THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 AR 3Headliner
MY TEN1 Andrew Haigh Movies
He directed “Weekend,” this incredible queer
film [shot] in Nottingham. Just this beautiful,
slow, simple story about two guys meeting
one night and spending a weekend with each
other. I find it real and raw and honest and
awkward.2
‘Table Manners With
Jessie Ware’ PodcastI love wholesome things, and her and her
mum just cooking and eating and talking
about life with people, I just always find it so
heartwarming and British and wonderful.3 Horse Meat Disco
It’s this queer night in London in this pub
called the Eagle — it’s basically a night of the
best disco music you can imagine. When I
was younger, I found a lot of queer spaces
quite scary and intimidating, and when I
walked into this pub, it was almost like this
queer church. I just felt so safe. I’ve always
gone back throughout my life, it has been
there whenever I feel sad.4 J. W. Anderson
I’ve recently started wearing his clothes for
the first time. Fashion has always been some-
thing that I’ve been afraid of — I’m a larger
lady, so I’ve always felt like it wasn’t for me.
He’s made me feel seen a little bit within that
world through his clothes, everything he does,
the way he presents himself. I find his clothes
to be brave and bold and unforgivingly queer.5 David Attenborough
Last night I was sitting at home, and I watch
everything he does, so I watched his new film,
“A Life on Our Planet,” and I was just so
moved. Music, everything I do in my life,
what does it mean if the world around us is
slowly dying? For me there’s this constant,
daily actually, ritual of understanding that
nature is all around us and we are part of it
and we need to harmonize with it.6 Scotland
Scotland is the most beautiful place. It feels
pure, the weather is so dramatic all year
round, the food is amazing. You can just walk
around in pajamas basically all day, like
sweatpants and jumpers, and nobody’s really
bothered about how they look. They’re just
enjoying their life.7 Rihanna
We’ve met a handful of times, and I just
adore her. I watched the second Fenty show,
and my love for her grew even more — the
way she’s celebrating human beings and
different bodies and all these things, it’s so
exciting to me. Seeing Lizzo in the Fenty
show was one of the most amazing things
I’ve ever seen. It’s such an example of some-
one using their power in the right way. I just
feel very lucky to have her as an icon. And
she smells incredible.8 Robert Mapplethorpe
I’ve always adored reading about that New
York scene. I read “Just Kids,” Patti Smith’s
book, a few years ago and it really dissected
him as an artist. It was such an exciting time
to read about — Andy Warhol, the Chelsea
Hotel, those amazing stories about Janis
Joplin and the artists who came through and
the freedom and expression and sex and
love, all these things that have shaped the
community and made it possible for me to be
out and free in the way that I’ve been.9 Real Bodies
I’ve always really struggled with body stuff.
As a kid I would never take off my top. I’ve
missed so many years of enjoying the sun on
my skin because I was so self-conscious
about my body. Part of my therapy and the
last two years have really been trying to
tackle it, because I’ve just gotten so fed up
with feeling so insecure and ashamed. I’m
now just obsessed with seeing photography,
films, paintings, anything that celebrates the
human body in its real form. We’ve all
chucked around the words self-love, body
love, but for me it’s now become about ac-
ceptance.10 Pubs
So many of my greatest memories and hap-
piest moments have been in pubs, sharing
stories, doing quizzes, going on dates, having
birthdays. My best friend Emily from school
worked at a pub down the road. When I used
to come back from tour I’d go and sit by the
bar and we’d just chat. It was such a lovely
routine that just felt so homey and whole-
some and like it was never going to change. I
think I’m going to end up just being this old,
fabulous drunken gay who sits by the bar
and drinks whiskey and chats to strangers
and talks to myself.Sam Smith Finds Plenty of Happiness in Pubs
Sam Smith needs to dance. Nearly every night during the
pandemic, Smith has twirled around the garden, blasting
Robyn via headphones. The Grammy-winning singer and
songwriter — who came out as nonbinary last year, and
whose pronouns are they and them — may be best known
for simmering ballads about heartbreak and despair. But
their new album, “Love Goes,” delves into sleek, danceable
pop. “I just wanted to make something that felt lighter to
me,” the musician said. The album was originally scheduled
for release in the spring, but the Covid-19 lockdown pro-
vided a chance to revise it. “I’m always fearful that since talk-
ing about my gender expression, people won’t listen to this
record because of that,” they said. “That makes me sad. But I
feel really confident in the music I’ve made — it’s my story,
and it’s my life.” Smith chatted about their 10 cultural must-
haves over Zoom. These are edited excerpts from the con-
versation. DANI BLUM
‘Music, everything
I do in my life, what
does it mean if the
world around us is
slowly dying?’JON KOPALOFF/GETTY IMAGESACROSS1 “Dear ___, I’d really
love a chess set
for Christmas...”
6 Urge
11 Nile biter
14 Gave a hand to
15 Popular fi tness
program in the 1990s
16 Playa ___ Rey, Calif.17 Highest title a
chess player can attain
19 Narc’s org.
20 Singer who performs
with her face covered
21 “Psst, it’s
your move!”
22 ___ v s N av y
(customized chess set)23 Fads
26 Ones learning
from a great chess
master, say
28 Aromatic desserts
cooled on windowsills
29 Exclamation from
a chess player who’s
fi nally thought of
the perfect move
31 Stag’s mates
32 CDC city
33 ___ L i s a
35 Endures
38 New Netfl ix
show about fi ctional
chess prodigy
Beth Harmon
42 They may be cheap
or courtside
43 NYC neighborhood
next to TriBeCa
44 Yard sale?
45 Small tastes
47 Till now
48 Prepare, as tea
49 Home to lanternfi sh
52 “Easy to clean,”
in adspeak
54 Marries
55 “Oh no! I should
not have moved my
rook there!”57 On the ___ (fl eeing)
58 The Romantic ___ in
chess (when playing style
emphasized
quick maneuvers)
59 “Looking back...”
64 Illuminated
65 One of many shot
for 38-Across
66 Where rips in jeans
are oft en found
67 Sheltered side
68 Property divider
69 Alabama city
remembered for its civil
rights marchesDOWN; Droop
2 Word before guitar
3 Document establishing
a confi dential
relationship: Abbr.
4 Shows fear, as when
one’s 56-Down is
in danger
5 Recipe phrase
6 It may be aff ected
by traff ic, in brief
7 Gaping wound
8 “Take those guys down
in the Grenke Chess Open!”9 Followed the rules
10 Counterpart
of “neither”
11 Browser features
where you may type in
http://www.netfl ix.com or
http://www.chess.com
12 Note written at the
top of a student’s paper
13 Engages in a game
of chess, say
18 Monsieur’s mate
22 Starting lineup
23 Give 10 percent
to the church
24 Oct. 23, 2020,
for 38-Across
25 They’re around
two feet?
27 Home to Mardi Gras,
for short
28 Gentle touches
30 Pester
34 Horror-struck,
as when one hears
the word “checkmate”
36 When black
and white, they
may resemble
a chess board
37 Fret (over), as one’s
next chess move
39 Ear-cleaning tools40 Mailing letters?
41 Aged
46 Meeting where one
brings up the passed?
48 Words on a candy heart
49 Live
50 Spooky
51 Experienced soreness
53 Accessories for
some balls
56 Piece one aims
to capture in the game
of chess
59 Kinda sorta
60 Helpful word on
a reunion nametag
61 Hair stiff ener
62 Fashion line?
63 LAX probersPAID FOR AND POSTED BY
NETFLIX.