I’ve seen single-speed cyclists doing cool stunts here in town. I just started biking home from work and these folks were cycling in a parking lot, practicing sliding 180s and 360s on their single speeds. A couple of them definitely had fixed gears because they’d lock up the gears for the turn and then pedal backwards out of it. What balance! I was in awe.

In this video (thanks Ben!), Danny MacAskill takes things to another level entirely. Parkour meets streets trials riding. Gonsalve brothers, Rad Al, where are you now?? You’d all appreciate this one!

The “more info” write up from “inspired bicycles” who posted this vid on YouTube:
inspiredbicycles
April 19, 2009
(less info)

Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill (more info at www.dannymacaskill.com) features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There’s some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike.

Credit to Band of Horses for their epic song ‘The Funeral.’ You can find out more about the band and their music at www.bandofhorses.com…

Tim recently let me borrow a copy of the newly released Hercules & Love Affair album. Without knowing much about it at that point, I instantly recognized the voice of one of the singers and was taken back to a special place.

A little research told me more about this band, but also more about this unforgettable, incredibly emotive voice with a wavering tremelo and soulfulness that reaches right down to your heart and once there is tender with it, compassionate, empathetic with your yearning and desires. And this is the voice of Antony Hegarty.

So the Hercules & Love Affair album, after two listens, is good. It’s interesting and I look forward to seeing how it ages. I’ve read it described as new disco which is accurate enough. Antony sings on about half the songs.

But what it really brought to mind was Antony’s stunning performance of “If it be your will” in the documentary/performance film about Leonard Cohen called I’m Your Man. This performance was the clear standout best of the film for me. Brought tears to my eyes. It was so unexpected. I had no idea who this sexually ambiguous person in a Robert Smith getup was at all, but boy could he belt it out. Just bowled me over and washed me clean. Enjoy!

Giora sent me this movie today. It amazed me with footage of Everest (spindrift!) and scared me nigh to death with a filmed ski descent of the South Col. Yikes.

the film quality is pretty stunning.

—Giora

Couldn’t agree more…

The Man Who Skied Down Everest is a documentary about Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese alpinist who skied down Mt. Everest in 1970. He skied 6,600 feet (2000 m) in 2 minutes and 40 seconds and fell 1320 feet down the steep Lhotse face from the Yellow Band just below the South Col. He used a large parachute to slow his descent.

—YouTube synopsis