And so I sit there, high on mushrooms, taking a shit in the bathroom of the pastor's home. It's been hours since I ate the chocolate, and I still feel no closer to God. Everything remains so far away: Jesus, Sonya and the kids, and (most of all) any sense of self-worth. That's why I came here, to Colorado, to meet two of the clergy who are part of the underground movement. Sonya didn't want me to. I had to convince her that this trip might save my career, save me. But taking psilocybin like it's some kind of sacrament seems to only hide now the deeper truth of my life: I've fucked up everywhere, starting with the fact that two thousand miles away my wife is distressed and can't even drive the lone car we have, because it's broken. I'm muttering, and realize I'm muttering, as I stare at the candle in the bathroom. I finish up, wash my hands, look in the mirror. I take a deep breath and open the door. The pastor is standing right there. He looks at me, asks, "You okay?" |
|
|
Somewhere in Fullerton, California, a lanky nine-year-old named Paul Skenes plays catch with his father. Every day, as soon as Dad punches out and Paul finishes his homework, they come here: an elementary school flanked by two baseball fields. One day, the kid picks up a bat and smashes Dad's fastball over the fence—to the busy street past the outfield. After that, they do their hitting in the batting cages. The same year, Paul puts on a jersey, steps on the mound, and pitches a fastball to another kid. "I hit fifty-one miles an hour," Skenes remembers now. "And everybody went crazy." Twelve years later, in the summer of 2024, Skenes isn't so lanky anymore. He's just fucking big. Six-foot-six and 260 pounds. A number-one-overall draft pick making his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He takes a breath and lets it rip. The gun tells the truth: He's doubled it. Twice as fast. A goddamn blur. One-oh-two. Now everybody in the baseball world is going crazy for the kid from Fullerton. |
|
|
You Need to Get This Jacket |
Why don't you have a Carhartt Detroit Jacket yet? As someone who has worn many but never purchased one of my own, and who has seen how many A-list celebrities love their own Carhartt jackets, this was the question I had to reckon with on one fateful fall day. There was no good reason for me, as somebody whose job it is to identify good menswear, not to own a Carhartt jacket—and if you know anything about good menswear yourself, there's no reason for you not to own a Carhartt jacket either. I took my fate into my own hands and secured the iconic Carhartt Detroit jacket for myself after seeing it on the likes of everybody from Drew Starkey to Paul Mescal to Austin Butler. Granted, there are nice selections of vintage options out there on the Internet—but isn't it more fun to buy new and break it in yourself? I certainly think so. |
|
|
Sure, Ryan Coogler's new spooker, Sinners, is fun, creepy, and nail-bitingly tense. But since this is a Coogler film, the dialogue is straight-up hilarious. There's a wicked scene where Michael B. Jordan's Smoke, one half of twins named Smoke and Stack—colorful bruisers in 1930s Ole Miss—shoots a comrade. The man's retort to a post-bullet courtesy is, "I was doing better before you shot me in the ass!" In Sinners, out today, Jordan plays both of the Smokestack siblings, believe it or not. Whatever CGI wizardry Coogler consulted to refute the laws of physics—allowing two leading men to occupy the same place at the same time—is certainly rewarded by some emblematic acting. But Sinners also tells some hard truths. It's an urgent rumination on race and past misdeeds, unhealed wounds that still devour our body politic. |
|
|
Loro Piana may have garnered a lot of attention recently because of the quiet-luxury "trend," but the famed Italian label isn't exactly new to the game. And as Esquire creative director Nick Sullivan points out in the latest episode of "Iconic," quiet luxury isn't really a trend—it's a lifetime commitment. In fact, in Loro Piana's case, that commitment has spanned many lifetimes. Founded in 1924 as a textile producer, the company quickly established a reputation for making some of the finest cloths one could buy. For more than half a century, the only place you were likely to find a Loro Piana label was on the inside of a bespoke suit. That changed about 40 years ago, when brothers Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana—the grand-nephews of founder Pietro Loro Piana—ushered in a new era for the brand, expanding into ready-to-wear fashion, home, and accessories. In 2013, luxury juggernaut LVMH acquired a majority stake in the brand. Since then, the expansion has continued all over the world. |
|
|
Elite athletes seek victory at all costs. But some strive for even more, on and off the field. These are Mavericks of Sports. Yes, they are, or were, all outstanding in their chosen sports. But they're more than just the sum of their stats. They demand our attention—and push the culture forward. Meet Esquire's 2025 mavericks of sports, and read exclusive interviews from all-stars, including Caleb Williams, Lindsey Vonn, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, Donovan Mitchell, Dan Hurley, and Paul Skenes. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment