Essays
Saying Goodbye to George Michael: A Queer Icon on His Own Terms
Often outrageous and always real, his music was a shield, a sanctuary, and a road map for outsiders.
The Joys and Dangers of Walking While Black
We spoke to Garnette Cadogan, whose brilliant essay in 'The Fire This Time' shows how walking is yet another arena where a black person must tread carefully.
Modafinil Is How Lecturers Mark Your Crappy Essays
It's not just students taking the smart drug to help them power through their workload.
A Life in Boxes: What it's Like Being Homeless for Ten Years
When I lost my home, I turned to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But I slipped through the cracks of the bureaucracy.
John at the Bar
I worked at a bar for five years. It was one of those bars that are there to preserve a moment, a state of being, nothing ever changing; crypts with golden sarcophagi, men who can exist as royalty for all eternity.
How To Turn Women's Abuse into Family Friendly Entertainment
As a ghost tour guide in Savannah, Georgia, I recounted stories about women being raped, abused, and killed.
To Hell with All That: Why I’ll Never Move to New York or Los Angeles
Every year, thousands of starry-eyed kids move to coastal metropolises in search of something they could find anywhere.
I Travelled to Egypt for a Miracle Cure for My ALS
When I revealed my diagnosis to my mother, she told me to go to Cairo, convinced that I'd be healed there.
What Is It Like to Play in a Band When You're Living with a Mental Illness?
"Why wasn't anybody writing about the thrill of cancelling plans just so you could safely sit clothed in the shower for six hours?"
Welcome to The Future According to VICE
A series of essays about how the world is going to change in the next few years. Why? Because it's January and hopefully we're all ready to shrug off the calamitous mess that was 2014 and stride onward into the rising sun.
Looking Back at Gwen Stefani's Racist Pop Frankenstein Ten Years Later
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. is simultaneously a racist mess, a lyrical car crash and a treasure chest containing champagne kisses.
Why Do People Hate Kendrick Lamar's "i" So Much?
Why "i" is the most punk rock song Kendrick Lamar has ever made.