Idle mind

Childhood was pretty damn cool.  Mess up a perfectly clean room with legos and a couple matchboxes.    Now I guess kids just play Linerider on their tablets. neat.

10 Commandments of Guitar Playing

As told by Don Van Vliet

1. Listen to the birds. 
That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.

2. Your guitar is not really a guitar Your guitar is a divining rod. 
Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.

3. Practice in front of a bush 
Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen't shake, eat another piece of bread.

4. Walk with the devil 
Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out 
If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

6. Never point your guitar at anyone 
Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.

7. Always carry a church key 
That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.

8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument 
You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.

9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.

10. You gotta have a hood for your engine 
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.

Ich bin ein berliner

Burn On - '73

Take the high road

The moment we have all been waiting for

Just because I work at a bicycle company

Doesn't mean I care about the Tour Da France, 

but anything with hangtime is worth watching.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Funks the Universe

Also be sure to jump over to the Killin-It blog to check out the Trailer for Tomz' moto porno

From the streets of Milwaukee

Flatland BMX brought back from the dead

He, is the god of Hellfire

Reasons to go with Bass Boat Green

I have put off buying a delay for a few years, waiting for this one.

The other day I was made an offer I couldn't refuse 

This is why I was holding out for BBG

And something else that sparkles that I feel a strong desire to operate.

The Surly Krampus

Yup.

Everyone loves a 2-stroke

End of the world, again?

Interview with a freak

Coworker interviewed Jessie LaLonde the other week.

Met Jessie a few times while he was working at Trek, mainly was just in the way whenever I was riding on the trails.

This guy is one crazy fuck on a bike.

Flat black is out, I know.   But this was one of my favorite LaLonde schemes from Trek

BKB

John Alfred Prestwich

Last one on the ice?

First :30 were great, bikes stuck right down and were sideways with just a little give.

Then shit got gnarly, 2 foot square holes were popping up everywhere.  New one every lap.  Not quite holes to the open water, but air pockets full of water.    Catching a foot is a nice way to stretch the leg out.

Super Canadian cheaters

Plated Beemer

V twin 450 Aprilia Motocrosser 

Then St.Patrick's day was finished up with much beer, corned beef, cabbage, beer, and Daytona short track.

Pops to Finland

My Dad is headed to Finland to go compete in the Biathlon Masters Championship.

Taking his home brewed spruce/carbon Anschütz.

Been training everyday, hopefully a layover in France doesn't loose his skis and shooter. 

Yet another project

1973 Husky ST-250

"The first European dual sport"

First sled ride

Well, I do faintly remember riding a Evinrude around in the area surrounding our house that is now occupied by hundreds of houses.

So today at work we took an extended lunch break..

Just a short loop, but what a fuckin' blast.   Ill stick to moto, but if anything happens to that KLR motor.. I might know what to repurpose. 

2-Smoke Power

Stumbled upon this guys going for a ride on my way up to the Biathlon champs in northern Minnesota.
Photos

Lay it down

Syrian Rebels

Some serious ingenuity going on here.

As cool as these photos are, it reminds me just how fucked this world is.  

Holy Mullet

But from the safety of my desk, these are cool shots.  Its the after thought that sucks.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/02/diy-weapons-of-the-syrian-rebels/100461/

Let there be light

Dub-bub set up

Resulting in glow in the dark surf wax/added graphite for skate wax

Snowboard seems to have more science to it, future.

Roll your Own

Spokes

Po-boy on Fat Tuesday

Torch of the Mystics

Looking back on photos of my KLR trip to the Smoky Mountains.   I gotta get going somewhere, asap.

Ice Tools

The equivalent of ice tires for motos.

This shit is expensive, make it.

If I ever lose a hand, this will be an attachment. (Thanks to the Welding teacher from Pete & Pete for the modular hands idea)

Minibike mania

Maxwell Wedge has got some ideas, of course.

White stuff

http://www.sjaaklucassen.nl/

A buddy just picked up a 400cc Deltabox this weekend, Getting me to think about working on the other Yamaha in the garage.

I just want to ride.

6.75 miles of ice

 Couple shots from the Steel Shoe Fund 3 hour endurance race last weekend

 -20 degree windchill,  Not much wind break on the lake

 Mr. Baker had a bit of an explosion, 200+ screws may be throwing the wheel off slightly.

 The only vintage love out there, and they had a damn flat.

 Prime rail for grind..

Who's this Boner guy?