Let’s step into the sauna with Marlon James, Francesco Clemente, and Isaac Cole Powell. Why not ask Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Shane and Ilya to join in? |
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Roxanne Behr jumped into her job as our creative director, photography, at the deep end of the cold-plunge pool: The cover shoot for the “Men’s Style” issue took place during her first full week of work at the magazine; a week later, she was at the White House for a very different kind of story. That’s the magazine biz in a nutshell. We chatted about how these gorgeous, intimate photos by Ryan McGinley came to be.
So wow, Roxanne, how about that photo of Marlon James!
He almost missed the shoot; our senior photo editor Bela Quintero put him in an Uber, and he came for our last 15 minutes before they had to open the baths to the public. He got an incredible centerfold spread and a cover out of it. It was a project that was constantly evolving — somebody would have a new idea for somebody to include, and we were casting sort of right up until the day before. It was a big production, but it was also a very authentic shvitz. Sam Nivola and Eddie Huang are regulars, but they were making really sweet introductory conversations as they were shvitzing and being photographed by Ryan.
What’s your favorite photo? Mine is the one of Isaac Cole Powell floating.
The most exciting, both in the moment and when we got the film back, was when the lines blurred between our capital-T talent actors and some of the background actors. When Sam Nivola is dumping a bucket on Troye Sivan and he's not even aware of the camera, that’s just a real observed moment. Or, you know, Justin Peck stretching. And Isaac. I don't know that the reader even knows that Isaac is actually floating on his back in an absolutely freezing cold-plunge pool, which is the respite at the end of the shvitz experience. We had each guy jump into the cold plunge and documented their authentic reaction, and you have that beautiful peaceful moment of Isaac, even though the reality is that he was absolutely freezing.
You know, I would love to see the outtakes of the cold-plunge shots. Is there any way a person could see more of these photographs, perchance?
We have so many pictures that just couldn't make the print portfolio, and so we're working on a second edit with Ryan that we're going to produce as a very, very limited-run zine.
Where do I get my hands on such a thing?
They will pop up in surprising places where you can get books or magazines.
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Photo: Photo by Christopher Polk/ |
Did you watch the VMAs last night? I have to confess that I did not, but now I kinda wish I had, because I love mess. Vulture’s recap honed in on one of the most annoying parts of the evening: Taylor Swift. |
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But the Madonna Show did have one notable digression — Taylor Swift accepted the first ever Artist Director Honors, a seemingly made-up award that was just an excuse for her and Dakota Johnson to have a bangs summit and an opportunity for her to premiere her latest music video (starring Johnson and Colin Farrell). The “Patient Zero” video featured Johnson doing some of her most pivotal acting since she said she loved limes, as well as some bizarre argument dialogue mid-song à la the “All Too Well” short film. Luckily, Swift accepted her award before showing everybody the video, because there was a good chance the awards body might have changed its mind. Then she ended the night by breaking Madonna’s streak with a win for Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and dedicated the award to “the ultimate showgirl” Dolly Parton.
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Some lessons to learn here: Don’t get high on your own supply, and, as cute as they may look on Dakota and Taylor and Anne Hathaway right now, do not under any circumstances get bangs. Unless you have type 1a or 1b hair and no cowlicks whatsoever, keeping those bad boys styled and in place is a full-time job. Ask me how I know! |
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It’s not just me: Neglecting your TBR for months without any end in sight in favor of the Library of Alexandria that is AO3 is a THING. Jen explains. |
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It’s cliché among fans of the series to say that Heated Rivalry rewired our brains. But seriously, what the hell did these boys do to us? There’s something about the way they love each other — the desperation they feel, the way they can anticipate each other’s needs, their ability to see and fill each other’s cracks (pun not intended, but hell, that too) — that we fell in love with in a way that borders on are you okay? The fantasy of their love story is so much better than the horrors of real life — of course we don’t want to leave the cottage.
“It’s very all-consuming and in a lot of ways not healthy,” one such fan named Elizabeth, 39, tells me. “I’m sure it has cost me sleep. It has cost me billable hours.” When she thinks back on it now, she says, she remembers life before she knew who Shane and Ilya were, when she believed that “being a really intense fan of anything is weird.” She just couldn’t relate to fandom obsessives. A few weeks later, Heated Rivalry began streaming on HBO Max. “And now I’m like, ‘I swear I had a personality before I got into Heated Rivalry.’”
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There are a lot of really insightful and interesting quotes in this piece. I particularly like what the woman identified only as “Emily” had to say. |
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Photo: Andrea Frazzetta for New York Magazine |
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A weekly dispatch on the cultural discourse. |
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https://link.nymag.com/oc/611a318d9063ba338d0c9636se222.598/e48730eb
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