Spotlight: Nicholas de Matties (BEAN)
How did you get your nickname, Bean?
At boarding school one day. Verde Valley School, to be specific.
A friend read a letter sent to me addressed as Nickle-beans and started calling me Bean. Then the entire school called me bean. Later became Bean 5000 as my DJ name, and then to B5K
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
Fact: lived in Canada’s western province of British Columbia, in the port city of Vancouver, for 5 years. Most think I’ve never left AZ, or Sedona for that matter.
That’s boring. Funner fact, the furthest east I’ve traveled to is West Africa to a place called Guinea.
What is your favorite hobby?
At one point, it was cooking, then gardening.
Now it’s definitely working on my collection of automobiles, I would say. Art and Music have been a career.
What would it be if you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life?
It begins as a circular disk or rectangle and is divided into triangles or squares, from an oven on a peninsula in the Mediterranean. Can be in many flavors and colors. What is it?
What’s one item you can’t live without?
Listing (family) as an item. The rest is just stuff.
Which car that you have owned has been dearest to your heart?
Besides the obvious fixation on stainless steel.
I had a 1963 VW Beetle that I reassembled and learned a lot of early basic mechanics growing up.
Felt a communication of how things work by the way things fit together.
Loved the simplicity.
Maybe the Herbie had something to do with it.
When did you join the car club, and why?
About a year ago, I submitted myself into the SCC after realizing I have mechanitice carism. A pretty bad condition of collecting and driving in these weird celebrated machines from one point to another. 5 deep now, I realized I might not be alone and sought local support and found the club.
The annual car show is spectacular. I wanted to get involved and be part of the community as soon I a realized that I could. And culture, really needed to be around like-minded people of the gears.
What car are you most fond of and why?
The Delorean DMC-12.
A complete test tube fluke miracle of a production dream car. It's one of a kind, pure form, and true use of materials is unmistakable across the galaxy.
Bends space and time in an age of mute, repetitious design as its presence jolts just about every observer’s reality into a familiar blissful youthful lasting joy.
Makes people happy!
Redefines the concept and perspectives of vehicular travel as a garment or suit. Or a.. time machine?
I see it as a functional sculpture on wheels. That also holds my late late late retirement.
What do you like most about the car club? What do you like the least?
+ We are passionate auto naughts. Road Adventures, a variety of automobiles, and collective knowledge of cars. Fun parties. I always learn something new and catch a good laugh. Community involvement, from road clean-up to shows, is awesome.
-Not enough tech events and rallies. More summer night activities.
What is your most memorable road trip or vacation from your childhood?
Phoenix to Seattle with my Mother, summer 1995.
No cell phones, no GPS. Just various paper maps, pencils, and a compass. quarters for pay phones, air, and water.
We drove a Late 80s Jaguar XJ6 VP. Black paint and wire wheels. It was truly a road cat or a car.
Just got my driver's permit. First-hand experience of British engineering and a feel for the open road. In the face of a 120 mpg speedometer.
Classic road trip, a cooler stacked with sandwich provisions and road snacks from those funky country gas stations. Up midland and out down the coast. Beautiful way to see the landscapes and slightly different cultures from state to state.
I drove most of the way, and got very comfortable in the driver's seat. When my navigator co-pilot would nod off, it was a scene from Smokey and the Bandit and the Cannonball Run movies. The XJ handled well ;)’ made good time lol
The last leg of the journey home from LA to Phx, the AC went out, and we put ice blocks and sixpacks from a divinely timed truck stop in the wheel wells, tied with towels for the win. I think I jumped fully clothed into the pool when we got home.
It was a cool, fun trip I’ll never forget.