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November 2, 2024
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No. 277
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In This Week’s Issue
BOOMER BUST

No one holds more responsibility for the state of the country than the baby-boomer generation, write reluctant members Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley …

NOT-SO-SMOOTH SAILING

An influx of cruise ships has sent the WASP-y town of Bar Harbor, Maine, into a frenzy. Now a group of locals is fighting back …

HEAD IN THE CLOUD

How an employee at the elite Kent boarding school allegedly stole personal photos from dozens of female students’ laptops—and almost got away with it …

TURN OFF, TUNE OUT

A resident of the ever politically divided Pennsylvania, Buzz Bissinger can’t wait for this year’s election to end—namely, so that he’ll finally get respite from the incessantly annoying campaign ads …

THE BIRTH OF A NATIONALIST

Long before Donald Trump railed against immigrants, the media, and the “deep state,” England’s Sir James Goldsmith laid the blueprint for modern populism with his Referendum Party …

HARRODS HORROR SHOW

Two hundred and fifty women have accused the late Egyptian billionaire and onetime Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. Here, six tell their story …

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Filmmaker Errol Morris gets to the bottom of The Wizard of Oz’s enduring legacy, which more than a century after its publication continues to enrapture fans …

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Melania speaks! … inside the making of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals … the secret life of Mondrian … the French love of graphic novels … a new book charts Johnny Carson’s unparalleled legacy … Christopher Cawley is changing the antiques game … Hank Azaria does Bruce Springsteen … Who was this week’s biggest Attention Whore?

But First …
Issue No. 277

The View from Here There is a lot at stake this Election Day—not least the legacy of the baby-boom generation

By Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley
Read On
Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook
School for Scandal

Ladies and the Tramp An I.T. employee at the elite Kent boarding school, in Connecticut, downloaded photos from 70 under-age female students’ laptops. Then he moved on to Yale

By Clara Molot
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHOP CHOPPISH SHOP
Read On
Department of Complaints

Undecided? Moi? Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is apoplectic at the political ads bombarding his Pennsylvania home

By Buzz Bissinger
Read On
High-Seas NIMBY

Not in My Bar Harbor Locals are up in arms over a cruise-ship monopoly that’s quickly turning a quaint coastal town into the Venice of Maine

By Clara Molot
Read On
Air Supply

Holiday Spectacular!

Highly selective gifts for everyone on your list
Photo: Jim Richardson/The Denver Post/Getty Images (polar bear)
Shop
Guest Edit

Jennifer Zuccarini’s Favorite Things The founder of Fleur du Mal lingerie and fashion believes in sophisticated seduction and provocative wit. Her secrets to feminine power include Chanterêves Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Morgeots and Fleur du Mal’s men’s silk-Jacquard pj’s

Shop
The Predator

Surviving Mohamed Al Fayed More than 250 women have accused the late owner of Harrods of sexually assaulting them. Now six speak out about their experiences

By Rosamund Urwin
Read On
T.G.I.S.

The Attention-Whore Index Donald Trump rallies, Jeff Bezos censors, and Timothée Chalamet multiplies

Read On
Best
SHOP Choosing Keeping In central London, there’s a stationary shop so exquisite, it makes New York’s superlative Goods for the Study from… LOOK Henri Bendel Throughout its 123 years in business, shoppers from far and wide were able to visit Henri Bendel’s flagship department… LISTEN Bookworm If you haven’t yet heard of the Bookworm radio show, I am deeply envious of the listening you have in store. Hosted by… DINE The Mark Hotel Do you really, really like caviar—or know someone who does? Allow the Mark Hotel to indulge you. The Upper East Side hotspot’s… WEAR Kamakura There was a time when shirts from Brooks Brothers were like cans of Coca-Cola: invariably perfect, egalitarian, and best purchased… READ Great Women Sculptors Phaidon is justifiably known for its sumptuous art books, so it is no surprise that Great Women… SHOP Choosing Keeping In central London, there’s a stationary shop so exquisite, it makes New York’s superlative Goods for the Study from… LOOK Henri Bendel Throughout its 123 years in business, shoppers from far and wide were able to visit Henri Bendel’s flagship department… LISTEN Bookworm If you haven’t yet heard of the Bookworm radio show, I am deeply envious of the listening you have in store. Hosted by… DINE The Mark Hotel Do you really, really like caviar—or know someone who does? Allow the Mark Hotel to indulge you. The Upper East Side hotspot’s… WEAR Kamakura There was a time when shirts from Brooks Brothers were like cans of Coca-Cola: invariably perfect, egalitarian, and best purchased… READ Great Women Sculptors Phaidon is justifiably known for its sumptuous art books, so it is no surprise that Great Women…
Small Talk

The Melania Diaries The former First Lady recalls the moments—and, more importantly, the “unforgettable ensembles”—that will stay with her forever

As told by
Craig Brown
Read On
Past is Prologue

The Billionaire and the Rabble Army Sir James Goldsmith’s short-lived Referendum Party spent lavishly but won few votes. Three decades later, its neo-populist politics are roiling the Western world

By George Pendle
Read On
Fantastical Classics

Varieties of Humbug My enduring fascination with The Wizard of Oz

By Errol Morris
Read On
Small Talk
“I’m your partner, not your ‘work husband.’ Especially around perps.”
“I’m your partner, not your ‘work husband.’ Especially around perps.”
Television

Rivals Laid Bare The jodhpur-ripping, high-camp romp was as much fun to film as it is to watch

By Rosamund Urwin
Read On
After Hours

A Night Celebrating Ashe Leandro Seth Meyers, Amy Schumer, and others gathered at the AIR MAIL Newsstand last Thursday to toast the publication of the design duo’s new book, Ashe Leandro: Architecture + Interiors

By Carolina de Armas
Photographs by Jackie Molloy
5
Top, Reinaldo Leandro and Ariel Ashe; above, Seth Meyers.
Top, Graydon Carter and Seth Meyers; above, the new book Ashe Leandro: Architecture + Interiors.
Top, John Derian; above, David Prior, Alex Tieghi-Walker, Kate Berry, and Adrian Gaut.
Top, Amy Schumer, Reinaldo Leandro, and Ariel Ashe; above, Seth Meyers and Kaitlan Collins.
Top, Tony Shalhoub.
Read On
The Comic Effect

Hang It in the Louvre The comics-loving French have turned World Without End, a graphic novel about climate change, into a surprise best-seller

By Peter Conradi
Read On
Inside Story

The Secret Life of Mondrian Unseen letters, gay lovers, a 30-minute kiss … a new biography pulls back the curtain on the elusive Dutch painter

By Nicholas Fox Weber
Read On
Listen

Lunch with Jesse Tyler Ferguson On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Jesse Tyler Ferguson recalls being sent the first Modern Family script and reading it on his first-generation iPhone in a coffee shop

Read On
Music

Being Your Own Boss Hank Azaria provides the voices for some of The Simpsons’ most beloved characters—but none are as close to his heart as his impression of Bruce Springsteen

By Steve Matoren
Photo Illustration by Chop Choppish Shop
Read On
Books
Josh Karp On

Carson the Magnificent

by Bill Zehme with Mike Thomas
Read On
Alwyn Turner On

Under Cover of Darkness: Murders in Blackout London

by Amy Helen Bell
Read On
Small Talk
“The children claimed to love nature, even as they warmed themselves by roasting the dismembered limbs of the tree’s mother.”
“The children claimed to love nature, even as they warmed themselves by roasting the dismembered limbs of the tree’s mother.”
Listen

AIR MAIL’s Co-Editors Discuss Donald Trump On this week’s podcast, Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley look at the election

Read On
Highlight
A copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1603.

Battle of Battles

In the summer of 1504, one commission pitted two titans of the Italian Renaissance against each other. On a single wall of Florence’s Great Council Chamber, inside what is now the Palazzo Vecchio, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were set to work cheek by jowl, both painting battle scenes nearly 60 feet wide. READ ON

Read On
Close-up

Christopher Cawley Meet the antiques dealer sharing Chinatown’s hottest address with James Veloria and Eckhaus Latta

By Jeanne Malle
Read On
Open Book

A Place in the Sun A new book tells the story of Ballroom Marfa, the West Texas arts center that has brought together creatives such as Takashi Murakami and Agnes Denes for the last 20 years

10
Shea Butter Irrigation System, a Rashid Johnson installation at Ballroom Marfa, 2013.
Top, Haroon Mirza’s Stone Circle, 2018; above, Candice Lin’s On the Back of Syphilis Mountain Candelilla Grows, 2019.
Top, Takashi Murakami’s Jellyfish Eyes, Black, 2003; above, Sigalit Landau’s DeadSee, 2005.
Hello Meth Lab in the Sun, by Jonah Freeman, Justin Lowe, and Alexandre Singh, 2008.
Top, Solange Pessoa’s Untitled (Version Minas-Texas), 1994–2019; above, another view of Hello Meth Lab in the Sun.
Video stills from Weather Center, by Kelly Nipper, 2009.
Top, Patty Chang’s Invocation for a Wandering Lake: Part 1 & 2, 2016; above, Graham Reynolds’s The Marfa Triptych: The Desert, 2014.
A Retrospective View of the Pathway (Falling Sculpture), by Roger Hiorns, 2010–15.
Top, Elmgreen & Dragset’s Prada Marfa, 2005; above, Maria Hassabi’s Gloria, 2007.
Top, a moment from DJ Camp, a children’s summer program spearheaded by JD DiFabbio; above, Guadalupe Maravilla’s Mariposa Relámpago, 2023.
Small Talk
“I know old homes come with their own risks, but I just love the sense of history.”
“I know old homes come with their own risks, but I just love the sense of history.”
The Imperfect Ending

Jesse Eisenberg

The Academy Award–nominated actor shares his least favorite things
Read On
Risko’s Sketchbook
Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Creative Director

Angela Panichi

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Chris Garrett Nathan King Julia Vitale

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Editor at Large

George Pendle

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editor

Elena Clavarino

Investigations Editor

Clara Molot

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Carolina de Armas Lucy Horowitz Jeanne Malle Paulina Prosnitz Jack Sullivan

Art Director

Paloma Huerre

Senior Photo Editor

Emine Gözde Sevim

Designer

Zoé Gillette

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

Communications Director

Harrison Vail

Columnists

Dana Brown Cazzie David Lisa Henricksson
Walter Isaacson Pico Iyer Rachel Johnson
John Lahr Jonathan Margolis Linda Wells
James Wolcott

Writers at Large

Lili Anolik Bridget Arsenault Johanna Berkman Joseph Bullmore Vassi Chamberlain William D. Cohan Rich Cohen Michael Hainey Stuart Heritage George Kalogerakis Sam Kashner James Kirchick Alexander Lobrano Alexandra Marshall Daphne Merkin Sam Wasson

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Pip Carter Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks Hilary Knight Danielle Kosann Michael Lindsay-Hogg Ross MacDonald Joe McKendry James McMullan Donald Robertson Charles Dare Scheips Grant Shaffer Ed Sorel Ralph Steadman

Contributing Photographers

Jonathan Becker Justin Bishop Alex Board James Emmerman Marcos Fecchino Daniel Paik Art Streiber Sharon Suh Justin Weiner

Architectural Consultant

Basil Walter

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Audience Growth Manager

Merritt Johnson

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Business Development Director

Catherine Scott

European Sales Director

Selim Mataraci

Financial & Business Operations

Marc Leyer

Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

Chief Merchant

Jennifer Noyes

Shop Editor

Jessica Iredale

E-Commerce Manager

Isaac Metlitsky

E-commerce Associate

Lilly Schoenbaum

In Memoriam

Peter Bogdanovich Duncan Hannah Douglas McGrath Richard David Story André Leon Talley

Issue No. 277
November 2, 2024
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Issue No. 277
November 2, 2024
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