Snowboarding, surfing, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, these are individualized pursuits, practiced in nature or natural settings. Humanity adapting and playing with whatever lays ahead, in it for the experience over some sense of personal glory. At their core these are improvisational activities, art forms all their own, and as such intersect seamlessly with music. Professional freeskier, artist, and filmmaker Chris Benchetler knows this. He lives this, and in doing so his art flows smoothly from one medium to the next. In his latest film, Mountains of the Moon, he has assembled a small army of lighting experts, laser operators, engineers, fellow artists, plus a murderer's row of style-forward adventure athletes from across a wide swath of mediums to explore the brilliantly psychedelic ley lines at the harmonic convergence of action, adventure, nature, and imagination. The result is a mind-bending visual experience unlike any other, all cut together and performed in homage to the free spirited sonic extemprozation of the Grateful Dead, who's music makes up the soundtrack. Chris and James discuss making a film this ambitious in this day and age, how he discovered the Dead and the role they play in his life, painting with Mickey Hart, what it takes to light up mountains, the pursuit of perfdection, being open to opportunity, and more.
