British GQ April 2019

It was once said that Tyson Fury is framed by darkness, a somewhat glib statement that nevertheless became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy about the divisive, self-destructive boxer. As one of the most talked-about sportsmen of his generation, a man bedevilled by his past as much as the expectations of his future, a man named after Mike Tyson (then, in 1988, simply the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, rather than a convicted rapist) by his bare-knuckle fighter father, John, Fury has become tabloid catnip, a byword for trouble, triumph, inconsistency and scandal – which obviously makes him endlessly fascinating. Controversy sticks to him like lint, much of which is his own doing. Regularly accused of making homophobic, sexist and anti-Semitic comments, he has been the cause of much upset and…

Tyson Fury opens up The British heavyweight boxer and GQ cover star talks career comebacks, self-care and that bout with Deontay Wilder. GQ Food & Drink Awards 2019, presented by Veuve Clicquot See all the winners and action from the night by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @britishgq. 24 Hours Wearing… Looking to experiment with a bold new trend? Jonathan Heaf trials everything from oversized tracksuits to teeth whitening and reports back. Restaurant Of The Week We source the best new places to visit. See our latest pick each Tuesday at 5pm.…

Jack WATERLOT Photographer Jack Waterlot worked with GQ Fashion Director Luke Day to bring the sexual revolution back to life in a New York shoot that evoked Brooklyn at its most louche. “I was always fascinated by the Sixties and Seventies,” says Waterlot. “I took inspiration from icons such as Patti Smith, The Beatles and Mick Jagger. Their way of being was what I wanted to capture in my images.” Kathleen JOHNSTON The Kardashians sit at the nexus of celebrity, wealth, entrepreneurship, family and media, says GQ Social Content Editor Kathleen Johnston in this month’s “Foreword”, arguing that we should add fourth-wave feminist empowerment to that list. “With a combined Instagram following of 538 million, the Kardashians disrupt outdated ideas of how women ‘should’ behave,” says Johnston. Chris AYRES GQ contributor Chris Ayres delved into…

For years, I’ve thought of my obsession with the minutiae of the Kardashian machine as a slightly embarrassing guilty pleasure. Serious conversations about America’s most famous family have been confined to WhatsApps among a select few female friends. I refer to my expansive store of Kardashian-Jenner trivia only when I’m sure it will be viewed as an endearing eccentricity, rather than proof of vacuous idiocy. I surreptitiously watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians when my boyfriend is out and I’m free to get stuck into the highs and lows of cloistered celebrity life in Calabasas, California without falling prey to his incessant eye-rolling. To caveat: I’m a 27-year-old feminist with a first-class English MA in postcolonial literature, culture and thought. I listen to Radio 4, read political nonfiction and would take…

Sam Fender’s local, the Low Lights Tavern in North Shields – “A drinking town with a fishing problem,” as the 24-year-old puts it – used to have a reputation for rowdiness. Recently, though, it has been gentrifying, which is perhaps why a man from the music industry happened to drop by. Fender grabbed his guitar, played a song and lo, he had a manager. Now, he has gone from Low Lights to the bright lights, winning this year’s prestigious Brits Critics’ Choice Award (previously held by Adele and Sam Smith). His track “Dead Boys” has made a particular impression. “I wrote it when a mate killed himself,” explains Fender. “It drew my attention to how serious the problem [of male suicide] is.” Fender is keenly attuned to the pitfalls of hypermasculinity.…

When plans for Tokyo’s W350 skyscraper were made public, they caused a stir. Not because at 350 metres it will be Japan’s tallest building, nor that its estimated cost will be £4.2 billion. The reason was more fundamental: it will be made almost entirely of wood. There’s a simple explanation for why wood is not traditionally used in tall buildings: fire. Yet the W350 is not alone. The proposed Sida Vid Sida building in Sweden will be a timber structure wrapped in glass, for instance, and flats are already for sale at the 73-metre wooden Haut building in Amsterdam. What’s behind the boom? New forms of timber have emerged recently, boasting superior strength and fire resistance. Take “cross-laminated timber” – wood arranged in a crisscross pattern and bound together with fireproof glue…