A look back at our most engaging stories of the first six months of our website
- TextAnother Man
In June of this year, we launched this website with the aim of bringing the Another Man world to a digital audience and, like the magazine, celebrating the best of style and culture, championing the heroes, game-changers and rule-breakers at the epicentre of the creative worlds. Over the last six months, that’s exactly what we’ve tried – and, hopefully, succeeded – to do, telling the stories of a diverse range of people: from a 24-year-old K-Pop star stretching the boundaries of his genre, to a 56-year-old New Yorker who went from a personal trainer to Robert Mapplethorpe’s most-photographed subject. When it came to selecting our ten most-read stories of the year, we decided to do so by looking not just at the number of pageviews each article got, but the average time spent on the page too, painting a clearer picture of which articles our readers were engaged by. The resultant list is a diverse one: there are masterclasses from, well, masters; debate-sparking opinion pieces; and extraordinary stories told in the first person. So, without any further ado, here are our most-read stories of 2017.
1. Taemin: the Singer Stretching the Boundaries of K-Pop
In a rare interview, Taylor Glasby meets the burgeoning K-Pop star who, at just 24, is making waves in South Korea and around the world. More than a K-Pop’s Justin Beiber, as he is sometimes dubbed, the piece gives an insight into the workings of a phenomenal talent. Read more.
2. Thurston Moore’s Guide to Musical Improvisation
As well as young talents, we’ve spoken to some old(er) legends such as Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore, who gave Tom Connick a five-step tutorial in musical improvisation. With tips such as “Go with the flow” and “Don’t have an ego”, the piece includes some sage advice. Read more.
3. Remembering Johnny Thunders Through Those Who Knew Him
This year, several gigs were put on to commorate the 40th anniversary of The Heartbreakers’ 1977 L.A.M.F., and we decided to pay our own tribute to the band – specifically its intimitable frontman Johnny Thunders by collating stories from those who knew him. Read more.
4. Mindfulness: David Lynch’s Top Ten Quotes
Filmmaker, coffee tycoon, meditation master, David Lynch is one of a kind. To celebrate the release of his new film The Art Life, we brought together ten of his best quotes on the subject of mindfulness – a timely topic given the increased conversation around mental health. Read more.
5. Never Mind the Bollocks... Here’s Steve Jones
This year marked the 40th anniversary of punk and, again, to celebrate, Paul Moody spoke to The Sex Pistols’ guitarist Steve Jones. In this extended piece, Jones tells the band’s story in his own words, shedding light on one of music’s most radical acts. Read more.
6. Donatella Versace on Her Favourite Topic: Men
It’s nice to hear people talk about their favourite topics, which is why we asked Alexander Fury (AnOther’s newly-appointed Editor) to talk to Donatella Versace about hers – the male species. Speaking candidly, the designer discusses her relationship with men and how this informs her collections. Read more.
7. Why Fashion Needs to Get Real About Queer Culture
In a thought-provoking opinion piece, Rob Nowill discussed the fashion industry’s complex and nuanced relationship with queer culture. He argues that the currect narrative is outdated, suggesting that London’s queer fashion “isn’t just about disco, dancing and drag”. Read more.
8. Why Iran’s Impact on Rock and Roll is Criminally Underrated
Another opinion piece that engaged readers was Joobin Bekhrad’s article about Iran’s too-often-overlooked influence in rock and roll. Many musicians of the 20th century looked towards the country for inspiration and one of the greatest was even Iranian himself. Read more.
9. A Lesson in Song-Writing from Beck
In another masterclass-from-a-master, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Beck gave Daisy Woodward a lesson in song-writing. In this five-step tutorial, he instructs us to “Learn how to master the minutiae of your craft” and “Turn to the classics for inspiration”. Read more.
10. Being Mapplethorpe’s Muse
This year, the BBC aired a new documentary about Robert Mapplethorpe titled Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, and we spoke to the photographer’s most-photographed subject, Ken Moody, who (like Steve Jones) tells us his fascinating story in his own words. Read more.
