Today I drove past a little Russian gypsy stall and there were a bunch of old cameras on display.
I noticed a vintage 35mm Leica, brass plated with a slick wood grain wrap. It had this Nazi emblem etched into the brass.
I managed to heckle them down to 120 Euros. It was a relic, from the war.
After the purchase I googled the camera and found that it could be either be a) a Russian knock off. They have become well known for pumping out in-demand vintage Leicas; or B) among the rarest and sought after Leicas that go for around 10,000 Euros. Either way it looks fuckin’ sick. And I think its a knock off.
I’m solo in Paris. It’s really nice. Enjoying a pint of beer at a little place called La Caravane. They are playing Elvis and Johnny Cash records. The guys don’t speak a lick of English. I just point to the beer tap and make awkward hand gestures. It works.
Some old guy just pissed himself across the way. He looks French as fuck — kinda steezy old dude in a suit. But his pants were about to fall off and they were saturated with urine. He walked up to a table and asked for a cigarette. People don’t seem deterred. Phone booths are now used as sleeping quarters here too.
I’m roaming around town shooting some film cutaways for Cluster.
At one point, I was a little drunk and the chain broke on my bike. I also realized I lost my phone. Fuck. Then a Frenchman walked up with my phone and he fixed my chain. My view is altered, people can be lovely.
Time to check into the Easy Jet flight to Biarritz. It was cheap, but not easy.
The southwest of France is in tour mode and we are dodging cafes and crowded sand banks. A little hectic compared to the usual program. Noz is here. Dion, Dane and Craig. Beren Hall and Blake on the lenses. Nate Lawrence is creeping around the dunes. We had a slumber party at Dane’s pad. Crew on couches, mattresses everywhere, wine stained, bread-crumbed board-littered chateau on the the lake. The waves are pretty shit but he vibes are high.
“Whats the vibe for tomorrow Noa?”
“Wax the shit out of our boards and hit ramps!”