The Holding Court Issue
Riffing
Riffing is like mutual masturbation. It is essentially the small talk of anyone who, at some point in their adolescence, learned how to throw dice about their thing, whatever that may be, music or movies or whatever, instead of having regular...
Being a Muslim Sexologist Is a Tough Gig
Islam isn’t a belief system known for its liberal stance on sexuality. Lately, however, there have been signs that the Muslim world is becoming at least a teensy bit more open-minded when it comes to genitalia. I emailed a Muslim sexologist to find out...
Does Sweden Discriminate Against Christians?
This spring, Sweden, normally considered one of the most free, equal, and democratic nations in the world, was reported to the European Committee of Social Rights for allegedly violating the human rights of pro-life doctors and nurses.
Al Qaeda’s Teenage Fan Club
I can pinpoint the moment I realized Syria had turned into Mad Max. We were driving through a small town in the northern outskirts of Aleppo during Ramadan about a month before chemical-weapons attacks forced the international spotlight onto...
The Unhappy Fate of Ghanaian Witches
In Ghana, witches are real. At least, enough people believe in them for accusations of sorcery to be a serious thing. The lucky witches wind up in one of the country’s six “witch camps,” where village chieftains offer them safety from persecution. The...
It’s Little, But It’s Mean
Irving Zisman is the sexually vigorous 86-year-old who serves as a role model for horndog octogenarians. He stars in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. He was kind enough to talk to me about the new movie and give me hope that as an old person I don...
Strolling the Champs-Élysées with 120,000 Syrian Refugees
On August 21, Mohamed watched rockets fly over his village outside Damascus. Rumors spread that the rockets had been loaded with sarin nerve gas. When he returned home, two of his children were dead. Mohamed left Syria, and five days later, I met him...
An Interview with Marcel Dzama, as Raymond Pettibon Paints Nearby
Depending on your familiarity with—or curiosity about—the current state of visual art, you may or may not be familiar with Raymond Pettibon or Marcel Dzama. Raymond Pettibon is a great artist. Marcel Dzama is a great artist.
These Environmentalists Film Blowjobs to Save Mother Earth
Ever since the free-lovin’ 1960s, lefty types have combined sexual liberation with environmentalism, but never so literally as the men and women behind Fuck for Forest. The German nonprofit makes porn and sells it to raise money for conservation...
Music Reviews
The Body is one of my favorite bands because they’re basically the Christopher Hitchens of nihilist sludge as shrieked by Donald Sutherland at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This one gets five upside-down crosses shoved up Regan...