Zeitgeist Sept '15

Drank beer in Munich

Nothing like a weekend in Munich for the start of Oktoberfest, right? My boyfriend is half Italian and half German and, while initially I was never that keen on going, since my first Octoberfest three years ago I’ve been going back with the same crew every year. It’s like you’re in a different world when you walk through Munich and everyone is dressed up in their Dirndl and Lederhosen. Oktoberfest has different tents, Kafer is for dining, like a delicatessen with amazing Weisbier and delicious roasted duck, and Shitzen is the party tent. Between eight of us we consumed 27 beers over lunch. It’s because every time they play a certain song you have to down your drink. A litre jug cost 10 euros, so the rand killed us, or maybe it was the Schnapps... It’s a lot of boozing and everything just flows. We did pretty well though, at least a lot better than the people passed out outside the tents. - Tammy Tinker

Blogged live from Braamfontein

Braamfontein is a pretty cool place. It’s even cooler when you’ve been flown up to Jozi to take part in the launch of a brand new Nike range amongst some of the biggest hitters in the SA street and social scene. Let’s back up for a second. Superbalist and Nike collaborated on the launch of the new Nike Tech pack range where Superbalist would be the exclusive online retailer of the range, and would cover the launch event on our social channels and on our blog. I was given the opportunity to cover the launch event live for Superbalist where the whole concept of the launch event was to shoot a “live lookbook” for the range featuring athletes, musicians and other influencers. Superbalist posted the lookbook to our Instagram account and on our blog and you can go check how that turned out here.The range is dope and features athletically inspired streetwear that features a mix of utilitarian materials, cutting edge technology and high fashion. I think what was most cool about this experience was what I learned about Nike. Not Nike the brand, but Nike the collective of passionate individuals who believe in the messages they’re putting out there. Sure, it was pretty cool meeting Francois Hougaard (an absolute gentleman), standing a metre away from Siphiwe Tshabalala (he’s shorter than I had imagined) or seeing AKA being swarmed by people (I couldn’t tell whether he was as much of a dick as he seems on Twitter), but my experience with the people who ARE Nike was a far more interesting experience. – Xand Venturas

Watched Love the One You Love

Two weeks ago I watched Love the One You Love. I was pretty excited. I’d heard gushing reviews from my filmmaker sister who saw it at DIFF last year, and I was looking forward to the popcorn. But as the film began, and I tucked into my popcorn in the dark cinema, I proceeded to have a rather profound existential crisis about love and its shortcomings. Love is giddy and it’s lame, as unhappy as it is wonderful, a quagmire of negotiations, imaginary and ordinary, and ultimately very very messy. Maybe it was the wine (my alcohol tolerance is embarrassingly low), or the howling South-Easter outside. Or maybe Love the One You Love is exactly right. Maybe we are all shopping in the Chinese discount store of life, sifting through lurid plastic romances. I speak, of course, on behalf of the bitter broken-hearted. Every so often, when the action and camera movement became too frenetic to bear, the scene cut to garish screensaver graphics, to a picturesque pretense. These graphics, and the film’s closing music, cheerful and defiantly cheesy, only added to the banality of the whole affair. Of love. In particular, and in general; the love of Hallmark cards and bridal catalogues. Coupled with my existential crisis was the film’s excess. Jarring, loud, confusing. The sound mix was lousy, and every ambient noise sounded like a gunshot. The camera’s shaking became increasingly apparent. The plot stopped following the rules of reality. I finished my popcorn.By the time the credits started rolling I was an emotional mess. Love the One You Love is intimate, and raw. It’s as nonsensical as its subject, and as disorientating. I had fallen in love with Terri, I’d felt smothered by Eugene. Nothing “happened” but everything changed. Love the One You Love is, in short, a perfectly chilling South African horror film (and probably best avoided by the hopelessly romantic). – Lucienne Bestall

Camped at Wolfkop

We needed to overnight and Francois Visser, the photographer for our festival campaign, said he had a mate who had a place we could stay at. He throws a little musical festival there every so often. Anyway, we met Werner Rontgen in Citrusdal and he was so down to earth and unassuming. When we arrived at his place we were blown away. It’s in the middle of the mountains and has the most epic untouched beauty. When we arrived there was loadshedding, which worked out great because we lit about 100 candles and made a huge fire… Wolfkop is in a nature reserve and Werner ended up being our tour guide, taking us to all the different locations that we used for our festival campaign shoot. He really loves music so he started a small festival, Wolfkop, that’s very boutique, very niche, for your more discerning festival goer, and it’s really tough to get in to, but if you can you have to go, the place is so beautiful. – Tammy Tinker

Watched Necktie Youth

Necktie Youth is a raw depiction of privileged youngsters in post-Apartheid SA and is loosely based on true events. It’s also being hailed by some as SA’s answer to Kids, the Larry Clark classic that celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year. This is a grand claim because it creates some pretty hectic expectations of Sibs Shongwe-La Mer’s offering. Whereas the 1995 controversy-fest enters its third decade of immortality, La Mer’s film is a formidable achievement that is at times let down by some of the acting performances. On the other hand, the director himself appears as a central character in the story – the charismatic September – who steals the show with quips and unexpected depth. There’s some great dialogue with a few iffy bits here and there, and the way La Mer captures upmarket Joburg, visually, is awesome. It’ll hit home in particular for anybody who, like me, was reared on the same turf. Although it doesn’t fully live up to all the fuss, it’s an admirably ambitious work that deserves your attention. – Zia Haffejee

Did Vegas, baby!

When I think of Vegas I think of Elvis impersonators, show girls and every bad bachelor party movie I have seen in the last 10 years. A place of debauchery and excess sounds fantastic! Imagine my excitement when I was hand picked by Superbalist to do a buying trip to go to some of the world's biggest trade shows in this OTT metropolis. So this is the part where I roll the Jeffrey, right? Wrong.The journey to Vegas was a 36-hour nightmare, three airports, three flights, three sleeping pills and only then did we arrive in stinking hot Vegas.  Yep, we were “lucky” enough to hit the desert during one of the craziest heat waves in the last 50 years. Fortunately Anna (my totally amazing colleague and now very close travel partner) and I were welcomed in Vegas by my best friend in the whole wide world, Ora! Which was a cool surprise! Yes! Vegas with my bestie! This was going to be good! We decided we had to hit the strip and Ora treated Anna and I to an epic meals at CUT, a Wolfgang Puk restaurant, where we had grass fed, 21 day aged fillet on the bone! After some serious carnivorous indulgence, Ora and I headed over to XS, a club at the very lavish Encore hotel, where we watched Skrillex. This club surpassed our expectations with a pool, palm trees and stripper poles. If there is one thing that Vegas taught me is that despite current fashion trends the bandage dress is very much alive and well in Vegas. If I were to sum up the fashion I saw at the club, it would be: tits and ass. We waited until 2am to see Skrillex, which was perfect for me due to my jetlag and the music was incredible! The epic evening was followed by an epic hangover breakfast: waffles, flap jacks and eggs, at the same time! Vegas is big, everything about it is big and the same goes for the trade shows that we attended. I went solely on a footwear mission and I have never seen so much amazing product in my life. Stay tuned to see the amazing footwear that is going to come through in the next few months on Superbalist. My highlight and total cringe worthy moment would have to be when I spotted Ronnie Fieg in the Teva booth at FN Platofrm. I felt like a teenager who sees their favourite One Direction band member! Of course I had to introduce myself and tell him what an inspiration he is to me and my career blah blah blah *face palm* It should be said that Vegas does have a 48 hour maximum before you start to see the place for what it really is. Would I go back? Yes! I would love to go back to those trade shows, it was some of the best business I have ever done in three short days. For pleasure, sure, but I wont overstay my welcome again... - Ricci Unterhalter

Brunched at The General Store

When Andy Fenner gives anything to do with food his stamp of approval, we get there. If you work in the lower end of Cape Town’s CBD, you’ve got a new place to grab takeout coffee and a pastry to go, but we’d suggest taking the time to linger, as we did, on a Saturday morning. The talented Wandile, previously of Jason Bakery, is ready to make your flat white just the way you like it (with a bunny illustration on it, obviously, because Cape Town). There isn’t a breakfast menu as such, so you just tell your waiter what you want – choosing from options like poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, avo, croissants, sourdough, and of course bacon – and it’ll appear. Don’t be fooled by the artistic plating – when everything’s piled up and looking its prettiest it might seem that you’re getting a tiny portion, but this is a serious meal. Also on offer and on display: chocolate cupcakes with crushed pistachios on them, jams and cordials stamped with The General Store’s minimal branding, and Handmade by Me gifts. You’re gonna want to Instagram this. – Cayleigh Bright

Got Arty at JHB Art Fair

This was the most epic event I’ve attended in a long time (she says after a weekend at Oktoberfest!) and it was incredible to see a space so expertly curated. A sensory overload with all the beautiful art on display. Then, from Justin and Cam’s Whatiftheworld cocktail bar to the Port2Port wine bar - delicious. Often at these art fairs you can feel a bit socially inept, struggling to make conversation from stand to stand, but for some reason this turned into the most fun event. Maybe that’s because I attended my JHB Art Fair adventure with Lizel Strydom of Missibaba? Thanks to Mandla Sibeko for such an all-consuming cultural experience. And it must be noted that only in Johannesburg would you get every elegant guest to head out to the Alexander Theatre for a jam until 3am! – Tammy Tinker

Met Royale's new baby, Junior

I could call Junior drunk food, but that would be doing it a disservice. In case you hadn’t heard yet, Junior is the new fast food joint that’s opened up opposite the Power & The Glory on Kloof Nek. Their motto is “Fast Food Made Well” and they aren’t playing. It’s run by the good people behind the beloved Royale Eatery on Long but you won’t find any of the elaborately constructed burgers that Royale is famous for on the Junior menu. Instead, you find a simple, straight-forward selection of fast food that will be able to satisfy most picky eaters. It features a selection of five burgers, five sides, a wide variety of shakes and drinks (they now have a liquor license) and an assortment of freshly baked donuts. What sets Junior apart from a regular fast food joint is that they have committed to making their food without the worst parts of the fast food industry: the processed products, the preservatives and the over the top use of salt and sugar. What you get is a burger, fries and shake that is far more satisfying than fast food and far less likely to give you a heart attack. The burgers are obviously going to be the defining characteristic of the place and they really don’t disappoint. They’re diner style, so the patties are really thin. However, they’re freshly made so they’re juicy and you can actually taste the beef unlike most fast food burger patties. They’re garnished with a thin slice of tomato, a couple of pickles that are perfectly crunchy, some caramelised onion which gives you a nice hit of sweetness and the wonderfully tangy “Junior Sauce”. The whole thing is cosily enveloped by the squishiest golden bun you’ve ever held. My recommendations based on the last two times I’ve been there: Order the Double Trouble burger, it comes with two patties and you’ll appreciate the extra meat. For your side, I’ve had and enjoyed the cheese fries, but they could do with more cheese. To drink, it’s a toss up between Citizen’s new Light Lager, Patriot, and the Chocolate and Peanut Butter shake. In the good ol' American tradition of excess, why not have both? Finally, round the meal off with one of their freshly made donuts - nothing beats a classic cinnamon-sugar donut. – Xand Venturas

Bumped What A Time To Be Alive

This record is a collaboration between the hottest rapper in the game and arguably the most influential one of the last few years. Mad memes were inevitable and so were high expectations. Does it deliver on the hype? Sure. It’s fire. But, like Watch the Throne before it (can’t avoid drawing that parallel, right?), it’s not without its flaws. WTT was criticised for sounding like Jay-Z guesting on a bunch of Ye tracks, and this LP finds the two juggernauts occasionally at odds with each other. More specifically, we find Future brimming with Dirty Sprite 2 levels of confidence, and Drake bringing some heat, but just not sounding as at home as Fyutch does on these tracks. But don’t let that deter you; it’s still a high-quality piece of work from two incredibly talented artists in their prime, both of whom have already dropped straight fire in 2015. What a time to be alive indeed. - Zia Haffejee