Heavy Q&A : Uncle Twisty

Whether it be at a vintage swap meet or the filthiest gutter in Philly, or perhaps riding the Schwartzter down a mountainside with a knife in his teeth... when you least expect it, you can expect to find Uncle Twisty. He's at the top of the Spirit Lodge totem pole in a location that we won't disclose for the sake of your own soul. The first time I met this wild fuck his bike had so much of a gangster lean I thought for sure he was out of gas. When he's not making visual art, he's building bikes that make credit card bikers want to puke and the rest of us wish we had the balls to ride whatever he's wrenching on. Without further adieu, I give you... Uncle Twisty.. A.K.A: Keith Seaman.

IG: @uncletwisty
Website: http://keithseaman.com/

Question
Answer

What the fuck is a Schwartzter and why does it rule?

It's a nightmare with a 72 sportster motor. It rules because it hurts y back, breaks a lot and chicks dig it when it starts on the first kick

Tell me a little about the Uncle Twisty compound... what you can reveal anyway..

I recently moved off the side of a mountain in a concrete dump with a skatepark now I have a 3 bay garage that I have to move out of next month. Stay tuned. Uncle twistys spirit lodge is in a state of flux at the moment...

Favorite Swap Meet?

Any car swap. Bike swaps are too expensive. 

​Shittiest, most rickety and terrifying part you own and currently run on your bike?

That's a loaded question. It's a tie between the 50+ year old panhead rear tire or the leaky nazi fuel valve.

First motorcycle?

Cb360 "sister sparechange". Todd rest her soul. 

Have you ever just wanted to burn things down / blow things up? Tell us about your most epic fireball experience.

Everyday. One time my cousin Spider and I tried to knock my friends big old shed over with his van and when that didn't work we got a bunch of ghost snakes on the side do it and pushed it off its foundation. It almost rolled into my friends trailer. Then we lit it on fire and it caught the tree on fire that it was resting against so we cut the tree down. No one died. 

What is the filthiest most shitty tattoo you've ever seen in your life?

There was a stripper at a club in philly with a tattoo that inferred that she would suck your dick for weed. I don't really remember what it looked like but I think that qualifies. 

What are you painting for the Heavy Heads show? You coming out to hang?

No spoilers but my helmet will involve tits. Gsgp. I'll be there. 

Thanks Keith! Catch you at the show.. or somewhere in between.

-ZK

HEAVY Q&A : ADI GILBERT

Tucked away in South West England resides Adi Gilbert. Adi is the main man of 99 Seconds, a design and illustration studio in Devon, UK. We were drawn to Adi due to his visual style first and foremost. There is an effortless quality in his work, but that being said, you can tell how much care goes into it. In the custom bike world the easiest reference for his work would be Side Burn magazine and other mags like that, but he's been at it hard since 1999 working for surfing companies, BMX and racing teams... you name it. The client list is solid and so is the work behind it. We are proud to have Adi Gilbert on our roster for the first ever Heavy Heads helmet show.

Give him a follow on the 'ol Instagram: @adi_gilbert

Here is a video to go along with that last illustration...

1. Age, Location, Etc.  

39 years, Devon, England. 

2. Some people just ride. Some just make paintings. Is there a moment you can remember where art and motorcycles blended together? 

I think I started drawing motorcycle stuff (aside from in school) about  5yrs ago when I was asked to do some stuff for Bike Magazine by Gary Inman of Sideburn Fame. I’d just bought an XS650 at the time. 

3. Where is the best place to grab a bite and sip on some suds in your neck of the woods? 

The good old British Country Pub. The older the better, preferably with beer garden overlooking a river, moor, woodlands or sea. There’s plenty of them near me in Devon (South West England). 

4. CC's or CI’s 

CC’s...for now. 

5. You seem like a real family man, do you have a favorite motorcycle inspired memory where your family was involved? 

My grandparents had motorcycles when they were young, I guess in the 1930’s / 40’s. My grandmother once told me the sidecar she was in, being driven by my grandfather somehow detached like in the movies and she ended up in the ditch! Dunno if she was pulling my leg or not but I remember thinking that motorcycles sounded like fun! 

 
6. What tunes/albums are coming out of the studio right now?  

A bit of a juxtaposition of styles really, a bit of Alcest, First Aid Kit, The Fauns, Slayer, Sabbath, Mogwai and loads of history audio books  

7. Can you describe how you start working on a new piece? Do you have a routine or is it much more random?  

No routine, my life is pretty unorganised and random, revolves pretty much around my girls. I usually procrastinate and think about a piece a lot longer than it actually takes me to paint it.  I could be a hell of a lot more productive if I got my act together. 

8. Can you tell us what Biltwell helmet you have and let us in on what you might be doing to it? 

I got a nice antique white novelty lid (open face). I’m keeping the plan to myself but its likely to be mostly black and white with a pinch of radness. 




99 Seconds studio playlist

Alcest - Souvenirs d'un autre monde

First Aid Kit - The Lions Roar

The Fauns - In Flames

Slayer- Show No Mercy

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Mogwai - Come On Die Young

*editors note: I might have put Slayer's Show No Mercy album in another post previously, but that one is my fav and it rules so you all have to deal wiith it*

Thanks for the insight Adi! 

-ZK

Heavy Q&A : Devyn Haas

Devyn Haas is the main brain behind Philadelphia's Thunderfuck run and one hell of an artist. You may know him from the web as The Motorcyclist where he makes everyone jealous of all the cool shit he gets into.

The first time I met Devyn was pretty wild. The road was packed to the gills with 40 or 50 riders dipping turns, ripping wide open... sparks were flying, everyone was having a blast. As you know, the problem with those tight mountain roads is the whole issue of passing. So, some asshole crawling along in a box truck, fully aware of the increasingly anxious group of guys and gals on their steel steeds, refused to let us pass. After being robbed of miles and miles of sick mountain roads I was pretty livid. In the lead, just in front of me, was Devyn. I could tell he too was getting antsy. We all were.

For the good of the order I decided to pass that dickhead in the truck on the white line and stop traffic entirely. Everyone caught on to the plan immediately. Devyn flew by on the right and the entire group followed suit. We continued on and got to enjoy the rest of the route with white knuckles. Once we all arrived at the camp spot... well I can't really say much more for a variety of reasons, but you can be certain it was rad as hell.

Fuck that guy in the truck.

You can check out a more comprehensive gallery of his work here: The Motorcyclist
IG: @Isolastic_SuperRide

interview by C. Herr

1. Age, Location, and…?

28; Kensington, Philadelphia and fuck this, let's party! 

2. I was first introduced to your design savvy work on last years Thunderfuck run flyer. Did you go to school? If so, where and why?

Thanks, Thunderfuck was a fun happening I had a hand in—A weekly ride/bar party that eventually turned into the June campout party known as Barbary Breakout. 

I made the mistake of going to the Art Institute and I'm in debt up to my eyelids. 

3. You're a Philly guy, right? Best cheese steak? Best place to get bombed on the cheap?

Ishkabibble's on South is my go-to cheesesteak with their famous Gremlin soda. Allow an hour to operate heavy machinery. 

Perry's Place—Cheapest drinks in the city, no shit. Smoke all the cigarettes you want while playing pool or shuffleboard. Just don't order the soup.  

4. Do you have a studio/shop/garage/hole in the wall? and what music would we hear pouring out of it?

Garage. Usually a mess of droning psych rock like Wooden Shjips, Cosmic Dead and all things spawned by Brian Jonestown Massacre. Philly's own doom metal peddlers, Serpent Throne. When I need a lift, though, Ministry or New Order.  

5. CC's or CI's

I'm into just about anything with a motor.

6. Tell us about your most recent motorcycle adventure and the best moment from that said adventure.

Strange Days in Northern NJ was a hot mess this year, but it ruled once again. Best moment… Everything in between another motorcycle colliding with me on the way up and my belt snapping on the way back. 

7. Which Biltwell helmet do you have and would you let us in on what you might be doing to it?

I have a non-D.O.T. off-white Biltwell. I'm not sure. Usually I procrastinate and something comes out at the last minute. 

8. Is there anything else you want to tell me? 

l tell ya, I'm happy you guys are taking this on. It's good to see events like this take place on the East Coast. Events like this, the slew of good cycle runs and the Race of Gentlemen are giving us creative guys and builders good exposure out here. 

Haas-cast

Serpent Throne - Brother Lucifer

Wooden Shjips - S/T

The Cosmic Dead - Father Sky, Mother Earth

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone

Ministry - Psalm 69

*editors note: Serpent Throne shreds. Please play it loudly*

YO DEVYN! THANKS AS ALWAYS MAN! KEEP RULING THE PLANET! See you soon.

-ZK

Heavy Q&A : Phil Guy

One morning some time ago I sat down and spent an abnormally long time checking out the work of this Phil guy. That Phil guy being the one and only Phil Guy. Phil Guy, otherwise known as Some Guy, but commonly referred to as Burrito Breath, is feverishly blasting away behind his pen on a daily basis. What is he doing you ask? Well, to put it simply, he is creating all of the shit you wish you would have thought of. The handful of samples below doesn't even scratch the surface, so make sure to check out these links. Phil is one of the coolest and most solid fuckin' dudes I've had the pleasure of working with, but never meeting. That Phil guy, he's elusive like that.

IG: @burritobreath

Website: Some Guy Design

Some Guy Design has allowed you to keep a level of mystery about what you actually look like. If you could describe yourself by comparison of famous people, what 2 famous faces would we need to combine to create an accurate bust of your head? 

I try to keep my face outta the picture since I'm so handsome that it might distract from the work.....did I say handsome? I meant hideous...for sure hideous. If you had to combine two faces I'd say a nice mix jim carrey and toxic avenger would cover it. 

I can smell your burrito breath from across the country. What do you have them put in your burritos?! 

The breath is mightier than the sword haha..... I'm never too picky about my burritos but the essentials...always gotta make em super...extra guacamole.....extra cheese and extra spicy with a little tapatio in the mix. I'm not sure what's worse my breath or my farts....I think at somepoint this combo will liquify my intestines.

How bad is your sticker addiction on a scale of 1-10? 

I've tried as much as I can to scale it back but I fuckin love stickers. Now that I'm making my own its even worse. As a kid I got started collecting stickers from my local bike shop....big thank you to Ernie's bikes! I'd say right now I'm at about a 7, but only because I'm kinda broke...when I've got extra cash the late night ebaying gets a little outta hand. 

Whats with the 4 eyes? 

Started out with a bottle opener I scored at the flea market. After lookin around a little I started seeing more and more four eyed dudes. I started a weird collection because I'm a junk hoarder...and before I knew it they worked their way into the drawings. It always looks rad and its fun to fuck around with. 

Speaking of eyes... has Danzig called you in a frenzy about anything yet? 

No word from Danzig yet or anyone else I've ripped off....although Doyle from the Misfits did see the 20 eyes shirt on Instagram and liked it so I'm stoked about that. I'd love for Danzig to show up at my apartment and start shit though. So if you read this Glenn I'm waitin! 

Just so everyone can dance around like you do all day, which records are you spinning to reach maximum productivity? 

One of my favorite bands is Torche so any of their shit will provide ample riffs for ass shaking and working. Also Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album is a killer. People might think I'm bullshitting with that last one but its true. Another good one to get some work cranked out is At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul....which also reminds me of one of my favorites of all time Carcass's Heartwork. 

Ameoba records: Fair or Overpriced? 

Everything in San Francisco is overpriced haha.....BUUUUT Amoeba is rad, and I don't blame anyone for shopping there....and I think you pay a little more for the experience than anything....and you can buy drugs right outside the front door, thats service! 

What kind of Biltwell lid are you painting- any hints on what we can expect? 

Stoked on the helmets for sure big thank you to Biltwell. I'm painting an open face Bonanza style helmet, trying to get kind weird with it. Lets just say I'm it involves glitter, and ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag. 

WHAT A GUY! THANKS PHIL!

Here are some jams if you want to get a little bit closer to your burrito center:

Torche - Meanderthal

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul

Carcass - Heartwork

Next Interview: Devyn Haas!

-ZK