The Band That Invented Millennials
How the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a trio of Gen X rockers, made radical sincerity cool
The Toll of Hiding One’s True Self
In his new memoir, Seán Hewitt describes coming out of the closet—only to build another one for himself.
The Guggenheim’s Scapegoat
A museum curator was forced out of her job over allegations of racism that an investigation deemed unfounded. What did her defenestration accomplish?
The Playful Return of SNL
The show operates first and foremost as a group effort, and last night’s ensemble cast signaled surprising potential.
Don’t Question the Magic of Hocus Pocus
The more Bette Midler runs amok, the better.
How to Listen to Björk, According to Björk
The Icelandic artist breaks down her powerful new album, Fossora.
The Books We Read Too Late—And That You Should Read Now
One of the great, bittersweet pleasures of life is finishing a title and thinking about how it might have affected you—if only you’d found it sooner.
The Hidden World of Scents Outside Your Door
Part of the allure of going on a smell walk is how challenging it feels to engage such an underused sense.
Orhan Pamuk’s Literature of Paranoia
Living in Turkey has made the author a master of the genre.
Bros Is a Rom-Com as Entertaining as It Is Therapeutic
Billy Eichner is reliably hilarious and surprisingly introspective.
There’s Good Reason for Sports to Be Separated by Sex
If the practice stopped, top-level women’s sport as we know it might cease to exist.
Hollywood Learned All the Wrong Lessons From Avatar
Thirteen years ago, James Cameron’s 3-D epic shook the industry—not necessarily for the better.
The Simple Secret of French Baking
Master the classics, then improvise.
Madhuri Vijay on Cruelty as Righteousness
“I’m fascinated by cruelty in all its various guises—cruelty as negligence, as sadism, as self-protection, as misguided kindness, as accident, and, increasingly, as righteousness.”
Hill Station
A short story
Who Is Tracy Flick Now?
Tom Perrotta revisits his cult character and looks back on the ’90s feminism that made her.
The Only Two Seasons That Matter Now
We have hibernation time and thriving time. That can be a good thing.
The Pandemic Novel That’s Frozen in Time
Stories that focus on the minor quirks of daily life can paradoxically help us see societal pain more clearly.
The Elitist History of Wearing Black to Funerals
Today, mourning attire is subdued and dutiful. It wasn’t always that way.