Premier Magazine by Miranda Garcia

premier december 2021

Whats New?

Inhaler.

4 6 8 14 20 WHATS NEW?

Inhaler

CLOSE UP

Lauren Ridloff

HOW TO

Kicki

contents

JAPAN'S OSCAR ENTRY

Drive My Car

FOCUS

Telfar Clemens

STYLE EVOLUTION

Lady Gaga

GIFT SHOP

Yang Zhang

Ideas

WHAT'S NEW?

Inhaler N

ine years ago, a couple of teenage boys in Dublin wrote a song about a breakup. It was about that lingering feeling of trying to shake someone off, even if it feels like they’re stuck in your head forever. It was called ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ and they really believed what they said – except the band couldn’t quite anticipate that the song would take on a different meaning as the coronavirus pandemic reared its ugly head. Naturally, Inhaler leant into the eerie serendipity of it all: it soon became an anthem for uncertain times, and is now the name of their debut album. “It took on this whole new meaning in lockdown, the feeling of trying to be hopeful and get through it all,” says frontman Eli Hewson (son of Paul David Hewson, or as the rest of the world knows him, another Irish rockstar called Bono) of the track that they just can’t quit. “It’s six words to hang on to,” he adds, sitting patiently next to his bandmate, bassist Robert Keating, with NME in London after almost five years of songwriting, gigging, recording and, well, self-isolating behind the scenes, waiting for the world to be ready to hear Inhaler in full bloom. The finished product appears to have two distinct halves; the first is a portrait of the artists as young men – full of volatile, nervous energy that spoke to a fanbase ready to latch onto a hopeful artist for a new generation – and the other about life in their 20s: a more mature, measured band, forced to take stock of the changing world around them. “You get into a band so you don’t have to grow up,” Hewson says of Inhaler’s decision to quit school at 16 and throw themselves into music. “When we were teenagers we’d write about the girl you fancy or the house party you went to, but when lockdown hit it was like, ‘If you’re ever going to write about the world you’re going to do it now.’ We wanted

to make a record about that weird area between being an adult and a teenager, trying to find yourself and getting lost and finding yourself again, getting lost again, going for a pint, wondering why the world exists.” That sense of powerless confusion is potent on the haunting ‘What A Strange Time to Be Alive’, one of five tracks on the album

"YOU GET INTO A BAND SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GROW UP" born during the pandemic over countless Zoom writing sessions. “We wrote music we couldn’t play together, that didn’t feel like it could be played at an Inhaler show,” says Keating. Inhaler went from being a live band to a studio one – there was no adrenaline, no tours, just the four boys having to trust their instincts to make something that could go the distance. Thankfully, it paid off: there’s the robust, sauntering ‘Slide Out The Window’, a thinly-veiled Thin Lizzy tribute with ‘In My Sleep’, and the playful and somehow poignant album standout ‘Who’s Your Money On’ – on which you could easily mistake Hewson’s authoritative, dynamic vocals for his father’s. ‘It Won’t Always Like This’ offers an eclectic range of daring songs – appropriate for a young, rough and ready band still figuring themselves out. “Usually you get people’s visual reactions – if they go to the bar, you know you should make something more

exciting,” explains Hewson of Inhaler’s usual play-it-live-and-see-what-sticks modus operandi. “You don’t have that connection with the fans in Instagram comments or Spotify streams, so it was more of a shot in the dark.” The band are grateful for their devoted fans – but also happy to have had a bit of peace. “It was nice to have that time away from them because it was just about what the four of us wanted rather than the fans,” Keating adds. What Inhaler want is to be free, in every sense of the word. They don’t want to be bound by genre – there was a time where they could have been a metal band (“We played ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and butchered it – that definitely scared us away from doing metal!”), and are now looking ahead to explore “dancier, more Talking Heads” melodies in their new midtempo material on this album – but also on the second and third, for which they’ve already written plenty. They say they want to steer clear of cookie-cutter music “that doesn’t make you feel anything”, and they love guitar music more than anything else: “You get a jolt through your system when you can hear them hitting a string,” Hewson says. “I think people want that physicality.” Once they find an opening, good luck trying to contain Inhaler for much longer. “We were lucky we could hold off during the pandemic and focus on the future,” Hewson says, recognising the gift of patience, and hope, at a time like this. “We want to make sure we’re hitting the ground running with our feet, not our face. What can the world expect when, finally, things are no longer like this and Inhaler’s first album can finally run free? “A bit of defiance,” the frontman confidently says. “Joy is the antidote to this whole experience.”

Japan's Oscar Entry

Drive My Car

Is a Gorgeous Tale of

Loss and Forgiveness

umans need to be close to other humans: when you say it like that, it sounds like your typical warm, fuzzy truism, the kind of platitude we all accept without question. The truth is that real closeness goes far beyond appreciation for—or adoration of—another person. It requires a fortitude that’s almost steely, an openness to self-examination that can be as painful as it is edifying. That’s one of the ideas at the heart of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s swimmingly gorgeous three-hour drama Drive My Car. The movie is tender like a rainstorm: only in the aftermath, after you’ve allowed time for its ideas to settle, does its full picture become clear. It’s the kind of movie that makes everything feel washed clean, a gentle nudge of encouragement suggesting that no matter how tired you feel, you can move on in the world. Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), the middle-aged widower at the center of Drive My Car, may seem to be moving along through life, but he isn’t really. He’s an acclaimed actor and the proponent of an innovative style of theater, in which not all the performers speak the same tongue: the dialogue is projected, translated into multiple languages, above the stage. Kafuku’s wife, Oto (Reika Kirishima), a television writer, has been dead for two years: we meet her in the movie’s opening scenes, which give us a sense of the couple’s respectful but somewhat detached relationship. They’ve lost a child; Oto has been unfaithful. But it becomes clear that her sudden death has affected Kafuku in ways he hasn’t reckoned with.

Hidetoshi Nishijima and Toko Miura in ‘Drive My Car’ Courtesy of Sideshow/Janus Films He accepts an appointment with a theater festival in Hiroshima, to mount a production of Uncle Vanya. The festival provides him with a driver, a rather sullen young woman from the country, Misaki (Toko Miura), who will drive him to and from rehearsals in his Saab 900, a car he cherishes. Misaki waits for him, smoking and reading, as he goes about his business; the two don’t talk much—until they do. The bond between them deepens gradually, even as Kafuku staves off some emotional turmoil he hadn’t been expecting: Takatsuki (Masaki Okada), a handsome young TV actor, has auditioned for the play, and Kafuku casts him in the lead role—even though Takatsuki’s mere presence stirs up some particularly painful memories of his late wife. Drive My Car is a story of loss and forgiveness—not just the act of forgiving another person, but also of forgiving oneself. The movie is adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story of the same name, from his collection Men Without Women. Hamaguchi— who cowrote the script with Takamasa Oe— fleshes out Murakami’s potent, economical tale without ever making it feel padded or bloated. With his words and ideas, Murakami provides the roots; Hamaguchi explores the branches and tendrils of feeling that stem from there, using Chekhov’s language—its dialogue of regrets and longing, and of the importance of capturing the fleeting joy of life as we’re living it—to find purchase between the boughs. 7

U P Lauren Ridloff

auren Ridloff is finally ready to slow down. After months of being on the road promoting Eternals, she’s looking cozy on Zoom as she gets ready to talk about the film some more with me. But things are different now that the film, which was pushed back due to the pandemic, is actually out. Even though it’s a Marvel movie, Lauren is still surprised to hear all the good things about how fans have embraced her character Makkari. Premier sat down and chatted with Lauren about the success of Eternals, the impact Makkari has had on the public’s interest in learning sign language, Makkari and Druig’s relationship, and her hopes for the future of Deaf stories in Hollywood.

Premier: What has it been like seeing the public's reaction to Eternals so far? Was there anything that surprised you? Lauren Ridloff: When I was in the shooting process, I really had a myopic vision of the film. I was so close to it, I couldn’t really see the big picture. Even at the premiere, seeing the audience’s reaction—all the cheering when Makkari actually came up on the screen—I realized that this film really is so much more than just a basic superhero idea. You see people that are different sizes and shapes and different colors with different abilities. I think it’s just lovely to see all that actually work together for that common goal. PR:Was there a moment during filming that made you realize you were doing something really special? LR: The first time that the cast actually met with [director] Chloé Zhao was just to get a good sense of the story and really see what we’re getting ourselves into. That conversation was about how all of us were kind of outcasts at one point in our lives. It kind of set the tone and became the heart of the story. There was also another moment when all of us got together in our superhero costumes for the very first time together on that windy cliff. We thanked Chloé for giving us those few moments just to check each other out and go, “Not bad. We’re looking pretty good. This is a good-looking group of people.”

PR: The end of the film shows us that

there’s more coming. What are you hoping to see next with Makkari? LR: I was surprised at the end of the movie when it came up, “Eternals will be back.” I was like, “Wait, what’s happening here? I did not get that memo!” But I’m definitely thrilled. What I hope to see for Makkari moving forward is her being able to use her superpower more, and I would love to see her mischievous side. What has she been doing all that time? PR: Over recent years, there’s been growth

in Hollywood and its inclusion of American Sign Language and Deaf actors. What do you think about it all as an actor?

LR: Deaf actors have been around, but the roles that they are assigned to play are just usually small or have that victim mentality. We are so much more than just our deafness or our disability. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more stories out there with more Deaf people and with more people with disabilities also involved behind the camera, pre-production, production, post-production, and even the marketing

" We are so much more than just our deafness or our disability." PR: There’s also a lack of intersectionality when it comes to Deaf characters. What are your hopes for changes there? LR: I feel like growing up, when I saw someone who was representing one aspect of my identity—let’s say a Black person or a Latina person—I would always feel that my other identities were diminished. To see that there’s now more of an exploration of the intersectionality of identities, it’s such a fluid experience. I think people who belong to more than one community, including marginalized communities, are fortunate because they have a better understanding and a strong sense of empathy for others. PR: You’re a Marvel superhero now. What’s next on the bucket list? LR: Another week of sleep! Just some solid sleep. I’m also looking forward to my holidays. I haven’t had a vacation in forever. I’m going to Tulum, Mexico to celebrate my father’s retirement and it’s going to be wonderful just to get back to the beach with my family, in the country where my family’s from, and have some tacos, some piña coladas. And just party on the beach with my loved ones.

FOCUS

Telfar Clemens

hen Telfar Clemens went to sign the contract for his new home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, he spotted a woman walking into the house next door carrying a box-shaped, medium-sized orange shopping tote with double shoulder straps, top handles and an embossed TC logo. She looked at him, pointed at the bag and realised her new neighbour was the designer behind her Bushwick Birkin, a nickname coined by multimedia artist Xya Rachel for the faux-leather Bloomingdale’s-inspired shopping bag. “It’s everywhere, I see it on people all day,” says Clemens. “Whenever we meet someone with it, we’re immediately connected because they get us,” adds Babak Radboy, the artistic director of Clemens’s label Telfar. “That’s what makes our customers so special.” Radboy has known Clemens, now 36, since the two were teenagers. “We don’t know where we met because we were just in the same spaces with the same friends, as kids in New York who look like us are,” says Radboy, who was born in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in the midst of the country’s revolution in 1978. Like Clemens, who was born and raised in LeFrak City, Queens, Radboy spent his adolescent years in New York, where they crossed paths while growing up. But it wasn’t until 2013, when he started dating Telfar stylist Avena Gallagher (now his partner and the mother of their six-year-old son, Malcolm Rae), that Radboy – who is also known for his creative direction on Kanye West’s video for Power, the Middle East-focused arts publication Bidoun and the art and fashion line Shanzhai Biennial – officially began working with Clemens. “When Avena and I moved in together, Telfar would always be having fittings at our house and I just slowly started to get involved in the business. I’d always wanted to work with him but I also needed to pay my rent,” he says with a laugh. “So I got a big job in 2013, designing stuff for a video game and, after that, I decid-

ed to take three months out and work with Telfar, and I just got hooked. Out of all the people I knew, I saw what he was doing as the most forward-thinking.” Despite its popular moniker, the Telfar shop ing bag is worlds apart from the rarefied, much-fetishised Birkin by Hermès – its leather is fake, its price point markedly accessible and its availability egalitarian, shattering traditional expectations of cult items and It bags. When Clemens won the CFDA award for American Accessories Designer of the Year in 2020, he used his prize fund to scale up production, offering an unlimited number of bags available for pre-order over a 24-hour period. The now-signature staple had gone viral a year earlier – everyone from Oprah to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to people travelling to and from work on the streets of Brooklyn had it, each new drop selling out almost before its arrival had been announced. Perception of Clemens’s namesake label, already successful and acclaimed, changed palpably. That bag is big – actually, it comes in three sizes – but Telfar is about far more. Since its inception in 2005, the brand has spearheaded the celebration of gender fluidity and inclusivity. Its debut at Paris Fashion Week for Spring/ Summer 2020 was inspired by the archetype of a newly arrived immigrant in the western world, known in the West African diasporic community as Johnny Just Come. Described by Clemens as “you’ve-just-come-to this-country kind of style”, the looks combined new and second-hand clothes in the form of running shorts over fishnets, hoodies with starched collars underneath and his most recognisable design to date: a sporty tank top with straps askew. Clemens hybridises unexpected fabrics and cuts – his cargo-blended jean shorts are a prime example – to not only subvert traditional clothing but also ideas of sexuality, reimagining Americana and celebrating Black queerness. Catering to all is what Telfar is about.

"i'm creating something bigger than fashion" 13

A GUIDE TO

Lady Gaga's STYLE EVOLUTION

t is undeniable that, in the worlds of music, fashion and art, Lady Gaga has been leading the way for the 10+ years she’s been in the spotlight. Since her arrival back in 2008, she has toed the line between high concept artistry and shocking scandal. The Italian-American New Yorker knows how to make a statement about herself, her fans and the disenfranchised people her music speaks to. Of course, this grounded discourse has always been elevated and given a lick of glamour thanks to Lady Gaga’s close ties to designers like Alexander McQueen and Donatella Versace throughout the years. Now, after everybody’s favourite pop star returned to form with the electropop excellence that is Chromatica, she donned a 70s black perm and some iconic Gucci archive looks in her new thriller House of Gucci. As we celebrate the movie that could get Gaga her first Academy Award, here’s Mother Monster’s style evolution.

2008 HAIRBOW

It’s 2008 and Minnie Mouse has been found dead in a ditch. The giant hair bow was an early sign that Gaga was going to be a champion for the queer community, taking society’s concepts of conventional beauty and making them campy and ridiculous.

2009 VMAs

At her first VMAs, wearing an Alexander McQueen sheer lace dress in cherry-cherry-boom-boom red that ascended into a mask across her face, topped off with a towering, jagged crown, she took to the stage to accept her win for ‘Best New Artist’. She thanked “God and the gays” for her new found success.

2010 THE MEAT DRESS

A year of cigarette sunglasses and offending the Pope with some iconic blasphemy was characterised by the notorious moment Gaga accepted her Video Of The Year VMA for “Bad Romance”, wearing an entire outfit made of raw, flank beef steak designed by Franc Fernandez. She sat next to outspoken vegan Ellen DeGeneres and handed her meat bag to Cher, but the underlying talking point stemmed from her desire to speaking out against the controversial, anti-LGBT+ legislation, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. “If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones,” she 15

2011 JOE CALDERONE 2017 SUPERBOWL At the beginning of the decade, unsubstantiated tabloid rumours that Gaga was a hermaphrodite were swirling. She took an articulate jab back at them on the cover of Q Magazine with a dildo stuffed down her pants. Later, in true Gaga fashion, she mocked the tabloid vitriol while showing support for the LGBTQ+ community by appearing in drag as her male alter-ego, Jo Calderone.

2013 ARTPOP

The ARTPOP album and its subsequent artRAVE tour was a whirlwind of chaotic energy. Gaga toyed with the boundaries between fashion, music and art, collaborating with Jeff Koons, Marina Abramovic and… T.I. (?), taking her craft to a place the world clearly wasn’t quite ready for in 2013. 16

As she abseiled through the air and sung a medley of her hits for the half-time show, she paid homage to the first decade of her career in a custom, broad shouldered, bodysuit and go-go boots all encrusted with Swarovski crystals, later stripping down into a bejewelled American Football cropped jersey

2016 JOANNE HAT

The wide brimmed, millennial pink cowboy hat designed by good friend Gladys Tamez was the defining image for Gaga’s fifth album. Gaga was the epitome of the all-American girl-next-door, swinging her high pony and rocking crop tops and daisy dukes.

2018 A STAR IS BORN 2021 HOUSE OF GUCCI She defied the critics and with her leading role in the hit film A Star is Born, As she stepped out at the Venice Film Festival in Valentino Haute Couture, the baby-pink, feathered, off-the-shoulder gown that moved with every step was the perfect show-stopper to celebrate her new household name status. We have flashbacks of her refusing that umbrella in the pouring rain every few hours.

After spending eighteen months embodying Patrizia Regiani, the murderous wife of Maurizio Gucci, for Ridley Scott’s upcoming fashion drama House of Gucci, Gaga was very much back to form for the premiere. Showcasing a new vampy style, her purple Gucci gown from the Spring 2022 ready-to-wear collection billowed as her rhinestoned, mesh-gloved hands swung the sheer draping fabric around.

2019 MET GALA 2020 CHROMATICA When Gaga was announced as a host of the 2019 Met Gala, themed around the concept of camp, we knew our jaws would be on the floor. What we didn’t know is that Gaga would serve not one, not two, not three, but four whole damn looks all within 16 minutes.

Little monsters the world over rejoiced as Gaga returned to the high-concept performances, iconic fashion moments and cinematic music videos that her early album releases were known for. The Chromatica universe gave us warring monochromatic alien tribes and it’s lead single, “Stupid Love”. 17

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HOW TO PAINT EYE-POPPING FACE-SCAPES

with

Kicki Yang Zhang

hose who believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder should meet Kicki Yang Zhang. For the German artist, who uses paint to transform her features into a backdrop for eye-popping, kaleidoscopic designs, face-painting has far more to do with her own feeling of satisfaction than it does with the reactions of her large online following. Zhang shows us how to paint ourselves happy.

1 2 3 4 5

Source your material. As you may have guessed, there are some things you shouldn’t use as make up. My favorite thing to use are water-based face paints— they’re pretty inexpensive, come off easily at the end of the day, and best of all, you can mix them! So go out and get a whole set. As for brushes, I use regular paintbrushes, not makeup brushes.

Meditate on it. Ask yourself, “How am I really feeling today?”

Pair the emotions you’re feeling (see STEP 2) with their corresponding colors. This is completely up to your own interpretation. For example, red is a color that lots of people associate with anger, but for me it feels like happiness. If you’re feeling good today, and blue is your happy color, whip it out! It’s time to look into the mirror. Which part of your face are you into today? That’s the point you’re going to build your look around. You can’t decide? That means your entire face looks cute af today— we love a confident queen. Pick a random spot. I know this is a bit cliche, but just go for it! Shapes, flowers, little penises if you feel like it. There is literally nothing you can’t paint on your face. Let your emotions guide you.

6 7

Have a mental breakdown because your look didn’t turn out how you hoped it would. That’s the beauty of make up! Simply wipe it off and start over. Basically, repeat STEP 5 until you’re happy.

Look into the mirror and say, “I’m that bitch.”