I write books and articles about the places and people that leave a mark: guitar heroes and deep-sea conservationists, riders chasing salt-flat records, Indigenous leaders guarding rainforests. My work has taken me from the roar of concert stages to the hush of mountain trails, from Rolling Stone features to bestselling books.
Some call it adventure writing. For me, it’s chasing moments that feel true—then finding the words to bring them home.
MATTY MATHESON SITS IN A HOTEL room in Redondo Beach, CA, when we connect. He’s working on a short film with Ricky Staffieri, who plays his character’s brother on The Bear.
Outside, the haze is lifting off the Pacific. Inside, Matheson—tattooed, unfiltered, slightly chaotic—is already thinking about the gym. After our interview, he’ll head to the hotel’s “shitty fitness center” for 90 minutes of functional punishment, then it’s right back to set. His schedule is nonstop. Last year, he was on the road for 300 days. This year is tracking the same. This is the version of Matheson you don’t see on screen: the one who refuses to coast.
Six minutes.
That’s how long it took for the outlaw in me to emerge after throwing a leg over Harley-Davidson’s 2025 Pan America 1250 ST. I’ve spent years chasing that feeling—riding everything from stripped-down customs to high-strung sportbikes—but few bikes ignite it this fast. Six minutes from the first ignition crackle in front of my place in Laurel Canyon to charging through its twisted labyrinth of narrow roads and ascending curves, engine snarling beneath me. By the time I hit the 101, bounding past cars, the San Gabriel Mountains pulling me east, I was the outlaw in the saddle.
As the new Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR rolled into my driveway in Toronto, it was love at first sight. From the sturdy definition of its more-dressed-than-naked frame to the hand-stitched black leather seat and wasp tail, the Speed Triple 1200 RR is flat-out chic—a couture machine engineered with the power and tech to back it up its aggressive appearance. I eagerly suited up and tossed a leg over the bike to experience the performance firsthand.
Oakland's esteemed Chabot Space & Science Center, home to NASA’s Ames visitor outpost, is typically a hub for stargazing and cosmic discovery. But this evening, it plays host to an entirely different kind of stardom—the glimmering allure of the Michelin star. As the locale for the 2023 Michelin Guide presentation for California, the setting is buzzing with chefs, celebrities and, a hybrid of the two, celebrity chefs—including the likes of Thomas Keller, Curtis Stone, Brandon Hayato Go, and Kyle Connaughton.
“Wow, dude, this is so beautiful. I love it,” says Norman Reedus. “I like the smell of gasoline” he adds. “I like feeling the motor do work under you. I do my best thinking on a motorcycle. I sing the best on a motorcycle [laughs]. I prefer two wheels all day long.”