Rauschenberg's Tropic cover

In 1979, the artist Robert Rauschenberg was commissioned to create the fold-out cover of The Miami Herald's Tropic magazine's end-of-decade issue. It was the first time an original work of art was created for a newspaper.

Rauschenberg and his assistant created the piece of art in The Herald's editorial art department, where I was employed at the time, and I got a chance to see him create the cover.

Watch your head!

The tour guides on the GrayLine double-decker buses constantly warn tourists not to stand while the bus is moving because of the low clearance of the traffic lights. Some still do.

At least the lock worked

Greenwich Village, NYC

Busted in El Salvador

In 1979, I went on my first trip to El Salvador. Since the early ’70s, we had heard stories from other traveling surfers about Punta Roca, a fabulous point break discovered by Miami surfer Bob Rotherham, who first stumbled upon this little speck of surfing nirvana while traveling through Central America in 1972. He totally fell in love with the country and the surf and married a local woman and settled there.


Bob “Don Roberto” Rotherham surfing Punta Roca in La Libertad.


Hitching a ride back to La Libertad after a surf session at El Sunzal. Often we were picked up by truckers carrying loads of cobblestones. We would climb up the side of the trucks and rest our surfboards on top of the rocks. Here’s me and Jeff’s girlfriend Julie hanging on for the ride.


The point break at El Sunzal.

Robert Gomez and I planned the trip and we were joined by Jeff and his girlfriend Julie. Now, at the time, getting high was a regular pre- and post-surf ritual for most surfers, but having heard horror stories of drug busts in Third World countries, and having seen the film Midnight Express, we all agreed we were not going to bring any weed with us.

We arrived in San Salvador late one afternoon and got a taxi to take us the 15 miles, over the mountains, to La Libertad. We checked into our $10-a-night motel and had dinner at Don Roberto’s restaurant while we prepared for our first Central American surf session the next morning.

One of the important things to know about surfing in Central America is that you dawn-patrol it everyday if you want to catch glassy, uncrowded surf, as the onshore winds usually kick in around 11 a.m and chop up the surf. We woke up before sunrise and walked down the dirt road, past the cemetery, to the cobblestone point and paddled out at first light.

The waves were as great as we had heard them described. Long, winding, hollow rights over a cobblestone point.

After a few days of surfing at La Libertad, we noticed local surfers lighting up on the beach, so we figured that maybe this was a "safe" country, after all. But the locals kept their distance from us, and we did not approach them to try to get high.

One night while having dinner at Don Roberto’s, we met a traveling couple from Hawaii and after trading stories and having a few beers, they offered us a joint of their homegrown weed. Robert, Jeff, Julie and I walked down the dirt road, past the cemetery, onto the cobblestone point where we surfed every day and proceeded to light up.

As we sat on the beach, under the glow of a full moon, the only sound being the clackety-clack of the waves rolling over the cobblestones, the main thing I remember is a simultaneous, collective “Whoaaaah …” from our small group. This stuff was so mild, yet so powerful, that it just crept up on us. It heightened the sounds of the ocean, the glow of the full moon and the moon’s reflection on the surface of the ocean. We all agreed this was some of the best weed we had ever tried.

After a while, we walked back to the restaurant and our new friends from Hawaii were still there. We thanked them profusely for their gift and they replied "Would you like to join us to smoke another?"

Well, of course it would have been impolite of us to refuse such generosity, so we all proceeded to walk back to the beach again. However, this time the women were feeling a bit spooked about the cemetery so we only went as far as the end of the dirt road leading to the beach. Which turned out to be a mistake.

As soon as we had finished our second joint, from the surrounding darkness came three soldiers, one from the beach side, one from the dirt road and one from the cemetery. The very first image I recall is of one of the soldiers standing in front of us, cocking his rifle and saying “Quien tiene la marijuana?" There was no doubt they had smelled our weed burning.

La Libertad was a very small town then, with no police force, so government soldiers were stationed at a small outpost from where they patrolled the town and beaches.

We froze. All the images of Midnight Express raced through my mind. I imagined having to call my parents to tell them I was in a Salvadorean prison.

Being the only Spanish-speaker in the group, I stepped forward and began talking to the lead soldier. I told him we were visiting surfers and that my friends had been drinking and partying too much. The soldier wasn’t believing my story and began a series of questions. Where were we from, he asked, what airline had we flown, what our flight number was, where were we staying.

I don’t know how I was able to retain my composure as I rapid-fired back the answers to him, while being so high that I was seeing swirly patterns of colors on his face.

As I thought I was making headway and somehow convincing him that we had just been drinking, he asked again, "Who has the marijuana? Everyone empty your pockets!”

At this moment I thought, this is it. We’re either busted, or the soldiers are going to rob us. We had been warned by Don Roberto that whenever we ventured away from our motel, we should carry only a minimal amount of cash and no jewelry in case we were robbed. Since we had dinner earlier, I knew that Robert, Jeff, Julie or I had no cash. But we had no idea if our new friends might be carrying weed with them.

As we all emptied our pockets and threw small change and motel keys on the ground, the couple from Hawaii did the same, and they were not carrying any weed!

The soldiers must have believed my story, or must have had some sympathy for us. They walked us back to our motel room as locals watched. We walked in, locked the doors, turned off the lights and went to sleep.

The next morning, as were were surfing perfect waves under sunny skies, I told my friends “We could be in prison right now.”

Metal sculptor produces fantasy bike

By OCTAVIO DIAZ
Staff Writer
Daytona Beach News-Journal

Ever dream of soaring down the highway on the back of a giant metal eagle? Or getting by with a little help from your dragon friends?

Key Largo metal sculptor Kim Brandell's motorcycle creations may help you do just that.

Brandell is exhibiting his unique metal creations, the Screaming Eagle and the Dragon bike during Bike Week at an Easy Riders magazine-sponsored space at the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach, at the Boardwalk Bike Show on Friday and at the Rat's Hole Bike Show at Daytona Lagoon.

A small crowd gathered as he unloaded his bikes from the trailer and at first impression, most onlookers assumed that the bikes were super-heavy.

Brandell's materials and technique — working with sheet copper and using a brazing rod and an oxygen-acetylene torch — gives the sculptures a massive, heavy-metal appearance, but they actually add only 75 pounds to the total weight of the bikes.

The Eagle bike is a three-piece copper sculpture that is overlaid onto a Harley-Davidson, which has 25,000 miles on it.

The attention to detail shows. Every metal feather overlaps, much as the real bird's feathers do.

"It takes a lot of money and time to build a custom bike," says Brandell, as he estimates in his head a cost of about $25,000 in materials and the amount of time spent to build each bike. Actual work time on the Eagle bike was six to seven weeks, and for the Dragon it was 12 weeks. But this work, which is his hobby, is stretched out over a period of two years, while Brandell continues his commercial work.

The Dragon bike is a functional sculpture. This three-piece metal work is mounted on top of a built-from-the-ground-up custom bike. With a main body resembling the textured, scaly skin of a dragon, several other dragons hold directional signals, speedometer and brake lights. One dragon that sits towards the back of the bike, tail wrapped around the license plate, watches Brandell's back as well as giving the "middle-finger salute" to other traffic following too close.

"I see the dragons as my psychological protectors. I feel I'm getting by with a little help from my dragon friends," said Brandell.

Brandell starts his works with a rough pencil sketch. Then he draws shapes and uses these as templates to cut the sheet copper. As he prepares to cut, he allows extra surface area, because the metal will have to wrap and bend to create a three-dimensional shape. "I think in 3D," says Brandell as he explains his process.

A few years ago, Brandell approached Easy Riders magazine with photos of his motorcycle works and Melissa Penland, principal of Action Promotions Inc., got him started exhibiting his custom creations at bike trade shows.

Brandell started his sculpture career 34 years ago. He began creating copper sculptures in his garage and exhibited his creations at outdoor arts and crafts shows in the eastern United States. After about 10 years, he was commissioned to do his first commercial project at The Mayfair Hotel and Shops in Coconut Grove. He made 18-copper elevator doors, 50 copper herons and 200 copper light sconces throughout the project. Most of his career since has been work for hotels, casinos, restaurants and high-end private residences, and he says he has produced metal sculptures for Donald Trump and Gloria Estefan.

Brandell built his first customized bike while still a senior in high school. It was a 1961 Panhead with silver fox fur mounted on the gas tank and fenders. But he did not build another bike until 2002 and that was the "Iguana Bike," which was featured on the official 2002 Bike Week poster.

And while he continues his metal sculpture work for clients, Brandell says his business is leaning toward the customized bike market.

—————————————————————————————
Here's the link to the News-Journal site for story and more pics.
Here’s the link for the video.

Gregg Allman and Friends at Destination Daytona

Last Saturday night March 1, 2009, as part of Bike Week events, rock and blues musician Gregg Allman performed at Destination Daytona. Although not my kind of music, I went to check it out anyway, since he was originally from Daytona Beach and I wanted to see him play for a hometown crowd. Plus, the newspaper gave me a free ticket.

He and his band Gregg Allman and Friends performed a solid, one-and-a-half hour set, plus two encores, including hits such as Whipping Post, Sweet Melissa, I'm No Angel and closed the show with Goin’ Back to Daytona.

For a 61-year-old guy who's survived alcoholism, cocaine and heroin addiction, hepatitis C and a marriage to Cher, he looked surprisingly fit.

Check out the concert pics here on my facebook page, and check out 30-second cellphone videos here and here and here and here.

Surfing Through the Years

From the 1968 high school yearbook, when I was a junior.


South Beach sequence, 1978.


Wilderness, Puerto Rico, 1987.


Middles, Puerto Rico, 1988.


Playa Jobos, Puerto Rico, 1990.


Playa Negra, Costa Rica, 1993.

OD’s Birthday Party Invitation

Puerto Rico boasts tasty waves, filling food

I wrote this story for the Travel section of Florida Today newspaper in 2005.

Puerto Rico boasts tasty waves, filling food

Long considered the Hawaii of the Atlantic, Puerto Rico provides warm, crystal-clear waters, bigger, more powerful waves and reef breaks.

Surfing in Puerto Rico increased dramatically after the 1968 World Contest. Since, it has been the first trip and favorite reef-break training ground for Atlantic surfers, offering good surf in a beautiful U.S. territory with a mix of Latin culture and American convenience.

Peak months for surf are November through March, although Puerto Rico can get sizeable surf during hurricane season.

The majority of the surfing breaks are on the northwest tip of the island between Isabela and Rincon. This area offers a variety of breaks situated within a short drive time, depending on the direction of the swell.

Although March usually is a good month for waves on the East Coast, I figured the chances of catching some waves on my birthday would be greater by visiting Puerto Rico then.

An 8 a.m departure from Orlando International Airport and a noon arrival in San Juan, plus the two-hour drive to the northwest tip of the island, guaranteed that I could be in the water the same day. Now, JetBlue flies directly from Orlando into Aguadilla, saving the drive from and back to San Juan.

Surf, eat, surf

Most days start out with a dawn surf check, surfing until about 9:30 a.m., then a run to one of the many panaderias (bakeries) for quesitos (cheese-filled pastries), warm bread and coffee. Then back for another surf session until lunchtime.

For the less adventurous, there's always the McDonald's or Pizza Hut route for meals, but I chose to sample some of the local cuisine.

Brisas del Atlantico restaurant, with its $5 all-you-can-eat buffet, was outstanding. The food was fresh and abundant, which included arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans), carne asada (beef stew), chuletas (pork chops), serrucho (swordfish) and bacalao (cod) and tostones. Tostones (right) are twice-fried green plantains that make a great appetizer or side dish. They usually are served in restaurants to accompany seafood dishes, but they go well with any Puerto Rican dish.

After lunch and a rest to avoid the midday sun, it's time to check the surf again for a late afternoon session.

For dinner, there are plenty of choices to accommodate the budget.

One day, I went back to Brisas del Atlantico restaurant for dinner to try mofongo, the national dish. Mofongo is not for those who are watching their cholesterol. Traditionally prepared in a mortar and pestle, monfongo is made by mashing tostones with garlic, olive oil and chicarrones (fried pork rinds) or bacon. Then the mix is hollowed out to form a bowl and is stuffed with a variety of fillers in a sauce. Some popular fillers are shrimp, lobster and stewed chicken.

Another evening, I found Happy Belly's Bar & Restaurant on the beach road in Playa Jobos. It has a great oceanfront view by day. While eating your lunch, you can watch the surfing action from the restaurant's open-air deck. At night, the sound of the waves and the salty smell of the surf enhance the dining experience. There's live and/or DJ music and dancing on most nights and it stays open until 4 a.m.

I found Happy Belly's to be convenient and priced fairly, with steak and seafood dishes at $15 to $20, fresh mah-mahi sandwiches for $7 and a nightly special of chicken or steak fajitas for $5. Add a side order of tostones and you have a very satisfying meal.

One of my visits there coincided with the Cuba vs. Puerto Rico baseball game of the World Baseball Classic.

Although I'm not a baseball fan, I got caught up in the excitement of the crowd watching the game on TV at the bar and found myself out of place rooting for the team of my home country of Cuba. As one of the Cuban players hit a home run, I hollered loudly and got some menacing stares. No beer bottles were thrown, though.

Catching waves

Near the town of Isabela are the surf spots Jobos and Middles. The take-off zone at Playa Jobos is right next to the huge lava rock formation, and after a steep drop, it offers a speedy, long ride.

Coincidentally, after the wave has spent most of its energy, the wave rolls into a semiprotected cove with a sand bottom, which is the ideal training spot for the many young local kids who are just starting to surf.

Further west are Surfer's Beach and Wilderness, spots that can hold size and provide long rides. When the swell gets too big for these spots, a drive to Wishing Well, Crashboat or Gas Chamber is in order. Further west, the town of Rincon has the reef breaks of Domes, Maria's and Dogman's.

An added bonus to surfing the Rincon area is the chance of seeing endangered humpback whales. The winter months are the prime time to watch the largest mammals. They travel thousands of miles from the cold waters off the U.S., Canada, Greenland and Norway to the warmer waters of the Caribbean to mate and give birth.

The area of Isabela, Aguadilla and Rincon on the northwest corner of the island is so jam-packed with things to do on land and sea, you could exhaust yourself before you exhaust the possibilities.

It's a good thing it also is a relaxing, off-the-beaten-path destination, because after a long day of playing and sightseeing, you'll need a restorative meal and a cozy place to lay your head.

For the days when the waves are too small (it happens), there's snorkeling at Playa Jobos in Isabela and at Blue Hole in Shacks Beach or a short drive to the caves at Camuy.

Calle13@HardRock, Orlando 06/30/07

Calle 13 is a Puerto Rican hip hop and alternative-reggaeton duo formed by step-brothers who call themselves Residente (lead singer, writer) and Visitante (keyboards, vocals, writer, beat producer).

Although most people label Calle 13's music as reggaeton, they've tried to distance themselves from that particular style. And while some of their songs carry a reggaeton beat, they mix it with many other rhythms from various countries. Visitante, being a professional musician, tries to fuse each song with diverse styles. Their early songs featured elements like jazz, bossa nova and salsa, while recent songs feature cumbia, tango, electronica and others. In their recent tours around Latin America they've added different musical elements according to the place they're playing in.

Singer Residente is reluctant to label their music in a specific genre, instead calling it plain urban style. He has a clear preference of hip hop over traditional reggaeton.

Residente's lyrical style uses lots of Puerto Rican slang and allegories. He has developed a style full of sarcasm, parody and shock value. His distinctive lyrics are often wide and random, and his rhymes usually end in English or Spanglish, the rest of the lyrics usually in Spanish.

Check out my cellphone camera slideshow of their Hard Rock concert here.

Check out the band's Web site here.

Tribute to Salvador Dalí

Did I mention that Salvador Dalí is my all-time favorite artist? Take me somewhere nice, Mogwai.

Dalí selling chocolates, antacids and wine …


A Dalí/Disney collaboration from the '40s.
Poster and display promoting a Dalí exhibit in Copenhagen, September, 1999.

San Francisco signs

Repent. Be honest.

A day in Malmö, Sweden

Took the passenger ferry from Copenhagen to Malmö, Sweden for the day.
Malmö is called the city of parks, but I'd rather call it the city of sculptures. There are lots of great artworks scattered around the city waiting to be appreciated.


The Kooks. Too much is not enough.


Amusing marching band statues in Malmö.

Hmmm … Interesting statue in Malmö. Look closely at what it is carrying.


Outside. Not inside.


Six-foot tall sunflowers.

Gun control, Swedish-style.


If you think the cranes in the background are big, you should have seen the one used to build the big white structure in the middle. (Those are 7-story buildings on the left.)


Buildings.


Windmill.


I guess Dolly Parton was performing at klubb Kinky in Malmö!

Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept. 1999

Christiania is Copenhagen's "free town," where approximately 1,000 squatters, hippies, and self-proclaimed deadbeats live in the old abandoned Christianshavn army barracks they occupied in 1971, declaring themselves independent of the Danish state around them.

The community is known for its bikes and until 2004, for its open-air drug market known as Pusher Street.

Here's the full-length classic 1991 film about the history and life of the Freetown Christiania in the heart of Copenhagen during its first 20 years.

But Christiania may not have long to live.


Military barracks at Christiania.


Mural on a building near the entrance to Christiania.


Respect Christiania's love.

Posters from Denmark

Nyd lørdagen
Poster advertising the Politiken newspaper, Denmark.


Poster for latest CD from Danish Singer Caecilie Norby.


Danger is a haunted lollipop. That's what I always thought!


Kinky Copenhagen


Information is good.

Copenhagen sights

The Little Mermaid statue was a present from brewer Carl Jacobsen (The Carlsberg Breweries) to the city of Copenhagen, and was made by sculptor Edvard Erichsen. The Little Mermaid was unveiled at Langelinje in 1913, as part of a general trend in Copenhagen in those days, requiring classical and historic figures to be used as decorations in the city's parks and public areas.
Copenhagen's Little Mermaid symbolizes the fairy tale by Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen, the story of a mermaid who fell in love with a prince from land, and often came up to the edge of the water to look for her love. The sculpture pictures her as she sits and looks out over the water, after never actually having married the prince, and reminiscing over her lost childhood in the sea, as a mermaid.


Nyhavn, the recreational center of Copenhagen, is part of the original Copenhagen Harbor all the way back to the founding of Haven, as Copenhagen was then called, in the 12th century.


Ship's figurehead on balcony of apartment building in Nyhavn.

Farting around Denmark

In Danish, fart means speed.