Happy Saturday, readers! There’s less than a fortnight to go until the US’s political fate is decided (for our coverage, see here). But there are plenty of other things going on in the world – today, read about the secrets of brains and what it’s like living in Kanye West’s abandoned mansion.
I saved my favourite for the end.
1. The Faustian pact between stars and the public
The death of Liam Payne has prompted worldwide tributes for the former One Direction member, but it has also sparked something of a reckoning about celebrity culture. This piece by crisis PR consultant and author Mark Borkowski urges us to treat celebrities like humans and not gods – and points out that while stars may think they understand the demands of public life, many don’t.
“Celebrity in 2024 is like stepping into a spotlight that continues to follow you when you leave the stage,” he writes. “And, believe me, there’s no line this invasive spotlight won’t cross. Once you’re in it, the media and public don’t easily respect boundaries. They view public figures as akin to public property, commodities whose personal lives are of as much interest as their professional output.”
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
‘Liam Payne was just getting started’: In the hours after his death, Alexis Petridis penned a beautiful piece on Payne. And regardless of whether you fell in love with One Direction at 13, Kate Solomon’s tribute is worth your time.
2. On sleeping with older men
The first man Daniel fell for was his humanities teacher – a straight, married man who was 37 when Daniel was born. “This entirely unrequited crush (which I never admitted to anyone until I was well into adulthood) planted the germ of who I became,” Daniel writes in this colourful chronicle of early sexuality, during which he attempted “to counter society’s assumption” that he was chasing older men “because I wanted their money”.
“Intergenerational gay relationships are always scrutinised for being transactional,” he writes. “Acquisitive stereotypes cut both ways: the younger partner worries about seeming conniving, while the older partner fears being fed a line, as if his significant other is the dating equivalent of a phishing email. My commitment to self-sufficiency was not what allowed Jeff and I to transcend these preconceptions. It was the strength of our attachment, the reality that we fell in love.”
How long will it take to read: Six minutes.
Further reading: Sticking to the theme of love, read this interview with actor Richard E Grant who talks about heartbreak, ambition and grieving the loss of his wife.
3. Cracking the secrets of ancient brains
The very idea of a 2,500-year-old brain is mind-blowing. How does a brain preserve itself? Why do some become “shrunken, spongy or crumbly to touch”, while others completely disintegrate and all that is left is the mighty secure skull?
Alexandra Morton-Hayward has been busy studying “the molecular processes that occur after death to preserve brain tissue” – or as we might say, brain preservation. What she and other experts have found is groundbreaking and somewhat bleak – “many preserved brains come from people whose lives ended miserably”. The scientist’s own story is an illuminating tale as to why people often pursue the work they do: she traces her fascination with the brain to a very specific time – when her own brain began to torture her.
How long will it take to read: Eleven minutes.
Another brainy read: The secrets of millions buried in the Paris catacombs – what killed them and what diseases they suffered from – are finally coming to light. “Astonishing as it may seem, there has never been any serious scientific study of the catacombs,” the forensic pathologist leading this project says.
4. Teacher-less pilates: ‘There is a soothing quality to the digital instructor’s voice’
As someone who tried reformer pilates, only to fail to activate my core and fall like a gasping fish to the ground, I am impressed by Michael Sun. He cringes about the last reformer class he attended – rescued by the instructor after his entire body caved into a gap – and now relishes in his first time at a “45-minute virtual session featuring pre-recorded demonstrations by a digital teacher”. “An abhorrently cheerful voice radiates from a screen at the front of the room: ‘You got this!’” he writes. “I grunt in response.”
Suffice to say, this is a very fun read.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
5. John Safran’s week of squatting in Ye’s mansion
What is it like to squat in Kanye West’s house? Apparently not very fun, according to John Safran. The Jewish Australian comedian-journalist flew from Melbourne to LA to spontaneously slip inside the rapper’s (abandoned and unlocked) Calabasas mansion and spend a week “trying to understand West’s psyche”. The result is unnerving.
Guardian Australia’s Sian Cain navigates the comedian’s latest stunt, which he describes as a “writer’s retreat” (but what others would just call trespassing) – “sleeping in the rapper’s bed and raiding the pantry” – with great contextualisation and brilliant questions. It’s one of my favourite interviews of the year.
Safran’s reasoning: “You know, I blame society for me breaking into Kanye West’s mansion,” he tells Cain, faux-seriously. “The signs were there. You could have stopped me.”
What does one eat in a vacated Kanye house? Some old pasta cooked in a bucket of rainwater.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
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