dean`s - Sharp Magazine

Transcription

dean`s - Sharp Magazine
Golf Guide
The hottest new
LO O K B E T T E R • F E E L B E T T E R • K N OW M O R E
M AY 2 0 1 3
Clothes, Gadgets,
Shoes, Clubs
SHARPFORMEN.COM
“THE MEDIA
HAS FAILED”
Conrad
Black
Takes on America
Drive fast, die young
James
Dean’s
PLUS
Bubba
Watson’s
PGA Freak Show
DRINK
YOURSELF
THIN
Spring
Style
Report
The ultimate
SUMMER suit
Rugged
jackets
AND
Lose the
Dad Wallet
last ride, relived
Robert
Downey
Jr.
Inside the mind of the man in the machine
$5.95 • DISPLAY UNTIL June 10, 2013
The Invincible
BMW M6
Gran Coupé
bmw.ca
The Ultimate
Driving Experience.®
BEAUTY IS JUST A BY-PRODUCT.
At BMW, we believe something isn’t beautifully designed unless it also performs beautifully. Consider the
carbon-fibre roof of the M6 Gran Coupé. It not only lowers the vehicle’s weight by 25 kg, but also lowers the
vehicle’s centre of gravity for improved handling. Its design may look stunning, but that’s just a by-product.
The 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupé.
DRIVEN BY DESIGN.
©2013 BMW Canada Inc. “BMW”, the BMW logo, BMW model designations and all other BMW related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and/or trademarks of BMW AG,
used under licence.
THE BAY
calvinklein.com
Elegance is an attitude*
www.longines.com
*L’élégance est une attitude
Simon Baker
The Longines Master Collection
© 2012 Calvin Klein Cosmetic Corporation / ENCOUNTER Calvin Klein®
calvinkleinbeauty.com
Alexander Skarsgård
SPRING•SUMMER
2013 edition
The Essential
Reference
For The
Discerning Man
22 8 pag e s
$16.95
Available on
newsstands April 15
or order and preview at
SHARPFORMEN.COM
SHARP | EDITOR'S LETTER
LUNA ROSSA
CHALLENGER OF THE 34TH
AMERICA’S CUP
Freedom on
Two Wheels
Facebook:
facebook.com/Sharpformen
Twitter:
@SharpMagazine
Instagram:
@SharpMagazine
Pinterest:
pinterest.com/sharpmagazine
Tumblr:
sharpmagazine.tumblr.com
YouTube:
youtube.com/sharpmagazine
12 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
By early August I’d had enough.
Enough of being alone in a giant city,
enough of slinging pies, and especially
enough of not having a car in the place
most famous for everybody needing
one. So I took $300 out of my savings
and gave it to a guy named Ahmed in
an East Hollywood parking garage. In
exchange, he gave me the keys to an
80cc Honda scooter, a cracked helmet
and a look that suggested that I was
indeed as dumb as I appeared. I had
driven a scooter exactly once before. I
knew nothing about motorcycles. I was
too excited to care.
The city opened up to me through
the blurry window of the helmet’s
visor. I can still remember the smell of
it as I slipped it over my head (glasses
off, helmet on, glasses on). A mix of
sweat and chemicals and teenaged
freedom. The feel of the key in the
ignition, the firmness of the starter
switch and the tiny motor coughing to
life, growing to an angry hornet drone
as I twisted the throttle. I had no idea
what I was doing, but that flutter in
my stomach as I swung astride, my
mouth metallic with fear and adrenaline, was intoxicating. There was no
arguing with it. I drove too fast, enamoured of that tinny howl, and the feeling of the thing overcoming its inertia
and taking off forward, carrying me
away. I drove along Melrose, through
Thai Town and past the stores selling
leather pants to wannabe rockstars. I
drove down Sunset, past the Chateau
Marmont and Whisky and Viper
Room, into Beverly Hills and down
Rodeo Drive, homes of the rich and
famous framed by rows of impossibly
straight palm trees. I rode it down
Venice Boulevard to the beach, where
I parked alongside a bunch of guys
hanging out on their Harleys, birddogging chicks. I rode it up into the
Hollywood Hills, where I hit a patch
of gravel, panicked, jammed on the
brakes and skidded, dropping the
scooter and scraping the hell out of my
knee and hand. I was going slowly. It
could have been much worse.
In this issue, Sharp’s Automotive
Editor Matt Bubbers explores a different kind of vehicular freedom,
tracing James Dean’s infamous last
drive through Southern California.
It’s a story about Dean’s legacy, youth,
rebellion, and the kind of feeling one
can only get from driving just on the
edge of control. This feeling is the
one that I was chasing that summer in Los Angeles, and the one that
compels men of all stripes to long
for fast cars with convertible tops
and insanely powerful motorcycles
capable of outrunning jets on takeoff.
Of course, when you’re 19 and broke,
it can be had for as little as the price
of a second-hand scooter. Thank god
I couldn’t afford anything faster.
@Mrjeremyfreed
[email protected]
P h o t o : D a r r i n K l i m e k ; H a i r a n d M a k e u p : N ata l i e B lo u i n
When I was 19, I spent a summer living in LA. I
stayed with my parents in their rented bungalow, after
they pulled up stakes mid-life for a new start on the West
Coast. I bicycled to work at a pizza shop in Hollywood,
knew nobody, and was doing my best to save all of my
earnings for university in the fall, back in Canada.
THE NEW FRAGRANCE FROM PRADA
PRADA.COM
Contents
MAY 2013 | VOL.6 | ISSUE 2
FEATURES
66
Iron Man
How Robert
Downey Jr. made a
second-tier superhero
into a box-office
legend.
96
James Dean’s
Last Drive
Contemplating fame,
rebellion and speed
in the new Porsche
Boxster S.
102
The Stylish
Angler
This season’s coolest
casual wear is rugged,
classic and fit for a
day in the backwoods.
Standards
Golf guide
74
Bubba Watson’s
Freak Show
The PGA’s harddriving class clown is
ready to branch out.
78
High Style on
the Back Nine
Amp up your style
game with these hot
looks for the links.
88
The Gear Report
Tee off with this
year’s slickest clubs,
sunglasses, shoes and
tech.
92
david hearn
Talking game with
Canada’s next big
PGA hope.
12
Editor’s Letter
20
24
Man About Town
112
Brand Directory
114
Rank & File
14 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
how to
win at
golf
style
pg. 78
P h o t o : M at t B a r n e s
Letters
Contents
56
Health
Workout tips from a man
with million-dollar abs.
Guide
30
The First Thing
Ditch the 10-dollar
umbrella for good.
33
A Man Worth
Listening To
Conrad Black takes
on America.
58
Style
40
Women
How Tina Fey and her ilk
became the thinking man’s
sex symbol.
42
Film
38
Say goodbye to Kirk’s
Utopian future: the newest
Star Trek is the grittiest yet.
Julia Voth: Zombie Killer.
44
40
A Welcome Introduction
Sharp’s State of
Nerdom Address
From business to fashion
to (obviously) technology,
nerds are a force to be
reckoned with. Here’s why.
48
SPORT
It’s the playoffs, time to
actually enjoy hockey.
50
The linen suit, the return
of the boutonnière and
a primer on the preppy
surfer look. Plus: cycling
fashion for the urban
commuter.
62
Grooming
Gym bag essentials for
the sporty man.
Automobiles
63
Watches
Five hot new gadgets to
geek out over.
Sedans may be the oldest
form of automobile, but
they’re still worth getting
excited about.
Yachting chronos: say
hello to the diving watch’s
sophisticated sibling.
46
52
64
The lean man’s guide
to drinking.
Six perfect reasons to
travel on two wheels.
A man, a boy and a
pirate ship bunk bed.
Tech
Vices
16 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Motorcycles
Dad Skills: Carpentry
P h o t o b y: Fa u b e l + C h r i s t e n s e n / S h i n . L i n e n s h i r t ( $ 6 3 0 ) a n d t w i l l d u n g a r e e s ( $ 7 9 0 ) b y Lo u i s V u i t t o n ; C l a r k F o r k m e s h v e s t ( $ 4 5 ) a n d f i s h i n g r o d
( $ 1 8 5 ) b y R e d i n g t o n ; c a n va s a n d l e at h e r t o t e b a g ( $ 3 7 0 ) b y L e v i ’ s M a d e & C r a f t e d ; WW 1 A r g e n t i u m wat c h ( $ 5,9 0 0 ) b y B e l l & R o s s .
MAY 2013 | VOL. 6 | ISSUE 2
SHARP | ONLINE
This Month at SHARPFORMEN.COM
1. A Welcome Introduction: Stephanie Fantauzzi
One part Italian and one part Brazilian, Stephanie
Fantauzzi’s got that whole “genetically blessed” thing
down. She talks to us about Shameless, what props
make for a good sex scene, and why she prefers older
men. Get out of our dreams, Fantauzzi.
1
4
3
5
2. Where to Eat Steak
Sometimes a guy just needs a good piece of meat. Forget
all the fixings and frills. No,
we would not like sauce
with that. We searched the
country to find the juiciest,
thickest, most flavourful
beef steaks Canada has to
offer. Read on an empty
stomach at your own peril.
2
3. Sharp’s Mother’s Day
Gift Guide
We’ve never been a
mother. But, because
we want to do our moms right this
Mother’s Day, we survey Canada’s most
influential tastemakers and ask them
what they’re getting for Mother’s Day.
Plus, we provide a few suggestions of
our own. Because our mothers raised us
right, darn it.
4. Thirty Days of Summer Suits
When the heat hits, don’t be caught in
a pair of winter wool trousers. From
airy linen numbers to double-breasted
seersuckers, we map out the rest of your warm
weather wardrobe with 30 summer-approved
suits. Remember: excessive perspiration looks
good on no one.
5. The Most Beautiful Golf Courses in the World
While we wait out the last of the spring mud, golf
season is already underway in some spectacular
locales. From the California coast to the Scottish
highlands, brush up on your fore-play and tee off
at these singular courses.
Twitter
@SharpMagazine
Facebook
/Sharpformen
18 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Instagram
@SharpMagazine
Pinterest
/sharpmagazine
Tumblr
sharpmagazine.tumblr.com
YouTube
/sharpmagazine
www.bruunogstengade.dk
1·800 ·363 ·7442
SHARP | LETTERS
Editorial
editorial and creative director
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
art director
managing editor
fashion editor
I had leafed through the April issue of Sharp before
getting to your set-up for Michael Winter’s story,
“Brush.” You wrote: “...but we can’t help but feel like
manhood is becoming more and more a creation of
marketers than of actual men...”
And I thought: “Do they listen to themselves? One
hundred and twenty-eight pages of nothing but marketing creations and now they’re moaning about....”
And then I read Winter’s story and thought: “Redemption in four short pages, including any number
of great lines.”
Andrew Vowles // Hamilton, ON
Josh, Jimi and the Jays
Intriguing issue, with a touching piece on Josh Ritter,
and nice reporting on Jimi; I purchased Ritter’s CD
after reading, in fact. However, I was disappointed
in the Jays feature—not much new there. You can do
much better. A twist on all the hype being generated
would have been a better approach.
Larry Humber // Toronto, ON
Swinging London
While I agree with you and Mr. Johnson that when
a man’s tired of London, he’s tired of life (or something close to it), the brittle, glazed and mannered
PBS worlds of Downton, Upstairs Downstairs, Foyle’s
War or even Sherlock don’t give a clue to the teeming cultural texture and fabric that has made London
the hub of the Western world since the fire of 1666. I
don’t agree that there was ever a time when London
was culturally “homogeneous and staid” as you say.
Au contraire, London has always absorbed and multiplied the cultural eddies and flows that washed up on
the banks of the Thames from the furthest reaches
of “The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets.” For
much longer than I can remember, London epitomized a call to adventurers and madmen of every
stripe from every corner of the square globe, challenging them to duel or join with whatever perceived
adversity or bandwagon, crusade or mission British
life and rule threatened or held for them—colonialism, socialism, imperialism, religious temperance,
religious intolerance, racial equality, racial hypocrisy,
scientific enlightenment and dogmatism and so on
and on. It was all to be found in London, and still is. Reuben Albert // Burbank, CA
20 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Jeremy Freed
Evan Kaminsky
Greg Hudson
Yang-Yi Goh
automotive editor
Matt Bubbers
GRAPHIC designers
Aurora Lynch, Dan Raftis
JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Redemption Through Fiction
Michael La Fave
online editor
assistant editor
Natalie Papanikolov
Lance Chung
Coleman Molnar
Fashion Assistant
Sahar Nooraei
imaging consultant
Neal Bridgens
Proofreaders
Editorial Interns
contributing writers
contributing photographers
letters to the editor
Megan MacDonald, Lynda Spark, Rob Tilley
Taylor Cordingley, Azra Hirji,
Grady Mitchell, Daniel Drak
Ariel Adams, Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, Matt
Currie, Craig Dolch, Kaitlin Fontana, Scott
Kramer, Adam Nayman, Albert Rose, William
Reed, Lorne Rubenstein
Adrian Armstrong, Matt Barnes, Matt
Bubbers, Robert Christensen, Josh Fee,
Graeme Jenvey, Christopher Kilkus, Nigel
Perry, Robert Watson, Paulie Wax
Love us, hate us, want to validate us?
Write us at [email protected]
Publishing
Publisher
John McGouran
Director Integrated Publishing
Geoffrey Dawe
Production manager
Maria Musikka
C
M
Y
CM
MY
Accounting supervisor
Office Assistant
Anthea de Souza
Lorna Luguya
Advertising
Sr. account manager
Kyle Bodnarchuk
416-930-1113
[email protected]
Sr. account manager
Donna Murphy
416-519-8819
[email protected]
Account manager
québec regional manager
Sales & marketing coordinator
Marketing and Sales Intern
CY
CMY
K
THE NEW FRAGRANCE FOR MEN
Ryan Moleiro
416-854-3619
[email protected]
Vincent Noël
514-566-6874
[email protected]
Elena Okulova
416-591-0093x213
[email protected]
Margarita Kopylova
Sharp is published six times per year by Contempo Media Inc.. No part of this publication may be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. The views expressed by the contributors
are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or staff. Sharp does not take any responsibility for
unsolicited manuscripts or photography. Annual subscription rate: $24.95 Canadian.
To subscribe, visit www.sharpformen.com
Customer service: 1-866-815-1441
Email: [email protected]
370 Queens Quay West, Suite 100
Toronto, ON M5V 3J3
416-591-0093
www.contempomedia.ca
volume 6, issue 2, MAY 2013
SIMON BAKER
SHARP | Pre-Ramble
The Dos and
Don’ts of
Golf Style
Axis Of Nerdom
P o pu l i s t
Rocket
Scientist
sports
nerds
fashionista
cinephiles
DON’T
pull on
knickerbockers.
U s e Fu l
UseLess
DO
embrace plaid pants,
argyle sweaters and
other classic patterned
garments.
Bookworms
foodies
Star Wars
fans
gleeks
Phish
Heads
poker
players
LARPers
Mac
Geniuses
trekkies
DO
try a driving cap or flat
cap instead of your
typical baseball cap.
Insufferable
DON’T
P.40 Why today’s nerds have the final word.
opt for one with a
pom pom.
The Nerd Label
Continuum
Conrad Blacktini:
C o mp l i m e n t a r y
DO
channel the style and
swagger of Arnold
Palmer circa 1962.
Ingredients:
2 oz of single malt
Scotch
Nerd
Geek
Dweeb
Poindexter
N e r d l i ng e r
DON’T
channel John Daly
circa ever.
P.78 Keep your golf style on par.
Pejorative
Preparation:
Serve in a tin mug,
garnish with sour
grapes.
P.33 Love him or hate him, Conrad Black is a Man Worth Listening To.
Downey Jr. is part of a long, storied history of talented eccentrics
Loveable Scamps Robert
with turbulent personal lives, just like these fellows:
Charlie Sheen
Dean Martin
Dennis Rodman
Winston
Churchill
P.66 Robert Downey Jr.: Part man, part machine, all hero.
22 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Every French
Man Ever
SHARP | MAN ABOUT TOWN
3.
2.
4.
7.
GotStyle’s
Pantone Party
To celebrate fashion week and mark the
official opening of the Toronto retailer’s new Distillery District location, Gotstyle threw a technicolour
hoedown, complete with colourful cocktails and a strictly enforced Pantone dress code. If the guests in brightly coloured
attire weren’t enough, the evening also featured a men’s and
women’s fashion show highlighting the best and brightest
spring/summer collections.
5.
6.
8.
9.
10.
1. Wayne Andrade, Sutherland Models 2. Gus Diamantopoulos, Anastasia Koretskaia, Adam Hendin and Svetlana Koretskaia 3. Belvedere bar 4. Christopher Bates, Melissa Austria,
Founder of Gotstyle, and Lindsay Libman-Atkins 5. Kinga Ilyes, Jenny Kaykin, Heather Jansen, Heather Macdonald, all from Slavin Raphael Agency 6. Steven Bewley, Elmer Olsen
Models 7. Andrew Murdoch, Stephanie Solonynko, Amanda Capone and David Scorniaenchi 8. Amber Smith and Nicola Smith from Makara Jewelry 9. Taylor Gough, Michael Klax and
Stephen Del Degan 10. Nicole Goldstein, Joel Rogers, Tia Katz and Maxim Efimov, all from Gotstyle
24 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
P h o t o s : Y o u s u f Af r i d i a n d K a l e n H ay m a n
1.
diesel.com
SHARP | MAN ABOUT TOWN
calvinkleinbeauty.com
1.
3.
4.
Gc Timepieces’
International
Smart Luxury
Initiative
This event traveled to over 15 countries
before concluding at Malaparte at the TIFF Bell
Lightbox in Toronto. Honouring rising stars from
each country who contribute to defining “smart luxury,”
the Canadians celebrated at the event were Alexandria
Pellegrino, cake artist, Jano Badovinac, industrial designer,
and Frankie Solarik, mixologist and owner of Barchef. VIP
guests perused a photography exhibit by Brazilian Pino
Gomes, and a display of Gc Timepieces’ Swiss-made watches.
1. the scene at malaparte 2. Gc Sport Class XL-S Glam Ceramic and Diver Chic Ceramic Series
3. Jano Badovinac 4. Alexandria Pellegrino 5. Gc Representative, Heather O’Brien, showcases timepieces 6. Gc Classica Automatic and Chronograph Series 7. Frankie Solarik
26 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
6.
7.
Photos: George Pimentel
5.
© 2013 Calvin Klein Cosmetic Corporation Dark Obsession™
2.
a new fragrance
SHARP | MAN ABOUT TOWN
A9
1.
Jaw-dropping
beautiful sound
2.
4.
3.
As the official timekeeper of Sony
Open Tennis, Rado invited its top brass, as well as
journalists from around the globe and Wimbledon
champ Pat Cash, to Key Biscayne to watch brand
ambassador Andy Murray battle it out with David Ferrer
under the hot Florida sun. Rado took the opportunity to
unveil its colourful new HyperChrome Court Collection
timepieces, which blend bright colours and high-tech
ceramic cases with precision Swiss movements.
1. the crowd at key biscayne 2. pat cash holding a tennis clinic 3. Andy murray
taking on david ferrer 4. RADO CEO Matthias Breschan and andy murray 5. rado’s new
hyperchrome court chronographs
28 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Experience this premium wireless music system in our showroom or learn more at BEOPLAY.COM/A9 or call 888 625 3414
5.
P h o t o s : RA D O
Rado at the
Sony Open
B&O PLAY by BANG & OLUFSEN
AirPlay, iPod, iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
DLNA CERTIFIED® is a certification mark of the Digital Living Network Alliance.
05.13
Culture | GUIDE
Look Bet ter • Feel bet ter • Know more
Netflix Is
Killing It
These Days
London
Undercover
$195 at Club
Monaco
And by ‘it,’ we mean television.
And that’s a good thinG.
By GREG HUDSON
>
Other than perhaps street
corner drug dealers, has there ever been
a capitalistic endeavour more attuned to the
demands of its customers than Netflix? More
than any other content provider (is there a
more romantic phrase than that? Content
provider: it just melts off the tongue), the
movie/television streaming service knows
and gives—and has the power to give—
cinephilic couch potatoes exactly what they
want. It’d be easy to say that it’s because
Netflix are fans ( just like us!), but it’s more
Win this
U M B R E LLA
Set the Rain
Ablaze
>
If there’s one thing Brits know well—better even than tea, tweeds,
jangly guitar rock and dry humour—it’s rain. The UK’s drizzly
climate birthed such rainwear icons as the trench coat and the Wellington
boot, and now the British design virtuosi at London Undercover have
found a way to make something as staid and perfunctory as an umbrella
veritably cool. Fashioned by hand in London from the finest materials,
this is a bumbershoot worthy of an English gent. Standing beneath
its searing orange canopy, you’ll feel dashing, sophisticated and, most
importantly, dry.
30 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Need the perfect trench to go with this umbrella? Visit Sharpformen.com/category/style/
likely that they are just the first service to really get it. And
getting it means more money for them.
In February, we had the first taste of what Netflix could do
with their original programming. House of Cards was like a
prestige TV watcher’s wet dream: film heavyweights Kevin
Spacey and David Fincher tackle the dark side of American
politics. The West Wing meets Richard III. And—because the
trend in viewers has shifted towards consuming series in
all-out binges—it was available for immediate consumption.
And that’s just the beginning.
This spring brings more proof that the future of TV looks
like Netflix. First, Hemlock Grove, a new horror series—a
genre that, at least before the confounding American Horror
Story, was a tricky sell on television—from the mind of mad
genius Eli Roth. It mixes the mystery of a small-town murder
with supernatural elements that are all the rage these days
(read: werewolves.) That it also stars the esoteric beauties
Penelope Mitchell and Freya Tingley doesn’t hurt. Netflix
can target a relatively small but strong audience the same
way cable can—think genre fare normally broadcast on
Space—except they have network-sized budgets and enough
clout to bring in marquee names. Hello, Mr. Roth.
And speaking of clout, this month marks the
glorious return of Arrested Development. It’s
a series that, if you aren’t unhealthily excited
for its release, that’s only because you have
stubbornly resisted for years friends’ urges to
watch it. But, Arrested Development is the
perfect example of how these Netflix nerds
work. They recognize their consumer base is
chock full of fans, fans who care more about
satisfying their itch to watch than what anyone
around a proverbial water cooler might be
saying. They know that these fans are hungry,
and if they can feed that hunger, they’ll be loyal.
And, so, we are. Take that Must See TV.
PICK
brought to you by
Because the editors of Sharp can be relied upon to
provide knowledgeable and timely fashion advice, Peroni
has asked us to select one item as a must-have accessory
for the season, and then give it away to one lucky reader.
This is “The Editor’s Pick,” an exclusive offer for Sharp
readers. Enter today.
Enter online at: www.sharpformen.com
No purchase necessary. Contest valid from May 2, 2013 to June 5, 2013. There is one prize available to be won with
a total approximate retail value of $195.00 CAD. Odds of winning a prize depend upon the number of eligible entries
received. Potential winner must correctly answer a time-limited, skill-testing question. Open to all legal residents of
Canada, excluding residents of Quebec, who have reached the age of majority in their province of residence. Limit one
per person. For complete contest rules, visit www.sharpformen.com.
MAY
june/july
september
november
december
Wisdom | GUIDE
A Man W orth L is ten in g T o:
Conrad Black
is an American Hero
By Greg Hudson • photography by josh fee
>
Before you say anything about Conrad
Black, it’s important that you at least acknowledge a few
indisputable truths. First: the man is very, very smart. Now,
genius doesn’t equate perfection—he’s made some mistakes in
his life, and he’ll even admit to one or two of them. But, the
man is no dummy. Second: he’s an undeniable presence, part
walking mythology, part pseudo-royalty, and part weighty
charisma. It was such that, as he entered the suite at the
Toronto Shangri-La, where our interview took place, his aloof
kindness felt, not intimidating, but meaningful. And the last
thing you should take into account before saying what you will
about Conrad Black is this: it’s all been said before. Yes, he’s an
arrogant, charming, powerful, humbled historian and
redeemed criminal. Yes, he speaks his mind, and he’s more
articulate off the cuff than most people are after several
revisions. He’s capable of being both empathetic and incredibly vindictive. It’s a surprising PR strategy for an ex-con of his
stature. Or would be, if he weren’t already Conrad Black.
He spoke to us because this month his latest book, Flight of
the Eagle: A Strategic History of the United States, is being
published by Random House. As its title suggests, it’s a
review of American history, highlighting how that country
became what it is. It’s understandably an epic. And who
better to undertake such an unapologetic enterprise than
someone like Black who, despite being British and Canadian,
somehow represents so much of what makes America what
it is: all power, mistakes, intelligence and pride.
American history has
obviously been well
documented. Why choose
to write about it now?
Because I don’t think that it
has been written about in
this way before, which is to
present and, to a degree,
analyze the strategic
decisions that were taken at
different stages in American
history that produced this
astonishing and unparalleled
development of that country
from a few colonies to a
pre-eminent power in the
world in 200 years. It’s often
seen as a disjointed sequence
of events in the natural
growth of a country filling
out half of the continent but
with no particular design to
it. But that isn‘t the case. The
founders of the country
definitely had a vision of it
becoming the greatest
country in the world.
You seem to take great
comfort in relating your
life, or life generally, to
history. Why do you think
it’s important to be a
student of history?
I don’t so much do that. I
mean, not certainly in the
sense of imagining in a
delusional way that my
career bears any resemblance
to some of these famous
people we’re talking about.
But, it is very instructive. If
you read history seriously,
you come across all manner
of episodes that may remind
you of things, which on a
much smaller scale for most
of us, we encounter ourselves
and you see how people
responded to it, and what the
nature of the response was,
and what kind of mood and
level of cool-headedness is
optimal, and whether you’re
best to react quickly, or
slowly, or angrily, or in a cool
way or whatever. So it gives
you some background for
your own career plan, even
though I emphasize that
career decisions that 99 per
cent of us have to make are
pretty banal compared to
what we’re reading about.
The more you study
history, does it limit your
ability to be surprised?
That’s an interesting way of
formulating the question. I
don’t think I would go that
far, and this may be the
flipside of your question; it
enhances my or anyone’s
ability to find a precedent
for what’s happened. Even if
it’s, as I’ve said, a precedent
on a much larger scale than
what we normally deal with.
You can go too far in this.
How did writing this book
change you? Or did it?
That’s a difficult question. I’m
not hesitant to answer it on
the grounds of it being
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 33
GUIDE | Wisdom
extremely corrupt. It’s not
corrupt compared to Italy’s,
but it’s corrupt compared to
America’s history. It is
dysfunctional. Its constitution is not working well and
it’s not getting the best candidates. This last year, the best
Republican candidates didn’t
run. If I were an American, I
would find this worrisome.
personal so much as I
mistrust my own judgment of
myself sometimes. As I think
we all should. I guess it
changed somewhat my view
of the United States. I had not
particularly thought about
how the founders of the
country had come together.
Of course, there’s been a
tremendous amount of
mythologization that’s gone
on. The founders of the
United States are widely
viewed as really exceptionally
competent, and certainly the
leading ones were very
competent—but not more so
than some contemporaries in
other countries—but it was a
remarkable profusion of
talented people in such a
small population. The
founding of the United States
is just generally presented as
a miracle and it wasn’t really a
miracle. It was a fairly
carefully planned and closely
contested political enterprise.
Did your opinion of the
American justice system
affect your reading of
history?
Well, my experiences with
the US justice system
certainly disappointed me,
and it gave me occasion to
reflect on the Bill of Rights, in
particular, in which Americans claim to be the centre of,
and inspiration for, the whole
concept of the entrenchment
of human rights, and to
observe how it’s all been
contorted, but no, I was quite
careful to steer clear of that.
This book is unambiguously a
pro-American book.
There’s a knee-jerk reaction
among some who say that
America is in decline, that
it’s going to hell—do you
agree with that?
Oh, it is in decline. But I
wouldn’t say it’s going to hell.
It’s not necessarily an
irreversible decline. Their
fortunes fluctuate largely
Where do you fall in that
political spectrum these
days? I feel like a lot of the
issues that Conservatives
espouse, you’ve gone
against. I’m thinking of
harsh sentencing and...
That’s not a left or right
issue. Nelson Rockefeller
and Robert Kennedy were
no better than Nixon and
Reagan in that they all got
on that bandwagon.
[The United States] is in decline,
but they can afford to be in
decline. It’s a good time for
them to have a collapse.
attached to the quality of
leadership they have, which is
itself, somewhat a function of
popular demand and how
well the system works and
what they think are the best
people they can get in the
highest positions. The fact is
it is in decline, there’s no
doubt about it. It was almost
bound to decline in some
degree from the extreme
pre-eminence that was
achieved after the disintegration of the Soviet Union; it
had a strategic plan for
dealing with Nazis and it had
a strategic plan for dealing
with international communism but it didn’t have a
strategy to deal with the
absence of a challenge, you
know, with a position of
extreme pre-eminence.
34 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Islamic terrorism is a terrible
nuisance but it’s not really a
threat to the existence of the
United States. So, they’re in
decline, but they can afford to
be in decline. It’s a good time
for them to have a collapse.
When you say decline, do
you mean that politically,
culturally or financially?
Their currency has been
inflated, the financial
strength of the country is
evaporating, it has an uncompetitive educational system,
and I’m not sure how
competitive it is in terms of
business culture right now.
And, of course, its justice
system is a mockery, and the
political system is, by the
standards of English-speaking Western countries,
It seems like, especially in
America, if you want
Republican-style fiscal
responsibility, you have to
take the tough-on-crime
ideals, too.
And the bogus war on drugs,
too. There’s no such thing as
a perfect person in the
United States or anywhere
else, but I don’t think they’re
doing well, I don’t think any
of their candidates are good.
I don’t think the country has
been governed really well
since Reagan’s time. I don’t
think these elections are
even remotely worthy of the
position they’re seeking, in
the traditions of the position
and the importance of it.
What’s to blame for that?
I’m suspicious of giving
flippant answers to questions
that cover terribly complicated issues. Presumably
there is no decline in the
fundamental quality of the
leadership category of people
in the United States, I don’t
believe that; there’s a huge
number of capable people, so
therefore it would seem the
THE ALL-NEW SUBARU BRZ IS EVERY THING A SPORTS CAR SHOULD BE. AT ITS HEART SITS THE TOTALLY NEW SUBARU
BOXER ENGINE – A 2.0-LITRE MARVEL ENGINEERED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE BRZ TO CREATE AN ULTRA-LOW CENTRE
OF GRAVIT Y. PERFECTED REAR-WHEEL DRIVE AGILIT Y AND STATE-OF-THE-ART LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION
ENSURE THRILLING PERFORMANCE WITHOUT COMPROMISE. THE ALL-NEW SUBARU BRZ – BRING THE HEAT.
SUBARU.CA/HOTBRZ
© 2013 Subaru Canada, Inc. Canadian product may vary from image shown. Please visit subaru.ca or your local dealer for more info.
GUIDE | Wisdom
How do you want yourself
to be seen in history?
I don’t have any views of
this insofar as they take note
of me at all.
You don’t care about
legacy?
I wouldn’t say I don’t care
about it. I would hope people
who recall me would recall
me favourably for some
reason or other, but I’m not
one of these guys who is
toiling away to create a
monument for myself. I’m
just getting through as best I
can. Let the chips fall where
they may.
Do you think people would
be surprised to know that?
I’ve long since given up
trying to figure out people,
how they evaluate me. It’s
been a mystery to me for a
long time.
THE SHARP CULTURE EQUATION
[(
+
Mr. Burns
George
Bluth Sr.
You seem to have a sort of
antagonistic relationship
with the media, at least
some...
No, I think most people in
the media, most people
generally, are perfectly nice
people. Almost everybody is
affable and agreeable up to a
point. But, as a craft, I don’t
have a high opinion of it. In
general, the media failed. I
don’t think they’re very good.
)
-
x
Roger
Ailes
]
÷
Pierre
Trudeau
Speaking of the media, I’ve
noticed that a lot of times
they seem to like to get a
rise out of you.
They don’t succeed in that
very often.
especially, and in other
places as well, there is a great
deal of curiosity about me.
Sometimes it’s hostile,
sometimes it’s positive, I’ve
run the whole gamut. I’ve
had great adulation and
terrible defamation and
everything in between. But
I’m not the best person to ask
as to why there is that level
of interest. Frankly, they’re
often more interested in
these things than I am
myself. I’m not that interested in my own views. In
general, I think they’re trying
to create news whether it
exists or not. That’s their job.
That in itself doesn’t bug me.
Why do you think they
want to?
I don’t know that that is the
case. There’s certainly an
inordinate amount of
comment about me, but I
don’t think they’re doing it
particularly to get a rise out
of me. For some reason, and
you would be better placed
than I am to say why this is
the case, but in this country
That doesn’t bother you?
No. I think there are a lot of
problems with the media,
but it’s not obvious how you
can deal with them. Once
you start into serious
restraints on the press,
you’re getting into real
difficulties as far as I’m
concerned. I believe in as
much freedom of expression
as is reasonably possible,
Speaking of Aging Brits Familiar with Intrigue
In the literary world, 80 is like the new 30. Alice Munro, 81,
dropped Dear Life last year, to the standard critical acclaim.
87-year-old James Salter’s latest jam, All That Is, is one of the
best of his 60-year career, and Philip Roth, recently retired at 80,
is enjoying some well-deserved critical afterglow.
Then, there’s the 81-year-old John le Carré. 2013 marks both
the 50th anniversary of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,
the novel that first catapulted the former MI6 officer into literary
stardom, and the release of A Delicate Truth, le Carré’s latest
cloak-and-dagger thriller. Truth is as gripping as any in his canon,
laced in a deceptively simple, unpretentious prose that amplifies
the intrigue. It almost makes you look forward to aging. Almost.
36 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
=
Doris Kearns
Goodwin
Conrad
Black
and that’s not compatible
with excessive regulation of
freedom of expression. It is
an industry where, for the
most part, the judgment of
success is circulation or
viewership and the commercial managers in the media
are, with a few exceptions,
not really competent judges
of the quality of the product.
We have this anomalous
position in which, if it were
translated to, say, the
automobile industry, would
be like an automobile
executive with very little
interest in whether the cars
work. He wouldn’t be overly
concerned with product
probably. Most television
network chairmen or
periodical publishers are not
overly concerned with the
quality of the product.
They’re more concerned
with the commercial results.
In addition, in the craft itself
there is no real method of
entry appropriate to such an
influential occupation. And,
as you know, journalists
frequently put on the airs of
a learned profession, but
behave like an industrial
trade union. It’s a very
shabby business and, too,
most journalists are in fact
irresponsible for the
positions they have. They’re
not qualified to do what they
do. They can’t write and
they don’t know what
they’re talking about.
They’re reckless, and they
don’t research and they’re
lazy. Now, there are many
exceptions, but in general I
think they fail.
www.pacorabanne.com
best qualified are not seeking
the highest offices. They are,
therefore, being deterred
from that because they don’t
think they are as desirable as
they were or their patriotic
instincts are not as vivid as
they were or the harassments
of seeking and holding such
an office is greater than they
were. I think it’s a combination of all of that, perhaps not
so much the patriotic part. I
think Americans still tend to
like their country, and they’re
right to like it.
GUIDE | Women
A Welc ome
I N TRO DU CTION
See how Ford went further to
make the background
cars disappear
Julia
Voth
Zombie slayer
By Grady Mitchell
>
38 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
For more Welcome Introductions, visit Sharpformen.com/category/women/
It doubles the city fuel efficiency of the average midsize sedan.
So long, average.
Photo: Christopher Kilkus/C ontour by Get t y Images
While modeling
in Japan when she was
15, Saskatchewan prairie girl
Julia Voth was cast as the face
and body of Jill Valentine, the
hero of the hugely popular
Resident Evil videogames.
On the one hand, that meant
at any given time, Voth is
somewhere killing zombies.
On the other hand, it opened
up whole new worlds for
sibling bullying. “Of course,
my brothers would walk me
straight into a zombie,” she
says. “They liked to kill me
in really gross ways.” You’ll
see her next in Package Deal
on City wherein Voth plays a
beautiful woman who tries to
wrest the love of her life away
from his brothers, who are
definitely deadbeats, but not,
thankfully, undead. After years
ratcheting up a pretty hefty
body count in videogames,
comedy is a nice change. “The
first show, I heard the audience laughing, and I realized,
‘They’re laughing at me’; I was
super validated in my career.”
We’d call that moving up in
the world.
The Ford Fusion Hybrid delivers a remarkable 4.0L/100km combined City and Highway. It can travel
in electric mode at speeds up to 100 km/h, and seamlessly transitions to the gas engine when more
power is required for maximum performance. With double the city fuel efficiency of the average
Midsize sedan*, the Fusion Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan in Canada.**
ford.ca
ALL-NEW 2013 FUSION + HYBRID
Vehicle may be shown with optional features. *Based on average city fuel consumption rating of 10.2L/100km for 2013 model year (information available at the time of publishing)
vehicles in the Midsize category per Natural Resources Canada classifications. **Estimated fuel consumption ratings for 2013 Fusion Hybrid 2.0L I4 CVT: 4.0L/100km city and
4.1L/100km hwy, based on Government of Canada approved test methods. Actual fuel consumption will vary. Midsize class per R.L. Polk & Co. (U.S.)/R.L. Polk Canada, Inc. (Canada).
©2013 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.
GUIDE | Culture
The Evolution
of the Nerd Girl
She’s not a new
species, but her time
has come
The State of
Nerdom
By Coleman Molnar
>
Who runs the world?
If Beyoncé is to be believed, the
answer is “girls.” But we know the truth: the
nerds run the whole beautiful, fan-driven
show. The facts: smart is sexy; to read well is
to breed well; when your smartphone goes
on the fritz, your life goes to shit. The geek
has inherited the earth, officially.
Indeed, the state of nerdom has never
been so robust. The world is their virtual
oyster, and they shall shuck it, in 3D even.
And as their ranks swell, so does their diversity grow. The word “nerd” is more encompassing than ever. Technology is still their
domain, but they come in all shades: Comedy
nerds—Harvard-educated and raised on a
steady diet of The Simpsons, SNL, and Steve
Martin stand-up—are responsible for nearly
everything you laugh at today, from Jimmy
Fallon to 30 Rock. Film nerds, like Joss
Whedon and J.J. Abrams, are not only making the biggest blockbusters but, as bloggers
and critics, are telling us how to think about
40 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
movies, too. Even the world
of sports, once thought to be
anathema to all things nerd, is
now run by number-crunching
superfans. Dorks, all.
Plus, the very same
individuals who, in past times,
would’ve been labeled as nerds
for their inability to socialize are literally
defining our methods of communication.
The medium is the message, and right now,
be it via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram,
that message is clear: nerds are not only
powerful, they’re hip. Look at most
fashionable men: send them back 40 years
and they’d be stuffed into lockers, penny
loafers, thick-framed glasses and all.
Why now, do those who rejected them
for so long, strive to become like them? It’s
simple: follow the money.
In this tech-driven economy, geeks are
on the top of the payroll. People behind
computers are Kings of Industry—every
industry. Those with the money lead the
trends. In other words, the powerful people
still run the show; people with passion, and
expertise. It’s always been thus. It just so
happens that the focus it takes to get ahead
now naturally exists in those with obsessive
tendencies. It’s a nerdy world out there, and
you have to fight nerdy to win.
In 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s
beloved Liz Lemon gets
married (spoilers!). Great
for Liz Lemon: she’s
marrying sexy Cyclops1.
Also, it was great for Nerdy
Ladies—not only does Liz
Lemon get hitched, she
does it dressed as
Princess Leia. Previously,
this had only happened on
TV in secret2, in a way that
excited nerdy men. See, it’s
only recently that being a
LadyNerd has become
accepted—nay,
encouraged—in our culture.
The LadyNerd, as the kids
would say, is a thing.
Obviously, males of the
species have been rising
in influence since the
1980s3, but the LadyNerd
has only recently gained
legitimacy, thanks in large
part to Fey and her loyal,
feministic, bookish,
allergy-prone minions.
Male Nerds are
stereotyped thusly: socially
awkward, hyper-smart,
undersexed, poorly
dressed, mostly likely
bespectacled, and
certainly pining for hot
girls who won’t date them,
but will marry them for
their tech money later. A
LadyNerd, though, is more
complicated.
She is whip-smart and
obsessive—whether it be
C ONTINUES ON P. 4 2
Safety: .25"
GUIDE | Culture
C ONTINUE D F ROM P. 4 0
about comedy, politics or
Harry Potter. But an integral
part of her identity is that,
after years of being
misunderstood or, worse,
condescended to by
patriarchal fellow nerds,
she’s not as eager to meet
you. She’s used to flying
(Han) Solo.
But, as with most
nerdery, the market is
picking up on the fact that
LadyNerdTM sells,
especially to male nerds.
Thus, the rise of the
inauthentic nerd lady: the
hot, svelte young thing who
wears dark-framed glasses
to appease a certain demo.
She calls herself a gamer
or a geek, the same way
sub sandwich chains call
themselves healthy. The
Porny LadyNerd is not only
callow and sexist, she
undermines the thousands
of hours us real LadyNerds
have spent assimilating the
culture. Luckily, imposters
are easy to expose.
Remember: whip-smart.
Now, the acceptance and
ascendancy of these nerdy
women is absolutely a good
thing for women (equality!).
It’s a good thing for men,
too, but it’s a sign that we’re
free to pursue our interests,
with our attractiveness
intact. Not that that ever
stopped us before. We’ll
cosplay4 as Supergirl,
Captain Janeway or, I don’t
know, Liz Lemon whether
you think it’s sexy or not.
And that’s exactly what
makes LadyNerds so hot.
— Kaitlin Fontana
Aka James Marsden, who
played X-Man Cyclops in the first
trilogy.2Ross/Rachel in “The One
with the Princess Leia Fantasy,”
Friends, 1996. Remember
Friends? 3The cast of Revenge
of the Nerds, Urkel, and Anthony
Michael Hall in…everything
between 1980 and 1989, to
name a few. Oh, and of course,
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark
Zuckerberg, etc. 4Noun: The
practice of dressing up as a
character from a movie, book or
video game, esp. one from the
Japanese genres of manga and
anime; verb: engage in cosplay.
Nerds love footnotes.
1
Bring Back the Camp
As Star Trek goes boldly into grittiness, we can’t help
but grow weary of all the darkness
By Adam Nayman
>
When J.J. Abrams was criticized
for using too many of his trademark lens
flares in his hit 2009 reboot of Star Trek, he
joked that it was because the future was so
bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.
Four years later, the lens-flare guy is still
working, but he’s sharing a trailer with the
debris guy. It seems that the reigning king
of Hollywood geek-chic has taken a dimmer
outlook. The posters and previews for the
much-anticipated follow-up, Star Trek into
Darkness, are steeped in long, deep shadows,
making the movie—which opens on May
17—look more like a deep-space cousin to
Christopher Nolan’s Batman films than an
entry in a series that has always thrived on
good vibes and high-spirited adventure.
When The Dark Knight was released in
2008, it seemed like the culmination of a
decade-long shift in mainstream North
American pop culture towards all things
gritty and grim—a nervous post-9/11 mood
that permeated everything from prime-time
television (think 24 and, more recently,
Homeland) and comic books to Top 40 music
(like The National or Arcade Fire, and maybe
some Odd Future thrown in, too). Nolan’s
achievement was to take a franchise that
had turned laughably innocuous—remember George Clooney’s Bat Amex Card?—and
shove it kicking and screaming into a morally complex 21st-century zeitgeist. Think of
it as a kind of ideological puberty, complete
with an awkward voice change.
Critics and audiences were enthralled
by all the edginess, but last year’s The Dark
Knight Rises didn’t cut nearly as deep because the formula—ethically compromised
superhero confronts articulately sadistic
supervillain and sees his own reflection—
was, by then, pretty well played out. Or,
so it seemed. The incongruously brutal
Skyfall was a stratospheric hit, outgrossing
Dark Knight Rises by nearly $30 million
worldwide.
Like 007, the crew members of the USS
Enterprise are refugees from the 1960s trying to stay relevant today. But where James
Bond was always ruthlessly in line with his
times—a chilly operative trained for the Cold
War—Captain Kirk et al. were symbols of a
Utopian future where everyone talked like
HR directors and violence was a barbaric
last resort. Not that this stopped William
Shatner from using his kung-fu skills to subdue aliens and monsters from time to time.
Still, while the original Star Trek was a lot of
things, it was never gloomy.
“You think your world is safe,” sneers
villain Benedict Cumberbatch in Into Darkness, and while he’s addressing the film’s
heroes, the comment might also be directed
at movie goers everywhere. If Star Trek, after
five decades of setting the tone for pop culture, is now playing catch-up—snagged by a
tractor beam into a gritty zone—what story is
safe? It’s not about being afraid of the dark.
It’s about being tired of it.
42 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Safety: .25"





Trim: 10.75"
GUIDE | Tech
1.
Lehmann Aviation
LA100 UAV Drone (1)
Get your recon on with this
automated carbon-fibre flying
machine, capable of running
five-minute surveillance missions
at heights up to 100 m. Frozen
tundra or sweltering desert, this
durable mini-drone will deliver
breathtaking aerial footage and
look badass doing it. $1,320
Velocity Micro
VSC455 V8 Tesla
GPU Workstation (2)
A genuine supercomputer
brought down to desk level; this
custom machine is packing dual
hexa-core processors, up to
144 GB RAM and up to 4 Tesla
Kepler GPUs. In other words,
about triple the specs you’ll
ever need unless you’re mapping molecules in your spare
time. Excessive? Certainly, but
undeniably enticing. From $7,195
The
Sophisticated
Nerd
Five gizmos that let you geek out
without losing your cool
By Matt Currie
Ideally, your gadgets—much like your clothes, car
and wristwatch—exude a certain refined sensibility.
On occasion, though, especially in the realm of tech
toys, it’s healthy to indulge the nerd within. Just so
long as you do so with dignity, and not a fountain pen
shaped like Dr. Who’s sonic screwdriver.
LaCie Blade Runner
External Hard Drive (3)
3D Systems CubeX
3D Printer (4)
The all-new 2013 Dodge Dart is the most technologically advanced vehicle in its class* and has
the largest available touch-screen at 8.4 inches.* It has class-leading 10 standard air bags and
available blind-spot monitoring, so it’s no wonder it’s an IIHS Top Safety Pick. And with precise
European-inspired handling, it’s clear Dodge has redefined what a compact sedan should be.
Word documents and colour
pictures? Please. Full-blown
coffee mugs, smartphone
cases, socket wrenches—that’s
the kind of stuff the CubeX
3D printer spits out. Fact: it’s
impossible to discuss 3D printers without making a Star Trek
replicator reference. And this
particular gizmo is the closest
thing yet to the one in Picard’s
ready room. $2,500
UP
TO
HIGHWAAY
4.8 L/100 KM
M¤
MYO GestureControl Armband (5)
Tom Cruise’s gesture interface in
Minority Report must have been
the inspiration for this remote of
the future, which reacts to electrical impulses in your muscles
to control tablets, PCs and more
with the flick of a finger. Finally,
enjoy hands-free dominion over
all things digital. $150
2.
The 4 TB of storage and
speedy USB 3.0 interface you
can find anywhere; you choose
the Blade Runner because it
looks like it was ripped right
out of the classic Ridley Scott
film. Designer Philippe Starck
evokes the dystopian future,
complete with flying cars and
sexy androids, in this rigid
aluminum shell. $300
3.
4.
5.
44 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
The future is here! For more nerd-approved gadgets, visit
Sharpformen.com/category/cars-tech/
DODGE.CA
*Based on 2013 Ward’s Upper Small sedan costing under $25,000.
¤
2013 Dodge Dart AERO – Hwy: 4.8 L/100 km (59 MPG) and City: 7.3 L/100 km (39 MPG). Based on 2013 EnerGuide highway fuel consumption estimates.
Government of Canada test methods used. Your actual fuel consumption will vary based on powertrain, driving habits and other factors.
GUIDE | Vices
The Lean
Man’s Guide
to Drinking
Mathematician
vs.
registered
dietitian
Rebecca Scritchfield is a
registered dietician with
a successful health blog,
rebeccascritchfield.com,
and a non-diet approach to
nutrition.
By Coleman Molnar
If your six-pack is chilling in the fridge,
and not, at this moment, underneath your shirt, you’re
probably not the type to count calories. But summer
fast approaches and you know that once pool season
arrives, you may have to take your shirt off in public,
regardless of what’s underneath.
We’re not demanding you diet—some of our favourite men are full figured (see: Hill, Jonah; C.K., Louis;
Claus, Santa)—but if you are looking to trim up this
summer, we’ve got some suggestions for how to do it, drink in hand.
The bad news: all alcohol is fattening. Period. So, if you’re dead set on getting that body
fat index below 10 per cent, less really is more when it comes to booze. Pick your occasions
wisely, because at seven calories per gram, alcohol has more “energy” than anything else,
save fat itself, which has nine calories per gram. What’s worse, these calories provide essentially no other nutritional value. The best bet may be to indulge and have a glass of what you
really want, rather than opting for the light version, which may just leave you wanting more.
The good news: there are ways to keep the damage to a minimum. Follow this guide to
stay on track this summer.
Sharp: If we as men are
allowed two drinks a day,
we can save up a few drink
credits and cash them in on
one day, right? The math
checks out: 2 x 7 = 14.
Scritchfield: I don’t agree
with the idea of saving up
your alcohol units like a bank
account and then tearing it
up on one night. The math
is right there, but doesn’t
work that way, unfortunately.
Drinking too much in one
day is harmful to your liver
and lowers your inhibitions,
making it easier to overeat
high-calorie junk food.
The Leaner Options:
Spirits
Depending on what you choose to
mix them with, spirits can be the best
option. Most spirits (vodka, whisky,
rum, gin, etc.) contain about 64
calories per ounce, which isn’t terrible.
Whisky soda is simple, refreshing and
relatively low-cal, as is vodka water.
Garnish with your choice of citrus fruit
to add a bit of flavour.
Wine
Calorie-wise, wine is not the worst
offender, with white wine being
generally a bit friendlier than its red
counterpart: depending on alcohol
and sugar content, an average sixounce glass of white contains 140
calories; red has around 150.
Some Beer
We wouldn’t ask you to sacrifice
flavour for nutrition’s sake. There are
plenty of light beers that retain flavour
(and alcohol content) while cutting
calories. Most light beers have around
110 calories per bottle, but the range
can vary anywhere from 64 to 130.
46 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Belvedere
vodka
CalORIES
64
Nikka Taketsuru
Pure Malt 12 Year
ALCOHOL
40%
CalORIES
72
ALCOHOL
40.5%
Tanqueray
Gin
CalORIES
75
ALCOHOL
40%
PRICE
$50/750 ml
PRICE
$70/750 ml
PRICE
$27/750 ml
Cocktail
Greyhound*
Cocktail
Japanese Whisky Soda*
Cocktail
Basil & Cucumber Gimlet*
Tawse Laundry Cab
Franc 2010
Decoy Chardonnay
2011
Old Vines Chenin
Blanc 2011
CalORIES
150
CalORIES
145
CalORIES
140
ALCOHOL
13.5%
ALCOHOL
13%
PRICE
$26
PRICE
$27
PRICE
$24
Draught
Guinness
Great Lakes Pompous
Ass English Pale Ale
Bud Light
Platinum
CalORIES
126
ALCOHOL
4.2%
PRICE
$14 for 6 bottles
CalORIES
145
ALCOHOL
4.2%
PRICE
$15 for 6 cans
CalORIES
137
ALCOHOL
12.8%
CRACKIN’
THE DRESS
CODE
APPAREL FOR THOSE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE IN THEIR OWN SKIN. THERE’S
THE TYPICAL WAY OF DOING THINGS, AND THEN THERE’S BUBBA’S WAY.
OAKLEY GOLF APPAREL
+ BUBBA WATSON
BEYOND REASON
ALCOHOL
6%
PRICE
$14 for 6 cans
*Get the recipes for these lean libations in the iPad version or at
sharpformen.com/category/fooddrink/
©2013 Oakley, Inc. | OAKLEY.COM
© 2013 LensCrafters, Inc. All rights reserved.
GUIDE | Sport
The Real
Reasons You
Love Playoff
Hockey Have
Nothing to Do
With the Cup
(okay, it’s a little about the cup)
By Sean McIndoe
The NHL playoffs are here: the time of year when Gary Bettman stops
ruining hockey.
You could fill an entire magazine with the various mistakes Bettman has made
over his 20 years as commissioner. But if there’s any good news, it’s that many of
his worst blunders go away once the playoffs start.
dynasties—because of the cap.
In the playoffs, the cap disappears.
And we all get to enjoy a two-month
break from every hockey story being
clogged with dollar signs.
No more three-point games
No more empty arenas in
bad markets
No more shootouts
No real hockey fan likes the shootout.
Only in the NHL do we get critical
games being decided by an individual
skills competition.
Playoff
Beards Done
Right:
A Visual Aid
But not in the playoffs. This time
of year, the league makes the bizarre
choice to settle its games with actual
hockey. Imagine that.
And, sure, sometimes that means
the games go on all night, causing
you to oversleep the next day and get
fired from your job. Chin up. Everyone
makes sacrifices in the playoffs.
No more salary cap
Yes, fine, the NHL really did need a salary
cap when Bettman wiped out an entire
season in 2004-05 to get one. Nobody
wants to see all the star players wind up
playing for a handful of big spenders.
But while the cap may have been
a necessary evil, it’s still no fun to
have to hear about it constantly.
Your favourite player may be headed
out of town, because of the cap.
Nobody can pull the trigger on a big
trade—because of the cap. No more
Penner, D.
Los Angeles Kings
48 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Kovalchuk, I.
New Jersey Devils
Oh, the league still has plenty of bad
markets, thanks to Bettman’s stubbornness. A few of them even make the
postseason most years.
But when the playoffs come around,
we finally get to see those teams play in
front of actual fans. They can even be
pretty loud. It’s almost enough to make
your forget that for the rest of the year,
those teams are toiling away in half-empty buildings while having their payrolls
subsidized by franchises in real markets.
PERFORMANCE
NOW IN PRESCRIPTION
No more puck-over-theglass rule, terrible third
uniforms, afternoon games,
overactive goal horns…
Oops. Sorry, hockey fans. I guess we
can’t have everything. Just be thankful
Gary hasn’t figured out how to work a
playoff lockout…yet.
Lundqvist, H.
New York Rangers
Glatt, D.
Halifax Highlanders
IN THE LATEST SUN FRAMES
I l lu s t r at i o n : Eva n K a m i n s k y
Whether you call it the Bettman point
or the loser point, you can at least
agree to call it embarrassing. Every
other major sports league is all about
winning, but the NHL insists on
giving teams a consolation prize. Not
only does the loser point mess up the
standings and ruin playoff races, but it
encourages teams to grind the game to
a halt in the third period to make sure
they get to extra time.
Not in the playoffs, where there’s no
partial credit just for coming close. You
win or you lose, whether it’s in regulation or overtime. Oh, and speaking of
overtime…
All the best sport frames are now available in prescription.
Now you can perform better and see better too.
GUIDE | Automobiles
Automobiles | GUIDE
Sedan Special!
Like a well-cut suit, a good sedan is always in fashion. It’s the oldest
shape in motoring, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be surprising.
by Matt Bubbers
2014 Audi S6
Imagine the force between two opposing magnets. The brief for
Audi’s S Models is to find a way to force together two such repellant forces: performance and comfort.
Never the two shall meet, or so we thought.
Engine: But somehow the S6 always managed to combine
4.0-litre them: performance, with a snarling 4.0-litre,
twin-turbo V8 twin-turbo V8; and comfort, with ample room for
Power: four and adaptive air suspension that takes the
420 hp, 405 edge off potholes. To its bag of tricks, the new S6
lb-ft torque now adds cylinder-on-demand technology, which
Gearbox: reduces fuel consumption by only using as many
7-speed auto cylinders as necessary and shutting off the rest.
Availability: When you do want the full compliment of 420
NOW horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque, all cylinders
Price: instantly stand at attention.
$82,300
Speeding tickets never came so comfortably.
SpecS
2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
>
Not even an apocalyptic case of food poisoning could keep
me from driving the new E63 AMG up a mountain in Spain. I admit, my
condition did slow our progress somewhat, but the revised AMG with its new
4Matic all-wheel drive system was more than capable of making up for lost time.
One of AMG’s earliest sedans was called the Hammer, and the metaphor
seems to apply to every car they’ve done since. To drive the new E63 is to wield
an almighty hammer: grip the steering wheel and feel the heft; take a deep
breath and wind up 5.5-litres of biturbo V8; and bring it down upon the unsuspecting road. Then, feel the earth shake. So it has been, and so it shall always be
with AMG. Amen.
Standard AWD on the E63 just makes this mighty hammer much easier to control for those of us not named Thor.
Engine: A welcome addition—don’t listen to the so-called enthusiasts
5.5-litre, who chant rear-drive or no-drive. On a two-tonne machine
twin-turbo V8 with 531 ft-lb of torque built to transport your loved ones,
Power: anything but all-wheel drive would be gross negligence on
550 hp, 531 the part of the engineers. (We’d bet our shiny red toolbox the
lb-ft torque next BMW M5 will go all-wheel drive as well.)
If the E63 sounds like a high-tech muscle car, that’s
Gearbox:
7-speed auto because it is. But—and this is what we love about a good
Availability: sedan—it’s understated and formal enough that nobody
Summer will take you for a man-child. (No offence to the muscle car
Price: crowd, but you know what you are). Besides, not even the
$108,000 (est.) Americans can make a V8 engine sound this good.
Specs
50 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
2014 Lexus IS 350 RWD
People generally fall into two categories: those
who love the IS, and those who have never heard
of it. We suspect the all-new model is going to
change that.
Thankfully, this doesn’t mean the IS has gone
mainstream. That much should be obvious: just
look at it. It’s like an angry origami interpretation of a sedan: all sharp creases and strangely
beautiful lines.
Why is it worthy of cult-like worship? In a
word: handling. These are the same engineers
who brought the LFA supercar
into the world. Even on a race
Engine: track, the IS remains totally
3.5-litre V6 composed and willing to play.
Power: The front end turns in keenly,
306 hp, 277 and once you can see the exit,
lb-ft torque you can feed in the power with
Gearbox: confidence. The 3.5-litre direct8-speed auto injected V6 propels the car out
Availability: of the corner with just a tiny hint
Summer of oversteer. They had to tear
Price: me away from the controls at the
$52,900 (est.) end of the day.
SpecS
2014 Acura RLX
The Coveted Machine
1998 BMW M5
The sedan world, like classical music or
literature, has its masters. They come
along maybe once-in-a-lifetime and
make everything that came before look
old fashioned, tired, boring, flawed. The
’98 M5 was masterful in that sense.
With a V8 built like a Swiss watch,
a perfectly balanced chassis, and a
timeless style that will surely become
iconic in decades to come, it remains
a high watermark for the automobile.
Everything about it was in harmony. A
future classic, mark my words. – MB
The Boeing Dreamliner was designed from the get-go to be the
smoothest thing in the sky. On the ground, that title would seem
to fall to the Acura RLX.
There’s nearly as much technology under
the skin here as in the Boeing too. Most
Engine: notably, the RLX steers with all four of its
3.5-litre V6 wheels. Now, if you ask us how exactly it does
Power: this, we’re as lost as you. But we can report it
310 hp, 272 lb-ft means this is one of the most sure-footed and
torque agile sedans in its class. The other highlight
Gearbox: should be obvious: those jewel-like headlights
6-speed auto with two rows of big LED lights. There’s
Availability: nothing else like that on the road.
No, the Acura’s not the sort of car you get
Now
Price: when you want to show off. It’s the one you
$49,800 (est) get when you don’t need to show off anymore.
SpecS
For more of our sedan picks, visit Sharpformen.com/category/cars-tech/
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 51
GUIDE | Motorcycles
Freedom on
Two Wheels
No, really, stop making excuses
and get yourself a bike
>
Aside from flattering one-piece leathers
that are ever so subtly reminiscent of a superhero uniform,
the allure of motorcycles is undeniable. For around the same
price as a subcompact, you can get a two-wheeled machine
that’s faster than the fastest Ferrari and capable of inducing the
kind of motorized euphoria typically only found behind the
wheel of a supercar. In short, bikes just make sense.
These are the ones to covet this summer.
by Matt Bubbers
Ducati
Hypermotard SP
With a name like Hypermotard it’s hard to take this bike
seriously. But, then again, this isn’t a serious bike: it’s a
thoroughbred Italian hooligan of the highest order. It was
designed for wheelies and sliding its rear wheel around
corners and generally burning rubber. Yet, it has many
of the same parts that set Ducati’s superbikes apart:
Öhlins shock absorber, fully adjustable suspension and
spiderweb-like, forged Marchesini rims. $15,695
BMW HP4
Because it’s BMW, lets make a car analogy. The HP
series of bikes is like the M series of cars: factorytuned hot rods. But consider this: while that $22,000
price puts it among the more expensive bikes on the
market, to get into BMW’s M cars, you’d have to fork
over many times that amount. And, for the record, the
bike is faster. Much faster. The four-cylinder engine
makes an amazing 193 horsepower. Just as impressive
is the DDC automatic, adjustable suspension system.
The cutting edge doesn’t get any sharper. $21,900
Harley Davidson
Sportster FORTY-EIGHT
Finally, an
excuse to buy...
Belstaff,
$1,650
This is one of those legendary bikes that has been around forever. Harley continues to update and
upgrade it, meaning the current Sportster 48 is the apex of Hog engineering, complete with that peanut
fuel tank and lowered stance. The 1,200 cc Evolution engine is a classic Harley unit, first seen way back
in 1984, with the aural thunder to back up its tough-guy presence. If you’re new to motorcycling, this is a
pretty friendly bike to learn on, too. $12,039
52 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Arai, $690
GUIDE | Motorcycles
Moto Guzzi California
1400 Custom
A bizarre combination of classic American cruiser
and Italian style, and yet, it works. It’s the attention
to detail that sets Moto Guzzi apart. Each California
Custom is hand built in the factory in Como, Italy—
where their bikes have been built since 1921. And
while the Custom may look badass, it has the safety
and comfort features you’d expect: cruise control,
ABS and even traction control. The huge 1,400 cc
V-twin completes the package. $15,490
Aprilia Tuono V4
Honda VFR1200
Sometimes compromise is necessary. But when you want speed,
comfort, passenger room and economy on two wheels, that compromise is tough to get just right. Never has compromise looked so
good as it does with Honda’s VFR1200. The suspension is supple
enough that you won’t flinch over bumps and ruts, but it’ll still hold
its own on a race track, letting you drag a knee should the urge
strike. Power comes from a meaty 1,237 cc V4 engine that’s good
for 150 horsepower at the wheel. Everything in the cockpit exudes
quality, with fit and finish that put other brands to shame. $17,499
The current World Superbike Champion claimed the title on a
version of this bike. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the
Tuono is endowed with one of the best engines ever fitted to a
motorcycle. Aprilia is the only manufacturer wild enough to put
a race-bred V4 in a naked superbike, which means the motor is
always on display. The jewel-like 1,000 cc engine makes 167
horsepower at an eardrum-bursting 11,500 rpm. The slightly
raised handle bars make this bike more comfortable to ride in the
city, compared to a pure superbike. $14,695
MY LADY IN RED
A man’s first four-cylinder love affair.
My first bike was a 1978 Honda
CB550, painted as cherry red as a
groupie’s lipstick. When I got her, she
was already 22 years old: a cradle robber. Since I was only 15, I spent the six
months until I turned 16 learning how
to drive her up my driveway, never
needing anything above the first gear,
then walking her back down like a kid
with training wheels because there
wasn’t enough room to turn around.
She was everything a first love
should be. Excitement, desire,
freedom and just a hint of danger.
Even when my brother and I would
drive her to the restaurant we both
54 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
worked at, he holding on to me like a
good passenger should (romantically,
awkwardly), she was still ushering
me into manhood.
It’s an apt metaphor because, like a
first love, there was doubt, too. Drops
of shame mingled with my pride.
She was old, after all—and maybe the
colour was a little feminine. I didn’t
treat her the way I should; she wasn’t
as beautiful as other bikes out there,
no matter how serviceable, how helpful she was.
When I left home for a few years,
she was stolen. Again, the love
metaphor: I missed her more when
AMEriCAN CrEW iNTroDUCEs
she was gone than I appreciated her
when she was there. Her brakes were
shoddy, and she was small, maybe a
little slow, but she was my first. It’s
impossible for her not to be transformed by nostalgia into something
cinematic and beautiful. But then,
that’s the power of all motorcycles.
AlternAtor
A p p ly o N C E , s T y l E A N y T i M E .
Flexible Control Hair Styling Spray - Unique components of AlternatorTM provide flexible
styling and restyling power, make re-shapeable hair styling possible with the use of your hands,
deliver non-tacky feel and easy to remove with shampoo and also provide a natural look with medium
hold and medium shine. Because you can never be sure where your night is going to take you.
– Greg Hudson
• Ask yoUr sTylisT •
For inquires please call 1.800.387.7980 © 2013 aMerican creW. all riGHTs reserVeD.
FolloW us on TWiTTer @aMericancreW
like us on Facebook aT Facebook.coM/aMericancreW
GUIDE | Fitness
The
Routine
Ask a
Guy With
Great Abs
By Albert Rose
>
You may remember Matthew Terry from
the most recent Superbowl, where he starred in an
ad for Calvin Klein’s new Dark Obsession fragrance. (If it
doesn’t ring a bell, ask your wife—she’ll remember). We
spoke to Terry recently, and rather than dwell on the nitty
gritty of what it’s like to be the face of a massive international fragrance campaign (for the record it’s been an “unbelievable” experience), we asked him about working out.
What does your diet consist
of? We are imagining chicken breast and egg whites.
I try to stick with lean meats
and veggies but I also love
eggs, fruit and nuts. It can
be tough sometimes to not
break down and pig out. For
example, I love dark chocolate and double-stuffed
Oreos but I just try to stick
to healthy foods and have
everything in moderation.
As a personal trainer, what
is the most common error
you see at the gym?
The most common errors
I see in the gym are people
not stretching before they
lift weights and poor posture
when doing exercises. It’s
very important to stretch
and warm up because it
helps prevent injuries.
Knowing how to lift weights
properly will also help prevent injuries.
What is a good at-home
workout routine that you
would recommend?
I would suggest doing combinations of push-ups, planks,
pull-ups, wall sits, calf raises,
mountain climbers and leg
The Fragrance
Calvin Klein’s newest fragrance, Dark Obsession, is the most recent
evolution of the original, Obsession for Men, released in 1986. With
an international array of notes, the new aroma is fittingly modern:
Brazilian green mandarin and absinthe greet the senses, French sage
and vetiver form its core, while Madagascar vanilla and suede provide
a warm finish. $82/125 ml
56 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
raises. Take all these exercises and be creative, mix and
match them together and
keep track of your progress.
You’ll be surprised with what
you can do.
What’s a decent level of
fitness for an average guy
to strive for?
Everyone has different levels that are appropriate for
him—being healthy is always
the best thing to strive for.
What’s more important:
eating what you want
and exercising when you
feel like it or sticking to a
strict regimen and living
to 100?
It’s a little bit of both. If
you want to be healthy and
achieve particular fitness
goals, it takes a regimen—but
at the same time, everyone
should live a little, too.
Planks:
Resting on balls of toes
and forearms with neck
and back straight, and
core tight. Shoulders
over elbows. Hold for 1
minute (and know that
this guy probably does
it for an hour). Wall sits:
Lean back flat against
wall with feet shoulder
width apart, a few feet
in front. Slowly slide
down until quads are
parallel with the floor,
push back up.
Calf raises:
Standing on flat ground
or on the edge of a
step, rise up onto toes
of both feet, lower
slowly.
Mountain climbers:
From a plank position, alternate bringing
knees up to chest
while keeping back flat
and core tight.
Leg raises:
Lying on your back,
keeping legs straight,
feet together and spine
neutral, raise both legs
up until perpendicular
with the ground. Lower
slowly.
Pull-ups:
Position hands palms
facing away, a little wider than shoulder width
apart. From hanging
position, pull yourself up
until chin reaches bar.
Push-ups:
There is no earthly reason for you not to know
how to do a push-up.
Just remember to keep
your back straight.
Find more essential fitness advice at Sharpformen.com/category/sports/
Long, low, lean and mean. This bad boy is stripped down, blacked out and ready to impress. The Honda F6B has sleek
bodywork, big six-cylinder power and remarkably limber handling. If you’re looking for a bike with an attitude to match your own,
the F6B has it. Defy convention with a ride that turns heads and refuses to compromise on comfort, quality or performance.
Visit a Honda motorcycle dealer near you to experience the dark side of Gold Wing.
Find your dark side, starting at $22,999 MSRP
Honda Powersports Canada
@HondaPowerCA
Price shown is not applicable in Quebec. 2013 Gold Wing F6B model shown. Always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing, and please respect the environment when riding. Obey the law and read your
owner’s manual thoroughly. Honda recommends taking a motorcycle rider training course. MSRP is $22,999 for a new 2013 Gold Wing F6B. Taxes, freight and PDI, license, insurance, registration and applicable fees
are extra. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. See your participating dealer or visit honda.ca for details. Errors and omissions excepted.
honda.ca/f6b
05.13
Look Bet ter • Feel bet ter • Know more
That’s a nice
Suit!!!!!!!!!!!
White
Hot
Wearing a white suit
is never an easy proposition.
That’s partly because of its
spotty repute in pop culture
(Tom Wolfe notwithstanding)—think Sonny Crockett,
Boss Hogg, Tony Montana
and, of course, the one and
only Colonel Sanders. It’s
also because, well, it’s white.
Stark, unforgiving, porcelain
white. It’s the most intimidating shade in the sartorial
spectrum because it serves
as a self-imposed spotlight.
As soon as you enter the
room, all eyes are on you.
And you better not have any
gazpacho on your lapel.
Somehow, though, none
of those historical risks
seem at all present with
this well-appointed version
from Ermenegildo Zegna.
The unstructured doublebreasted cut adds a touch
of unimpeachable elegance,
while the laid-back linen
material gives it a breezy,
vineyard-in-Provence vibe.
Wear it to your next outdoor
soirée, and you’ll look so
fresh, so put together, that
not even your closest friends
will have the gall to ask you
for a six-piece bucket.
Yang-Yi Goh
58 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Doublebreasted
linen suit
($2,995)
Ermenegildo Zegna
Cotton dress shirt ($395)
and pocket square ($125) by
Ermenegildo Zegna; silk tie
($125) by BOSS; leather cap toes
($645) by Gravati for Davids.
Beat the heat with more summer-ready suits at
Sharpformen.com/category/style/
P h o t o : R o b e r t Wat s o n ; S t y l i n g : S e r g e K e r b e l
Simple advice
for sporting an
alabaster suit
Heroes of Menswear | STYLE
Left to right:
Saturdays Surf NYC’s original SoHo
shop. “Esquina” floral print shirt,
$110. Rosen’s favourite switchblade
and VINTAGE scarf.
Sharpen UP
The Urban
Beach Bum
As the co-founder of Saturdays
Surf NYC—the coolest brand in
Manhattan right now—Josh Rosen
knows all about looking good and
catching waves. Let him teach you
a thing or two.
By Yang-Yi Goh
The Saturdays Look
“One of the things we always thought was that if you ripped
a kid out of the ’60s Malibu surf scene and dropped him into
modern-day downtown New York, no one would bat an eye.
He’d have that coiffed hair, his chinos rolled up, his canvas
shoes on and a woven shirt. It’s a clean, classic look that hasn’t
really come and gone—there’s a timeless, traditional, preppy
vibe to it. And that’s exactly how we were dressing. We built
the brand to reflect that lifestyle.”
Real Men Wear Flowers
“For our spring collection, we were really excited about
creating our own original artwork and printing it on classic
silhouettes. We did a floral print that almost looks like it’s
fading away, but it’s slightly digitized—it’s just beautiful.”
“I collect knives, and I always have one with me—usually a
simple, small folding knife to peel an apple or open a letter.
My favourite, though, is this beautiful Italian matte black
automatic knife, which is essentially a switchblade. I’ll usually take that one camping; you don’t want to get caught with
it out on the streets.”
Risky Self-Reflection
“Surfing is incredibly difficult, but it changes your life. It
refocuses you. And when you’re living in New York City—in
this art and culture hub that’s full of energy—it’s nice just being in the ocean and calming your brain. Everything else goes
away, and all you hear is the sound of the waves. It’s kind of
like meditation, if meditation could literally rip you apart.”
Don’t Scoff At Scarves
“A few years ago, on our first trip to Japan, I found this
beautiful hundred-year-old scarf at an amazing vintage store
in Tokyo called J’Antiques. It’s paper-thin, worn down to
almost nothing and a real traditional handkerchief. I just
thought, ‘God, that’s beautiful.’ It’s so multi-purpose—one of
those things you never knew you needed until you have it. I
carry it in my back pocket, the way my dad used to.”
Keep Things Comfortable
“I moved to New York at a time when the simpler and dirtier
you dressed, the cooler you looked. Guys in $2,000 monogrammed outfits would be stuck in line at a club, and some
scrubby dude in beat-up jeans and Converse would stroll right
in. It was like this kind of anti-style. I’m not saying that’s the
best or coolest way to dress, but the lesson there is to keep
things comfortable and smart. You want to look like you’re not
trying, but still be really well put together. Collect pieces that
really suit and reflect who you are—don’t try to mask yourself.”
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 59
STYLE | Style Manual
The rakish ride
Wallet Refit
Ditch the spandex shorts this season—the next wave of cycling gear is as
stylish (and office-appropriate) as it is functional
Eliminate that
unseemly bulge in
your back pocket
by downsizing to a
svelte, candycoloured cardholder.
Jean Genius
Traditionally speaking,
denim is among the worst
possible fabrics for
cycling. The folks at Levi’s
solved this problem by
reengineering their classic
trucker jacket in a treated,
elasticized denim that
repels dirt and resists
water and odors, with
subtle reflective tape hits
to keep you visible.
Il Bisonte, $70 At unionmade
CYCLING’S SAVILE ROW
UK label Rapha helped set this whole sartorially conscious
biking movement in motion a few years back, and is still
leading the pack. Fashioned from a highly technical,
fast-drying textile, their dress shirts boast a buttoned rear
pocket and displaced shoulder seams to prevent any
discomfort from your bag’s straps. Rapha, $170
UNDERCOVER
HELMET
Yakkay’s concerned-mother-approved bike helmets
come cleverly disguised
as modish headwear, like
this dashing glen plaid
number. Yakkay, $140
Levi’s commuter, $130
hook + ALBERT, $30
FIXIE FIXATION
Fixed-gear bicycles are all the rage right now, and Felt’s sleek
gunmetal version was designed with the urban sophisticate in
mind. Felt, $650
Paul Smith, $140 at Mr. Porter
POST-GRAD
BOOK BAG
You won’t be able to carry
your briefcase on your
two-wheeler, but a
grown-up, leather-trimmed
backpack like this one will
ensure no one mistakes
you for a 10th grader.
MAKR, $110
Spruce up your sportcoat with
a new-school boutonnière
You probably remember the last time you wore
a boutonnière. Chances are, you were a groom, a groomsman,
or in a limo alongside eight other couples headed to a grade 12
prom. Lately, though, stylish gents have taken to donning floral
accoutrements on their jackets for more casual affairs. With a
handful of labels now fashioning vibrant lapel-ready flowers
in felt and wool, it’s an easy, understated way to bring a hint of
springtime cheer to your favourite suit or sportcoat. Trudeau
would be proud.
60 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
The Perfect
Summer
Duffle
Owen & James, $15
Jack Spade, $115
J and HP, $25
The Knottery, $10
WANT Les Essentiels
de la Vie, $110
P h o t o : Pa u l i e Wa x
This Bud’s
For You
WANT Les Essentiels de
la Vie, $440
Spacious enough for a weekend at the cottage, compact
enough for the gym. Built
from heavy-weight, waterresistant cotton duck canvas
in a timeless mid-century design. The only real problem?
Having to decide which of the
13 classic maritime hues will
look best slung across your
shoulder all summer long.
Wm. J. Mills & Co, $140
Polish off your look with a few more perfect accessories at Sharpformen.com/cateogry/style/
STYLE | Grooming
No Sweat
The best stuff to keep you
fresh when you play hard
By William Reed
Go. Use that body of yours and
enjoy the world. Do those things
that make you live longer. You
know, exercise. Work up a sweat.
Use these products to smell good
while you’re doing it.
Jack Black Turbo
Wash (and Body
Rehab Scrub and
Muscle Soak)
While we don’t usually endorse the
all-in-one convenience of goop that
is meant to wash both the body
and the hair, after working out, one
doesn’t always have the time to
groom as one normally would. Plus,
this light rosemary- and eucalyptusinfused body wash is as invigorating
as a post-workout wash should be.
For added benefit, use the Body
Rehab Scrub to work out knots and
tight muscles. $60
Allure Homme
Sport
Water itself doesn’t smell
like much—or if it does, it’s
probably a bad sign. And yet,
Homme Sport has captured
the purity of water in a
fragrant, appealing form. The
fresh top notes are complemented by hints of wood
and vetiver. It’s like a day at
the lake, minus the campfire
and flies. $80
Kenzo Sport
Mixing grapefruit, lemon
and mint sounds like a
refreshing summer beverage, but in fragrance form,
it’s a perfect out-of-doors,
warm-weather scent.
Kenzo takes those notes
and boosts them with
basenotes of cedar and
ginger—which doesn’t
sound like a bad cocktail
garnish, actually. $80
Institut KaritÉ
100% ShEa Butter
Composed of pure shea butter, there is
nothing to dilute this product’s moisturizing power, nor is there any fragrance
to distract. It doesn’t get much lighter
and fresher than that. The more a man
works out, and the more time he spends
outside, the more he’ll need to replenish
moisture. This stuff works on everything:
body, hands, face and hair. $55
62 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Old Spice Pure
Sport Deodorant
It is impossible to compile any sort
of list celebrating sport fragrances
without including this icon of the
genre. It’s simple, fresh and infused
with enough notes of citrus and
nostalgia that it almost works as a
cologne, despite it being a lowly
deodorant. $10
For more summer-proof grooming essentials, visit Sharpformen.com/category/style/
timepieces | STYLE
IWC
Portuguese Yacht
Club Edition
$15,800
Louis
Vuitton
Tambour Regatta
America’s Cup Automatic
$11,000
Omega
Seamaster Aqua Terra
Chronograph
$11,000
TAG Heuer
Rolex
Aquaracer 500M Caliber 72
Countdown Chronograph
$5,515
Yacht-Master II
$25,450
Panerai
Regatta Chrono Flyback
$18,800
All hands
on deck
By Ariel Adams
Find more beautiful timepieces at Timeandstyle.ca/
>
While dive watches are the standard first watch for
most men (for good reason—the right one can be worn on just about any
occasion), boating watches are closely related, and can help you look more
the captain as opposed to the sailor. While often aesthetically similar, the real
difference is intended use: above or below water. Dive watches are chunkier
and sportier, while boating watches tend to be more refined—a reflection
of their destination for the wrists of yacht owners. Furthermore, within the
category of boating watches are those intended for racing, which feature
chronographs or specially designed countdown timers for use during formal
regatta events.
Do you need to be a boating man to enjoy these? Certainly not. But if
you’re looking for an excuse to buy a yacht, having the right timepiece certainly won’t hurt.
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 63
GUIDE | Fatherhood
Shipbuilders Union
A pirate, a carpenter and a state of emergency
By Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall • Illustration by Paul Blow
I have this idea—a pirate idea.
Well, I guess it’s more of a carpenter idea,
but I tend to connect more with piracy than
carpentry. Also, my son Zev is really into pirates
right now. He fake-limps around my apartment,
growling, “Shiver me timbers!” and, “Swab
the deck, matey!” And he practically never
mentions carpenters (except for Jesus who, for
some reason, he keeps asking me to tell him
about: “Daddy, talk more about Jesus!” I usually
mumble something about lepers and fish, then
tell a Superman story.)
So, this idea is about my son’s bedroom—or lack thereof. I
live in a loft; there’s plenty of space, but no actual rooms. The
ceilings are high enough to accommodate queen-sized
bunks—so that’s what I’ve got. Zev hasn’t wanted to sleep
alone yet, and I don’t want him tumbling six feet in the
middle of the night, so we sleep together on the bottom
64 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
bunk. But I know the day is coming fast
when he’ll want his own space. I want to
give it to him for his third birthday. And
thus: the Pirate Ship Bed.
I have an extremely vague concept of it:
sturdy enough so he’ll be safely contained,
with shelves and space for his toys and
books—and…well, shaped like a pirate ship.
But I have no idea how to do any of this—and
no excuse not to.
By all logic, I should be handy. All my real
jobs (and even some of the writing ones)
have been manual labour. I lived for a year in
a shantytown where I built my own home.
But looking back on the book I wrote about
that, I feel like a bit of a fraud: sure I made it
happen, that eight-by-ten, wood-burning,
one-windowed, ladder-to-attic shack wouldn’t have existed if it
weren’t for me and my bare necessity. But it was the skilled Tent
City men who, with stolen tools, really built the thing. I just
scavenged the booze, did the heavy lifting and some hammering. Ten years later, not much has changed; I can scavenge, lift
and hammer with the best of them. But that’s about it.
Fortunately, I still hang out with derelict handymen.
“What did you call me?”
“A dedicated handyman.”
Robb’s eyes narrow. “Turn left here.”
I’m driving to Home Depot because he doesn’t have a license.
“Don’t mention that in the article!”
Robb is a former navy man who owns a number of businesses—some of them even legal. Today, for four different
enterprises, he is building a giant cage, constructing a
bar-ramp for a gay fashion show, salvaging a sunken sailboat
and—at this moment—piloting the pirate ship project.
“There should be a slide,” he says. “Like in Jake and the
Neverland Pirates.” Robb also has a number of children.
“Let’s figure out the pirate ship first,” I say.
“Oh, that’ll be easy.”
Robb says this all the time,
mostly about things that are not
going to be easy. He is a terrifying mix of optimist, over-reacher, anarchist and perfectionist.
•••
It’s a week later and I’m still
staring at all the stuff we bought.
My buddy Robb did help me.
He drew up plans and designs,
showed me how to use the tools,
even paid for the materials. But
Zev’s birthday is a week away
and Robb’s busy excavating a
wooly mammoth or fixing a
monster truck or something. All
I can do is stare.
I know it’s a mental block, but
that doesn’t help. In recent
months, I’ve made a fire
without a match, roll-tacked a sailboat through crosswinds,
tumbled a fighter plane at 6,000 feet, jumped off a skyscaper.
Yet this—by far—is my hardest challenge. In fact, right now,
I’m stuck in some sort of shame spiral—a downward-twisting
obsession with my inability to figure out my inabilities. It’s
not a lack of logic, attention, aesthetic, desire or basic
hand-eye coordination, but rather a precise lack of a precise
combination of these things, combined with my own
perfectionism and the absence (if you can combine something with absence) of emergency.
This is what I tell myself: if it were a do-or-die situation, I
could build a perfect pirate ship bed. Then I go back to staring.
•••
Just four sleeps until Zevvy’s birthday. With the help of
my ladyfriend, who is much handier than me, I have a giant
stained piece of plywood in the shape of a ship, complete
with an anchor. It’s still on the floor, but the silhouette is
traced on the wall opposite to the upper bunk. I also have the
makings of a crow’s nest—a painted basket and broom
handle. I’m staring at it all when Robb shows up.
“What are you waiting for?” Robb says.
“You, I guess.”
In minutes the whole thing is bolted to the bed. Robb is
doing sturdiness tests, going on about different kinds of
hooks and brackets and knots. I nod, overwhelmed but also
hopeful: it actually looks pretty good up there—the makings
of a pirate ship, six feet off the ground.
“Gotta go,” says Robb, looking at his phone. “That SWAT
truck I just bought—there’s a problem with it.”
“You don’t say.”
•••
It’s down to a matter of hours. Weeks ago, in a fit of
hysterical self-confidence, I invited a couple dozen friends to a
Pirate Ship Bed Launch/Birthday Party, for tomorrow night.
On the bright side, this project has finally reached a state of
emergency—which is, of course, when I’m most effective. Part
of this, I’ve realized, has to do with a lack of patience, made
more frustrating by a surplus of perseverance.
Something else I’ve realized: it’s the tools I fear. The only
way I ever create anything is to use only the most rudimentary
of tools. I wrote my first book on
a typewriter, my second by
hand—and both, it so happens, in
states of emergency.
So I make a quick decision:
use only the tools I’m comfortable with and do it fast. My new
doomsday toolbox contains a
hammer and nails, duct tape, a
staple gun, a spool of wire and a
credit card. I grab the hammer,
a mouthful of nails, and start to
swing—freaked out for sure, but
finally focused. “Argh!” I grunt.
“Shiver me timbers!”
•••
It’s Zevvy’s birthday, and this is
what he sees: a wooden ladder
rising up through rolling nylon
waves (shower curtain) against a
mahogany-stained shipside—a line of silver portholes (bicycle
mirrors) below wrought iron railings (plastic garden fencing).
The crow’s nest and jolly roger (nailed, stapled, wired and
glued) rise into a billowing sky (chiffon and silk, on top of
three other attempts at sky). There is a bell and a parrot and a
large nautical clock. On the bow, extending into the air, there
is a ghostly masthead lit by a lantern (miniature antique
streetlamp) and a disco ball (disco ball).
All Zev sees is a pirate ship, floating overhead.
“Do you like it, Zevvy?” I say.
He nods. Then just stands there, staring.
•••
And now, after the requisite handyman victory, comes the
part that no father wants to face: that moment your threeyear-old son is dancing and bouncing and giggling in his brand
new disco pirate ship bed, six feet off the ground and then a
crack, and a snap and a scream. The stupid plastic wrought
iron has given way and he is falling. He’s falling, thank god, in
slow motion—not just because of the adrenaline, but also your
friend who’s up there too grabbed his foot—so you get there
just in time, and he falls into your hands.
You’ve always been good in an emergency. But that’s not
what you think while you hold him in your arms in the middle
of his pirate birthday party. Instead, it’s this: God, I love you.
And I’m so sorry. And tomorrow I’ll be a better carpenter.
Right now, I’m stuck in a
downward twisting obsession
with my inability to figure out
my inabilities. This is what I
tell myself: If it was a do-ordie situation, I could build a
perfect pirate ship bed. Then I
go back to staring.
For the rest of Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall’s fatherhood chronicles,
visit Sharpformen.com/category/culture/
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 65
THE
Interview by Steven Weintr aub
/ A r t i c l e s I n t e r n at i o n a l
IN
THE
The supervillain-defeating, judo-chopping,
life-winning ROBERT DOWNEY jr.
BY GREG HUDSON • PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIGEL PERRY
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 67
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Ryan Reynolds MUST
hate Robert Downey Jr.
Ditto, Edward Norton. Ben Affleck, until that whole Oscar thing, would be justified in feeling
the same way, too. Basically, any actor who ever tried and failed to make a superhero franchise out of a second-string hero must see the coming onslaught of Iron Man 3—Three!—
with equal parts jealousy and shame. Robert Downey Jr. has succeeded where others have
failed. And he’s succeeded in a very big way.
Go back in time for a moment to the summer of 2007. As fun as it is to think about it with
the irony afforded by hindsight, Iron Man was a gamble. And not just because he was a semiunknown superhero in a market bogged down with superhero films, but because its star had
never carried a blockbuster before. Not really. Robert Downey Jr. had been an actor—an
energetic, anarchic, incredibly talented actor—for more than 20 years, but he’d never carried a
movie that got made into Big Gulp merchandise. It wasn’t clear if he could do it.
There was no doubt about his talent. The gamble was whether he would do it or whether
his old demons would take hold of him at the height of his success and sabotage him (as
they did once before), and take Tony
Stark down with him.
Did you have any trepidation about coming back to this
It all seems a little laughable now. Like
character for the fourth time?
it’s silly to talk about Robert Downey Jr.’s
I was kind of looking forward to it. I don’t want to say “kind
of.” That’s tepid. You know that thing of it’s spring break or
bad old days. He’s so completely reborn.
summer or winter and you have these plans? You want to go to
He has all the talent everyone always
Sedona, right? So, push that peanut down the road a little bit.
knew he had, without the terror. He’s just
This is, to me, the kind of grab-bag wish list of things we’ve
always wanted to do, and haven’t had the chance. I put so
pure, unfiltered cinematic energy.
much onus on Iron Man 3. Iron Man 3 was supposed to answer
And, sure, we could talk about how he
all the questions for an audience. Cure all my uncomfortable
moments in the past playing this character, and get in every
still has some hurdles to clear: the second
idea that fell by the wayside the last two movies. Then we shot
Iron Man wasn’t as good as the first, and
the movie, and I feel like there’s still a number of other things
we have to do.
so who knows if the third installment
will continue that trend, especially since
What was it like working with Shane Black again? How
much of a force were you in pushing for his involvement?
it’s helmed by a new director. And, sure,
Well, we all know each other fairly well now. Without coming
success can breed pride, and pride isn’t
to me, they said Shane was going to be in the running for this.
typically conducive to excellence. But,
They said they had narrowed it down to a couple of choices. I
liked both their choices. Shane still—and I say this as a
all those things seem irrelevant when it
testament to the fact that we’ve shot the movie and have cut
comes to Robert Downey Jr. The man
scenes together—he still has a place in my heart. He turned
out to be a great choice.
forged Iron Man out of sheer will and
charisma, and appears poised to pick up
You’ve mentioned in the past that previous Iron Man
films involved a lot of figuring out the script as the
where he left off.
production was going on. Did that happen again?
They really kind of made just exactly the right size
68 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
The
Other Side
Writer/Director
Shane Black on
Robert Downey Jr.
I
sandbox for the whole thing, but there’s some new kind of
twists in it architecturally. That’s just the way Shane
writes, you know. Nothing is arbitrary. Everything has
some meaning at some point later in the story or speaks to
a theme. That’s the hardest stuff to try and grab when
you’re already shooting. That said, I respect him so much
that I did not respect his day-to-day writing at all, and I
just looked at scenes at the beginning of the day as, well,
they had to put a bunch of words on this or they couldn’t
have a call sheet. Which must be annoying to an excellent
writer, but that’s just the way I’ve been conditioned. I get
a good script and go, “This is good! I mean, we’re not
going to shoot it, but…”
You obviously have a strong grasp of Tony Stark and where
you’d like to see him go. Does that expand to the entirety of
the cinematic Marvel Universe? Do you have insight into
projects that you’re not acting in?
I think I do. I also live with a producer. Before Iron Man came
along and she was working with Joel Silver, it was kind of
foreplay for us. We’d be like (whispering), “What’s that
project? Look at the trailer!” We find this stuff to be catnip,
and I love spit-balling. It never ceases to amaze me how little
of my input they actually require.
The Tony Stark character is very linked to you. That’s not to
say they couldn’t one day recast the role…
I’m sure they’ve thought about it. I feel like I got sold to
Disney for $4 billion.
f Shane Black didn’t save
RDJ’s career when he
cast him in his directorial
debut Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,
he certainly gave it a shot of
Hollywood adrenaline. Downey
had been slowly rebuilding after
an infamously dark decade of
addiction with critically lauded
supporting roles in all kinds of
movies (from George Clooney’s
Good Night, and Good Luck
to the forgettable Tim Allen vehicle The Shaggy Dog). Black
proved that RDJ was ready to
lead a movie again.
“Downey back then was
still Downey. Cynical, playful.
If anything, he’s more playful
now. More intense, too. He
takes this franchise very seriously. He’s a fireball; my job
as director and writer, was to
show up and keep up. Really,
the challenge is to make sure
that everyone is ready to work
as hard as he does. He’s so
in command that you have to
match that level of commitment. He has so much nervous
power. But that’s his appeal.
It’s based on his playfulness.
A bit of Peter Pan that never
grew. It’s the Chaplin thing: the
boy in the man and the man in
the boy. With a lot of actors,
you get what you pay for. Audiences go into a film, and they
think, ‘I bought this, and it’s
what I ordered.’ But Downey
is always unexpected. You will
always be surprised.”
Does the fact that you’re so
connected to the role make
you want to stay around as
long as you can?
Yeah, but, quiet as it’s kept,
that’s how I’ve always
been. The thing about
playing this kind of
inherent narcissist,
whenever you kill one of
Tony’s egos, another one
just pops up. I’ve had that
experience, but I’ve found
the whole thing to be a
very quieting journey for
me. It’s been remarkably
humbling. You realize
you’re just kind of part of
this thing. The problems
begin when any one person
involved in anything—particularly anything successful—decides that they have
some sense of ownership to
it. This is really something that Stan Lee scratched down
going on 50 years now. He touched on something really,
really cool with Iron Man and, strangely, Iron Man was
sort of a second-tier superhero who laid the groundwork
for these other guys and gals.
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 69
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
“I feel like I got sold to Disney for $4 billion.”
Where I’m at right now is that I’ve always thought of
myself—particularly since I’ve been married to this highfunctioning Jewish girl from the Midwest—I think of myself
as being a company man. I like showing up and I like doing
press. I like being able to say, “I’m going to take a break
because I don’t want to burn out.” I don’t want to be doing a
roundtable or a press conference and have people say, “He
looks tired!” I want to be there. I want to communicate and
kind of experience this. The funny thing is that, though I can
be quick-witted, I tend to have a slow take experientially for
things. These five or six years have not been enough time for
me to process what has happened.
It seems that you must getting towards the end of whatever contract you originally signed. Are you going to sign
on for several more or will you take it one at a time?
I don’t know. I honestly get uncomfortable with leverage. I
was annoyed for a while about having a contract where, in
success, not very much changes for you. But then I got to
thinking, “What was I really doing before I got Iron Man?”
Then I think, “Don’t lead with that, Robert! You’re a big
prime mover!” I get that. I can talk about that for two hours.
But I’m a big believer in being really straight and saying,
“Okay, let’s really look at this.” I not going to pretend I’m
over it and whatever. Obviously, it’s better to have a contract
run out than it is to have one go on indefinitely. But I guess
that’s why contracts have limits on them. Let’s just say that
me, the agents and the lawyers are having a bit of a ball right
now. I don’t like this—and I think it’s a particularly Western
thing. Well, maybe not anymore, because we’re being
outpaced by the East business-wise—of “We’ve got him! Let’s
screw him to the floor!” Is that what gets you off? Making
people feel bad? It shouldn’t be, “Man, they really put the
screws to us, brother.” It’s like, “Weren’t we excited about the
future a couple of years ago. Now we’re just laying the boots
to each other.” I’m an artist!
In the Iron Man movies, you are, naturally, the lead. In The
Avengers, however, you’ve got those other guys co-starring.
Do you miss having them around?
I don’t have to be the lead in Iron Man if that’s going to make
everyone comfortable. But hell is other people (laughs).
Somebody said that and sometimes I think, “What if that guy’s
right? All I do is hang out with other people! And I’m another
person to them?”
Is working with other actors still working with other
actors when you’re doing a massively scaled project?
Yeah, it’s entirely the same thing. They come and say,
“Robert, we have this project”—and the next movie I’m doing
is as much of a departure from a genre movie as you can
imagine—but I think that people underestimate that
everything really is just like everything else. We’re talking
about the story and we’re talking about the themes. It’s the
same things, it’s just the red carpet that’s shorter.
Is it ever really shorter for the movies you’re in?
Thank you. You know, it’s so weird. Or not weird. I live for
it. It’s just part of the job that I think I’m strangely suited
for. I like hell. I like other people. I like being out. I like
going, “Oh, you’re here! I’m in town promoting this.”
Particularly if I like it.
Second
String
Theory
I
t’s not easy to take a
comic book hero that isn’t
Superman, Batman, or
Spider-Man and make him
into a blockbuster (and even
with those marquee names,
success isn’t assured−Brandon Routh, we’re looking
at you). Downey did it. Here
are the people who tried,
and failed. Epically.
Darkman (1990)
Star: Liam Neeson
Premise: A hideously disfigured
scientist who feels no pain takes
revenge on the gangsters who
scarred him.
What Went Wrong: Liam
Neeson playing a hero that looks
like a mummy in a trench coat
might work in a post-Taken world.
But back then? Nope.
70 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
The Shadow (1994)
Star: Alec Baldwin
Premise: A New York playboy
becomes a Far East warlord,
then returns home to make
amends by fighting crime.
What Went Wrong: Sure, The
Shadow is part of a grand pulpy
tradition, but it sure looked like a
bad Batman ripoff.
The Phantom (1996)
Star: Billy Zane
Premise: A man with a magic
ring rides around on a white
horse fighting pirates while
wearing a purple bodysuit.
What Went Wrong:
Take your pick.
Daredevil (2003)
Star: Ben Affleck
Premise: Blind New York
lawyer uses his sonar ability
to fight crime and avenge his
father's death. What Went Wrong: Despite
some desperate scenery
chewing from Colin Farrell,
audiences weren’t captivated
by the blind superhero or the
dull script.
Ghost Rider (2007)
Star: Nicolas Cage
Premise: Cage becomes a
demonic, motorcycle-riding
monster with a flaming skull that
conveniently disguises his hastily
retreating hairline.
What Went Wrong: If it’s any
consolation, this was better
than the sequel, which had
Ghost Rider pissing fire.
Green Lantern (2011)
Star: Ryan Reynolds
Premise: Fighter pilot Hal
Jordan inadvertently joins
an ancient group of galactic
peacekeepers who battle using
magical rings, and, just in time,
he saves Earth.
What Went Wrong: Start
with Reynold’s CGI green
eyes, and move out in an
all-encompassing circle.
Guardians of
The Galaxy (2014)
Star: Chris Pratt
(of Parks and Rec)
Premise: A futuristic team of
superheroes protect the galaxy
from danger.
What Will Go Wrong: One of
the team members is a triggerhappy racoon, rumoured to be
voiced by Adam Sandler.
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 71
G
olf is a game built on rituals. It’s in
the practiced mechanics of your
swing, in the way you survey the
green before a putt, in the profanities you scream as your ball
plunks into a water hazard. In many ways,
it’s the repetition of these familiar rites
and habits—static and unchanging—that
makes golf the sport we all love.
But things are changing. There’s a new
energy surrounding the sport. You can
feel it in the eccentric personalities of
pros like Bubba Watson; see it in the
colourful clothes lining aisles in golf
shops. Golf will always be a game of rituals, but now it’s got a little extra swagger in its step. And that’s something
worth celebrating.
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 73
Bubba
Sparks
THank god for gerry Lester Watson Jr.—better known as Bubba:
The man who’s shaking up the world of golf
By Craig Dolch
T
here are other elite golfers who are known simply
by one name—Tiger, Rory, Ernie and Phil, to name
a foursome—but there is only one Gerry Lester Watson Jr. ¶ You might know him as Bubba.¶
Bubba doesn’t play golf like you and I. Fact is, he
doesn’t play golf like most of his peers on the PGA Tour.
He plays his own style on the course—“Bubba Golf” he
calls it—and doesn’t follow many rules of the green either. ¶ Bubba boasts of never having taken a golf lesson.
He doesn’t have an instructor. He doesn’t pay a sports
psychologist. When given the choice of taking a chance
or playing it conservatively, the lanky left-hander invariably takes the aggressive
route, the creative solution.
“My nickname is ‘Freak Show’ because
I can hit shots that people don’t hit,” Watson says. “You can’t explain it. You can
have the most educated man in the world,
and he can put a hypothesis on it, but it
doesn’t make sense, you know?”
We know. How many pro golfers use
the word “hypothesis” when describing
his talents? Just Bubba, your 2012 Masters champion.
While every other pro golfer expects
74 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
silence when he hits a shot, Watson
will lift both arms upward, asking for
more noise. Even at the pressure cooker
known as the Ryder Cup, he’s trying to
make it more like an AC/DC concert.
Bubba likes his music
“Golf is boring. We’re trying to show
this is a different age in golf,” Watson
says. “This is not your country club golf.
We are trying to grow the game, showing the younger people and older generations, as well, that we are here to have
fun. Let’s enjoy the game and try to make
it a little bit faster and fun.”
Bubba’s a straight talker who rarely hits
a straight shot, preferring to either hook
or slice the ball, sometimes by as much as
40 yards. Otherwise, he says, he’d become
bored on the golf course. The ability to
shape the ball comes from learning the
game in his backyard while playing with
whiffle balls—not exactly the training
technique used by Tiger Woods and Jack
Nicklaus when they were kids.
Nobody on the PGA Tour hits the ball
longer than Bubba—especially with a
pink driver that can reach a clubhead
speed of almost 140 mph, which translates into a ball speed of 200 mph—and
few Hall of Famers play with the imagination he possesses. At last year’s MasMAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 75
BUBBA WATSON
ters, Watson hooked his tee shot into the trees on the second
playoff hole against Louis Oosthuizen. But Watson somehow
saw a perfect opening to hit a low 8-iron that started 15 feet
off the ground to stay under a tree, then rose and hooked more
than 40 yards, the whiffle-ball-like shot hitting the 10th green
and spinning toward the hole for a routine par that won him
the green jacket when Oosthuizen made a bogey.
Bubba became a major champion holding true to the motto
he told his caddie when he first joined the PGA Tour in 2006:
“If I have a swing, I have a shot.”
And what a shot it was, perhaps the greatest of the 2012
season and one of the all-time savers in Masters lore. “I hit
a crazy shot that I saw in my head, and somehow I’m here
talking to you with a green jacket on,” Bubba said afterward,
making it sound so simple.
It’s a matter of perspective for him. It’s not that winning
the Masters and becoming a legend is easy, it’s that it’s not
that important.
“The Masters win was big, but it’s not the biggest thing in
my life,” Watson says. “The adoption of our son is the most
important thing that happened last year, and I just happened
to put on a green jacket as well. Winning the Masters changed
my life a lot, but adopting changes it a lot more for the better.
Spending time with him, watching him learn things, watching him crawl around, pick up toys…that’s the most important
stuff, and golf just lets me pay for the diapers.”
At a time when most pro golfers dress alike, act alike and
play alike, Bubba does none of the above—sometimes, he admits, to his own detriment. But “Bubba Golf” is taking him
nowhere but to the top of leader boards.
“Bubba’s a lot of fun,” Ben Crane, who sings with Bubba
(along with Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan) in their allpro parody band, Golf Boys, says. “He’s a little kid who loves
to laugh and do silly things. Whether it’s basketball or pingpong, we yell and have fun. But Bubba is real competitive, too.”
This competiveness extends to every aspect of Watson’s
game. It’s what pushes him to not just be better, but different.
Take, for instance, his clothes: at last year’s majors, he wore
the same outfit by Travis Matthew all four days, donating a
portion of the endorsement proceeds to charity. This year,
it’s possible he could pull the same stunt, but with Oakley apparel. Bubba signed a new endorsement deal with them after
Rory McIlroy dropped the label to shack up with Nike.
“Oakley had a situation where they needed a player and I’m
glad they picked me,” Watson said. “Like I said, golf is boring,
but Oakley is all about being fun, exciting and innovative. Why
would I not want to be with a fun company? I think I’m fun.”
“The reason we love Bubba is his desire to be different than
everyone else,” said Al Janc, Oakley’s sports marketing manager for golf. “It’s not really his desire; he is different.”
Because the deal was struck late last year, Watson didn’t
have time to be heavily involved in Oakley’s current golf
apparel design. But that will soon change. He does have his
ideas, he says. And even though he’s vague about the details, knowing the kind of man Bubba is, there’s no reason
not to believe him. The man’s mind works almost as fast as
his swing.
76 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
“My nickname is ‘Freak Show’ because I can
hit shots that people don’t hit.”
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 77
Cotton jacket
($995) by Z Zegna,
at Harry Rosen;
cotton polo ($235)
by Burberry Brit,
at Harry Rosen;
polyester pants
($120) by PING;
belt ($75) by Robert Graham.
Tough
Shots
It’s still a gentlemAn’s game, but the year’s finest golf
clothes project an edgy, downright dangerous vibe
PhotograpHy: Matt Barnes
Styling: Lee Sullivan
for Plutino Group
Jacket ($600)
by Zegna Sport,
at Harry Rosen;
polyester polo
($95) by Puma;
cotton shorts
($80) by RLX,
at Harry Rosen;
sunglasses ($140)
by Oakley.
Polyamide vest
($345) by BOSS
Green; cottonand-polyester
polo ($65) by
Nautica; cotton
shorts ($100) by
Ben Sherman;
patent leather
shoes ($620) by
Prada, at Holt
Renfrew; ceramic ring by Vitaly
Design ($110).
Cotton sweater
($95) and polyester shorts ($85) by
Greg Norman Collection; cotton polo
($50) by J.Crew;
Oyster Perpetual
Datejust II watch
($11,800) by Rolex.
Cotton polo ($130)
by Strellson;
cotton cardigan
($550) by Maison
Martin Margiela,
at Harry Rosen;
cotton pants ($80)
by Nautica, at
The Bay; bracelet
($265) by
Porsche Design.
Polyester jacket
($75) by Oakley;
cotton polo
($100) and shorts
($100) by Original
Penguin; Clipped
Diver’s watch
($6,900) by Hermès; shoes ($220)
by Ecco.
Polyester hoodie
($100) by Nike;
cotton polo ($85)
by Fred Perry, at
Harry Rosen; polyester shorts ($95)
by Puma; ceramic
and stainless steel
ring ($120) by
Vitaly Design.
Cotton cardigan
($695) by Ralph
Lauren, at Harry
Rosen; cotton polo
($15) by Joe Fresh;
polyester pants
($130) by Puma, at
Golf Town; bracelet
($280) by Porsche
Design.
Grooming by
Claudine Baltazar
for TRESemmé;
Hair Care/Make Up
For Ever/Plutino
Group.
Polyester jacket
($475) by Burberry
Brit, at Harry
Rosen; cotton
sweater ($195)
by Lacoste Live;
cotton polo ($100)
by Lacoste; cotton
and tencel shorts
($100) by Tommy
Bahama; shoes
($220) by Ecco;
watch ($4,950) by
Porsche Design.
PI N
S EEKER S
Quickly adjust loft on TaylorMade’s R1 driver
for your ideal trajectory. Then, from the
fairway, zero in on the pin with Cobra’s AMP
Cell Fairway woods, Tour Edge Exotics’ Xrail
Hybrid, and Cleveland’s 588 Rotex wedge.
Finally, harmonize yourself with the green
using PING’s Scottsdale TR Grayhawk,
which makes every putt perform as if
struck perfectly.
Clockwise from top
left: Taylormade R1
driver, $400; Cobra
AMP Cell fairway wood,
$275; PING Scottsdale TR
Grayhawk, $165; Cleveland 588 Rotex wedge,
$120; Tour Edge Exotics
Xrail hybrid, $130.
GreenReady
Gear
At long last, golf equipment that’s as cool looking
as it is cutting edge
BY: Scott Kramer
Photography: Adrian Armstrong
88 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 89
LO C A T IO N ,
Green-ready Gear
LO C A T IO N
LEFT TO RIGHT: SkyGolf SkyCaddie Breeze,
$230; Garmin Approach S3, $350, at Golf
Town; Bushnell Tour v3 Slope, $400.
Knowing precise distances is key
to negotiating the course: who
hasn’t plunked one in the bunker,
only to realize they’d underestimated the yardage? Although handheld
rangefinders and GPS units have
been around for a decade, they’re
much smarter now. Take Bushnell’s
new Tour v3 Slope with JOLT
Technology. Aim it at the flag, and
it vibrates once you’ve isolated the
pin. SkyGolf’s SkyCaddie Breeze,
meanwhile, displays distances to
the front, middle and back of the
green in large numbers. Or strap
on Garmin’s Approach S3, which
lets you manually position pins, get
distances to doglegs and layups,
and customize yardage points, all
in the convenient guise of a sporty
digital wristwatch.
VI S IO N AIRIE S
Sunglasses are no longer an eyesore among golfers. These days,
golf-specific shades boast muscular, performance-driven good looks
and a startling level of clarity to
combat changing light conditions.
TOP TO BOTTOM: Nike Show-X1 E, $215 at
Golf Town; Sundog Zone, $50 at Golf
Town; Oakley Radarlock Path, $270; Greg
Norman Extreme Performance 4400
Series, $100; Tifosi OPTICS Podium S, $70;
Porsche Design P’8494 B, $550.
W ALKI N G
O N AIR
The latest golf shoes are lightweight,
sleek-looking, waterproof and cushioned enough to make strolling 18 holes
an absolutely blissful cart alternative.
90 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
LEFT TO RIGHT: Nike Lunar Control II, $180;
Puma AMP CELL Fusion SL, $270; adidas Golf
adizero Tour, $180; Oakley Cipher 2, $155;
FootJoy M:PROJECT, $145.
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 91
The
Florida
Swing
As he rises through the ranks—and starts earning the big
money that comes with it—Canadian PGA pro David Hearn is on
the brink of a breakthrough
By Lorne Rubenstein
I
t is a day like any other for David Hearn, at least
away from the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old professional golfer from Brantford, Ont. is taking his eightmonth-old daughter, Ella, out for a stroll with his wife
Heather, near their winter home in Delray Beach.
Hearn turned pro in late 2001, and
in 2004 won on the Nationwide (now
Web.com) Tour and the Canadian Tour.
After losing his tournament spot in
2005, he earned his way back on to the
PGA in 2011. Last year, he finished 97th
on the money list, winning $1,012,575.
He played in tournaments with both
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, and
even though he doesn’t have a marquee
name like they do, he didn’t feel intimidated or overshadowed. That is to say,
he’s settling into the role of a full-time
PGA Tour player.
92 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
He’s also settled into life as a new
father. He’s a member of Team RBC,
which includes major champions Mike
Weir, Graeme McDowell and other top
players, and he’s signed a contract with
Kia Canada. Life off and on the course
is agreeable, which is exactly why he
wants to take the next step.
•••
On the course, the part of the year
known as the Florida swing is imminent.
In the following week, Hearn will tee
up at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach
Gardens, a half-hour drive from his
neighbourhood. Hearn played five tournaments on the West Coast Swing. He’d
made the cut in only two of the events,
with his best finish being a tie for 16th at
the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
“I’ve always been a slow starter,”
Hearn says. “I’m looking forward to the
Florida Swing.”
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 93
DAVID HEARN
Hearn reached the PGA Tour for the first time in dramatic
fashion. He went through its qualifying school, a six-round
marathon in La Quinta, Calif. He couldn’t afford a bogey
by the time he’d come to the final hole in the final qualifying spot. His approach shot to the green finished on the back
fringe, 60 feet from the hole. He needed to two-putt to make
it. He holed the monster putt. Anybody can make a monster
putt at any time. Hearn made that one when it counted most.
“I was definitely a good player when I first got on the PGA
Tour, but not at a level where I could compete right away,”
Hearn said of his first go-round there. Now, however, he’s
playing his third straight year. A wise PGA veteran once said
that the most difficult thing is not to get on to the PGA Tour,
but to stay there. Hearn’s doing that.
He’s also learning. Playing with Mickelson and Woods helped
Hearn learn the importance of the short game. Mickelson and
Woods have never been the most accurate players in the game,
but they learned to get up and down from the proverbial ball
washer. They turn bogeys into pars and pars into birdies because
of their deft short games. Hearn has tended to rely more on
his full swing than his short game. But he and his coach, Ralph
Bauer, have devised practice sessions focusing on strengthening
that very weakness. He’ll need a sharp short game at the Honda,
because the course is one of the most difficult on the PGA Tour.
“I’ve always been a good ball striker, but I think I practiced
too much on the range, working on my swing,” Hearn says,
“Now I practice one-third short game, one-third putting, and
one-third hitting ball. And now I also know when to stop
practicing.”
•••
94 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
It’s cold and windy at the Honda Classic, and the course is
even more of a test than usual. Hearn isn’t quite on his game.
He hovers around the cut line as the second round proceeds,
and then he misses the green into a bunker at the par-three
15th and fails to save par. He hits the green at the par-three
17th hole, but he faces a 60-foot putt from the front to the
back. He runs his first putt 10 feet by, and misses the putt. He
misses the cut by two shots. Still, he knows he’s not far off.
Afterward, Hearn spends the weekend at home, and then
plays the Puerto Rico Open, his next stop on the PGA Tour. He
opens with 67-68 to easily make the cut, and is in contention
heading into the weekend. But a third-round 71 puts him eight
shots out of the lead with one round to go.
That’s when Hearn shows what he can do, and where he’s
headed. He plays a bogey-free round, shooting six-under 66,
and finishes in a tie for eighth. He wins $101,000 to put him at
$218,873 for the season, advancing 28 places on the money list.
Hearn is making good money now, very good money. “It’s
nice to have some success that way, but the money certainly isn’t
what motivates me,” he says. “I always feel that wanting to play
well will trump the money. There’s a tremendous sense of satisfaction when you have the chance to compete and to win.”
•••
As he moves into the heart of his 2013 campaign, Hearn is
competing very well. It would be no surprise to anybody who
has followed his progress should he win on the PGA Tour. Tom
Kite, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, once said that most golfers
don’t mature until they’re 35 years old. Hearn’s progress has
been steady, and, by Kite’s measure, he’s still relatively young in
the game. Young, eager to win, and believing he can.
97
THE
James dean
Fast Cars,
danger,
rebellion
and the
Little
Bastard
BY MATT BUBBERS
96 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 97
the james dean death run
J
ames Dean stands watch over a gas station in California’s central
valley. Here, two stories tall, paint faded, frozen in that famous pose
from Rebel Without a Cause, finger pointing towards the Texaco, Dean is
forever young. Although, actually, if you look closely he’s beginning to show some
cracks. He rises up out of the perfectly flat landscape, a beacon for truckers and
travelers. For miles there’s nothing else around. Highway 46 is dead straight.
This is Blackwell’s Corner, roughly halfway between Paso Robles in the west and
Bakersfield in the east. Nearly 150 miles north of Tinseltown it’s an unlikely spot
to find a looming Hollywood icon, but this gas station holds an unusual claim
to Dean’s legacy: it was the last place he was seen alive.
The big sign next to the door of the truck stop says, “Your
purchases are the only reason we can stay open in these
trying times.” Inside is the Forever Young Café, inhabited
mostly by middle-aged truck drivers, and aisle upon aisle of
flavoured pistachios for sale. There are many big nut farms
near here. Up in the corner, on one wall, is a cardboard
cutout of Dean. He’s next to Elvis and John Wayne. They
could be yours for $32.99 each.
Everything fades under the California sun, including
fame and celebrity. There was a time when James Dean and
fast cars represented rebellion and danger for millions of
98 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
young people. Or, so I’m told. Standing here, in the middle
of nowhere with a very fast car at my disposal, I don’t feel
rebellious or dangerous. In fact, I’ve got work to do, so I
Bluetooth my iPhone to my MacBook and sit in the car
while Dean watches, disapproving, as I edit another story.
My mission was to retrace the route James Dean took
on his last road trip. Leaving from Los Angeles in his 1955
Porsche 550 Spyder, he was driving to Salinas, California to
compete in the amateur road races. I’ve got my hands on the
modern equivalent of his car, a brand new Porsche Boxster
S. The purpose of the trip, I felt confident, would become
clear to us after I’d done it. I would make some meaningful
conclusions about cars and driving fast and the very nature
of rebellion maybe?
The problem is that the modern sports car can hardly be
an instrument of rebellion. Haven’t they become too safe, too
tame for that? In the middle of the last century, when Dean
epitomized teenaged cool, sports cars were terrifying things:
overpowered, little grip, and even less safety equipment. Drag
racing down Main Street you were likely to spin out, and
when you did you died, and so did whomever you hit. Today,
electronic traction and stability control and other digital aids
have made it pretty much impossible to get a powerful sports
car out of shape, even when you’re trying. Rebellion—antisocial behaviour—needs an element of danger. Or, at least I
think so, but what would I know about that? I’m sitting here in
the parking lot working. I’m not even working very fast.
If all else fails, I just want to be able to return the car in
one piece and arrive at my destination alive—which is more
than Dean accomplished.
The story begins in Hollywood. Dean was about to become
a superstar. Rebel Without a Cause would be released in a
matter of weeks. Giant was finished filming and was going to
be released soon after. His first film, East of Eden had put the
world on notice that James Dean was a star.
Competition Motors on Vine St. prepared the 550 for the
race. Dean and his crew set out from the shop at around noon
on September 30.
The car was immaculate. Low and lean, it was built in
Germany to win races. Comfort and safety weren’t major
concerns. Speed and handling were paramount. Dean’s
550 Spyder earned the nickname The Little Bastard. Later,
people would say the car was cursed because, after Dean
died, the car went on to kill or injure all who came in contact
with it before it finally disappeared altogether.
Forget the curse for a moment, and it’s easy to understand
the appeal of such a machine. Fast Cars have the ability to
make a person feel superhuman: powerful and dangerous
and in control in an otherwise chaotic universe.
A good Fast Car is out of control by default, or at least
it should feel like it is. You, the driver, are the only thing
keeping it from careening off the road and wrapping itself
around a lamppost. Even more frightening, though, is the
knowledge that you want to push the Fast Car, to test it, to
discover its limits and your own. Limits of grip versus limits
of skill. The further out of control you let the Fast Car get,
the more you reign it in—or better yet, balance it on the edge
of control—the more superhuman and powerful you feel.
The last time I felt superhuman, I was in California, too.
This particular car, an AMG Mercedes—bright red, big
wing—made me feel unusually confident. It was my first
time on Laguna Seca, the scariest race track on the continent.
In hindsight, I was foolish. But I wasn’t myself. I had the
car awkwardly sliding around these hugely fast corners,
provoking it to kick its tail out. Damn the rear tires to hell,
200 km/h, stand on the brakes, More Power...Slide...Catch
It...Drift...Close One...I AM A DRIVING GOD!!! … The car
and I were lucky to return to the pit lane alive. Remembering
it terrifies me. But I was under the influence of a Fast Car,
the appeal of which is no more intellectual than this: it is an
on-demand machine for releasing powerful chemicals in the
brain: dopamine, most likely, which is a feel-good chemical.
But thrilling/dangerous situations can also trigger fear or
panic. Enter adrenaline. Your palms get sweaty. Your heart
starts pumping hard. Blood goes to key areas, away from your
stomach, which explains the butterfly feeling. Every system
in your body goes to high alert just because you wanted to
see what would happen if you pushed that throttle pedal a
little closer to the floor in the middle of that bend.
The Porsche 550 Spyder, for example, is a very good Fast
Car. Critics who drove it when it was launched remarked
on how easily it would enter a four-wheel drift, all four tires
sliding just on the far side of control. Very dangerous, that
is. One critic in particular wrote how it made him feel like a
racing driver (a racing driver being one rung above human
on the road to superhuman).
t
oday, on Vine St., across from where Competition
Motors used to be there’s an El Pollo Loco chicken
chain with coin-operated bathrooms, and a parking
lot for an Office Depot. Our safety-yellow open-top
Porsche looks out of place here so we hit the road, heading
north on Vine.
We do our best to retrace Dean’s exact
route, but the Golden State Freeway,
Previous:
James Dean behind
California State Route 99, is a ghost now,
the wheel of his ’55
replaced by Interstate 5. Sections of the old
spyder.
highway are still there, one an abandoned
Below:
stretch of tarmac that carves through the
the 2013 Boxster S
hills of the Los Padres National Forest. I
and dean on
guess I never imagined what happens to an
the road.
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 99
the james dean death run
“
The Boxster refuses
to relinquish control.
It never so much as
fidgets under power.
It’s like the finger of God
himself is pinning
it to the road.
“
old highway. But I’m glad it’s here. It’s our secret playground:
narrow and winding with no median between us and
oncoming traffic. Like an old sports car, an old highway is
dangerous, it begs for speed.
T
he Boxster is also a very good Fast Car, but a
very modern one. It tackles this old tarmac like a
surgeon might tackle the tango. Passion gives way
to perfect precision. Despite being thrown into
the air over the worst of the rutted pavement, the Boxster
refuses to relinquish control. It never so much as fidgets
under power. It’s like the finger of God himself is pinning it
to the road. This is a new sort of Fast Car—the safer, modern
kind. Traction control, stability control, ABS: these electronic
systems do some of the work for you. They keep the machine
in check, so you can focus on the sat nav or the stereo.
If something is lost in the move from pure out-of-control
machines to modern digitally assisted sports cars, it goes
back to the nature of the Fast Car. If you feel like there’s
a computer helping you out, you don’t feel so in control,
so superhuman. You feel less danger, and yes, your body
responds, but less drastically, sending less drugs coursing
through your system. Computers and their safety net dilute
the thrill; they literally kill the buzz.
But I don’t think it’s just cars that changed over the last 60
years. The way we think about them has changed too.
Tom Wolfe once wrote of teenagers in the ’60s that, “Cars
100 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
tube-chassis frame bending and twisting with two humans
on board. Dean’s mechanic, Rolf Wütherich, was in the
passenger seat before the impact. At some point after the
collision, likely as the Spyder spun off the road, Wütherich
flew out of the car. His condition was critical, with many
broken bones, but he lived after spending nearly a year in
hospital. Turnupseed wasn’t seriously hurt; one newspaper
report says a California Highway Patrol officer suggested he
hitchhike to Tulare District Hospital.
Dean was found alive, still in the car. His body was
twisted: his legs in the driver’s side footwell, his torso in the
passenger seat. His neck was broken.
Just before 6pm on Sept. 30, 1955 James Dean died in the
ambulance on the way to Paso Robles Hospital. He was 24
years old.
“Dean died at just the right time,” Humphrey Bogart said.
“He left behind a legend. If he’d lived, he never would have been
able to live up to the publicity.” His death froze him, preserving
Dean and his silver Porsche sports car as a symbol of a certain
sort of restless youth rebellion, of living fast and dying young.
The Curse of the Little Bastard is a frightening story, if
it’s true. Wherever pieces of Dean’s car ended up, they hurt
people. A couple of drivers who used tires of Dean’s both
suffered blowouts and crashed. The Bastard was hung on
a wall at an exhibit on car safety when it fell and injured a
student. Eventually, it simply disappeared off the back of a
transport truck and was never seen again.
As I get closer to the crash site, I wonder if the curse could
extend to the modern Porsche too. Will a tire blow up? Will
the Boxster suddenly swerve off the road? Careful, and a bit
sobered, we drive westbound on Highway 46.
You know what? The Modern Fast Car does make
you feel a little less superhuman. But, as I arrive at my
destination alive and with the car intact where Dean didn’t,
I know the compromise is worth it. Anyone who has proof
otherwise is dead.
On a twisting little road barely big enough for a car, the
sun is shining, the roof of the Boxster is down, the air is
getting cold, the grass on the hills a shocking shade of green.
The yellow car and I cut a quick line through the landscape.
In hindsight, I realize some things about Fast Cars haven’t
changed. What I felt here was bliss—pure and loud.
The crash site is now called the James Dean Memorial
Intersection. The Boxster and I drove
Below:
through it without incident, feeling no
the wreck of the
danger, no curse, just speed.
“little bastard”
mean more to these kids than architecture did in Europe’s
great formal century, say, 1750 to 1850. They are freedom,
style, sex, power, motion, colour—everything is right there.”
Films like American Graffiti seem to be singing the same
tune. Cars were a form of rebellion. Behind the wheel, you
weren’t just putting yourself in danger, you were putting
others at risk. The rules of the road were adult rules, the
system’s rules, and therefore made to be broken. As someone
born in the ’80s, this is hard to imagine.
Rebellion still exists, but it doesn’t involve cars anymore: it’s
MDMA and sexting and Snapchat. Like cars and everything
else, rebellion too has gone digital. Maybe the new Boxster—
and every other new car—isn’t as thrilling now, not by any
fault of its own, but because it doesn’t represent rebellion, like
Dean’s old 550 Spyder did. For all the good it did him.
d
onald Turnupseed, a 23-year-old student with an
unfortunate name, was driving home to Tulare,
CA from Cal Poly State University in San Luis
Obispo. He was headed eastbound on Highway 46,
with the setting sun behind him and golden hills all around.
Turning left at a Y intersection onto Highway 41, the nose
of his big Ford slammed into the driver’s side of the little
German sports car.
Neither party was deemed to be at fault. No one was
officially to blame.
The 550 Spyder crumpled on impact, its lightweight
Download the iPad edition for video of our drive
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 101
UNCOMMON
ANGLER
The handsomest
spring sportswear
looks at home
whether you’re
reeling in a trout
or ambling down a
rainy city street
P hotography:
Faubel + Christensen/Shin
S tyling :
Luke Langsdale
polyester jacket ($400) and Linen chambray shirt ($230) by
Strellson; panama hat ($50) by Stetson; Herringbone sack
pants ($305) by H.W. Carter & Sons; lambswool suspenders
($155) by Alexander Olch; leather dress boots ($400) by Allen
Edmonds; striped canvas bag ($425) by A.P.C.; fishing rod ($205)
by Redington.
102 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 103
This Page: Overshirt
($415) by Stone Island;
zip front wader ($410)
and fishing rod ($185)
by Redington.
LEFT: Cotton shirt ($610)
by Brunello Cucinelli;
nylon vest ($185) by
Patagonia; soft-shell
gloves ($35) by Redington; canvas smock ($205)
by Orvis; skeletool ($75)
by Leatherman; Marine
Star Calendar watch
($525) by Bulova.
104 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Polyester raincoat
($3,785) by Louis Vuitton;
wool sweater ($360) and
socks ($40) by Sunspel;
canvas shorts ($180) by
Burberry Brit; waxed
canvas and rubber tote
($395) by Stone Island;
leather boots ($130) by
Dockers; fishing rod
($795) and reel ($310)
by Sage.
106 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
MAY 2013 / SHARPFORMEN.COM 107
THIS PAGE: Chambray
shirt ($150) by Bugatti;
chambray waistcoat ($80)
by Levi’s; cotton chino
($190) by Levi’s Made &
Crafted; leather boots
($130) by Dockers.
RIGHT: Denim hooded
smock ($360) by Paul
Smith; corduroy jeans
($220) by PRPS; gingham
shirt ($335) by Levi’s
Vintage Clothing; fishing
rod ($185) and polyester
vest ($45) by Redington;
leather boots ($350) by
Red Wing Heritage.
108 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
THis Page: Panama hat
($50) by Stetson; cotton jacket ($275) by
Jean Machine; cotton
shirt ($175) by Levi’s
Made & Crafted; cotton
khakis ($60) by Dockers;
leather satchel ($2,840)
by Brunello Cucinelli;
fishing rod ($185) by
Redington; Carlos Coste
watch ($4,350) by Oris.
LEFT: wool sweater ($235)
and Cotton long-sleeved
shirt ($85) by Orvis; cotton K-1 shorts ($155) by
Dockers; folding knife
($40) by Opinel.
Photo Assistant:
Paul Carter
Stylist Assistant:
Julia Pivniouk
Retoucher/Colorist:
Marie Tomanova
Model:
Tyler Wood with
Wilhelmina (LA)
Grooming:
Kelly Shew with
ArtMix Beauty
110 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
SHARP | BRAND DIRECTORY
A.P.C.
FootJoy
Apc.fr
Footjoy.ca
Adidas
Fred Perry
Adidas.ca
Alexander Olch
Olch.com
Allen Edmonds
Allenedmonds.com
Arai
araiamericas.com
Banana Republic
Bananarepublic.ca
1-888-277-8953
The Bay
Thebay.com
Belstaff
belstaff.com
Ben Sherman
bensherman.com
Brunello Cucinelli
Brunellocucinelli.com
Bugatti
Fredperry.com
Garmin
Garmin.com
Golf Town
Golftown.com
Gravati Shoes
Gravati.it
Greg Norman
Gregnormancollection.com
H.W. Carter & Sons
Hwcarterandsons.com
Harry Rosen
Harryrosen.com
Holt Renfrew
Holtrenfrew.com
Hook + Albert
Chanel.com
Cleveland Golf
Clevelandgolf.com
Club Monaco
Clubmonaco.com
Cobra Golf Canada
Cobragolf.ca
Cutler & Gross
Mr.Porter
Mrporter.com
Nautica
Nautical.com
1-800-363-7442
Nike
Nike.ca
Oakley
Oakley.ca
Old Spice
Oldspice.com
Opinel
Opinel-usa.com
Original Penguin
Robertgraham.us
Sage
Sageflyfish.com
Satursday’s Surf NYC
Saturdaysnyc.com
SkyGolf
Skygolf.com
Stetson
Stetson.com
Strellson
Strellson.ca
Stone Island
Stoneisland.com
Sundog Eyewear
Sundogeyewear.com
Hugo Boss
Orvis
TaylorMade
Orvis.com
Taylormadegolf.com
Owen & James
Tifosi Optics
Owenandjames.com
tifosioptics.com
Patagonia
Tommy Bahama
Patagonia.com
Tommybahama.com
Paul Smith
Tour Edge Golf
Paulsmith.co.uk
1-800-900-8460
Touredge.com
PING
Vitalydesign.com
647-938-4250
Institut Karité Paris
Chanel
Makr.com
Robert Graham
Sunspel
Burberry
Bushnell.com
MAKR
Redington.com
Originalpenguin.com
1-866-OPG-TRUE
Bugatti-fashion.com
Bushnell
Maisonmartinmargiela.com
Redington
Hookandalbert.com
Hugoboss.com
1-800-HUGOBOSS
Burberry.com
Maison Martin
Margiela
Institutekariteparis.com
J.Crew
Jcrew.com
1-800-562-0258
Jack Black
Getjackblack.com
Jack Spade
Jackspade.com
Jean Machine
Jeanmachine.com
Joe Fresh
Joefresh.com
cutlerandgross.com
416-966-5149
Kenzo
David’s Shoes
Lacoste
Kenzo.com
ping.com
Porsche Design
Porsche-design.com
Prada
Prada.com
PRPS
Prpsgoods.com
Puma
Puma.ca
Davidsfootwear.com
Lacoste.ca
Dockers
Leatherman
Dockers.ca
Leatherman.com
Ralphlauren.com
1-888-475-7674
Ecco
Levi’s
Rapha
Eccocanada.com
Levi.ca
Rapha.cc
Felt
Louis Vuitton
Red Wing Heritage
Feltbicycles.com
514-277-5666
Louisvuitton.com
1-866-VUITTON
Redwingheritage.com
1-800-RED–WING
112 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
Ralph Lauren
Sunspel.com
Vitaly
WANT Les Essentiels
de la Vie
Wantessentiels.com
Wm. J. Mills & Co.
Millscanvas.com
Yakkay
Yakkay.com
Zegna
Zegna.com
416-923-4724
Look Bet ter • Feel bet ter • Know more
SHARP ipad EDITION
Now optimized for retina display
Featuring EXCLUSIVE iPAD ONLY CONTENT • EXPANDED GALLERIES AND Q&As • VIDEOS
A one-year iPad subscription
includes two editions of
Sharp: The Book For Men
for only $19.99
HOW TO GET SHARP iPAD EDITION
1. Download the Sharp app from the App Store
2. Open it!
3. Click on “Sharp Magazine: May 2013”
4. Download it!
5. Read, share and enjoy!
SHARPFORMEN.com
SHARP | RANK & FILE
1.
5.
7.
2.
6.
4.
3.
4. Moms
The only person on earth morally
obligated to love us. The least you
could do is take her out to brunch.
5. Leafs in the Playoffs
OUR HIGHLY
SCIENTIFIC
RANKING OF
THINGS THAT
DO AND DO NOT
DESERVE YOUR
ATTENTION
1. Peter Dinklage
Not since Hervé Villechaize has
a little person loomed so, well,
large. We’re more than willing
to forgive Dinklage’s spotty
English accent on Game of
Thrones—his is by far the best
character on the show.
2. Kim Jong-Un’s hair
Say what you will about the
guy’s foreign policy, his hipster
haircut is right on trend.
3. CrossFit Women
Slightly alluring, mostly
intimidating.
114 SHARPFORMEN.COM / MAY 2013
For the first time in a decade the
Leafs enter the playoffs. Just in
time to lose to...whomever they
play. 6. Movie Sequels This summer they’ll finally tie up
all the lose ends left in Smurfs,
Grown Ups and (thank God)
Fast and Furious 1 through 5.
7. Baz Luhrmann’s
The Great Gatsby
High school English teachers
wait in anticipation to start
reading essays about how Leo
was totally dreamy when he
changed his life so the girl from
Drive would like him back.
© 2013 Porsche Cars Canada Ltd. Porsche recommends seatbelt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times.
porsche.ca
Rules the bends.
There are no rules that say a lighter chassis can’t be more rigid and more nimble in the corners.
No rules that say you can’t improve fuel efficiency while still increasing horsepower. And no
rules that say a balanced, performance-driven, mid-engine sports car can’t still be within reach.
The new Cayman turns a corner, without changing direction. Porsche. There is no substitute.
The new Cayman.
From $59,900.*
*Price is for a base model only and excludes upgrade options, freight, air tax, licence, fuel fill charge, insurance, PDI, PPSA, administration fees and other applicable
fees and taxes which are all extra. Suggested retail price of model with options shown $64,555. Dealer may sell for less. See your local dealer for details.
Imagine a diesel taking you
to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds.
The Audi A8 TDI. Diesel performance
you never thought possible.
The Audi A8 TDI engine is different. More fuel efficient
than ever, with incredible power and performance you
never imagined possible from diesel. The kind that
takes you from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds*. How’s that
for uncompromising? Visit audi.ca
©2013 Audi Canada. *Please drive safely and obey speed limits. “Audi”, “A8”, “Vorsprung durch Technik”, and the four rings emblem are registered trademarks of AUDI AG.
“TDI” is a registered trademark of Volkswagen AG. European models shown. To fi nd out more about Audi, visit your Audi dealer, call 1-800-FOR-AUDI, or visit us at www.audi.ca.