In a new limited-edition capsule collection, Dr. Martens took inspiration from British rock legends The Who. Launching on Thursday, fans will be able to grab a pair of retro-style Docs updated with the band’s signature target logo. The collection includes the classic 1461 shoe, as well as a boot, a canvas lace-up, a more formal loafer (with a tassel that emphasizes the general mod-ness of it all), and a slip-on option — it’s a tastefully subtle nod to the band that so perfectly encapsulated the groovy vibes of the ’60s. And since both the band and the footwear brand are such institutions when it comes to British counterculture, it’s shocking this didn’t happen sooner. If Dr. Martens is so interested in ’60s rock collabs, perhaps an Elton John collection could be imminent? The reviews for Rocketman are glowing and I’d love to see a disco-ball-adorned Doc.
The Dr. Martens x The Who collab launches in stores and online on Thursday.
With his upcoming biopic Rocketman slated for 2019, and his farewell tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, Sir Elton John returns to the spotlight. This multifaceted artist has transformed every aspect of showbiz as we know it, influencing fashion, music, and even soccer. Aside from his accomplishments in vocal performance, Elton John has an awe inspiring resume — we highlight some lesser known facts about the icon.
He isn’t just about the music, he’s also a sports fanatic. The triple-threat Brit owned a soccer team, Watford Football Club from 1976-1987 and 1997-2002. He is currently an honorary life president and even had a stadium named after him in 2014. In 1975, John made his love for athletics abundantly clear when he performed Dodger Stadium in a sequined baseball uniform. We’d expect nothing less.
Along with being a spectacular showman, John is an excellent composer. He won Best Original Song during the 67th Academy Awards, along with Tim Rice, for “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from The Lion King, as well as a Grammy during the 37th Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Later, he composed the musical score for a number of hit Broadway shows including Billy Elliot: The Musical and Aida.
To call him a fashion icon is an understatement. Elton John is a fashion muse, instigator, and tastemaker. Blossoming during the 70’s glam era, he had no problem indulging in luxurious camp. Big rhinestone sunglasses, huge plumage, multi-colored bow-ties, he had the ability to reinvent suits with opulent theatrics. He has a close working relationship with Gucci, responsible for designing the outfits for his farewell tour, which commenced in September and is scheduled to continue until 2021.
Politics makes strange bedfellows, and so does musical entertainment. Since their controversial duet in 2001 during the 43rd Grammy Awards, during which Elton John sang the accompaniment to Eminem’s hit rap song “Stan”, the two mega-stars have remained close friends. Over the years the two have reportedly exchanged everything from life advice to extravagantly outrageous wedding presents.
One of the most exciting releases of the week is Muse’s new single “Pressure,” making it the fifth track to be released off their upcoming album Simulation Theory. According to Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, this is also the last single to be released before the album is out in November.
The music video is a full 80s throwback, with the band performing at a 84’ high school homecoming dance, with Bellamy’s guitar bearing an uncanny resemblance to Marty McFly’s red guitar in Back To The Future, and a guest appearance by Terry Crews.
Robyn’s “Honey”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNT9O7fN13E
After much anticipation since releasing a snippet in an episode of Girls, Swedish pop enigma Robyn finally released ‘Honey.’ The new track is sensual, thought-provoking yet seductive, and intensely liberating — not to mention insanely catchy. Her album (also named Honey) is due to be released October 26 via her own lablel Konichiwa Records. Robyn herself described the album to Variety as “this sweet place, like a very soft ecstasy. Something that’s so sensual, and so good. I danced a lot when I was making it. I found a sensuality and a softness that I don’t think I was able to use in the same way before. Everything just became softer.”
Young Thug ft. Elton John, “High”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqIyH_9uaOQ
Young Thug’s final track off his On the Rvn EP features autotuned samples from Elton John’s renowned hit “Rocket Man,”came out earlier this week. In as early as 2016, rumors circulates about a possible collaboration between the two artists, according to Rolling Stone. A photo of Young Thug with Elton John appeared on Instagram only further fueled those rumors. After the track was leaked on SoundCloud last month, it was promptly taken down — not to mention the two week delay in the song’s anticipated release due to Young Thug’s drug-related arrest. But it’s finally here!
Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter V”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENYGZq-2URQ
The long anticipated Tha Carter V by Lil Wayne finally dropped on his 36th birthday. In legendary form, Weezy’s 12th LP is replete with superstar features, including Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and Snoop Dogg to name a few. One of his tracks, ‘Don’t Cry’ features the late and controversial XXXtentacion and the song ‘Dedicate’ samples a notorious speech from former President Barack Obama in which he said “Our kids can’t all aspire to be LeBron, or Lil Wayne.” Power move if I ever saw one.
Long-overdue, this album comes a whole seven years after the release of “The Carter IV” due to a four-year delay pending on a feud between lil Wayne and his Cash Money label boss Birdman. The multi-million dollar lawsuit came to a settlement this past June, allowing the album to finally be released.
Cher, “Dancing Queen”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtJNgBfrvY
Cheris the dancing queen. Her 26th album, Dancing Queen, is her first tribute-album to a single artist, ABBA. Following her cameo in Mamma Mia! 2it really was no surprise that Cher would inevitably be back in the limelight. She worked alongside producer Mark Taylor to update the ABBA classics to match her and 2018, while still beautifully maintaining the essence of the pop classics.
An all-star cast—James Bay, Elton John, George Ezra, James Corden, Romeo Beckham, Naomi Campbell, and more—stars in Burberry‘s holiday campaign and film for festive 2015 by Mario Testino.
Every year about an hour outside of Nashville, Tennessee in the United States, a crowd of just under 100,000 people pack onto a 700-acre farm in the reliably-sweltering heat of the South for Bonnaroo Art And Music Festival. For four days these loyal fans congregate around stages—whose names range from the “What Stage,” to the “Which Stage,” the “This Tent,” and, of course, the “That Tent— to see high-profile music acts like Elton John, Kanye West, and Lauryn Hill perform live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Years past have seen luminaries take the stage such as Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, and The Beach Boys.
Appearing at the 2014 edition of Bonnaroo this past weekend was a relative newcomer of just 22 named Sam Smith. The singer-songwritter performed a 12-song set at the “Other Tent,” just two hours into the second day of the festival that included his hit singles “Money on My Mind” and “Stay With Me.” With his album In the Lonely Hour now officiallyout this week in the US—fueled by the momentum of a guest appearance on Disclosure’s breakout hit “Latch” and a performance on SNL—Smith’s debut has him coming out the gate at a breakneck speed. Maestro Dobel Tequila, the world’s first crystal-clear aged tequila, set up an interactive piano/cocktail bar backstage where we snagged a bottle wrapped inside in a miniature guitar case and made our way over to Smith to chat and give him his first post-performance gift.
Essential Homme: Congratulations on today. How was your first Bonnaroo?
Sam Smith: An absolutely magical moment. It’s my first festival and I didn’t think anybody was going to be here. There was a real connection between me and the fans. I feel the love.
EH: You posted a picture this week on Instagram of the cover of The Alchemist. What made you crack that cover?
SS: As things are happening, I’m looking for some sort of explanation. I’m getting all deep at the moment about stuff, so I want to read something that’s a bit deep.
EH: How far into it are you?
SS: Three pages, [I] literally got it last night. There’s a story about a guy who kneels beside a lake to admire his reflection only to become so infatuated with his own beauty that he falls in and drowns. I thought it was beautiful.
EH: In this search for some kind of explanation, how do you rationalize the surge of acclaim for your work spreading throughout the world?
SS: It’s really hard. My senses are heightened. I’m a bit more paranoid than normal, and it’s just a lot to get used to. I like the idea that I don’t want to put on a brave face all of the time. I want to be real and honest and say that this is really weird. There’s a lot to get used to, but I’m enjoying it. I’m having some of the happiest moments of my life—and some really horrible moments, too, where I’m lonely and by myself—but I think that’s all part of it. When something mad happens to you, in any way in your life, it’s going to be a bit weird.
EH: What was it like having the album already out in the UK and seeing the reviews, hearing feedback, and then dropping the album in the States just this week?
SS: My whole experience with America has been very weird. I’m so used to watching UK artists come over and have to work very hard after their album is released. Whereas it’s gone better in America than anywhere else in the world for me since SNL. I love being here and I love the audiences more than anything.
EH: What’s one song from the album that you don’t anticipate ever leaving your set list?
SS: “Stay With Me.” If it didn’t do well it would have been a disaster [for] me, because it’s made for people to sing. I made and wrote it so it would be an anthemic song. People seem to be singing along and I’ll never be sick of that.
EH: How did you get out of the dark place that inspired so much of the conception and creation of the album?
SS: I forced myself to be happy. I’m not the type of person that dwells on being sad. My album was about that moment where I was dwelling on being sad, for quite a while, so I’ve had to get out of that. [Now] I have as much fun as I can and also try to meet people. During that period I would deliberately stay at home and not go on dates and stuff, so now I’m forcing myself to do that.
EH: Is dating hard now that you’ve become such an instantly recognizable face?
SS: I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I don’t know any different.
EH: Do you think you’d be able to have a normal relationship?
SS: I think I would be able to. I don’t think of myself as famous; I just think my music is well known. I’m a normal person and I hope to lead a normal love life.
EH: We heard that you’re quite immune to some of the horrible things that people say about you. How do you deal with it?
SS: I deal with it by saying in interviews that I’m okay. And I am okay. When it comes to name calling—I had that a bit as a kid—I really am immune to it. I can’t explain why. If someone says something about sexuality or appearance it doesn’t get to me. If someone says to me, “You’re not a very nice person,” that’s what really upsets me, because I try every day to be nice and I feel like I have a good heart. Two years ago I was working at a bar cleaning toilets and right now I’m in America and I’m doing this amazing interview so I should pull it together because life could be worse. Nobody prepares you for what to do when you get what you want in life. You want for it so bad and when you start to get it, it’s actually quite scary.
EH: If you were a tree, what kind would you be?
SS: A willow tree.
EH: Why?
SS: Because I believe I have a little bit of wisdom in me.
EH: We believe so as well.
Images courtesy of Filmmagic, Capital Records, and Dobel Tequila.
