British GQ September 2017

o many heroes, so little time. This month we have produced a themed issue dedicated to various men who, in their own way, have all become talismanic. First we have Jeremy Corbyn, the man who – before the recent election – anyone with any (apparent) political expertise said was destined for obscurity, a man who has galvanised the youth vote like no one since, well, Barack Obama. Next, we have another politician, Al Gore, the man who took on George W Bush and lost (even though he actually won) and is now taking on a far more dangerous nemesis, Donald Trump. Then of course we have the extraordinary Dele Alli, a footballer with the world at his feet, a young midfielder who – having already won the PFA Young Player Of…

PPA Writer Of The Year Stuart McGURK This month, GQ Senior Commissioning Editor Stuart McGurk won one of the most prestigious accolade in magazines: the PPA Writer Of The Year Award. “It’s an award that many of the writers I admire have won – from Ed Caesar to AA Gill,” says McGurk, who has been at GQ for seven years and interviewed Tottenham and England footballer Dele Alli for this issue. “To be in that company is pretty thrilling.” Luke DAY It’s all about tartan tailoring and embroidery this season, as you’ll see in our Collections feature, styled by GQ Style Editor Luke Day. “I wanted to take the story out of the studio and into an environment that suits autumn/ winter attire,” says Day. “We went to the Isle Of Arran to showcase…

I want to tell you a story. It’s a story about a man called Don Katz, who spent 20 years as an award-winning journalist (for magazines such as Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated) and the author of a few bestselling books. And Katz was in love. Not just with his wife, Leslie, but with the spoken word. For a man who had made his living putting pen to paper, Katz’s true passion was for the vernacular – the oral experience of listening to language, of enjoying the beautifully simple act of verbalised storytelling. But when it came to indulging his obsession, Katz had a problem: his fanny pack wasn’t big enough. You see, back in the early Nineties, the only format on which you could listen to spoken-word recordings was cassette.…

THE RISING STAR Remember Mad Max: Fury Road? At the time, we gave it raves for its blistering pace, its preposterous look and its overall lack of pretension. In retrospect, we also like the film for this: it shot Abbey Lee Kershaw to our screens. Lee (professionally she goes without the Kershaw) was well known in the fashion world as a model, racking up Terry Richardson shoots, Victoria’s Secret appearances and Vogue covers. After Mad Max, she was an actress too – and why not? Heck, she was good. As she put it, “I landed on the set and it seemed like the heavens opened up and it was exactly where I wanted to be.” Hollywood seems happy to have her. Since Mad Max came out two years ago, she has…

The vinyl revival remains in rude health. Dylan Jones selects an overlooked classic to hunt out next time you’re flicking through the crates… It is too easy to say that Frank Zappa was simply a satirist. The early Mothers Of Invention albums might sound like Tom Lehrer made them on acid, and few people at the time were brave enough to disparage the counterculture from such close quarters, yet in some way Zappa was the quintessential comic. You know the guy, the one who makes his living from making people laugh, but expects lavish praise and lots of chin-stroking critical acclaim when he goes “straight”. He demanded it both ways: he wanted to be acknowledged as the Grand Wazoo, the great oracle of sarcastic rock, and expected to be revered for…

Yes, Ben Affleck’s Batman is teaming up with Wonder Woman et al. But if you don’t fancy watching the dumpster fire that Justice League will no doubt be, there’s Marvel’s TV equivalent. The Defenders sees Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil fight an evil group called... The Hand. Stop laughing. From 18 August on Netflix. Most of us have a “second” team to support. A simpler team, more likeable, one that plays good football but is, essentially, a bit rubbish. Plucky. Last year, it was plucky Bournemouth. This year, it’s the newly promoted (and plucky) Brighton & Hove Albion, managed by the ever-popular Chris Hughton. The new season starts on 12 August. With outposts in Las Vegas, Manila, Ibiza and even Riyadh, this restaurant-come-hotel empire has now arrived in London…