The FADER Weekend Reading List

Andrew Reiner, New York Times

The author of this piece is a professor who teaches a Men's Studies course called “Real Men Smile: The Changing Face of Masculinity." If the idea of a class in Men's Studies sounds reductive to you, you're not alone—but it's a little more than that. Professor Reiner explains it all, and why we should teach—or rather, allow—boys to exhibit their feelings and not swallow them up in defense of their "masculinity." In the same vein, Amanda Hess explored gender fluidity and the use of the pronoun "they" for this months' NYT Magazine, and calls for the banishing of solid gender divides in early childhood.

Carrie Battan, GQ

Battan's got the lowdown on celebrity club appearances. From Scott Disick to Lil Jon to Kim K.—what exactly do celebs need to do to get paid to be at the club? Which ones don't turn up for less than 25K?

Alex Frank, The FADER

For The FADER's upcoming Producer's Issue, FADER contributor Alex Frank spoke with up-and-coming producer Kaytranada about emerging from a bout of depression to finish his joyful disco house debut album 99%.

Gabriel Sherman, New York Mag

We all know that Donald Trump is out of his tiny mind. But what's really, truly nutty is seeing what goes on inside his campaign. All I will tell you is that there is a literal Wall Of Shame in the N.Y.C. headquarters. Read to find out the rest for yourselves.

Also in Trump news this week: A Palm Reader Who Claims She Read Donald Trump's Hand Tells All [Broadly].

Amos Barshad, The FADER

Kesha's unsuccessful court case against her assaulter and former mentor Dr. Luke got us all thinking about the role of the powerful pop producer. The FADER's Barshad teaches us about the origin of the manipulative, consuming Svengali character and takes us through its pop incarnations—Phil Spector, Ike Turner, and Lou Pearlman all make appearances. “In other artistic fields, the svengali occurs regularly," he writes. "In pop, the svengali is baked into the system.”

Reggie Ugwu, BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed's Reggie Ugwu recounts a journey to his father's hometown in Nigeria in this unbelievably good, heartbreaking essay.

Also from BuzzFeed this week: The Female Director Who Was (Almost) Crushed By Hollywood.

Cara Giaimo, Atlas Obscura

The true, soothing story of how a hippy named Irv Teibel's meticulously collected field recordings changed how we hear nature, forever. "He had a musician's ear, an artist's heart, and a salesman's tongue," Giaimo writes, "and his work lives on in yoga studios, Skymall catalogs, and the sea-blue eyes of Brian Eno. If you haven't heard of him, it's only because he designed his own legacy to be invisible." 🍃