rampstyle #24
I am (cool)

Everything is supposed to be cool; everyone wants to be cool. We encounter the terms cool and coolness almost everywhere we go – at times overused, at times vague and undefined. At the same time, coolness inspires, it is confidence, an attitude, a style, an aesthetic. Coolness simplifies things. Down to the bare essentials. Laid-back, carefree. Authenticity at its purest.

Being cool means facing things calmly, courageously and with a friendly, detached elegance. If you can laugh ironically at yourself or at an agitated, outraged world, then you’re already living that wonderfully relaxed attitude that is cool. Just as humor is always a brilliant strategy for keeping things in perspective with the right amount of distance. And that’s what it’s all about here.

We experience coolness as something desirable and to be desired, as something laden with excitement and suspense. At times so close, yet just out of reach. That’s part of the fascination and that seemed like a good place to start our enjoyable little road trip into the world of cool.
There’s just one problem: You either are cool – or you aren’t. And if you want to be cool, you’ve lost already. And that can be embarrassing. The solution? Just try your best without getting all tensed up and approach the matter with a sense of humor.

Professor Pörksen and the Sense of outrage

Media scholar Bernhard Pörksen spends most of his time studying outrage. Which, in the right situation, he finds to be pretty important. Coolness, on the other hand, not so much. Professors, he says, don’t stand much of a chance there anyway.

Exclusive Interview: Bryan Adams 

Bryan Adams has sold millions of albums and has a passion for photography. We thought this a good opportunity to show a few of his outstanding pictures. (Our favorite: the Queen!)

Keanu Reeves Reloaded

Keanu Reeves is more than just an action star. And he’s more than just down-to-earth friendly. It’s precisely this combination that has allowed the fifty-seven-year-old to retain something that few people have: genuine coolness.

Giorgio Armani’s Revolution

You’ve got to be grateful to the Italian designer, if only for saving men from boxy suit jackets. Nevertheless, an encounter with him can make you feel sad.

Cool. Cooler. 1969 Dodge Charger.

When our author got into the Charger, he rolled down the window. The weather didn't matter, because anyone who drives a car like this doesn't feel the cold. (And doesn't take parking violations too seriously either.)

Barkeeper to the Stars

When you meet a bartender on the island of Mustique who has mixed cocktails for Kate Moss and Mick Jagger, then you should ask him about his life story. His name is Basil Charles.

Simply. Beautiful.

There are quite a few ways to have a really good time. Unfortunately, there aren't so many iconic watches to measure time with anymore, which makes it good idea to get to know them better.

What Makes Brands Cool 

Professor Caleb Warren wanted to know why people buy certain things. The most common reason: they thought they were cool. So he started to research.

The Space Time Capsule 

An outdoor home office in Sweden and a Hyundai Ioniq 5. With Scandinavian style as a touch of cool on top. It’s nice and cold up there already anyway.

Till Brönner’s Cool Jazz

Cool jazz is relaxed, laid-back and even-keeled. That also describes musician and photographer Till Brönner. An interview.

+++ Also in rampstyle#24: Interviews with director Ridley Scott and actor Ryan Gosling. Our new section By the Way with Bond girl Ana de Armas, designer Tom Ford and some possibly real art from Andy Warhol. Plus: Bernhard Bauer, Managing Director of SEAT Germany, about CUPRA’s first German flagship store in Munich. +++