Matthew Brookes's Reading List

"MB: I would say Patti is the ultimate artist and I love the way her book reflects that. Her world revolves around being creative and her book Just Kids really inspired me as to how a young artist can have nothing and almost live on the street but can feel rich and happy inside. She is a true Poet!"

"MB: I think the book—be it the author Jon Krakauer or its subject Christopher Johnson McCandless—was a driving theme in my mind while I was shooting these surfers. They have a kind of bohemian quality about them and some of them like to live off-grid, abandoning their connection to the outside world for periods of time. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter These kids are not running away from society as Christopher was but they are definitely abandoning the pressures of a 9 to 5 job existence for a way of life where living for the sea comes first – waking up in their vans on the road with a different view each day and traveling up and down the coast of California to chase the best waves. “A young artist can have nothing and almost live on the street but can feel rich and happy inside.” There was a group of skaters that ended up parking outside my place in Venice Beach and I became friends with them. Their story is that they were fascinated by the film adaptation of Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn, and it inspired them to leave Connecticut and travel cross country in their bus to live out their adventures. Their story and the title Into The Wild just stick in my head."

"MB: Bruce Weber’s photography books were an inspiration for me to become a photographer when I was young – the man is a photographic genius! I think he has a way of depicting the American spirit in such a beautiful and uplifting way without it looking commercial. His pictures are so full of positivity and soul. There’s a playful, almost childlike quality to his work – he makes everyone look naturally beautiful with no frills attached. The book takes its title from a band of wild-child teenagers Weber met in Montana. They had this teenage ritual of branding each other on the shoulder with a red-hot army bayonet blade, a combination of recklessness and romance captured so well in these images of youth, freedom, and adventure. He meets all sorts of different people on his travels, but the common thread is always the connections, the ties that bind."

"Zack Raffin: I’ve definitely been pushed by my personal involvement in these stories and have even found myself envious of just how free some of them are within a world that can be so confining. I’d be lying if I hadn’t been scrolling online for used Vans more than once throughout this process… As opposed to working for a title or media outlet where you’re trying to push a specific narrative, I started each interview of Into The Wild with the banner of ‘there is no agenda here, whatever you want to share you can.’ That was incredibly refreshing. MB: I absolutely love the original film Dogtown and Z-Boys ! It helped me to have a deep insight into the history of Venice Beach and how the surf and skate culture is completely intertwined in this particular melting pot – I would say Venice is the center of the world for the marriage of surf and skate culture with all the grittiness and grunge that comes along with it. “The light in California is totally unique.” All of the characters in my book are surfers but have a skate background. Most of them started as skate kids and branched into surfing when they moved to the California coast or got injured skating. They had to find an activity that was less harsh on their bodies so they chose the waves over the concrete skateparks. One of the van guys told me that surfing is like skating only the slopes are constantly changing – I thought that was a beautiful analogy."

"MB: I first saw Steven Shore’s work in Paris and I found his work deeply transporting. I was fascinated by the beautiful California light. Also, I found it very interesting how he could photograph an ordinary thing like a car parked next to a gas station and with his eye it would be a beautiful piece of art that made you dream. There is a quietness to his photography and when I look at his images I am so transported that I don’t hear any sound around. It’s funny how his pictures are linked to sound in my head. The light in his photography is also so linked to the light in California which is totally unique. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . I discovered the ‘magic hour’ light at the end of the day while shooting my book. The colours become soft pastels but deep and rich at the same time – it’s not called magic hour for nothing and there is a reason the cinema industry exploded there – the light is insane! MB: Actually Into the Wild is much more about characters and not about bodies in shape or form. It’s shot in a much more playful documentary style than my last book on dancers – this book is much more storytelling. I would say and its message is supposed to be a positive one that can make the reader/viewer dream. I think young people are surrounded by problems and the weight of the world these days – this book is supposed to be a gentle relief from that and a reminder that happiness can be found in its simplicity. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter ZR: Absolutely. After moving to Los Angeles by way of New York City I knew immediately I wanted to spend as much time at Malibu First Point as possible, the parking lot of which acts as kind of an epicentre for the book. It became immediately apparent that many of the characters that frequented the wave had lived life differently than what many would view as ‘normal’. When Matt invited me to be a part of Into The Wild, the project developed into the perfect platform to highlight their stories and share this beautiful, alternative lifestyle with the world. Not all who wander are lost!"