In this weekly column, MC/DJ Hesta Prynn pairs pop culture stories with an original playlist.
May is National Bike Month, and in my continued effort to live a public transportation-free lifestyle, I am getting back on that proverbial horse. At the same time, Beck is back with a new album and a summer tour including a few dates here in New York. In my mind, bike riding will always be linked with listening to Mellow Gold on cassette in my yellow Sony Sport Walkman. As I'm midway through making a mixtape for my new riding adventures, this week's Five 'n' Five highlights my favorite Beck songs and my bikes through the years.
Schwinn Cutter: "Hell Yes" (Guero)
Total utter awesomeness, the Cutter is the new fixie that is keeping me off of the 6 train and out of taxis. Yeah, that's me sipping the flax seed and açai smoothie. What are you riding? "Please enjoy, hell yes!"
Mongoose SuperGoose circa 1985: "Beercan" (Mellow Gold)
Where it all began. I was a tomboy riding my dirt bike through the mean streets. My earliest memories include running home gushing blood and picking gravel out of my knees. "Don't be kind don't be rude, just shake your booty let it all get loose." Timeless.
(Image via vintagemongoose.com)
Diamondback BMX: "The New Pollution" (Odelay)
This bike was good to me for years in Manhattan. Odelay is in the running for my favorite record of all time, so it's impossible to pick just one song. If I had to, it would be this one. "She's alone in the new pollution." I wasn't the only teenage girl who thought that this song was written about her, right?
Columbia Beach Cruiser: "Gamma Ray" (Modern Guilt)
Ask me about the bright pink vintage Columbia jobbie that I bought on Craigslist last year and I'll tell you that there's nothing more humiliating than racing a UPS truck in midtown on a beach cruiser. It looked dope. I sold it within the week. Similarly, "Gamma Ray" is the best example of vintage production techniques on Modern Guilt. The rest of the record is a snooze.
(Image via SD Bike Commuter)
Gary Fisher Y Frame Mountain Bike: "Think I'm in Love" (The Information)
This is a fierce mountain bike. I'm an urban rider not a mountain rider but I'm including the Gary Fisher here because it belongs to my man (and because I've run out of my own bikes to list). "Think I'm in Love" is a quirky love song that drips romance. It's a sweet dance song to get close to at the World's Most Hipster Wedding. To me it'll never get old.
(Image via Bicycle Czar)