan (“Elliphant is the baddest b-tch in the game”), and DJs such as Diplo and David Guetta use her unique vocals to improve
their tracks. Meet Ellinor Miranda Salome Olovsdotter, or Elliphant for short. In 2012 her debut single, TeKKno Scene, became an underground hit, when it was used as the soundtrack for FIFA 13. The 30-year-old Swede now hopes to conquer the pop world with her new album, Living Life Golden. And her blend of pop, dancehall and hip hop is as wonderful as it is crazy.
the red bulletin: A rapper from Sweden with a Jamaican accent making electronic pop music. Surely that’s no way to go about cracking the charts? elliphant: I’ve been hearing that kind of thing since the start of my career. One of the first lessons you learn in the music biz is to keep your product clear and make sure people know what they’re getting. But I’m going against all those rules by not sticking to one genre. It could be fun to make
finally I had an explanation for why I had found it so difficult to follow rules. Did you get things under control with medication?No, I started travelling a lot, especially to India. I was incredibly lucky not to be prescribed medication. Why?People who aren’t willing to be subordinated tend to be sedated in this day and age. But pills don’t save people. Pills numb them. If we’d done this 300 years ago, we would have killed all these creative minds, all the grey-zone people, and it would have eliminated so much creativity. Van Gogh might not have cut off his ear, but then maybe he
wouldn’t have painted many of his masterpieces either. How do you deal with your dyslexia?I embrace it. I use the fact that I get words mixed up all the time, because of my dyslexia, to my benefit. My song Ciant Hear It should actually be called ‘Can’t Hear It’. But I don’t give a sh-t! The title has more attitude that way.So a flaw gives you a USP?Exactly. Don’t listen to the rules, don’t create a prison
for yourself. And most importantly: don’t let anyone tell you who you are. Native Americans used to send their kids into the forest on their own when they were 12 years old. Do you know why?No idea.So they could find out who they were and what they were best at for themselves. You don’t understand how much you are actually doing for other people until you really explore yourself. By the time they were 22, most of my friends in Sweden had taken out mortgages to buy an apartment, because they thought that’s what they were supposed to do. Now a lot of them are working
in unfulfilling jobs to pay off those mortgages. What’s the secret to a fulfilled life?It’s actually very simple. Do you know what most people say on their deathbeds? “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard,” and, “I wish I had said ‘yes’ more often in life.” I think the key to a good life is to stick to those principles.Florian Obkircher
ELLIPHANT The Swedish rapper is a superstar in the making, thanks to breaking the rules and embracing her flaws
“NEVER KILL CREATIVITY”
“I EMBRACE MY DYSLEXIA. MY SONG CIANT HEAR IT SHOULD ACTUALLY BE CALLED ‘CAN’T HEAR IT’. BUT I DON’T GIVE A SH-T!”
HEROES
Elliphant, 30, is a grey-zone rapper.
“I encourage people to break out of their
black-and-white thinking patterns”
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Daredevil is on Netflix now. netflix.com
on. But that doesn’t make you a hero. A real hero can be cruel to the people he cares about most. Daredevil does that.What does that mean?It means sometimes there are more important factors, higher reasons for your behaviour. A hero shouldn’t be a people pleaser. Can you give an example of when being cruel is the true hero response?When you have children, which I don’t, you want to protect them so that they don’t hurt themselves. Or sometimes you let them make mistakes,
so that they can learn from the negative experience. You’re being cruel to be kind.What about adults? Are you cruel to them too? You know that conundrum; you don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings. You’re afraid they might feel bad if you’re honest with them. But don’t agonise over other people’s emotions. You need to tell them exactly how you feel.That’s brave.Yes, it requires a lot of courage.
British actor Charlie Cox has built up an enviable CV over the years, including films such as Stardust, The Merchant
of Venice and The Theory of Everything, and hit TV series Boardwalk Empire. But taking on the role of Marvel’s Daredevil, a blind lawyer who fights Manhattan crime by night, presented the 33-year-old with his first superhero. And with that came fresh challenges. For one, Cox, who had never so much as signed up to a gym, had to reach and maintain a superheroic level of fitness. He also had to master the art of playing a blind man, something he’s managed with award-winning accuracy. As Daredevil returns for a second series, we speak to Cox about heroes, both on and off the small screen.
the red bulletin: What makes someone a hero? Is it a blind man fighting baddies? charlie cox: Not being able to see does heighten your senses. I got my own small taste of that when I walked into the street with a blindfold
So blunt honesty is a must. Is there another essential hero characteristic? I find it very heroic when, in the face of adversity, someone manages to operate from a place of kindness rather than aggression or anger. It may sound cheesy, but forgiveness is probably the best example of everyday heroism I can imagine.What do you mean by that?Imagine someone has caused you and your family unnecessary harm and you feel resentment towards them. Having the courage to forgive that whole-heartedly and move on from on it is, in many ways, one of the most heroic actions you can display.
Do you manage to do that?Sometimes, yes. So it’s difficult situations that make the hero…Yes.Has your mettle been tested by adversity?I had periods of unemployment, which are particularly difficult because you don’t know if they’re ever going to end. You wonder whether the door will ever open for you again, and you start to question whether it’s all worth it.
How did you cope?I didn’t lounge around in bed in a bad mood. I spent as much time as I could with my friends and family. And I stayed active mentally; I wrote plays and scripts and prepared even harder for any auditions. And if I did ever get stuck in a down mood, I would take my motorbike out for a spin and ride off into the sunset.So now you’re prepared if faced with that again?Yes. Of course there are a lot of worse things than being unemployed. Your job is to enjoy the good times and not let the bad times get you down too much. Most of the best moments in my life had nothing to do with money or success.
For example?Once, I went via bus from Cape Town to Nairobi. By Lake Malawi, I watched a football game between two local towns on a dirt pitch. Only three or four of the players had shoes, the goals didn’t have nets. To see that teaches you humility. And it was also a truly magical experience.Rüdiger Sturm
CHARLIE COX The lusty Londoner is Marvel’s blind superhero Daredevil, and he knows what it takes to win in real life, too
“HEROES CAN BE CRUEL”
“MOST OF THE BEST MOMENTS IN MY LIFE HAVE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH EITHER MONEY OR SUCCESS”
Charlie Cox knows exactly what it
takes to be a hero: a healthy mix of
kindness and cruelty
Londoner Alfie Allen, 29, has risen above sibling rivalry to forge his own career
instagram.com/AlfieEAllen/
The red bulletin: Are you a masochist? alfie allen: Why do you ask? Your Game Of Thrones character,
Theon Greyjoy, is constantly humiliated and tortured, and ends up being castrated. It can’t be much fun to act…I’ve got to pay the mortgage somehow! You’re doing it for the money, then?No, to be serious about it, it’s very interesting to play a man who ends up being reduced to nothing. Before that, the bedroom was where he wielded authority, but then his sole weapon is taken away from him.So, how does he cope with that?He has to accept his weaknesses. He knows that they exist, and by accepting that side of himself and acknowledging that side of his character, he can turn it into a kind of armour. He can create a new man and find a strength to use against the world. You’ve had your own moments of weakness…Says who?Well, your sister Lily wrote that song about you. The one that included the lyrics, “My little brother’s in his bedroom, smoking weed. I tell him he should get up ’cos it’s nearly half past three”… Oh, that. Well, what can I say? That’s just the sort of thing siblings do. One could say I proved her wrong.
How’s that?I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. But I didn’t forge a career as payback! It’s got nothing to do with what my sister has done. All that matters is that you live your own life and do your own thing. Don’t do something in reaction to someone else, because then you’re f--ked. That’s why I love it when people do something they believe in, even when everyone’s telling them that they’re making a mistake. People like that are my heroes.How do you react when people call you Reek, the name that Theon Greyjoy is given in Game Of Thrones?It goes in one ear and out the other. It really doesn’t annoy me. What matters is that people are otherwise nice to me.Iwan Rheon, who plays your nemesis in the show, thinks he could best you in real life, too…Why? What’s he said?He says he’d thrash you in a game of pool.That’s bullsh-t. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.Isn’t it payback time? For what? He’s a cool guy. We’re mates.Is there any behaviour you wouldn’t accept from someone? Well, Iwan supports Manchester United. In that regard, he’s a real letdown of a man. The only team that matters is Arsenal.Rüdiger Sturm
“MY CAREER ISN’T ABOUT PAYBACK”ALFIE ALLEN He comes off second best in Game Of Thrones and gets dissed by his big sister on the radio. Here, he talks about the Zen of losing
the red bulletin: You’re a pilot, a manager and a flight instructor. That sounds very structured. Do you ever have to improvise? mélanie astles: All the time. In the plane during a race, you might take a pylon wrong. Or, in the day-to-day, your boyfriend might leave you, or you might lose your job. But you must carry on regardless. You have to keep sight of your long-term goal. You had to work in a petrol station to be able to afford to fly in the early stages of your career...I was even homeless at one point because I’d put all my money into learning to fly. I was in deep sh-t. But whenever I got back in the plane, I knew why I was putting myself through all that.You come across as very relaxed. Do you ever feel panic?Panic? No. But stress? Yes. But when I do end up in a stressful situation, I just take a deep breath and only react after that, both in the plane and down on the ground. Reacting hastily will cause you far more problems than reacting more slowly. You’ve always got a second more time than you think. So, reason trumps instinct?Every time. Without fail. Werner Jessner
“YOU’VE GOT TIME!”MÉLANIE ASTLES The high-flying Frenchwoman is the first female Red Bull Air Race pilot. And she knows how to keep a cool head under pressure
redbullairrace.com
Mélanie Astles, 33, believes in pausing for thought: “Rushing is dangerous”
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PARTYHARDFORGET LONDON, FORGET BERLIN: GLASGOW IS THE TRUE PARTY CAPITAL OF EUROPE. THE RED BULLETIN SAMPLES THE COMBINED POWER OF SPRINT-PACED PARTIES AND MONASTIC WINE WITH THE CITY’S SUPERSTAR DJ AND LOCAL HERO, JACKMASTERWords: Florian Obkircher Photography: Dan Wilton
Glasgow is a city of extremes. It has the highest crime rate in all of Scotland, the lowest life expectancy in the UK, and some say it’s one of the least attractive cities in Europe. Glaswegian actor Billy Connolly once joked, “The great thing about Glasgow is that if there’s a nuclear attack, it’ll look exactly the same afterwards.”
And yet this city of almost 600,000 has become northern Europe’s boomtown for club music. Around eight years ago, local musicians such as Rustie and Hudson Mohawke broke through with their garish take on wonky hip-hop; today, they’re producing hits for rap icons like Kanye West. And last year it was scene newcomer SOPHIE who helped more seasoned stars such as Madonna and Charli XCX find chart success.
James Murphy, frontman of New York dance-punk legends LCD Soundsystem, has equally extreme views on Glasgow: for him, it’s the best city in the world. “The crowd is really committed, one way or the other,” he says. “They’re your friend or your enemy; there’s no grey area. Glasgow crowds have been really generous
to us, really going for it and giving us as much energy as they can, and that makes us play better.”
How does the city’s tarnished reputation tally with the intense creativity and party spirit of its inhabitants? What is this hidden pulse beneath the shabby exterior? The man partly responsible for its emerging party rep is Jack Revill, aka Jackmaster. Since 2006, the rough- voiced Glaswegian with the ’50s quiff has been bringing local talent to the world via his record labels, such as Numbers. Revill also happens to be one of the most sought-after underground DJs on the planet – he came fifth in club music bible Resident Advisor’s Top DJs Of 2015 poll – and is behind the decks three times a week at the world’s hottest clubs, jetting between Ibiza, Berlin and his hometown with his trusty record bag.
To celebrate Revill’s 30th birthday, The Red Bulletin went to Glasgow to party with the Red Bull Music Academy alumnus and discover what – strict opening hours and Buckie, a legendary tipple brewed by monks, are just two factors – has shaped its unique club culture.
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Jackmaster, hates? Parties where he’s
not DJing. That’s why he was behind the
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“SCOTS HAVE A VERY SPECIAL
SENSE OF HUMOUR. DIVA NONSENSE ISN’T ALLOWED”
Sunday, 4pm A low-lit burger joint in Glasgow’s West End. Film posters from Hollywood’s golden era adorn the dark red walls. Rock’n’roll classics waft tinnily from an old-fashioned jukebox. Jack Revill sips his cola and stares a little mournfully out of the fogged-up window. Outside, the rain continues to fall. Two days ago, he was performing on a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean. He wouldn’t have minded tagging a couple of days’ holiday onto his trip to paradise, but celebrate a milestone birthday without his crew? No way. Jackmaster has hired one of the biggest clubs in the city for the occasion, and well-known fellow DJs including Skream and Oneman have confirmed they’ll be joining him. Local newspaper Evening Times has billed the night as “a riot of epic proportions”, and the 1,500 tickets sold out in the time it takes to read those
words. No wonder: the DJ is a hero in the city, because he can make any event – from an underground club night to a corporate party – rock like no one else. And he does all this with a glow of local pride.
“My life would be easier if I moved to London,” says Revill, “but Glasgow keeps me grounded. When you’ve performed in some big club in Europe in front of 5,000 people, it’s good to get back home and have your friends slag you off! The people here have a special sense of humour. You don’t get away with any diva nonsense.“
5:20pm The taxi ride to the venue – SWG3, close to the River Clyde – takes us past dilapidated Victorian brick buildings covered in crumbling dirty-grey plaster. Revill points to a link between the level of decline in the city and the rise in the party scene. “From an objective point of view, living here is sh-t,” he says. “There’s nothing to do in Glasgow. Unless you’re really clever and get good grades at school, you end up working in a call centre, getting f--ked
On the circuit, Revill is seen as a people’s DJ. His music collection has something for everyone and he loves to get close to the crowd
DJ newcomer Denis Sulta
up on a Friday night. Hudson Mohawke is a perfect example of someone who started making music as a kind of escape.”
5:40pm The queue outside SWG3 stretches round the corner. Security guards in neon orange waistcoats try to herd the excited crowd into something resembling a line. In spite of the rain and 4°C temperatures, women wear miniskirts and spaghetti-strap tops, apparently seeing no need for a jacket. “Scottish women are tough,” says the driver as Revill hauls his record bag onto his shoulder.
5:50pm The 500m2 main section of the club, formerly a bonded warehouse owned by Customs & Excise, has all the charm of an underground car park. Six bare concrete pillars break up the space, and there are thick metal pipes running along the length of the ceiling. Not that the aesthetics have done anything to dampen
spirits. Heavy house beats boom from the two huge sound systems onstage. The party is already in full swing.
7:30pm DJ Oneman plays the new Four Tet remix of Eric Prydz’s club anthem Opus. The track has a now-infamous five-minute break where the beat dies away, leaving just a synthesiser melody that builds in intensity. It lives up to its reputation as an aural secret weapon: when the beat kicks back in, the place goes wild. Arms rise into the air, and those dancing close to the stage shake the crowd barrier. A stage-diver pushes against the sound system and almost brings it down. The party has already been going for two hours, yet in Glasgow’s living rooms the evening’s primetime viewing hasn’t even begun. It’s already wilder here than it would be at primetime at a rave in Berlin. In fact, nowhere do parties go from 0-100 quicker than in Glasgow. The reason? Strict closing times. Tonight, Sunday, the club shuts at midnight. On Friday and Saturday it’s 3am, with no exceptions. These laws were introduced in 1993
The Kurupt FM crew took a break
from TV comedy to showcase their
DJ skills
Early on Sunday evening, the party’s already in full swing
THE RED BULLETIN 71
as a response to the high levels of drunkenness and violence in the city. “That may seem provincial compared with London,” Revill roars over the throbbing noise, “but it’s these strict rules that make our parties so exuberant. The earlier the clubs close, the more people go for it. Parties in other cities are marathons. Here, they’re sprints, driven on by an all-or-nothing lifestyle of excess. Nobody here has time. Nobody’s patient. Nobody waits at the bar for the party to get into gear. Everyone goes for it.
“And quite aside from all that,” he adds with a smirk, “Scottish people are f--king bonkers anyway!“
7:50pm “Do you want to know how party animals get into the mood?” Revill asks. In his hand is a glass containing something black. Its taste is hard to describe, something like old Jägermeister mixed with cough syrup, and it takes some getting used to. The mystery liquid is Buckfast Tonic Wine – or Buckie for short – a fortified drink that’s been made by monks in Devon since the
“SCOTTISH PEOPLE ARE F--KING BONKERS!”
Dubstep pioneer Skream (right): “Jack is my favourite DJ in the world”
‘T-shirt Of The Night’ goes to
Oneman (above)
“JACK IS THE GEORGE BEST OF THE DJ
WORLD – A BRILLIANT TECHNICIAN AND
A SHOWMAN”
10:20pm Revill’s protégé DJ Krystal Klear, fresh from a set on the second dancefloor, stands grinning next to the stage. “Jack is the George Best of the DJ world,” he says. “He’s a brilliant technician and a showman. That’s why people love him.” Revill doesn’t hide behind the decks. He’s part of the party and lets the crowd fête him.
11:10pm The backstage area upstairs looks like someone’s flat the morning after the night before: wine stains on the white sofa, a man-sized teddy bear gagged with gaffer tape, a glass table strewn with half-drained plastic beakers, confetti on the floor. Revill slumps on the couch, enjoying some peace and quiet while his friends dance on downstairs. “I love playing in Glasgow because the crowd gets the best out of me,” he says. These ‘sprint’ parties have shaped his mixing technique, too. “With the local crowd, you’re always going for the drop; sometimes you’re dropping a new tune every minute. It’s very gratifying. People are constantly cheering and whistling.“
12am At midnight on the dot, the lights come on. The crowd make their feelings known, but security are unmoved, stony-faced. “You know the rules. Be off with you!” a red-bearded Viking-of-a-man in a neon waistcoat bellows. “Time to call a taxi,” says Revill.
12:10am Parties in Glasgow don’t always end so peacefully, he explains in the back of the cab; the city’s legendary Sub Club has low ceilings full of holes, because revellers would bang on them at the end of a night to applaud the DJ. “The Italian DJ duo Tale Of Us even took a piece of the ceiling home after their gig,” he grins.
On his way out, some friends invited Revill to carry on at a private after-party, but this time he gave it a miss. He has a gig the next day. No sooner does one party end than another begins.
jackmaster.net
1880s. Originally marketed as a medicine, it’s now legendary on the Scottish party scene for its absinthe-like effects.
9pm Revill arrives onstage atop Skream’s shoulders and the crowd goes wild. He surveys the scene with satisfaction, then starts his set with a pumping techno track. Oneman dances at the front of the stage and pours vodka straight from the bottle into revellers’ mouths. Ten minutes in, Revill mixes a house track with a rock’n’roll number, blending the two so elegantly that few of the clubbers notice they’re on a musical journey through time. Only when Chuck Berry’s guitar erupts and the famous refrain rings out – “Riding along in my automobile…” – does everyone recognise the classic. The crowd goes insane. Revill clambers up onto the decks himself and shakes his hips in time.
“Your set’s up next, Ted…” DJ Oneman and the Kurupt FM guys bear-wrestle backstage
Krystal Klear captivates the
crowd with boogie and house beats
THE RED BULLETIN 73
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A C T I O N !See it. Get it. Do it.
Feel the need, the need for speed? Short of engaging in actual aerial
warfare, the most authentic way to embrace your inner Top Gun is at
a simulated air-combat school. Especially when the only bit that’s
simulated is the bullets…
SKY SCRAPPERS
Become a fighter pilot – from armchair to ace in a hour
T R AV E L
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SO CALMore to explore
“Imagine scanning the skies in a real military aircraft in search of an enemy airplane,” says former
US Navy fighter ace, Thomas H ‘Spartan’ Smith. ”You spot the bogey at three o’clock, brake, turn hard and the fight’s on. Up, down, and around. Pulling Gs, making quick decisions until you outmanoeuvre your opponent, put the gun sight on them, squeeze the trigger and the enemy erupts in smoke and you roll up and away.”
Smith knows what he’s talking about – he spent two decades launching himself off ships’ decks in tactical jets. But he isn’t reminiscing. As the chief pilot at Orange County’s Air Combat USA dogfighting school, call sign ‘Spartan’ is briefing rookie pilots. And the definition of rookie here is most likely ‘no prior pilot experience’.
“We take anyone with the desire to experience air-to-air combat,” says Smith. And while he and his crew of highly trained ex-military pilots might not let you behind the stick of Top Gun’s legendary F-14 Tomcat supersonic jet, you’ll still be pushing the envelope in an Italian SIAI-Marchetti SF-260, a fully aerobatic aircraft that’s been used to train fighter pilots all over the world, and has seen active service everywhere from Nicaragua to Libya. The compact two-seater can put your mind and body through the same exhilarating stresses and strains as those experienced in genuine one-on-one aerial battles.
Real fighter pilots have to go through months of rigorous physical and mental tests before they can even climb into a plane. Here, the rookies get a slender hour of briefing. “Then we put them in the cockpit of the Marchetti and, shortly after take-off, start transferring control,” says Smith. “The rookie is actually flying the
AC T I O N
THE INSIDER“SHARP TURNS IN FLIGHT CAN
PULL BLOOD TO YOUR FEET,” SAYS RANDALL BROOKS
OF AVIATION PERFORMANCE
SOLUTIONS, TEXAS. “TIGHTEN LEG AND
STOMACH MUSCLES TO KEEP BLOOD TO
EYES AND BRAIN”
Plane amazing: experience the
thrill of a dogfight
Fat burnerCrunch back-country gravel trails or float
across unspoilt beaches on a fat bike,
the hottest trend in mountain biking. A concierge service
drops off and collects the bike when you’re done. Plus you get an SD card to relive your adventure. vabici.com
Muscle beachThrow your boards
into the back of a 1965 Mustang
convertible and take a surf trip up the Pacific
Coast Highway. Rental includes maps,
suggested routes and sightseeing
recommendations. classicmustang
rentals.com
Los Angeles
Fullerton, USA
Have what it takes to be a fighter pilot for a day? Visit: aircombat.com
High lifePower above the
waves with a jetpack strapped to your back and take in the sights of Newport Harbour’s
Turning Basin with its multimillion dollar mansions
and mega-yachts. jetpackamerica.com
T R AV E L
aircraft at the direction of the instructor-pilot 90 per cent of the time they’re in the air.”
Once airborne, the mission is tailored to your experience, ability and aggression. Pilot and instructor work as a team to outsmart, outmanoeuvre and outgun opponents through 6G-heavy dogfights, which can last up to 60 minutes. “The actual dogfights can be as realistic as you want,” says Smith. “Some deal with the challenges better than others.”
Air Combat USA’s patented electronic tracking system registers direct hits through sound effects and smoke trails that emanate from the enemy aircraft. Three cockpit cameras record the action, including a gun-sight-mounted camera that captures the sights and sounds of every kill.
“You’re aggressively going after the other guy, doing loops, barrel rolls, whatever it takes to strafe them,” fresh fighter ace Mike Rogers explains post-flight. “It was exhilarating and exhausting.” Exhausting enough to knock you out if you’re not careful. “I pulled 5.5Gs in one vertical manoeuvre and nearly greyed out.”
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Ghost DroneSurely the pinnacle of VR applications. Put on the
goggles and view the world through a GoPro attached to the drone, while guiding it through the
air with your head movements. ehang.com
Giroptic 360camGoPro on a selfie stick? So 2015. With three eyes
and three ears, this waterproof pocket camera can film festivals and coral reefs in VR. Upload to
Google Street View or stream to the web. eu.360.tv
Alienware X51Running VR smoothly enough to avoid inducing
nausea requires serious computing power. Look for kit labelled ‘Oculus-ready’, like Alienware’s X51
gaming rig. alienware.com/landings/oculus
Jaunt ONEThis is a camera for the pros: Paul McCartney
filmed a gig with it, and Disney’s invested millions. It not only captures 3D, 360° footage,
but incredible audio, too. jauntvr.com
Oculus RiftPlay fully immersive games, watch 360°
movies, paint using a VR brush. With motion controllers coming, you’ll be able to roam as far as the HDMI cable will let you. oculus.com
View-Master Virtual RealityThe original 3D toy gets a VR upgrade, complete with slide reels – which now unlock 360° scenes. Works with Google Cardboard to download games
and dive into Street View. view-master.com
Can’t afford Oculus Rift? Download Google Cardboard
to your smartphone and enjoy free VR by building your own headset. Check out our
Culture Playlist page for some 360° music videos. google.
com/get/cardboard
VISIONS OF THE FUTURE
Virtual reality is now actual reality. Time to
immerse yourself
AC T I O N G E A R
78 THE RED BULLETIN
AC T I O N
THE IDEAS MANJD Chase, 35 Throughout a successful career in property investment, Chase’s creative spark remained undimmed. Now the Californian combines business acumen with his love of skate and surf culture. irapparel.com
INNOVATIONS: STREET SMARTThink all helmets cramp your style? Here’s a heads-up…
Protective foam? We can’t get our heads around that…“Impact foams are used in all sorts of sporting equipment,” explains JD Chase, creator of Impact Reduction Apparel. “We layered foam – the same as in NFL and NHL helmets – with polycarbonate and sweat-wicking textiles to produce brand-new tech that disperses impact better than anything else on the market. And we made it fit into caps.”
But what’s wrong with regular helmets?“Helmets don’t always look great, so not everyone wears them. Back when I was snowboarding in 2007, I wore a squirrel hunter’s hat, but I wished it had padding, in case I got nailed by out-of-control skiers. Then I had the idea. Four years later, I met with an engineer from NASSCO [National Steel and Shipbuilding Company]. He was inspired and got involved.”
Did you learn anything along the way?“When there’s risk in a product – for us, the cost of insurance has been prohibitive – there are people who don’t want to take that chance. But there are also people who like innovators and know that innovation is crucial to evolution. The advice I would give to designers out there is: never give up. Use ‘no’ as an opportunity to step back, improve and approach again, until you find people excited enough to get on board.”
Any other ideas floating around in that head?“Our hope is to work with major apparel companies and to increase demand for the brand in general. The next step is to launch protective clothing to the public; we will be Kickstarting the line any time now. Also, keep an eye out for our owl logo on some of your favourite skate-brand apparel.”
Seems like a no-brainer. Were there any issues?“Some customers didn’t have any wiggle room in their hats and it made the foam uncomfortable. It’s important that you listen to consumers, so we redesigned the tech to be implemented directly in the ball cap. The new design is almost unnoticeable.”
“Helmets don’t always look
great, so not everyone wears them”
G E A R
This single piece of foam comprises four layers giving
impact resistance, reinforcement,
comfort, and heat dispersion.
The “smart-molecule” foam is soft and pliable, but hardens on
impact, reducing G-force by around
70 per cent.
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Visual StorytellingBeyond the ordinary
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T H I S I S N O TA K E - O F F IT’S A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME LANDING
„ I T ‘ S T H E T H R I L L O F T H E C H A S E . “
80 THE RED BULLETIN
AC T I O N
Hublot Big Bang Unico Sapphire Internals this handsome demand to be
viewed from all angles. This chronograph, with its automatic Unico movement,
allows you to do just that thanks to a case and bezel milled from clear sapphire.
Hard to scratch, hard to manufacture and harder to buy – only 500 exist. hublot.com
Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra
Carroll Shelby’s V8 AC Cobra made motorsport history in 1965, winning the GT manufacturers’ championship. The
legend is honoured with this chronograph, water-resistant to 50m. The run is limited
to 1,965 units. baume-et-mercier.co.uk
Hamilton Broadway Auto ChronoThe watchmaker claims it was the New
York skyline, and not the similarly named Broadway musical, that inspired this 43mm
steel-cased chronograph with 60-hour power reserve. Or maybe it was Hamilton’s
first pocket watch from 1893 – the Broadway Limited. hamiltonwatch.com
WATCHES Edited by Gisbert L Brunner
GRAVITY SHOCK TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T
So expensive are Swiss watches labelled ‘tourbillon’, you might reasonably think that’s what the word means. In fact, it’s French for
‘whirlwind’ and it refers to an escapement and balance wheel in a cage that rotates
every 60 seconds to counter the effect of mechanical timekeeping’s greatest enemy:
gravity. Whether the tourbillon actually works has been hotly debated since
Abraham-Louis Breguet conceived it in 1801; that it adds complexity, visual appeal and
exponential cost to any timepiece has never been in contention. Until now. At a fraction of the usual six-figure price, the TAG Heuer
Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T is one of the cheapest tourbillons ever, and without
compromise. The grade-five blackened titanium case – waterproof to 10 bars – is
just 6.5mm thick thanks to a tourbillon carriage built from carbon fibre, and the
movement is chronometer certified – the highest accolade in timekeeping precision.
Such is the commotion surrounding this tourbillon and its price, it may prove a
greater enemy to the Swiss watch industry than gravity itself. tagheuer.co.uk
TICKING AWAY Limited-edition watches. Get them before they’re gone
G E A R
Alongside the regular Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T, TAG Heuer has
released a totally black limited edition. Only 250 numbered models of the ‘Black
Phantom’ edition will be made.
82 THE RED BULLETIN
AC T I O N
MOTOR MERCH
Smartphones, smart dashes, smart boots
Apple CarPlay for Volvo
Rumours abound about Apple’s plans for a car.
With CarPlay they’ve got as far as the dash. Volvo’s XC90 is one of the first to get it. Use Siri to get directions,
make calls and access apps. volvocars.com
Indian bootsHaving trouble
matching your boots to your bike? Indian
Motorcycles and Red Wing Shoes just
made it easy, releasing these handcrafted black leather pull-on boots and smart brown lace-ups. indianmotorcycle.com
HEADLESS HORSEPOWERMcLaren blows the roof off its new supercarSix years in, McLaren’s move into mainstream sportscar production still feels fresh, but also established enough for trends to emerge. One such trend is for a coupé to be followed by an open-top version a year down the line. So it is with the 675 Longtail, the Spider version of which will soon be feted in clinically austere showrooms around the world.
McLaren are limiting the 675LT Spider to 500 units, with the first due to hit the roads in the summer. It earns its Longtail
badge with a focus of lightweight materials and optimised aerodynamics – or at least as optimised as possible without a full-time roof.
The 675LT Spider features the same 3.8-litre V8 twin-turbo powerplant as the coupé. The roof is a three-piece retractable hardtop that stows below a colour-coded tonneau. The Spider hits 200kph in 8.1 seconds, and does the 0-100kph sprint in 2.9 seconds. With a top speed of 326kph, that’s not so much wind-in-the-hair as rip-your-wig-right-off. mclaren.com
W H E E LS
The McLaren 675LT Spider has a bespoke
body colour called Solis, from the Latin for sun
Vertu for Bentley
What to do with all the money left over from buying a Bentley? Get the phone to match. It has a two-part Bentley
leather (Beluga and Hotspur) case, with
knurled keys to mirror the car’s own styling, and the Winged B on the back. vertu.comTIME MACHINE
Is Ducati’s latest a retro rider or future cruiser?
Some wonderfully moody promotional literature for Ducati’s new XDiavel appears to suggest that the latest masterpiece to come out of Bologna targets the key demographic where hipster meets outlaw. Quite possibly something is lost in translation. You certainly get the idea, though: XDiavel is aimed at the cruiser market, so cue advertising featuring long, empty roads in the American West and granite-jawed men staring wistfully into the middle-distance. Ducati insists on calling it a “technocruiser”. Despite not being built for the sort of high-speed, knee-down antics one associates with Ducati, the XDiavel comes with the full suite of electronic management tools, including riding and power modes, ABS, DTC, plus daylight running lights, cruise control and keyless ignition. Low-slung with a long wheelbase, it also shows off plenty of exposed frame with its naked design. The XDiavel might look like a throwback to the 1960s, but it’s a thoroughly 21st-century machine. ducati.com
Your favourite artists share their personal playlists: Headphone Highlights on rbmaradio.com
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GAMEBorn to fight
From the creators of Borderlands comes an even more badass first-person blaster. In Battleborn, 25
unique playable characters fight to the death to protect the last star left in the universe. On PS4, PC and Xbox
One from May 3. battleborn.com
EVENTPower play
The 15th Mind Sports SA-sanctioned Mpumalanga Championships will
see gamers compete for provincial colours in StarCraft II, Counter-Strike:
Global Offensive, FIFA 16 and more. All the action takes place from May 28-29. mindsportsa.co.za
GAME ON The best new
releases and gaming events to look out
for this month
EVENTWho’s the master?
Two of the toughest Call Of Duty: Black Ops III teams will be
competing on PS4 for top honours in the Qualifier 1 finals of the MWEB GameZone Master Series. Tune into
all the live streaming action on May 15. twitch.tv/mwebgamezone
AC T I O N
The Red Bulletin: What interested you about turning John le Carré’s book into a film? Susanna White: It’s an examination of the world of men today. Ewan McGregor’s character is a professor whose wife [played by Spectre’s Naomie Harris] is more successful than he is. He’s emasculated, a bit of a lost soul. Then he falls under the spell of a major money launderer for the Russian mafia [Stellan Skarsgård] – a traditional, violent, very macho man – and he finds himself in this aspirational world of glamorous parties with the most beautiful women. I was interested in looking at what it feels like to be a man in the modern world where the power balance is shifting.It’s a story that spans a lot of locations… It was huge and crazy. The film starts with a murder in Russia; the producers wanted to film it in the UK with fake snow, but it was important that I had a sense of the vast expanse of Russia, the ice lakes and endless snow. So we went to a very remote part of Finland for two days. We shot in England, got on the Eurostar to Paris and filmed a scene on the journey. Then on to Switzerland, Morocco and some inaccessible places in the French Alps that we had to get to on snowmobiles. Damian Lewis co-stars an MI6 agent. What about those rumours he’s the next James Bond? They started to come out when we were editing the film. I was hearing them while I was in the cutting room looking at Damian on screen and smiling to myself. Damian wears some incredible suits that he looks great in. You could definitely see him in that role. Our Kind Of Traitor opens in cinemas on May 13
SPY VS SPY Three more big-screen John le Carré thrillers
A Most Wanted Man (2014) Director Anton Corbijn adapted Le Carré’s topical 2008 novel, casting Philip Seymour Hoffman as a covert German government operative charged with recruiting Islamic terrorist informants.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) British intelligence officer George Smiley is the main character of several Le Carré stories. Gary Oldman got an Oscar nomination for playing him in the film of this thriller.
The Constant Gardener (2005) This adaptation of Le Carré’s 2001 political thriller stars Ralph Fiennes as a British diplomat who blows open a government conspiracy to cover up illegal drugs tests in Africa.
FILM
NEW WORLD DISORDERHow to adapt a modern crime thriller from an old-school suspense author? Our Kind Of Traitor director Susanna White spills the secrets
Damian Lewis plays an MI6 agent in Our
Kind Of Traitor
84 THE RED BULLETIN
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CAN ARTDietmar Kainrath’s pointed pen
2016 ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, MAY 6-22, RUSSIA
AC T I O N
86 THE RED BULLETIN
The Donnies The Amys
Runaround Last August, this indie-pop duo released the
most exciting 360° music performance video so far. A single long shot takes the viewer through the
band’s apartment with musicians performing
in every corner.
The Weeknd feat Eminem
The Hills (Remix)
The Canadian singer’s cinematic foray into
360° technology sees him walking through an apocalyptic scene with explosions and comets
falling from the sky.
Björk Stonemilker
Björk is an early adopter of innovations in music. In this ground-breaking 360° video, first shown
at New York’s MoMA PS1 and London’s
Rough Trade in March 2015, she dances in a
neon dress on the black cliffs of Grótta, Iceland.
THE PLAYLIST SANTIGOLDThe many talents of Santigold make her the pop star other pop stars seek out. The Red Hot Chili Peppers took her on tour, Mark Ronson brought her in as a guest vocalist, and Christina Aguilera asked the 39-year-old to co-write songs with her. Santigold’s two solo albums, her eponymous 2008 debut and 2012’s Master of My Make-Believe, cemented her reputation as a forward-thinking musician exploring the territory between new wave, reggae and indie-pop. The US singer’s new release, 99¢, adds African elements to the mix, so we asked her for five songs from the continent that influenced the album. santigold.com
ANOTHER VIEW
Interactive 360° videos are the latest trend in
music. When watching, you can control the
camera by moving your iPhone around. Here
are three examples that will make you go whoa!
C U LT U R E
Fela Kuti and Afrika 70Zombie
Amadou & MariamDougou Badia
“This Malian duo are married and both blind, but, more importantly, they’re incredibly talented. I’m drawn to singers who have an unusual sense of melody, and Mariam is queen of the beautiful yet unexpected. I recorded Dougou Badia with them in a hotel room in New
York and it was an amazing experience. Mariam even taught me how to sing in their native language, Bambara.
“I’ve been listening to Fela Kuti my entire life as my dad was a huge fan. Dad took me to see his live show when I was seven. He had his 12 wives [at one time, Kuti had 27] on stage, who were all topless – my mind was blown! Zombie is a political song about brain-dead people doing as
they’re told, and in that sense it feels very current. Lyrically, it was a big influence on my new song, Walking In A Circle.”
“My older sister played me this tune when I was 12, and it’s so great that it has stuck with me my whole life. At its core, it’s a little reggae song, but it sounds different [it’s partly sung in Dioula], which is part of its appeal. What I find so impressive about this Ivorian singer is that he took
inspiration from reggae and Jamaican Rastafarian culture and incorporated his own political issues at the time.”
Alpha BlondySebe Allah Y’e (from the album Apartheid Is Nazism)
“My friend [and producer] John Hill introduced me to the songs of this Nigerian musician, who released a bunch of criminally overlooked albums [in the late ’70s/early ’80s]. I love how Onyeabor merged Western African elements with genres like funk. That’s what I tried
to do on my new album, taking things out of their usual context in order to create something completely different.”
William OnyeaborAtomic Bomb
“This South African singer had a big impact on my new record. Fassie was an Afropop star in the ’90s and counted Nelson Mandela among her fans. This song incorporates elements of Western dance music, but what makes it stand out is her unique voice. It’s traditional-sounding
South African singing, very tonal and sharp, which I’ve always felt very attracted to and have tried to adopt in my vocals.”
Brenda FassieVuli Ndlela (from the album Memeza)
The growing popularity of vinyl has increased the demand for equipment that helps to keep records shiny. Austrian powerhouse Pro-Ject Audio Systems has launched a device that cleans vinyl in just four seconds – that’s
three times faster than similar products on the market –
thanks to the machine’s high-tech vacuum arm and newly developed
cleaning fluid. project-audio.com
THE GADGETVinyl Cleaner VC-S
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» Bluetooth® 4.0 technology with NFC pairing » Detachable cord » Compact, collapsible design with built-in microphone » 10m wireless range » 60-20kHz frequency response » Rotating earcups for hands-free, single-ear monitoring
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4. HF125 PROFESSIONAL DJ HEADPHONES
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Eroica!Classic bicycle racing
comes to Montagu with the Italy-infused Eroica festival taking to the dirt roads of the Klein Karoo. Steel road
racing bikes are de rigeur, ideally dating
from before 1987 (but bikes built up to 1999
are also welcome).eroicasouthafrica.com
23April
Low to highThe Simola Hill Climb
at Knysna is known for the King of the Hill
time trial, featuring the fastest cars and
drivers in the country. But don’t miss the Classic Car Friday
race, with spectators encouraged to turn out in period dress.speedfestival.co.za
6May
Red Bull Amaphiko
Connect: a bootcamp
like no other
SAVE THE DATE
More sporting and literary highlights
coming your way this month
May 8 Race the world Centurion, PretoriaThe third annual Wings for Life World Run wil start at 1pm on a brand-new route in Centurion. SA runners will join thousands of others in dozens of locations around the globe. One hundred per cent of your entry fee goes to spinal cord research. wingsforlifeworldrun.com
May 21-22 Social entrepreneurs’ bootcamp Throughout South Africa
The second Red Bull Amaphiko Connect for social entrepreneurs takes place in Johannesburg, with five further events planned around the country through to October. Participants can enjoy inspirational lectures, hands-on workshops, and networking and community-building opportunities. To attend, apply now. amaphiko.redbull.com/connect
Brain foodForget the rest of the Franschhoek Literary Festival, but ensure
you catch writers like Songezo Zibi, Zapiro, Ferial Haffajee, Jonny Steinberg, Eusebius McKaiser and Deon
Meyer – all sure to be fascinating
and/or controversial. flf.co.za
13May
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May 27-29 Bike Fest Kyalami, Gauteng
Get down to the newly revamped Kyalami race track for the South Africa Bike Festival to ogle, test, customise or buy the bike of your dreams. BMW, Triumph, Kawasaki, Indian & Victory, Polaris, Linhai Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, SYM, KTM, Can-Am, Husqvarna and Ducati will all have machines there, and when you’re done with the bikes, get stuck in to the live music, tattoos and ample refreshments. southafricabikefestival.comMay 10-14 High to low
Underberg-Scottburg
The much-loved Sani2C mountain bike race wends its way from Underberg in the shadow of the Drakensburg to Scottburgh on the KZN south coast with three separate competitions – trail, adventure and race – over the three-day route. Expect fast district roads, manicured single track, exciting water crossings and famous farmers’ hospitality at the overnight stops. sani2c.co.za
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1 specialized audaxPInspired by the European sport of randonneuring, the all-new Audax shoe has been specifically developed for long rides spent chasing far off horizons. And from a design standpoint, it strikes the optimal balance between comfort and efficiency, making it ideal for anyone exploring their limits across anything from unmaintained back roads to smooth tarmac. Body Geometry™ sole and footbed are ergonomically designed, scientifically tested to boost power, increase efficiency, and reduce chance of injury by optimizing hip, knee, and foot alignment. Supple Micromatrix™ synthetic leather with laser perforated venting with reflective elements for visibility. Boa® S2 dial for on-the-fly micro-adjustment, backed by the Boa® Lifetime Guarantee. Powerline carbon/composite sole for light, stiff power transfer: Stiffness Index 10.0. Combine Body Geometry shoes, footbeds, and wedges to maximize performance benefits. Replaceable heel tread and Boa® Snap dial. 3-bolt cleat pattern fits all major road pedals. RRP: 3499.www.specialized.com
2 celestron HandHeld digital MicroscopeWhile focusing on the bigger things in life, we often let the smaller things pass us by. Celestron has made it possible to delve into the macro world with its Handheld Deluxe Digital Microscope. The microscope provides an intimate glimpse into the world unseen, compliments of a 10x-150x magnification feature, enabling one to study whatever you are viewing directly from your PC screen. Using the Micro Capture Pro software, it‘s possible to capture images, while the LED illumination in the microscope brightens up the subject in view. Celestron’s Handheld Deluxe Digital Microscope retails for approximately R1500 and is the ideal instrument for inquisitive outdoor minds. For more information about the Celestron range visit.www.glagencies.co.za
3 Hisense inFinitY Ko If you don’t have limits, why should your phone? The LTE enabled Hisense Infinity KO can roll with the pun-ches, being water-, dust- and shock proof according to IP67 certification standards. This 5-inch smartphone comes complete with a high-speed 1.36GHz octa-core processor, a massive 3GB of RAM and an ample 32GB of storage space. With its 13 megapixel came-ra, it can record Full HD video footage of your latest thrills, while the 5 megapixel front snapper will capture you going where angels fear to tread. Finally, the KO’s sizeable 3200mAh battery ensures that a drained phone will be the least of your worries. RRP: R3999.www.hisense.co.za
4 QuiKsilver BoMBer JacKet This bomber jacket from Quiksilver is the perfect solution to take on the cold and look good while doing it this winter. It is a military style bomber jacket, padded with square quilting, snap chest pocket and side entry pockets. The Quiksilver Bomber jacket has coated fine ripstop, 100% polyester shell and polycotton AOP lining with all over print. RRP R1450.www.boardriders.co.za
5 greYp eBiKeGreyp together with Monstar Group have released the most advanced full electric bicycle in Africa. This unique bicycle goes 70 Kmh without any assistance from the rider and has a range of up to 120 Km before needing a re charge which only takes 60 minutes. This Bicycle is amazing and a must have. RRP - R185 000. www.monstargroup.co.za
Must-haves!
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The start of the 2015 race in Cape Town
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THE RIVER RUNNERIn his quest to become a champion paddler, Sbonelo Khwela became a champion runner, too
Portaging (carrying your canoe around sections of non-
navigable rapids) is a major part of the three-day, 120km
Dusi canoe marathon, the biggest race on Sbonelo Khwela’s
calendar. But for Khwela, being out on foot represents a lot more
than just preparing for the Dusi.Khwela spent most of his free
time playing soccer until he met Martin Dreyer and joined the seven-time
Dusi winner’s Change A Life paddling academy. Today, Khwela is one of the most feared marathon paddlers in South Africa, with wins at the Dusi
and the Non-Stop Dusi to prove it. But Dreyer didn’t only instil a love for paddling; he encouraged Khwela to try other disciplines, too.
In 2009, Khwela won the inaugural 86km Dusi trail marathon, run on cattle tracks and dirt roads. Khwela lists that win as one of his most memorable running experiences, along with “the Burma Road portage I ran at last year’s Non-Stop Dusi”. Burma is a treacherous 3km run, and on that occasion he blazed it so hard that he narrowed the gap on leaders Nhlanhla Cele and Thulani Mbanjwa – who were racing in a K2 (two-man canoe) – to just 30 seconds.
“I also look forward to my 10km daily training runs without my boat,” he says. (Portaging obviously requires running with a boat.) “And the regular 7km time trials we do on tar. Sometimes it’s nice to run on the road.”
Can’t make it to any of the 34 cities where the Wings for Life World Run will be held on May 8,
2016? Be part of this global event with a Wings for Life Selfie Run instead. Just download the free app for iOS or Android and the virtual Catcher Car will be after you. wingsforlifeworldrun.com
Sbonelo Khwela will be running in Centurion, Pretoria
BE PART OF IT
Even as a non-runner, you
can be part of the Wings for
Life World Run
Live experience
No matter where you are, you can witness
the most extraordinary running event of the
year on your laptop or smartphone. Check out
all the live streams, statistics and pin boards
in order to track your friends and celebrities
at: wingsforlife worldrun.com
Live StreamCatcher Car action,
interviews with regional winners and celebrities – Red Bull
TV delivers all the action from the races all over the world. And
if you’re not able to watch it live, it will be available as VOD on
redbull.tv
FundraisingOne hundred per cent
of the entry fee goes to spinal cord research – with the goal of finding a cure for paraplegia. But even if you don’t participate, you can
still donate. Check out the dedicated fund-raising campaign at:
wingsforlife worldrun.com
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1 Be aggressive“Take the initiative and, if you can, bet first. If someone else does, don’t just match their
bet, raise it. This aggressive approach will win you games. Never simply match others’ bets – that’s the sign of a beginner. Play passively and others will sense weakness. They’ll spot a lack of confidence in your cards and bust you out of the game.”
2 Remember mistakes “If you lose a hand, just forget about it and focus on the next one. Then, at
the end of the day, analyse the hand and look at what you could have done differently. If it’s a multiple-day tournament, concentrate on the next day, then revisit the hands when the tournament’s over. Some people write down the hands they lost, but I remember the significant ones. I analyse them by myself, or talk them through with friends.”
WIN AT POKEREveryone has fantasised about winning big at cards and living off the spoils. But where do you start? Byron Kaverman, 29, has won almost $7 million in poker games worldwide. In 2015, the American bagged his first World Series of Poker bracelet, and the Global Poker Index named him Player Of The Year. A former psychology student, Kaverman closely watches his opponents’ body language: “Some people are talkative at the table,” he says. “They’re trying to throw off their opponents, but they’re just giving themselves away.” Here are his tips…
3Relinquish control “It’s important to keep a cool head – if you get upset, it’ll affect your game. I don’t
let poker affect my emotions and I don’t feel any pressure to win. I play my best and accept that the results are out of my control. How? Remember, even when you’re 70 per cent favourite to win, there’s still a 30 per cent chance that you’ll lose. Understanding that and taking it one hand at a time is a good way to keep your emotions in check.”
4Keep your poker face“I maintain the same expression every hand, no matter what cards I’ve got. Be
aware of your physical tendencies so you don’t give off any tells. I don’t wear shades, but if you blink when nervous, they can be useful. Also, balance the time you take to make a decision. Even if you know your move straight away, you should always take the same amount of time so you don’t give anything away to your opponents.”
5Play within your means“Be disciplined: exceeding your budget will affect your game. Play tournaments
that cost one per cent of your bankroll to buy in [enter]. So, if you have $1,000 to play with, you can go for a $10 buy-in without worrying. In my time, I’ve played 15-20 tournaments in a row without winning any money. You have to allow for that, or you’ll go broke fast.”
WINGSFORLIFEWORLDRUN.COM
Free
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THE WORLD WILL RUN TOGETHERJOIN USMAY 8, 2016
SUPERSPORT PARK, CENTURION, PRETORIA, TSHWANE, 13:00 P.M.
ONE DAY AT THE VERY SAME TIME ALL OVER THE WORLD
100% OF THE ENTRY FEE GOES TO SPINAL CORD RESEARCH
BE A PART OF IT!
Want to hit the ground running? We’ve pulled together the sleekest, techiest, ready-to-go gear that helps get you moving on the road or on the trailWords: Lisa Jhung
RUGGEDGETHOKA ONE ONE SPEEDGOAT SHOEThe Hoka One One Speedgoat, like the rest of the company’s maxed- out cushioning line, softens any trail with ample (and we mean ample) cushioning. This technically aggressive shoe features 4mm toothy lugs that protrude on the outsole and are able to grab mud and shed it just as quickly as you charge ahead. With all that cush and traction, not to mention a protective upper, you’d think this thing would weigh you down. Not so – the Speedgoat weighs 275g. hokaoneone.com
SALOMON WINGS PRO 2 SHOEWith its protective toe bumper shielding you from swearing should you kick a rock, and the aggressive outsole made from particularly grippy rubber, the Wings Pro 2 (337g) is ready for adventure. It’s a supportive shoe that pulls snugly around the foot via one-pull, Kevlar laces. Just don’t forget to tuck them into the handy lace garage – a pocket of fabric at the top of the tongue – before you set off, or risk being tripped up by a snagging tree branch. salomonsports.com
RUNNER’SGUIDE
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GARMIN FORERUNNER 920XT GPS WATCHIt’s hard to know how far you’ve run on the trail, and for the most part, it doesn’t matter (trail runners should measure time and effort over miles). But if you must know – and geek out on data like pace, and even your cadence and VO2 Max estimates – the Forerunner 920XT is for you. And if you’re a trail runner who dabbles in swimming and/or triathlon, good news: it also captures swim metrics, like stroke rate. Inspired for an off-road triathlon? Do it. garmin.com
CEP RUN MERINO SHORT CUT SOCKThe mid-shin length of these socks does a great job keeping dirt, pebbles and sticks from getting between your feet and sock and irritating your skin. They serve up the natural, body temperature-regulating benefits of wool, but are blended with polyamide, spandex and polypropylene to help keep their shape after multiple washings. The padding in high-pressure zones ensures comfort. cepsports.com
LA SPORTIVA HELIOS 2.0 SHOEWith a soft and flexible heel cup (not the stride-correcting, rigid cup found on most trail shoes), and featherlight weight (238g), the Helios 2.0 is billed as a neutral, minimalist trail shoe. But thanks to the one-pull laces creating a secure fit, it feels agile and able on technical terrain. lasportiva.com
LULULEMON SURGE SHORTSThese 7in shorts will make your trail plum-smugglers obsolete. And, yes, Lululemon is for guys as well. The Canadian outfitters enter the fray with the standard sweat-wicking material, but with a super-convenient waistband that can store your shirt as temperatures climb on the trail. The fabric construction includes Lycra for stretch and two pockets for gels. lululemon.com
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RUNNER’SGUIDE HELLY HANSEN
ENROUTE 1/2 ZIP LIFA FLOW LS TOPHigh-intensity pursuits require clothing that can keep up with the pace. The quick-drying fabric of this long-sleeve trail-running top draws on four decades of active research to pull away excess heat and sweat, keeping you cool and sweat-free at all times. Grip-printed seamless shoulders ensure comfort, even when carrying a backpack, and mesh panels deliver increased breathability on those warmer days. hellyhansen.com
SCOTT KINABALU RC SHOEThere are shoes you can run in, and shoes made for running. These are definitely the latter – with an AeroFoam midsole that’s up to 25 per cent lighter and comfier than the EVA foam used in many other running shoes, insoles specifically built for male and female forefoot and heel sizes, and a rocker-shaped tread that reduces strain, increases mid-stance stability and delivers a faster, more efficient stride. scott-sports.com
SKULLCANDY XTFREE HEADPHONESThese Bluetooth earphones deliver a custom fit straight out of the box, thanks to three types of technology including a comfortable rear fin that locks snugly around any ear shape, hook-shaped earbuds that won’t fall out, and sticky gel sleeves that hold them in place up to 30 per cent more securely than other buds – all ensuring you don’t lose your music or motivation on the move. skullcandy.co.uk
ASICS GEL-FUJILYTE RUNNING SHOEIf you like the idea of a trail-ready racing flat, this is it. The FujiLyte (227g) rides low on minimal cushioning, but with toothy traction underfoot. The upper is super-airy and even the tongue is almost paper-thin. The result is a fast-feeling shoe that handles anything from flat trails to mountain scrambles. Best suited for runners with good mechanics. asics.com
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TOMTOM RUNNER 2 GPS WATCHThe only thing this sports watch doesn’t do is power your legs. Measuring speed, pace, distance and calories burned, it tracks your heart rate and delivers the stats on the go. With modes for running, cycling, swimming and the gym, you can dial it up from easy through fat burn to sprint. And to ease the pain, it can hold 500 songs and comes preloaded with a Ministry Of Sound workout track. tomtom.com
BROOKS LSD JACKETThis windproof, water-resistant running shell has urban chops: it looks cool enough to pass for your commuter jacket or your grab-a-coffee layer. When you need it, the jacket protects you from wind, rain and cold with a draft flap – an extra piece of material layered behind the zip – and cinch cord at the waist. When you don’t, the jacket easily packs down to the size of an orange. Reflective detailing helps drivers see you. brooksrunning.com
SLICKGET
SKECHERS GORUN4 SHOEThis is a breathable, flexible, crazy-light (221g) shoe. It’s built to promote landing on your midfoot instead of your heel for the most efficient running possible, with a minimal ‘drop’ from heel cush to forefoot cush. The GoRun4 feels about as freeing as the Nike Free RN Distance, but has a touch more structure to it. A roomy fit, especially in the forefoot, lets toes splay out wide for a natural feel. skechers.com
SAUCONY HURRICANE ISO 2 SHOEThis plush, stable shoe (306g) is ready for your marathon training. It combines ample cushioning with structure. A firm rubber post in the midsole on the medial side keeps your form – ideal for overpronators, and neutral runners who need extra guidance and support in their stride when tired. Ample padding on the tongue and around the heel collar ensure comfort. saucony.com
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JBL UNDER ARMOUR HEADPHONES WIRELESSThanks to a twist-locking fit to your ear, JBL guarantees these Bluetooth buds will never hurt, fall out or get in your way, even during the most rigorous workout. And an IPX5 rating means they’ll survive copious amounts of sweat, too. Put that to the test with the MapMyFitness Premium membership that comes with your purchase. There’s also a heart-rate measuring edition coming later in the year. uk.jbl.com
HELLY HANSEN PACE TIGHTS Featuring a quick-dry mesh behind the knee and ergonomically placed seams for extra comfort, the supportive, stretch fabric of these stylish training tights has won them a few awards. Aside from boasting about running in a pair of prize-winning pants, you can also brag about the sweat-proof pocket for your smartphone, UPF 40 sun protection and the 360° reflective fabric for night running. hellyhansen.com
STANCE FUSION RUN NO-SHOW SOCKNot wearing socks when out running on a warm day may sound appealing, but the friction causes blisters. The next best thing? These sweat-wicking, snug-fitting socks feel barely there, while adding a layer of performance. Mesh vents from the top of the foot to the arch aid in breathability, while the anatomical fit means there’s no sock slippage within your shoe. A tight, 200-needle thread count adds to the sleek feel and durability. stance.com
REEBOK ZPRINT RUN SHOEA knit upper makes this shoe look good in the gym, around town and on the run – and it performs, to boot. Weighing 252g, it’s a low-cut, low-profile shoe that ranks high in comfort, the knit upper wrapping softly yet securely around each foot. More dense foam around the perimeter adds to a feeling of control. reebok.com
ODLO YOCTO RUNNING T-SHIRTDesigned specifically for men who run, this T-shirt has a slim fit and short sleeves. With fewer seams to save weight, it also features ventilation zones to help keep you cool. Contrasting cuffs and an iridescent tape running down the back of the shirt are both stylish and reflective, to help you stay safe if the light is less than ideal. odlo.com
NIKE FREE RN DISTANCE SHOEThis iteration (250g) of Nike Free still lets feet flex and move naturally – feeling sock-like with the single-layer, engineered-knit upper securing around feet via lightweight Flywire cables – but works for more people, and more miles. It also has a tad more structure to it – the sipes cut into the light and responsive Lunarlon cushioning aren’t as deep as on other Frees, which means these flex a little less while still feeling… you guessed it: free. nikerunning.com
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“This is one of the biggest and craziest megaloop late rolls in my entire life” Kiteboarder Reno Romeu turns on the style at Red Bull King Of The Air 2016. He finished fourth overall
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA February 2016Strong winds combined with uncharacteristically big swells created perfect conditions for big-air tricks at the 2016 Red Bull King Of The Air kiteboarding contest. “It’s crazy how much risk we took out there,” says Brazilian Reno Romeu. “We were scared, but the levels of adrenalin overrode the fear factor.” redbullkingoftheair.com
THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE RED BULLETIN IS OUT ON MAY 10 AND IS AVAILABLE AT THESE STORES AND OUTLETS:
PICK N PAY | SPORTSCENE | DUE SOUTH | MUSICA | BILLABONG | VANS | QUIKSILVER | AIRPORTS
98 THE RED BULLETIN
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