  Ringo Starr Can't Bring Himself to Practice Alone In lockdown, Ringo Starr has a new appreciation for doing interviews. "I get up in the morning," he says over Zoom from Roccabella West, his home studio in Los Angeles, "and I beg my publicist to give me people like you to talk to!" The inconceivable fame that comes with being a former Beatle has sometimes made him seem reticent in conversation ("In some people's minds, we're still those people from Hard Day's Night," he once said to me, "like the boys that never grew up"). But in our current circumstances, he says that "it keeps me going."
Though he celebrated his 80th birthday last year, Sir Richard Starkey—or "Rique S," as his Zoom window identifies him—has had no trouble with keeping himself going. He had to cancel two tours last year with his All-Starr Band, but he hasn't wasted his pandemic time, recording a five-song EP, appropriately titled Zoom In, which comes out this Friday. The tracks range from the roots reggae of "Waiting for the Tide to Turn" to the solidly rocking "Teach Me to Tango," produced by studio whiz Sam Hollander, who's worked with folks like Panic! at the Disco and Katy Perry.
The project was mostly assembled in the room he's currently sitting in, and an adjacent guesthouse where his drums are set up. A few musicians came by to record their parts, but mostly it was done by sending tracks around digitally—included the sing-a-long choir (which features everyone from Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl to Chris Stapleton and Jenny Lewis) on the first single, "Here's to the Nights."
But while he remains addicted to the road, Starr has resolved himself to limiting his contact (beyond Barbara Bach, his wife of forty years) to the minimum. "I have several friends, and we hang out," he says. "I know they're as serious as I am. I've been to three other homes in a year and they've been to mine. It's the same crowd, we just go and sit somewhere else."
Even with the enforced solitude, he still can't bring himself to practice the drums without a band present. "I don't practice," he says. "I could never do it, it's just something that's not in me. I practiced with bands in Liverpool."   I Fell In Love With Nice Laundry's Lounge Shorts at First Try-On. Now I Can't Wear Any Others. Let's get nostalgic about mesh shorts, man. The kind you got issued for high school basketball practice. The kind you wore during summers off for days in a row, just threw them on and ran to meet your neighborhood buddies at the park. The kind you slept in, and then went to class in, and then maybe slept in again during college. The kind you've been wearing around your temperature-controlled apartment for the better part of a year, because fuck it, it's always summer when the outside doesn't even exist. Those are the shorts, man. It's amazing what an elastic waistband and a drawstring can do for your mood. What if those shorts grew up like you have? What if they were so well made, so functionally satisfying, that you never want to take them off? We're here to tell you those shorts exist. We know, because Nice Laundry made them, and Deputy Editor Ben Boskovich has them, and he is eternally grateful they're here.
 12 Quarantine Purchases That Made Things (a Little) Better This Year Last spring, in the midst of panic-buying toilet paper and canned goods, many people also rushed to buy board games, fitness equipment, and home office essentials to make pandemic isolation bearable. Some of these items were quickly forgotten—hoarded into oblivion. Others made a lasting impact. I find myself reflecting on the things we bought that proved to be the best investments in our own emotional wellbeing. Sometimes, what may have seemed trivial ended up providing a jolt of gratification, and even real joy. And in a year of such devastating loss, I'll take all the tiny moments of joy I can get, even if they come from a kitchen appliance, an art set, or a hula hoop. This is a collection of some of the Esquire team's favorite pandemic purchases, big and small, from the past year. Some are practical; many are purely fun or meditative. The items on this list touch on a range of tastes and personalities, but they share a common thread: They've brought us moments of relief. Maybe they'll do the same for you.  The 6 Best Massage Guns to Dig Deep into Muscles Anytime You Need You ever watch a video of Phil Collins playing one of those rad drum fills and think, ugh, what I wouldn't give to be that drum kit right now. No, me neither. But on the off chance you have, you don't have to dream about it anymore, because percussive massage guns exist. These little health gadgets drum the hell out of your shoulders, lower back, neck, arms, thighs, calves, glutes, and wherever the hell else. That deep tissue vibration power can be targeted at any time to warm up muscles, bust through stiffness, and ease recovery, from pre-workout to post-hangover. And considering we've been forced to figure out how to do more and more for ourselves this last year, it's not a bad idea to have your own handheld massage therapist lying around. But do you drop 600 bucks or $130? What if you want a heated option? How about a gun you can take along to the gym or on a trip? Well, if you'd stop worrying about it and read my list, you'd know there's a well-reviewed massage gun with the right features out there for everyone. Except babies and small animals. Anyway. Here are the best massage guns you can get right now.
 Zack Snyder Answers Every Question You Have About His 'Justice League' Cut "I didn't think this would ever happen." Even Zack Snyder, the director of Zack Snyder's Justice League, can barely believe a four hour movie which has his name, triumphantly right there in the title, is now out in the world. To casual movie fans and those firing up HBO Max this week searching for something to help ride out yet another night in pandemic city, a bladder-bustingly long version of a 2018 DC superhero movie that received lukewarm reviews and is considered a box office failure seems extravagantly preposterous. And, even if you've only seen a trailer to a Zack Snyder movie you know that extravagantly preposterous is what he does best. Esquire's Kevin Sintumuang caught up with Snyder about the reaction to the new film—and answered all our burning questions about what's next.  'I've Been Targeted With Probably the Most Vicious Corporate Counterattack in American History' It's another beautiful day in New York, but Steven Donziger cannot leave his house. There's an electronic bracelet around his ankle, and he is only permitted to leave for medical appointments, meetings with lawyers, and school events for his 14-year-old son. He needs permission from a pretrial-services officer each time—those are the terms of his house arrest. So on a 68-degree Thursday in March, he is getting fresh air by sitting in front of an open window in his apartment on 104th street in Manhattan while we talk on the phone. He has not been convicted of a crime. He's only been accused of a misdemeanor, and he's still awaiting trial. But, as of March 17, 2021, he has been locked up in his apartment for nearly 600 days because, he says, he took on a massive multinational oil firm and won. Politics Editor Jack Holmes spoke with Donziger about his ongoing legal battle.
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Sunday, March 21, 2021
What’s Ringo Starr Up To These Days?
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