If you read magazines—especially Esquire—you're familiar with the legend of Tom Junod. The writer has profiled too many celebrities to name and penned what's perhaps the definitive piece of writing about the 9/11 attacks. Earlier this year, he authored his first book, in which he reckons with his complicated father—and himself. The result is not only another masterwork from a legendary storyteller, but one of the most compelling explorations of masculinity in recent memory. John Hendrickson profiled Junod as the writer anxiously awaited the book's debut. It's essential reading. —Brady Langmann, senior entertainment editor
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In a long list of classic stories, the legendary magazine writer helped teach readers what masculinity looks like in the 21st century. To write his first book, he had to confront the man who first taught him: his father.
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Tom Junod is considering the epitaphs of seditionists. We’re wandering the rows of Marietta Confederate Cemetery, not far from his home outside Atlanta. The sun is inching down, and the grounds are deserted. Tom has no ancestors buried here—he grew up on Long Island—but he’s lived in the South for a while and spent years driving past these graves. “I’ve never been here and it’s ...”
He looks around, absorbing the scene. “You can definitely write about this in some way.”
We’re wrapping up two and a half days of conversation, and I’m finally about to bring up the stuff I’ve been politely avoiding. How do you write honestly about one of your heroes, about a man who has inspired and intimidated you in equal measure? Tom Junod’s name was once synonymous with Esquire and, really, with men’s magazines, period. His byline sits atop some of the most profound and provocative stories that Esquire and GQ have ever published. Like that make-you-cry Mister Rogers profile that became a Tom Hanks movie. Or “The Falling Man,” his search for the identity of a single person who plunged from the World Trade Center on 9/11. Presidents, preppers, pit bulls, pornographers—no topic seemed beyond Tom’s reach. He ran toward them all, often with success, sometimes with scandal.
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It was early in Brazil and Norway’s round-of-16 battle in New Jersey when someone captured the entire World Cup in a single sentence. This was a couple weeks ago, when soccer fever had officially captured North America, with Norwegian fans wondering what the hell a BuzzBallz is and Mexico’s MerlÃn the Duck outright stealing hearts and running away with them. To my right were Norway fans, gearing up for yet another Viking Row, which somehow never got old. To my left? Legions of Brazil faithful, singing their way through the whole match.
Unlike, say, a 76ers game in Philly, where you have a nonzero chance of tripping into a verbal and/or physical confrontation near a Yuengling-soaked urinal, things just felt good. People were happy. The guy next to me turned around, unprompted, and said, “This is the closest we’ll ever get to world peace.”
He’s not wrong.
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It’s not everyday you see Tommy Paul trade in his tennis whites for a navy double-breasted tuxedo—but his wedding seems like the appropriate time to do so. About a month before the big day, and in between Wimbledon training sessions, the sports star hopped on a Zoom from London to give us the scoop on his custom Burberry wedding look.
“I don't wear suits too much,” Paul says. “I mean, in tennis, we sometimes have galas or events that we have to go to. We dress up a little bit, but this will be a whole different level.” It’s a whole other level alright, one that the Burberry team is pulling out all of the stops for. The house isn’t just dressing Paul; they’re also creating custom fits for his mom and ten groomsmen—who are all over the globe. From L.A. to Miami to New York to London, the Burberry team has been flying everywhere for the fittings, whether it’s to catch Frances Taifoe before a match or get measurements on Riley Opelka (who is nearly seven feet tall).
But the star of the show is obviously what the house is planning for Paul, which is a series of three looks for the entire wedding weekend. It kicks off with a single-breasted brown wool suit for the rehearsal dinner, paired with a wide-leg pant. Then comes the ceremony suit, followed by a classic tuxedo with a shawl lapel for the reception. The trio of outfits blends the brand’s signature British tailoring with contemporary detailing—resulting in some of the best damn suits that Paul will ever wear.
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