The Rake April 2022 - Issue 81

I believe in the irrefutable truth of this statement: that there are many great things in life, but by far the greatest are the smell of a British motorcycle engine sparked by an air-cooled parallel twin Amal carburettor on a cold, clear morning; the architectural miracle of the small of a woman’s back; the ceaseless and undying affection of the miniature sausage dog; and the transportive power of rock ’n’ roll. I mean real rock ’n’ roll. Soul-blood-and-guts rock ’n’ roll, which militates against the EDM Bieber-esque gibberish of much of today’s music. If I sound like an old man, it’s because I am. I was born in 1969, the year many of my favourite bands played Woodstock while people danced naked in the rain, high as kites on lysergic…

When I was at school I was a keen dramatist. So keen, in fact, that I went on to do a degree in drama. I loved acting in school plays, and while The Crucible was my magnum opus (cf. our previous issue), the first lead role I picked up was Orsino in Twelfth Night. I was dressed in silver and gold and really hammed it up, probably too much (there is a video of it somewhere). Anyway, even after all these years, I still remember the opening soliloquy, which starts with the famous line, “If music be the food of love, play on”. In those days, my music tastes were susceptible to peer pressure, which is why, as well as Shakespeare, I can also still recall the words to Slipknot’s…

CHARLIE GRAY Charlie is a London-based international fashion and portrait photographer known for his playful, cinematic and intimate images. He is inspired by past photography masters Richard Avedon and Terry O’Neill and filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. Charlie has become a regular in these pages, but never more so than in this issue, for which he has contributed three shoots. He worked with us on our collaboration with Audemars Piguet (page 86), harnessing his environment’s colour and texture to produce images that are dynamic and exciting; profiled the British actor and director Andy Serkis at the Rosewood hotel in London (page 106); and created our Main Fashion feature — ‘Me and My Rock ’n’ Roll Queen’ — on page 130. DANNY KASIRYE Danny is a Ugandan-British photographer and director from London. He…

On May 10, 1982, Duran Duran released their second album. The thrusting, Thatcherite eighties had barely got going, but Rio already seemed the decade’s aspirational apogee. There was the title, with its whiff of sun-kissed exotica. There was the vivid purple cover, with its study of a slinky siren by the Playboy illustrator Patrick Nagel. And there were the songs, from the title track’s lush carnival hedonism to Hungry Like the Wolf’s unabashed I-want-it-all covetousness. It spawned three monster hit singles and went double platinum in the U.S., making Duran Duran the spearhead of what was swiftly branded the ‘second British invasion’. They had legions of devoted fans, known as Durannies. They had the world at their feet. And yet the press was resolutely unmoved. “Anglodisco at its most solemnly…

James McArdle’s intimidating reputation precedes him. It’s not that in person there’s anything intimidating about the Glaswegian actor: indeed, he is warm, witty and thoughtful. But his reputation as a thespian (of the classical kind, which seems increasingly rare) is of a magnitude that occasions awe when I mention his name to those who follow his work. His accolades — from the Laurence Olivier award (previous winners include Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Rylance) to the Ian Charleson award — are proof enough that his acting talent does not go unnoticed. “It’s nice to be recognised,” he says via Zoom while on a break in Florida. “But it’s barely an afterthought when I am preparing for a role.” In April, McArdle stars in the anticipated television adaptation of Kate Atkinson’s novel Life After…

Whatever way you look at him, Howlin’ Wolf was a towering figure. At 6ft 3in and built to match, he was a seriously imposing presence, employing his physicality on stage to create a sense of authority and even threat. As a singer, his hoarse growl gave his performances an authority and drama that made them impossible to ignore. Though he dressed in sober suit and tie, his hair neatly clippered, he gave no doubt that he meant business. Even on record, the impression was the same: this was a man who could steal your woman and do you damage, and who had seen and felt things you never would. His influence was equally heavy. British bands such as the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin formed their sound in emulation not only…