CLIFF VAUGHS: THE STORY BEHIND THE "CAPTAIN AMERICA" CHOPPER

The "Captain America" chopper is arguably the most famous and recognizable motorcycle in the world, but the story behind its design and creation is little known to those outside of the motorcycle community. Cliff Vaughs, a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, civil rights activist and film maker, met actor Peter Fonda as they both lived in West Hollywood in the 1960's. Fonda returned with Dennis Hopper to the backyard where Cliff was regularly found building his motorcycles to discuss early ideas of the iconic film "Easy Rider". Vaughs, then well-known as a biker, builder and designer in the community, was given the task of building (as Associate Producer) the motorcycles and scenic concepts with mentor and builder Ben Hardy, a major pioneer of the SoCal bike scene himself. He was also instrumental in hiring Director of Photography Baird Bryant (uncredited). Legend has it that Vaughs actually missed the 1963 March on Washington because he was working on one of his motorcycles at the time.

The Design

Vaughs created the famous "Captain America" chopper with the inspiration of the Marvel comic book character of the same name. The main characters "Capt. America and his sidekick "Bucky" led to naming the eponymous machine and the "Billy", steed of co-star and 'ER' film director Dennis Hopper. There were a total of four motorcycles built for the film, based on 40's and 50's Harley Davidson police motorcycles which Vaughs had purchased at auction for $500. With initial ideas given to him by Peter Fonda, Vaughs, with Hardy set forth to create the most iconic motorcycle ever captured on film.

Learn more about Cliff Vaughs here>

Learn more about Ben Hardy here>

Learn more about Black biker culture here>

NOTHING TO WEAR: PIA MOUWITZ

"With a picture of all my clothes, I want to see for myself and try to understand the value of each garment and what meaning they actually have." -- Pia Mouwitz

HV Galleri in Stockholm is holding a exhibition "Nothing To Wear" created by Pia Mouwitz, University of Borås Senior Lecturer on textiles and fashion. "NTW" addresses the old adage we have all uttered when staring at our wardrobes, "I have nothing to wear". Mouwitz took this to the next level, she photographed her entire wardrobe and created a contact sheet of sorts to analyze this prevalent condition (or question) is this really true? With this fascinating visual study, Pia seeks to find the value of each piece of clothing in the greater landscape of her collection of garments.

Swedish Fashion Week is on now until February 6th.

Follow Pia @MouwitzP

HV Galleri Website

NOMA: TIME AND PLACE IN NORDIC CUISINE

Phaidon has published a monograph NOMA Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine dedicated to the Nordic culture, food and philosophy through the mind of René Redzepi, Danish co-owner of the 2-Michelin Star NOMA restaurant in Copenhagen. Chef Redzepi is often credited with reinventing Nordic cuisine, with his relentless emphasis of local fresh produce sourced all across Scandinavia and the constant experimentation that takes place in his kitchen. The book has over 200 commissioned photographs describing the various local ingredients, finished dishes, the restaurant’s suppliers and amazing Nordic landscape. The introduction is written by world renowned artist Olafur Eliasson.

BUY BOOK

http://noma.dk/

STYLE & DOMINANCE: Australian Open Then and Now

Images ©Getty / ATP / WTA / ITF / All other respective owners / All Rights Reserved

Roger, Vika and Rafa may have gone down Down Under, but their style and that of players that came before them have always started off the year with a statement. Before the dawn of the Open Era (1968) where players like Margaret Court (11 titles), Roy Emerson (7) and Jack Crawford (4) collected titles like baseball cards, the uniform of the day was all white, dignified, conformist, and well, boring. Then came the splashy art canvases of the 80's and early 90's with spread eagle motifs, paint spatter and day-glo made most famous by Andre Agassi (4). The late 90's and the dominance of Pete Sampras (2 Australian Titles) on the Men's tour returned the aesthetic to a quieter more subdued style. In the early 2000's, new materials like Nike's dri-fit™ ushered in a new generation of design freedom, lighter weight and moisture management for everyone from top tour players to public park players looking to emulate their heroes.

Australian open

new film “Trevligt Folk” - Somali Team from Sweden to World Championship in Siberia

A group of young Somali immigrants in the town of Borlänge takes on the Swedish winter and the local favorite sport of bandy -- a precursor to ice hockey. Together with a local man who had a simple idea of “integration through sports”, these young men embrace the cold, the ice and their skates and 6 months later end up representing Somalia as the first African country at the Bandy World Championship in Siberia. Their inspiring journey is shared in the documentary Trevligt Folk (Nice People) presented by Filip & Fredrik premiering at the Göteborg Film Festival over the weekend and in theaters around Sweden beginning January 28th. Watch the trailer above with a universally understood message that goes beyond sports, Somalia, Sweden and Siberia.

Pharrell to appear on "The Simpsons" in February

Ubiquitous Super-Producer, Rapper, Artist and Entrepreneur Pharrell adds an upcoming appearance on "The Simpsons" to his resume. The episode airing February 8th on FOX deals with Pharrell and his creation of a new official song for the city of Springfield after it is discovered that their current anthem is not unique. Hopefully in the end everyone will be 'Happy' with the results.