Table of contents for June - July 2018 in OUT

ELTON JOHN Ever since John announced his three-year farewell tour (which will kick off this September and run through 2021), there’s been a wave of nostalgia sweeping through the music industry, including from young Troye Sivan, who was interviewed by John for our cover story (page 88). While Sivan’s new album is due this summer, Revamp and Restoration, John’s latest full-lengths, are available now. SANTIAGO & MAURICIO Santiago & Mauricio have focused their energy mostly on moving images in recent years, but Troye Sivan lured them back to photography. “We’re big fans,” say the brothers. “It’s hard not to love the idea of a talented and super-handsome gay male pop star.” The duo is prepping a narrative short they’ll be filming in Mexico City, and their work has been featured…

“Does Adam have a sex addiction? I think he’s unable to have a relationship. Then again, should gay men lead lives that mimic heterosexual lives?” TRIGGER WARNING: Masterpiece Theatre has downloaded Grindr and it’s “looking.” We’re sharing this so that you don’t fall out of your armchair when Man in an Orange Shirt—a two-parter airing June 17 on PBS’s Masterpiece anthology series—suddenly shifts gears from the tragic story of a closeted World War II veteran to a present-day scene of a London man in a bomber jacket transfixed by a glowing grid of torsos. “If you compare the two periods, you basically have two men who want sex,” says British actor Julian Morris, who plays Adam, the app-obsessed lead of the film’s second half. We soon discover that the…

This season, designers from Ami to Coach to Louis Vuitton are enamored with surfing culture, and is it really any surprise? There’s always been something enviable about the idea of a life spent braving the tides and lazing in the sun and sand. But compared to Gidget’s heyday, today’s swimsuits are skimpier (fine by us), the Hawaiian prints are crazier, and the tunes come blasting from a sleek portable speaker rather than a scratchy transistor radio. The sport has never been more fashionable, and you don’t have to be able to hang ten to embrace it. Really, you just need a few good hangers.…

Clos du Bois Lightly Bubbled Rosé Though not technically a sparkling wine, this gently effervescent vino pairs well with seafood. The extended fall season of 2017 helped accentuate the cherry and cranberry notes, but it’s neither too sweet nor too insistent. $12.99 Mionetto Rosé Extra Dry Offering a gulp of fresh-picked strawberries, a touch of rhubarb, and a long finish, this or Mionetto’s Italian sparkling rosé is a great aperitif, and a great value, too. $14 Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Rosé This pinot noir from the Franciacorta area of Lombardy in northern Italy—with rhubarb and strawberry notes and a long, dry finish—is a good sparkler and a nice complement to chicken or lobster. $28 Moët Imperial Brut Rosé With the largest estate in Champagne (covering some 230 of the 319 wine…

IF YOU’RE LOOKING to supercharge your body’s fat-burning potential and fit your workouts into a busy schedule, it's time to give high-intensity interval training a shot. HIIT boosts your metabolism, improves your cardiovascular strength and blood vessel function, and regulates your blood sugar. It also burns more calories than steady-state exercise. “HIIT is one of the more engaging training methods,” says Peloton Tread instructor Matty Maggiacomo. “It's harder to get bored, since you’re changing intensity or activity every few minutes or seconds.” That said, HIIT is not for everyone, especially if you’re an exercise newbie. Even old workout pros should do at least five minutes of dynamic stretching before their HIIT workouts, and five minutes of static stretching after. “Listen to your body,” Maggiacomo says. “If something hurts, stop. You…

KEN RUSSELL’S 1969 film Women in Love is infamous for its fully nude male wrestling scene. Adapted by Larry Kramer from a novel by D.H. Lawrence, the title may suggest a sapphic affair, but the director’s own sexually advanced intentions become clear when Alan Bates and Oliver Reed strip and hunker down into a sweaty grappling match lit by the symbolic heat of a fireplace. The risks taken by these high-profile movie stars outclass any of those taken by today’s supposedly bold Hollywood actors. By having them bear their bodies, Russell elicits a performance of sexual bravery and cultural sophistication. Such artistic courage is why Women in Love remains a fascinating, no-holds-barred exploration of the erotic tension that still roils human relations. As the searching intellectual Rupert and the frustrated…

SYD BENNETT IS speechless. Literally. The frontwoman for hip-hip and soul outfit The Internet is not allowed to use her voice. When I arrive at her house in mid-city Los Angeles—her childhood home, where she currently lives with her mother—she wordlessly shakes my hand and then points to a notebook and pen lying on the coffee table. She’s getting over an illness and her vocal coach has instructed her not to use her voice, so she’s just been scribbling her thoughts down on paper. When the notepad method proves inefficient, she grabs a laptop. Syd has to take these precautions because she is flying to Atlanta the next day to perform a show at Spelman College, a historically black women’s university. “Exciting,” she types, smirking. “I love women. If only…

A FEW YEARS AGO, Cody Critcheloe got sick of seeing his own face. The creative mastermind behind Ssion had spent years directing his rotating music collective’s distinctively surreal videos, in which he also starred, and after touring extensively in support of his 2011 album, Bent, he decided to take a break. Frustrated with the pressures of trying to function as an independent artist and feeling less than inspired, he devoted the next four years to directing music videos starring other faces—most notably Kylie Minogue, Robyn, and Mike Hadreas of Perfume Genius. “I love directing, so I didn’t feel like I was completely tied to having to be a musician, this front person for this band,” Critcheloe says. “I started thinking about what success meant—my brand and my place within all…

LINDSEY JORDAN’S music goes straight for the jugular. The Maryland native, who performs as Snail Mail, channels heartfelt self-reckoning and intimate queer desire into incisive, perfectly crafted guitar pop. Her new debut album, Lush, already feels like a classic. “I’ve never put more of myself into something than this record,” says the 19-year-old artist. “I don’t feel comfortable finishing a song until I’ve ripped my heart out.” Jordan first connected with audiences with her 2016 EP, Habit, which she wrote at the age of 15. Her propulsive breakout track, “Thinning,” described a painful struggle with bronchitis, but now she’s honed her melodic instincts to explore knottier, more relatable terrain. Her recent single “Pristine” features the deadpan declaration: “It just feels like the same party every weekend.” It could be an…

Men aren’t always great at figuring out what works for them—behold the existence of cargo shorts. We’re no better with fragrance than we are with fashion—terribly inconsistent and unfaithful, hopping in and out of bed with any number of scents wafting our way at the airport. To help narrow down your options, look no further than Perfume: The A-Z Guide, by fragrance freaks Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, a mine of pithy reviews of the best and worst scents out there. Turin, in particular, does not mince words. “The cheapness of the formula is the main reason why most ‘fine’ perfumes are total crap,” he writes in The Secret of Scent, his exploration of the science of smell. “Other reasons include slavish imitation, crass vulgarity, profound ignorance, fear of getting…

True Bromance After Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy became the undisputed darlings of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, they returned home to internet fame—and a queer community embracing them as heroes. For our May cover story, the athlete besties talked about their first meeting in South Korea, the hate mail they’ve received, and the future of openly gay Olympic athletes. When the U.K.-based gay mag Attitude caught wind of our story, it didn’t keep its feelings a secret. “You can imagine our glee,” the editors wrote, sharing some of Carter Smith’s sexiest photos along with Out’s behind-the-scenes video of the pair’s interview and cover shoot. “Kenworthy and Rippon got serious,” wrote the queer blog Homorazzi, while style site The Fashionisto hailed the Olympians’ bond as “friendship goals.” Like Attitude,…

Belts: not just for holding up your pants anymore. Belts: not just for Broadway divas anymore. Belts: What a waist! No matter how you try to sell it, a belt is a belt is a belt. But that doesn’t mean you have to buckle to boredom and wear one so basic, it goes unnoticed. Enter the statement belt, which speaks volumes even when your outfit is at a low hum. Flash a tactful amount of OTT-ness and you’ll have a conversation starter (“Is that a snake on your belt or are you just happy to see me?”). Plus, a sturdy belt is a good investment—one you bring out for a special event, when the need to outshine your peers rears its inevitable head.…

As summer settles in, off come the clothes. So, too, should the hair. The long locks you’ve cultivated during the chillier months—a built-in layer of warmth tucked under a cuddly beanie—are no longer needed. And while the idea of tousled, beachy waves may sound appealing, dealing with that added insulation in the midst of a swampy July heat wave can be self-induced torture. Plus, styling your hair is just another chore before you’re out the door to your next barbecue. Simplify your life. Be the Marie Kondo of cuts. Shave it all off. Nothing beats the minimalist, Zen master allure of a buzz cut. But before you hop in the barber’s chair and shout, “Fuck it!” consider the shape of your head and any blemishes (moles, bumps, or scars) your…

TOMMY NUTTER LIVED a life that was, to put it mildly, filled with operatic plot twists. Though most people knew him as the “Tailor to the Stars”—the bon vivant Savile Row designer who dressed everyone from the Beatles and Elton John to Diana Ross and Twiggy—his private life was where the most interesting things happened. From underground London clubs in the 1960s, before it was even legal to be gay, to the infamous bathhouses—and trucks—of hedonistic Manhattan at the height of the sexual ’70s, Nutter was there, both witness and participant. His own biography is also, in miniature, the biography of gay life over the second half of the 20th century—flagrantly joyful, traumatically brutal. In House of Nutter: The Rebel Tailor of Savile Row, Lance Richardson charts the story of…

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT “My Baby Just Cares for Me” by Nina Simone “It’s a great love song. Plus, it mentions Liberace.” JONNY PIERCE (THE DRUMS) “All Is Full of Love” by Björk “When I moved to New York City, I began the process of loving myself, and ultimately being able to properly love others. When I look at the Pride movements going on now, I see how easy it is to tap into that love, but it all begins with loving yourself. I relate this song to that, and it’s very fitting that the music video features two robots with the same Björk face kissing each other.” PERFUME GENIUS “Flower” by Liz Phair “I heard it when I was 12. I knew I was gay, but I’d never had sex. I…

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, Lauren Sanderson was the definition of a scrappy upstart. When she first began pursuing a music career, the R&B singer would email venues under a fake name, pretending to be her manager. She’d also handle her own merchandise, sending out hundreds of packages a day, and mail handwritten responses to fan letters, many of them from queer youth across the country. This often took her away from studio time and the creative process—but she doesn’t regret a minute of it. “All that stuff—messaging venues, taking Greyhound buses, planning my tours—helped me to better understand how much work goes into this,” Sanderson says. “I know what’s possible, because I’ve done a lot of it myself.” These days, the 22-year-old artist not only has a real manager but a…

LIKE MOST PEOPLE on this planet, Josiah Wise still hasn’t recovered from the myriad wonders of Beychella. He soaked in Beyoncé’s headlining performance at Coachella while touring across Europe to support soil, his debut album of ecclesiastical R&B, which he’s releasing under his artistic moniker, serpentwithfeet, on June 8. “It was amazing,” he says on the phone from Brussels. “She’s number one, period. That’s not even a conversation.” He’s also effusive about Frank Ocean, whose open letter recounting his unrequited love for another man changed a part of Wise’s DNA. “It really touched me and shifted my consciousness, showing me the way I did and didn’t want to inhabit the world.” While he’s forthcoming about his idols and peers, he’s less eager to divulge any details of his own life.…

THE FIRST TIME she read Leslie Feinberg’s iconic queer novel Stone Butch Blues, Charlotte Day Wilson was in college studying music and women’s studies. The text, part of a course on women in postmodern literature, took her by surprise. “There are a lot of very visual moments of violence,” says the 26-year-old Toronto native. “I was supposed to do a presentation on it, but I couldn’t read the whole thing because it was just so intense. Every time I read it, I’d cry.” Sympathetic, Wilson’s professor allowed her to perform with her guitar instead. Years later, as Wilson was conceptualizing her new EP, she kept returning to the qualifier stone. The record, a collection of mournful R&B ballads that trace the decline of a relationship, depicts a stoic woman whose…

Everyone has a sense of smell, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can make a fragrance. Jacques Cavallier Belletrud—the mastermind behind Acqua Di Giò for men, and more than 80 perfumes bearing his fingerprint—clearly can. The fourth-generation perfumer likens his education, at his father’s side, to that of Picasso, forced by his old man to copy great masters over and over again. “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child,” the artist famously said. Like Picasso, Cavallier Belletrud learned his craft young, but today he’s more interested in retaining the spontaneity of a kid. “The important thing is to keep the freshness,” he says. “When you become old you think too much.” On a rainy day in Grasse—fragrance capital of France,…

Beyond Paradise Men, Estee Lauder “Its composer, Calice Becker, has miraculously found a way to bottle a never-ending dawn such as Concorde pilots used to see when flying westward, racing with the sun.” Blue Stratos, Parfums Bleu “It’s the classic hairy-chested naff fougère from 1975, the year Barry Manilow sang ‘Mandy.’ Whether Blue Stratos conjures memories or is seen as a period piece, it is to fragrance what aspirin is to headaches: It’s cheap and it works.” Cologne, Thierry Mugler “I assume that, when he’s not pretending to be French to save trouble, Thierry Mugler travels with a passport that says ‘Forbidden Planet.’ His cologne is that rarest thing: a fun masculine fragrance, like the triple-distilled essence of a space-age barbershop.” Cool Water,…

“Imagine if the Times had put AIDS on the front page 11 times in 1981. How would that have changed the course of the epidemic?” WHEN, IN APRIL, The New York Times published a special issue of T magazine reflecting on the years 1981-1983, it was easy to feel both moved and impressed by the consideration it gave to the paper’s infamous disregard for the biggest story of the era: AIDS. In commissioning six LGBTQ editors to address the paper’s notorious homophobia, the Times appeared to be engaged in a reckoning with past failings. Like the paper’s project to retroactively add obituaries for women—from Charlotte Brontë and Nella Larsen to Diane Arbus—who had been overlooked by the paper in their day, it felt both appropriate and significant. Here, at…

You know when you’re on vacation and yet still so busy? There’s the pre-brunch cocktail, the brunch cocktails, the pool cocktails, the beach cocktails (warm sangria, anyone?), and then, of course, Tea Dance. This summer, to keep your jam-packed life of leisure a little less complicated, try streamlining your wardrobe. For a luxe but relaxed look, slip into a stylish pair of multipurpose trunks. The best ones are slim, fitted, and functional, with pockets that will allow you to move from one boozy activity to the next without missing a sip (or losing your room key). Because if there’s ever an occasion when you can get away with wearing a swimsuit all day, shouldn’t it be your getaway?…

WHEN YOU WERE a child, summer was synonymous with ice cream; now the season’s siren call belongs to rosé. Just a whiff of that floral, raspberry aroma is enough to transport you to a sunnier place. But this year, elevate your style and graduate to bubbles. Sparkling rosés and pink Champagnes have never been more ubiquitous, or more affordable. And there are anniversaries we need to celebrate. For one, it’s 200 years since Madame Clicquot created the first-ever blended rosé Champagne. Before the good lady began mixing red and white wines, pink Champagne was just regular fizz colored with elderberries. Meanwhile, Moët & Chandon’s flagship Moët Impérial, named for Napoleon, turns 150 next year. Both houses have steadily increased their output of rosé Champagnes, fueled by demand but also by…

SISLEY REVITALIZING FORTIFYING SERUM FOR THE SCALP With it barely covered, you need to make sure your scalp is looking its best. This rich salve will keep it healthy and help make your hair denser and stronger. (2 oz., $195, Sisley-Paris.com) SACHAJUAN SCALP SHAMPOO The worst thing you can pair with a buzz cut is dry, flaky skin. Use this shampoo and everyone will appreciate your sick ’do without secretly talking about your dandruff. (8.4 oz., $28, Sephora.com) KLORANE DRY SHAMPOO WITH OAT MILK When it’s super short, you can wash your hair less frequently (once or twice a week). But if it’s feeling a little greasy, a quick spray of this dry shampoo—a go-to in chic Paris salons—will help absorb dirt and oil. (3.2 oz., $20, KloraneUSA.com) WAHL COMFORT…

IT’S BEEN 30 YEARS since Alan Hollinghurst published his remarkable first novel, The Swimming-Pool Library, an exuberant epistle to the pleasures of men’s bodies set in London in 1983, just before AIDS would bring the post-Stonewall bacchanal of liberated gay sexuality to an abrupt halt. Hollinghurst’s debut was a landmark in fiction (it went to number two on the U.K. bestseller lists in its second week of publication), but it also established themes that have percolated through his subsequent novels, most notably in The Line of Beauty, winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize. In that book, a young man from the suburbs is punished for violating the protocols of class after insinuating himself into the household of a well-to-do friend he lusts after. The Line of Beauty was a…

IT’S BEEN 30 YEARS since the death of Divine, the Baltimore-born drag star and eventual cult icon. Divine and mentor John Waters invented their own brand of deranged humor and glamour in movies like Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, and their masterpiece, 1974’s Female Trouble, which stars Divine as Dawn Davenport—problem teenager, thief, and worst mother ever. The Criterion Collection has released a stunning restoration of the film, and it’s never looked or sounded better. Waters—who was recently named an officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters—chatted with Out about missing Divine, his last meal, and our modern-day PC-obsessed culture. Female Trouble is loaded with quotable lines. Is there one that stands out for you? The one that made it into a porn movie is, “I wouldn’t…

OLLY ALEXANDER, frontman of British electro-pop outfit Years & Years, is waving goodbye to his future husband and his dog, Lenny. We’re in a minimalist café on a quaint street in East London, a few feet from Alexander’s apartment. “He’s leaving,” he whispers, as his crush—whom he first laid eyes upon a mere five minutes earlier—gets up to exit, latte in hand. “There’s my soul mate walking away...” It’s this playful openness that makes the 27-year-old Alexander such a great pop star. It’s what enables him to nail the details of the queer experience, be it via the maximalist frustrations of 2015’s “King” (a U.K. No. 1), the unabashed joy of the gently pulsating “Shine” (written about his past relationship with ex–Clean Bandit member Neil Amin-Smith), or “Meteorite,” a song…

KODIE SHANE is only 19, but she’s been writing music for years, dropping her first rap, “Crown Me,” on Soundcloud when she was 15. Released under her then-moniker The Don Baby and clocking in at just a minute and a half, “Crown Me” already signaled the brash lyricism, braggadocio, and high-octane energy that would come to characterize her current work. But she also quickly displayed a softer side when, in 2016, she unveiled the more introspective “Sad,” a message to young kids that it’s OK to be vulnerable. That’s the thing about Shane—she’s can’t be pinned down, nor does she want to be. “Kodie Shane is a punk-rock cowgirl pop star, R&B singer, and rapper,” says the Atlanta native, born Kodie Williams. Named after a cowboy, Shane was raised in…

KIM PETRAS is on the phone from her hometown of Siegburg, Germany, a picturesque village about 25 minutes outside Cologne. (Do a search, and it looks like the sort of place where Julie Andrews might frolic with the von Trapps.) This is the first time the 25-year-old budding pop star, who now lives in Los Angeles, has been back in two years, and she’s reveling in the simplicity. “I’m just playing Mario Kart and eating curry wurst,” says Petras, who calls the dish comfort food. “I’m seeing friends I’ve missed, and people are congratulating me, saying, ‘I heard you on the radio!’ It’s a cool feeling.” But this downtime is rare for Petras, who’s idolized American pop since growing up in a musical family (her mother sang in jazz clubs;…

Sur La Route In homage to Louis Vuitton’s origins in travel, Cavallier Belletrud took inspiration from the exhilarating sensation of cruising at high speed—think car windows down on a summer day—with a stimulating blend of lemon, cedar, Peruvian balsam, bergamot, and fresh notes of cut grass. Au Hassard Cavallier Belletrud made more than 300 revisions before he felt happy with this fragrance that blends sandalwood with ambrette (a flower seed that can substitute for animal musk) and cardamom. “The final result was very close to the first one,” he says, “but I spent three years getting there.” Orage The sky darkens, and a sunny day turns ominous and thrilling. That’s the mood Orage is intended to conjure, as its affable notes of patchouli and iris give way, over time, to…

Allure Homme Sport, Chanel “Like being stuck in an elevator for 12 hours with a tax accountant.” Black XS, Paco Rabanne “A powerful, dry, woody amber the size of Manhattan or, to be specific, as if Manhattan were trying to lift itself, spires first, into your brain via your nose.” Cacharel pour l’Homme, Cacharel “Inaugurated an old and still continuing trend of masculine fragrances so skeletally barren and cheap-smelling that they have long been overtaken by spray starch and sneaker tamer.” Erolfa, Creed “I remembered Erolfa from 15 years ago as thoroughly nasty and was not disappointed. Anyone who wears this by choice probably dreams of buying a black Audi TT with his year-end bonus.”…

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