New York had been a long time coming. In a sense it was just the next step, yet in another sense it was simply destiny. We didn’t know what we had yet, but we knew where we were going; glimpses of what it all meant revealing itself with time. The 2012 providing the most peculiar and extraordinary experiences. To say it was all coming together was an understatement, because in reality it had all already happened.

Photos By Max Gibson

But as efficient and beautiful as digital photographs are, there’s an unmatched spontaneity that comes from a film camera. Although a disposable cam leaves a little to be desired in terms of aesthetic pleasantries, it’s hard to deny the moments they capture. Yours truly had a few on hand this Saturday, and this is what I saw…

Photos By Ken Gibson & Neijah Williams

Saturday was special. Number 13 just felt right all around. I remember asking Will after our first party if he could imagine what number 7, number 8 and number 9 would feel like; my hopeful prediction being that the parties would only get better. And in a lot of ways they have. I sort of feel redundant in thanking you for coming, but in reality these parties start and end with you. Otherwise, it’d probably just be Will and I sitting around hella drunk in an empty bar listening to some slaps. The vibe is what makes the parties so good, and the vibe starts and ends with good people, so thank you. Much love to Pops and Neijah for holding down the photos on the digital end and to As-Is for blessing us with one of his dopest sets thus far. And again to the friends and the friends of friends, thanks for making these nights so special.

Their title, not mine. And generally, I’m not big on the sensationalizing, fear-mongering thing in regards to substances. But in the case of scopolamine, it seems like at least some of the hype is warranted. The World’s Scariest Drug, the latest in Vice‘s ever-expanding catalog of video journalism pieces, finds reporter Ryan Duffy taking a journey to Columbia to explore the phenomenon that is scopolamine live and in the flesh.

So what exactly is it that makes the drug so dangerous? From what I’ve gleaned, the drug basically eliminates your capacity for quality decision making, and for all intents and purposes, your free will. Maybe even more problematic is the claim that even while you’re on it, you remain coherent and articulate throughout the trip. I’ll let Vice take it from here, but this looks like one for the stranger than fiction category. Definitely worth the watch.

Photography By Tiago Sperotto

Recently I had the chance to converse about the life journey of Elisha Gobi, an Israeli citizen who came to the U.S. in 2007 after spending three years in the Israeli army. With an upbringing so different from mine and other kids in America, I was fascinated by the trials and tribulations of Elisha’s journey from Israel to the States. Offering a unique view into his life and upbringing, we share Elisha’s story to provide a little perspective from a man who’s no stranger to adventure.

How would you describe life in America?

The only way I can describe life in America is as an Israeli. As an Israeli, I think life in America is way better than good. And I think anybody that would come from that side of the world, including Europe would say that America is the best place on earth to live.

So you said they’re going to make a movie of your life?

Yeah, there’s a script. It’s a story by me. It’s not completely my life story, but it’s a story based on my life.

What do you think have been some of the defining moments of your life thus far?

Of my life? I’ll tell you my life in a nutshell. I was born to a hardworking father and a very giving mother. She was working with kids all day in addition to her own kids. And she was on the road working everywhere in Israel to get us going good. Then [my parents] moved to a really good area in Israel where there was no violence of any kind. It was way more expensive and there was better education.

You came up.

We came up!

When I moved to that city it was fun. Lots of people going out, walking the city at night, bunches of kids… So I went all out. I went crazy. I had the best time. At about 15 I started to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.. tried weed a few times. It was a good life. A simple, good life.

What was the name of the city?

Rishon Lezion

In high school I would come with a skateboard and juggle. I was not the most studious kid in the world. I was a creative kid. When I was fifteen, sixteen, I started to become a hairstylists, to learn, to have fun, and get independence fast. When I was sixteen and a half I was already living in my own apartment. My parents lived like ten minutes away, but it was my choice to take my salary and live by myself, willing to have a smaller room than I had before.

Really? You just wanted the independence?

I just wanted to do it! And I did it for a while and then I said, “Ok, I’ll go back home.”

Was that the norm for you and your friends at that time or was that just you?

That was me. I was always different from my friends. I could be a goofball and have a high level of humor, or I could be all the way serious. There was nothing in between.

What do you think gave you the desire to have that independence so early?

Fear.

Fear?

I think fear is the greatest motivator, because you’re afraid of something that will happen in the future, so you it compels you to do something about it. Before something happens to you, you try to prevent it. I was afraid I’m not going to be an “interesting person” if I wasn’t able to take care of myself. My goal was to move to a better place, make more money to help support the people around me.

And that’s what motivated you?

Yes the fear of not doing that.

My mother, she used to work two jobs and more, just because she wanted to. Every time somebody got sick, or god forbid somebody died, she’d go and spend a whole week there. She cleans, she cooks, she buys, she takes care of people, she gives money to people when they needed support. That was the way we were brought up, and I wanted to do it better. And if I didn’t, that was a failure to me.

You said something really interesting a moment before, you said fear was the greatest motivator. And now that I think about it, I kind of believe that too, because that fear of what may happen in the future may force you to take some sort of action.

Right, it’s the best motivator. People do crazy things because of fear.

Do you know when you’ve felt the greatest amount of fear?

It’s really hard to pinpoint you know. I’ve been in a terror explosion…

A terror explosion?

Yeah when somebody explodes themselves in a mall, or on a bus.

Oh, somebody committing suicide?

Yes, someone committing suicide. They wear a bomb, walk into a crowd and explode. You don’t even know it when it’s happening.

So does everyone walk in fear?

Oh yes. In Israel there is a constant feeling of fear, although today it is lower. There is a high level of mental trauma in Israel because there are so many bombs in circulation.

The greatest fear I’ve felt was during a terror explosion. I was on my way home from work, I was maybe eighteen, and I was driving my car up a hill in the center of the city, and a kid, I later learned was sixteen years old walked into a crowd wearing a belt strapped with bombs and exploded. Somebody dropped him off, they drove away and the kid exploded.

So I’m sitting in the car thinking about what I’m going to do that night… and boom, a humongous boom. My back window shattered. Everyone’s windows shattered. Anything that was loose, fell. The shock wave was an amazing feeling. The scariest feeling in the world. You feel the shock wave of the bomb go through you.

Is the feeling instant or do you feel it continuously?

It’s instant. It’s not instant scientifically but the human brain gets it almost immediately. When I looked out my window, I could see a big mushroom from the bomb going up through the trees. I have the image etched in my head.

After the explosion everything was shaking and dusty, very dusty. You look outside and you see people running away from and to the explosion. I got out of the car and felt this incredible adrenaline. I see people with their hands blown off, faces burned, clothes are gone, people on the ground, pieces of their body missing. Immediately back then I was traumatized.

How was your time in the army?

The army was good. My army story goes like this. Initially, I didn’t want to join. Before I was drafted, I was living the life of a 26 year old. I had my own apartment, I was going out to bars and I was popular. I was working in the coolest salons, going out every night, fucking like crazy, doing drugs. I was making money you know, I was having fun!

So I was like fuck the army, I was living in Tel Aviv. I felt like this amazing hairstylist and I was in my own zone. So I just said, “Fuck you guys I’m not drafting, put me in jail if you want.” But I didn’t quite grasp what it meant to not join the army. So they put me in jail.

Did you know what the environment in jail would be like before you went?

Not really, but I knew it wasn’t some kinda third world shit, where you don’t have anything to eat, and you have nowhere to sleep. No, in Israeli jail they play checkers all day and smoke cigarettes. Yeah there’s some bullshit here and there, but it’s bullshit, it’s not something that will kill you. Maybe you’ll get punched or beat up but that’s it. No one’s going to kill you in the middle of an Israeli jail.

So how long were you there?

Three weeks. But I got in some trouble, so they put me in a hole. I got in trouble for jumping over a fence and getting into the cafeteria. I was just cooking a late night dinner with another guy that had the keys for everything and he showed me a trick for how to get in there, and we got caught. To this day it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

So after three weeks I said “Fuck it, I’ll join the army”. They said I was going to stay in jail for three months, and after three weeks my life in Tel Aviv would be ruined. No apartment, no job, so I said you know what, I’ll do the three years.

How would you describe your experience in the army?

It was good. I was a chiller you know. They put me on this unit where I did some recons… But you know, my unit encountered some insane shit, because Israel is a very volatile place. I was basically there to be shot at.

So you’d wait around for somebody to shoot you?

Yes, but while you’re doing stuff. That’s what it is bottom line. It’s sad because we don’t want to be there. We don’t want to be in those places… Every time a child is born we say that we hope that when they become old enough to enter the army, we won’t need an army like this. That’s what we say when a child is born or on a birthday.

When did you come to the U.S?

2007

What brought you here?

A girl.

Tell me about it.

I met her in India. I was backpacking. I did a short term in the army, almost three years. And I got out. I pretty much got sick of it. I got tired of doing shit, making people happy, so I got out. Wiggled myself out. Fucked with the right people, argued and eventually I got out.

And then I went to India for three months, backpacking. I went with my friends. We got there, and after a week and a half I told my friends I had to go on by myself. So I walked by myself for like a week, week and a half, then I met her.

How’d you meet?

In the back of a bus at night. I had a motorcycle for like a week.

In India?

In India, I bought a 50 year old motorcycle. An Enfield. It was huge, looks like a Harley, but it breaks down all the time. So I was riding it, and it was good for a while, but eventually it broke down. So I left it on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, and just stood next to it.

Somebody finally stopped by, saw me, and asked if I needed help. I asked them to take me to the nearest bus stop. But remember, this is in the middle of India, the bus is like 10 hours away. So it took me a day to get to a bus stop.

I get on this bus, and to my surprise the bus is a tour bus. It’s like this really fancy bus for India. Air conditioning, TV’s and stuff. It was like a hotel. And I was stinky, really stinky. I hadn’t showered in a few days, grease on my hands from the engine, big curls in my hair…

You were fucked up.

I was fucked up! I smelled like weed and hash oil, I was smoking it all day. I was just fucked up. But when I walked onto that bus I smelled the most tender, sweetest smell of a woman. I looked at my ticket, I looked at the numbers, and the further I walked the stronger the smell. I got to my bed and fell asleep instantly. It was a twenty hour drive. I woke up in the middle of the night, I look out the window and see a fucking cliff! I’m like where the fuck am I going? You don’t know where you’re going, but you just have to go with it.

So I wake up and smoke. I’m sitting there high and stinky and I start to hear this Israeli music. So I’m like, “Chill, someone to talk to.” I call out to the people below in Hebrew and say, “Hey girls, what’s going on,” you know, and I look down and see these two big grins with blonde hair. It was pitch dark, and all I could see were these blue eyes and patches of blonde as the bus rode by light.

So how long were you talking in the dark?

All night.

I end up smoking with one of the sisters. The other one got tired, took my bed and left me with her sister. We talked all night and fell asleep. When we awoke the next morning, I convinced her and her sister to come with me. Then after a week her sister left to go learn jewelry making, so me and her hung out for another month. And we totally fell in love. We were infatuated with each other. At the end of my trip I told her so long. But she showed me her ticket for her next trip. It was for Tel Aviv. In my head I was like, “It’s on!” We moved in together lived in a nice penthouse, and had the good life for a year.

Funny story about that apartment though. I met a guy in a salon once, and he said, “Oh I live on this and this street. Let’s walk home.” So I follow this guy home one day and it turns out he lives close by.

So we’re sitting on his porch and this guy turns to me and says, “You see that penthouse up there?” He turns and points to my house. “Those people up there think their curtains aren’t see through, but they are! When the light is on, you can see everything, and that couple fucks, all, day, long! The guy wakes up at 3 o’clock in the morning, fucks her and goes back to sleep. You gotta see this, oh no, it’s just her up there now…”

I’m sitting there like. “What the fuck?” So I told him I had to go. I didn’t tell him it was my girlfriend or anything, I just rushed home. I rushed home and took off my shirt so the guy wouldn’t recognize me. I approached my girl inside and told her, “Babe these curtains aren’t see through.” She looked at me and said, “I know.” I said, “What? You know they’re see through? Everyone can see us fuck all day?” She said, “Yeah I don’t care.” I said, “Listen, everyone can see us. Like 200 people watching us constantly.” And she didn’t believe me. She still doesn’t believe me. But I was like fuck, I’m buying some new fuckin’ curtains tomorrow!

Following his immigration to the U.S, Elisha found work in the familiar field of hair styling. Taking on a role as the manager and lead stylist at the Edan Edan Salon in Los Angeles, Elisha has managed to build a successful list of clientele that frequent the shop. Giving birth to a baby boy in 2008 alongside his former wife, Elisha now resides with his son in Santa Monica where he works close by.

Don’t get me wrong. Chromatics already had one of the year’s highlight albums with Kill For Love– a towering, dramatic collection of synth-soaked anthems, most of which might sound just as comfortable in a stadium as they would on your car stereo driving home at 3 AM. With that said, sometimes less is more. This week saw Chromatics drop a drumless version of their album, completely identical apart from the lack of percussion, and the result is something pretty stunning. Isolating those soft vocals, heavy waves of synth, and wistful guitar peels makes Johnny Jewel’s fuzzy, evocative Los Angeles nostalgia (think Drive) feel that much more powerful. If you haven’t checked out the OG, do that. But I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that some of the drumless tracks sound like they were meant to be heard that way. Pretty gorgeous stuff.

Download: Chromatics – “Kill For Love” (Drumless)

Chromatics – “Kill for Love”

Chromatics – “Back From the Grave”

“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, ‘Dear Jim: I loved your card.’ Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, ‘Jim loved your card so much he ate it.’ That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

Yesterday, my homie told me he fucked a pornstar for the first time the night before. He told me she hollered at him at the bar, left him a sexy note; he hollered, she slid through and the rest is history. It was a pretty cool story, and a series of events that I wouldn’t say happens all the time (unless it does). Regardless, the real lives of adult performers remains a topic that’s piqued my interest since my early days of sneaking Striptease VHS’s from the movie store.

Apparently I’m not the only who’s been interested in the subject. In an ongoing project from Chicago-based photographer Saverio Truglia, the artist has assembled a series of photographs portraying the lives of adult entertainers in the comfort of their own homes. Revealing in their reflection of the performers’ lifestyle, Truglia’s work reminds us of just how similar, and just how different our lives really are.

With all the commitments and obligations we have nowadays, it’s hard to find the time to sit through a full game of basketball. Shit’s damn near two hours, and that’s not even including commercials. But if you’re like me, those precious minutes right before I knock out are spent on nba.com, checking out the Top Plays of the Day.

And for this year, and much of last year, Blake Griffin has remained that perennial superstar that sits atop the countdown. Easily the most athletic player in the game since Bron Bron entered the L, Blake’s highlights remind me of Vince in 2000 or ‘Nique in 88. In a sense, Blake is one of my favorite artists, simply based off my excitement for what he’ll do next. So for this Tuesday afternoon, what could be better than the Top 10 Plays from Blake this season? Probably just a Top 20.

Sometimes you just gotta strike while the iron’s hot. Next Saturday we’re coming to San Francisco, the Haight to be specific, to throw number thirteen. For the folks that came to The Homecoming, you can expect more of the same. DJ As Is on the boards, Mom & Pop in attendance, and a room full of superstars.

This past Thursday marked the 25th anniversary of J-Hyphen’s birth, and the 12th installment of our Wine & Bowtie celebrations. Many thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate. Your presence at the function is so appreciated. For those in attendance, we also got to witness the DJ debut of dJ Hemisphere and Louis XIII, both equally appreciated for their selection of slaps throughout the night. We’re coming with the back to back this weekend, so for those up in the Bay, get ready. And to anyone who’s read these words and been a part of this journey, thank you for reading Wine & Bowties.

There’s something profound about singing and dancing alone to something in your room. Personally, it happens pretty often, with a pretty unpredictable soundtrack, although a Prince is a pretty consistent go-to. As is the case with most things though, it turns out watching pretty girls do it is a lot more enjoyable, and I’m glad Dev Hynes and director Haley Wollens picked up on that. The visuals for “Champagne Coast”, one of a handful of extremely groovy pop cuts from the appropriately titled Coastal Grooves, finds Hynes and Wollens depicting that particular scene with an expert visual eye, and an unusual set of techniques.

The video features several girls, each getting down to Blood Orange in their own environment, with each room constructed entirely out of two-dimensional images in Photoshop. Each girl’s dancing is constricted to a few stop-motion poses, the kind of dancing you might expect to see if you won a game of Street Fighter on NES or Super Nintendo back in the day. Of course, like each of the ways in which Dev’s represented the Blood Orange project visually, it’s all carefully calculated with a certain reverence for retro inspirations– pop art, vintage interiors, bygone, kitschy fashion. Like the music, it’s a collage of ideas pieced together from different eras, a formula that makes it feel impossible to place. Maybe the word is timeless.

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.