Table of contents for Issue 73: Autumn 2020 in Huck

So. Where to start? Let’s try the beginning. Back in February (which, by now, feels like more than a few lifetimes ago), we started work on the latest instalment of Huck. The one you’re reading now The working title of the issue was Sanctuary. Over the course of its 100 pages, we collected stories of refuge and resilience: people who’d found solace in a scene, movement or culture; communities who’d come together as one to protect and empower each other. While we’re always proud of the magazines we put out, this one felt special; packed full of hope and possibility. Then everything fell off a cliff. In March, as countries across the globe began to shut down, we made the decision to hit pause on the issue. A whole host…

“There are quite a lot of gentle, posh folk living in this block, but we are the mavericks,” says Baxter Dury, talking from his roomy Hammersmith flat that overlooks the Thames. “Historically, we’ve been causing a lot of noise here for 40 years. We’re the noise subversives.” The London-born musician has been living in the apartment for a few years now, but it’s a property that has been in the family for four decades. His father, Ian Dury, first moved here to spend more time with the Stiff label family, touring with the likes of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, as well as his new band, The Blockheads. As a kid, Baxter found himself split between a sleepy Hertfordshire vicarage with his mother (the artist Betty Rathmell) and the bohemian…

On the morning of Tuesday, 11 February, giant teepeeshaped waves marched into Nazare, the famous surf break on the west coast of Portugal. They moved in a latticed formation that looked deceptively organised. Only when a jet ski whipped a surfer into them could you see their otherworldly scale. The surfer would drop, drop, drop, and then drop some more in a kind of slow motion that defied the speeds at which they travelled, the bottom of the wave seeming to recede, or the crest of the wave continuing to grow taller – or both. It was spectacular to witness in person. The wave dwarfed each surfer so much they appeared ant-sized. I emailed a phone pic to my mum and wrote, “Zoom in to see surfer.” “It feels like…

Rita Indiana is best defined by her fearlessness. As a musician, she became one of the Caribbean’s biggest stars through her commitment to constant innovation. In 2018, her debut novel Tentacle – a queer dystopian sci-fi – announced her as an unflinching literary talent to match. But her penchant for pushing boundaries has meant that her career has often been challenging. As the 42-year-old gears up to release her second book – a story about a drug-addicted artist on the path to getting clean – she shares some of the valuable advice she’s picked up along the way. Question your surroundings “I grew up in the Dominican Republic in the ’80s, when it was really conservative: they shaved the heads of kids with dreadlocks, if you were wearing a black…

I want to change my astrological sign. I am a Libra and I am sick of always being nice to people. I long to be more aggressive, maybe an Aries. As a fellow Libra, do you ever feel this way? Is it possible for us to reject these cosmic labels? – Harry 100 per cent. I’m a Libra too and I decided to be a Taurus for a few weeks. Tauruses are supposed to be really into blankets and food and being cosy and indulging and stuff. I was really riding that vibe. Nobody told me I couldn’t change it. I don’t think anyone has told you, either. You can do what you want. I have now gone back to being Libra, but I dabbled in Taurus. It was fun…

Few artists will take you to the depths of their mind with more clarity than Mavi. The 20-year-old rapper is, by his own admission, naturally inquisitive. So as far as he’s concerned, nothing is off limits. His swirling stream-ofconsciousness flow channels the likes of Ralph Ellison, Virginia Woolf and Earl Sweatshirt, with probing lyrics designed to teach young black people how to insulate themselves with self-love – so that the systemic hate they experience in America doesn’t feel insurmountable. “I fucking love asking questions,” he says, speaking over the phone while wandering through LA in pursuit of chicken curry. “I am an interrogator. I don’t think you can be a black man in this society and not be inquisitive, because this shit really doesn’t make much sense. I want to…

The midday sun is beating down on a scruffy industrial estate in Tavros, a suburb on the outskirts of Athens. Everything in sight is a shade of sun-bleached dirt, except for some imposing warehouse gates topped with razor wire, and a big metal wheelie bin painted yellow with black stripes – the colours of the local team, Fostiras F.C. (The ‘Yellow Army Hooligans’). Suddenly, a shiny Hummer – also yellow and black – pulls up and out jump two guys and a girl. The taller man, wearing a tight t-shirt and gold chain, is Kareem Kalokoh, a 26-year-old rapper whose star is rising around the world. Kareem is co-founder of ATH Kids collective, an Athens rap crew that first started around 2015 and now find themselves at the forefront of…

“Shortly before this issue went to press, I received news that Aron – the inspiration for this story – had died. We decided to keep his contribution to the larger piece, as well as the updates he provided just before his death, because Aron dedicated his life to drag. He exemplified the culture. He was a true force who became a legend for his community – his dedication to his fellow queens went unparalleled. It was an honor to know him and it means a great deal to be able to share his world with you all. Rest in power, Queen Arona.”– Lexi It’s 11pm at Club Cul*, a covert drag club hidden within a disused corporate building situated on the affluent east side of Caracas, Venezuela. Located in the…

Thundercat is closing a difficult chapter with the release of his best work so far. If there’s one thing the past few years have taught the LA virtuoso, it’s that life is as fleeting as it is precious so he plans to continue living it to the fullest, regardless of where that journey takes him. Thundercat is relaxing at home in Los Angeles. Outside, the morning is shaping up nicely, though he’s perfectly content indoors, spending time with his beloved pet cat: Tron (short for Turbo Tron Over 9000 Baby Jesus Sally). “This is when I’m happiest,” he says. “Chilling… sitting next to a beautiful cat.” The 35-year-old musician is, all things considered, an unusual man. Some examples. He once began an interview by telling the journalist in question that…

Jamira’s home is full of paraphernalia and keepsakes. On the walls of her living room is a triptych of American tragedies rendered in graphic art. To the left, a black woman is screaming, crying, wrapped in the stars and stripes, her face streaked with warpaint. To the right is a girl wearing a hijab rendered as Old Glory. In the centre is a native American woman in a spectacular headdress – she’s sporting an accusatory expression. There are bare brick walls and a compact bookshelf (titles include: American Species, Unlearning Liberty and Notes of a Native Son). There’s a refrigerator with images of friends and family stuck to it, alongside the odd campaign sticker and ironic motivational message. But there’s something else here too – something that is key to…

“In all honesty, it has been difficult the past few months. So many plans had to drop and be cancelled. From wrestling matches, to bookings and appearances.” Nor Diana – a.k.a. Phoenix – is growing increasingly excited as she recalls the biggest night in her wrestling career so far. “As soon as the referee called the end of the match I cried,” she says, grinning. “It changed my life forever.” The 20-year-old Malaysian, who stands at just fivefeet tall, is currently blazing a trail through the wrestling industry as the world’s first hijab-wearing pro. The match she’s referring to is her appearance at Wrestlecon – Malaysia’s biggest wrestling championship – in the summer of 2019: a fight that had her squaring off against four male opponents to be crowned her…