The Tao of Clow

How a surfer from West Los Angeles became the art director of his generation and the soul of Chiat/Day

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As a hazy sun inches its way down the October sky, Lee Clow gazes out into the vast Pacific Ocean view offered by the deck of his Rancho Palos Verdes home and considers the cult of celebrity. His two dogs, 5-month-old German shepherd Katie—named after Katharine Hepburn—and 6-year-old Australian shepherd Mr. Quigley, sit at his side. Eileen, his wife of 35 years, exercises nearby with a trainer who has her walking the grounds of their Spanish-style home.

Of all the creative geniuses, the "crazy ones" saluted in TBWA\Chiat\ Day's Emmy-winning "Think different" Apple spot, whom would Clow most like to have a conversation with? His eyes, the deeper blue of the less- faded areas of his worn Levi's shirt, blink a few times, and he says, "Picasso did a lot of great stuff.

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