More from: James Medd
Style December 2021
THE ORIGINAL MODFATHER
Charlie Watts was unpretentious, self-deprecating, romantic and faithful. It meant that it took some time — decades, in fact — for this stylish Rolling Stone to stand out in a band full of rockers. But when the end came, Watts had earned the reverence that was his due.
Style December 2021
CLASSROOM PRIVILEGE
Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland has been the school of choice for royalty, captains of industry and the 1 per cent of the 1 per cent for more than a century. Yet globalisation has sent new money across old borders and antiquated societies, and the immense changes have left this great academic institution under pressure to move with the times, writes James Medd.
Style October 2021
SWING TIME
Artie Shaw was the king of jazz in the interwar years, a slick and suave performer who raked in the big bucks every time he picked up a clarinet. Unfortunately for Artie, the control he enjoyed on stage was lost when it came to his restless and torturous life.
Icons September 2021
The Director's Cut: John Huston
John Huston — director, screenwriter, ‘compulsive satyr’ — was a legend in his own picaresque lifetime, as much for his high jinks away from the camera as for his achievements…
Style July 2021
MAD ABOUT THE BOY
Guy Madison was one of Hollywood’s original ‘beefcakes’, a man known and adored more for his looks than his acting talent. But in the burgeoning visual age of the mid 20th century, that was more than enough.
Icons May 2021
Escaping The Tyranny Of The Ordinary: Paul Theroux
The writer Paul Theroux has been cast in a great American tradition — as an inquirer, an idealist and, most importantly, a subversive. Originally published in Issue 64 of The Rake, James Medd writes that from his defining work, 1975’s The Great Railway Bazaar, he has helped us see the world anew.
Style May 2021
MILLER’S TALE
Robert Miller made his immense wealth from duty-free shopping, yet business domination was never enough for this salesman’s son from small-town Massachusetts. Originally published in Issue 48 of The Rake, James Medd writes that Miller wanted to secure his place in the global elite — and with the help of some strategic thinking, fealty to the aristocratic way, and three very eligible daughters, he has written his own great American story.
Style April 2021
UNFORGETTABLE?
How should we memorialise Nat King Cole? If, like St. Nick and the Advent calendar, it is once a year in December, we are doing Cole’s talent, influence and life story a disservice.
Style March 2021
POWER AND THE GLORY
His looks and charisma made him a star, and at one point in the Golden Age of Hollywood he was known as the ‘king of the movies’. Originally published in Issue 47 of The Rake, James Medd writes that Tyrone Power was his own harshest critic, and such acclamation was never quite enough…
Style February 2021
GOTTCHA
The Teflon Don, the Dapper Don, folk hero and brutal Mafioso: the legend of John Gotti contained more than one narrative. Originally published in Issue 53 of The Rake, James Medd writes that Gotti, the fifth of 13 children born to Italian immigrants, couldn’t handle the role of Mob boss. In the end, this insecure, violent, swaggering outlaw was the man who broke the family business.
Style February 2021
ALL WORK AND ALL PLAY: Francisco 'Baby' Pignatari
Originally published in Issue 41 of The Rake, James Medd writes that Francisco ‘Baby’ Pignatari was not your average playboy. True, he enjoyed plenty of sexual conquests, and was harshly dismissive of some of the women in his life. He embraced danger and lived his life, as it’s said, ‘to the full’. But one thing set him apart: all the cash he burned through at night he earned through hard work during the day.
Style February 2021
PROFITS OF DOOM
They are the 0.1 per cent, a socio-economic group of their own whose wealth, conspicuous consumption, egos and at times criminal behaviour have served to illuminate modern western morality. Originally published in Issue 57 of The Rake, James Medd writes that hedge-fund billionaires, see themselves as ‘alphas’, as masters of the universe, heirs to the robber barons who built America’s global dominance. With investors like these, what could possibly go wrong?
