Peter Kaplan cobbled together the new M mostly with existing staff from Fairchild. I offered my services in a Starbucks near his office, "Pay me spit and I'll do anything you tell me to do. I'll attack machine gun nests for you. Only condition -- I report to you and not some hump who works for you." Maybe I came on a little strong. Actually, I would work for one hump who writes for Kaplan. Philip Weiss.
Back in 2001, Kaplan was the editor of the NY Observer (Best Of NYO is in the sales bin here) back when that paper meant something more than real estate ads. Kaplan not only hired Candace Bushnell but he came up with the title for her column, "Sex and the City." I bet the NY Observer made a fortune off that.
Kaplan rounded out the new M crew with a few cronies from the Observer. One Observer alumni, Philip Weiss, cranks out a gutsy interview with a difficult subject matter for any straight man... pretty boy model, Sean O'Pry (To Editors at GQ: Worried about living down the, "Gay men's life style publication." Drop the cheese cake beards and hire Weiss).
I follow Weiss on Twitter but back in the day, Weiss did an Observer interview with balls-so-big-I-don't-know-how-he-walks writer, Jim Harrison. The premise for the interview was a discussion between Weiss and Harrison about older women. Harrison was always a hero of mine but Weiss became one too with this beautiful and honest piece about what it's like to be a man growing old and how it's possible to wake up and wise up.
If you're getting up there in the years - read this - you'll love it. If you're a 25 year old Jr Mint -- I'm working on a Tumbler to explain this to you. -30-
Funny you note the impression of GQ as a gay lifestyle publication. Must have been 14 years ago, I had a copy of GQ by my bed and a new girlfriend started reading it. I came back into the room and she said, “What is this magazine, Gays and Queers?”
ReplyDeleteThis piece wasn't how I would have expressed it but I found it all rings true. I hope the women around The Trad leave some interesting comments...
ReplyDeleteI surely think there is a very attractive element to older women. One of the sexiest woman I ever met was a 41 years-old Spanish professor with a c-section scar the length of a saw blade. I still think about her.
ReplyDeleteThis is not to negate the lure of young women, but often their beauty fades once they start talking.
Thanks for sharing this article. "If you're smart you figure out that your lust is more particular than the visual fantasies offered by the cornball culture." Sage advice.
--Matthew
I loved that article...
ReplyDeleteI hate that 'cougar'...women are always beautiful. All of them.
Feminine women, I'd like to point out. Something lost in the U.S.
I can't get attracted to a chick with too many tattoos and can say 'Fuck' better than a dock worker...no matter how hot or young.
If she knows how to be feminine, she could be 19 or 50+, and I'll cook her breakfast in the morning...
I don't know if I should be pleased or disturbed that you didn't approve my previous comment. After I submitted it, I thought, hmmm, I sound a little arrogant. Perhaps not something I want to post on the Internet:).
ReplyDeleteLisa- Must'a been an oversight. Send it again. I publish almost everything but spam and a couple assholes and you're not an asshole.
ReplyDeleteOK. BTW, thank you for the compliment:).
ReplyDeleteThe other day I was walking down an SF street and a homeless guy, after telling me he liked my hat, and after I had passed, yelled at my back, "You still got it!" And I smiled to myself, and thought something like, "Uhuh."
The only reason I can imagine a man preferring my very pretty 25-year old self to the faded 56-year old of today is young Lisa's ability to bear children.
I believe what I wrote in the defunct comment is that whatever we've still "got" at 56, we have via our own efforts alone. As such, we can give it with full heart and open hands.
If you don't like the crepey neck just close your eyes.