ROITFELD: PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/AMFAR2017/WIREIMAGE. PRINCE: STEVEN KLEIN. WEST: STEPHANE CARDINALE/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES. LOVE: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF/GETTY IMAGES. WAR ON DRUGS: RANDY HOLMES/GETTY IMAGES. RITTER: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES.
1993 cover of The Face]. But David
Bowie was the first: changing all the
time, even to the end.
Is he one of your favorite artists?
Bowie could do everything: music,
fashion, acting. Bowie is one of my
icons, and yes, my bad English comes
from listening to “Life on Mars” when
I was young. He was fearless, the first
one putting on makeup and coloring
his hair red. He opened the gate for
everyone dressing androgynously.
Which designers have the most
rock attitude?
Rick Owens, always, from his clothes
on the runway to what he and his wife,
Michèle Lamy, wear. Also, Shayne
Oliver from Hood by Air — his clothes
have it, and we all want to see what
he will do with Helmut Lang. [Oliver
is reportedly doing a spring 2018
collection for the label.]
What’s next for fashion and music?
Hard to say. When I first started
working with musicians, I was
frightened because I didn’t know
them, but they are very lovely people
— but very much individuals. It’s
different than working with other
stars. Maybe it’s because everything
they wear is specific to them, and they
have to project their personality out
to a big audience. When you perform,
you must get confidence from that —
you have a way of walking or acting
that is you alone, unlike an actor, who
is a character. It’s a different head.
Their genius, in part, comes out in the
way they wear clothes.How does this display
manifest in artists-cum-
style icons like Pharrell
Williams, Beyoncé
and West?
Pharrell is about mixing
prints and shapes, and
having fun elements like
Chanel jewelry and belts
with lots of colorful pieces;
he has a more playful style
than others. Beyoncé has
embraced her femininity,
and during her pregnancy
she was pushing the limits
of it — she was the goddess
of fertility, the queen of
femininity. Kanye is the
ultimate in cool and the
epitome of not trying too
hard — just like his brand.
Is it hard for musicians
like West to cross
over to fashion?
It’s smart what Kanye is doing
with Yeezy. His first show in Paris
was difficult, but he has found his
niche, and now we’re all waiting to
see what comes next. Yeezy is an
important show now.
Black leather pants are a
classic rocker look. What’s the
best source?
Lost Art by Jordan Betten in New
York [jordanbetten.com] will do
the measurements and create
couture leather pants for you, male
or female.A b ove : Ro i t f e l d w i t h We s t i n P a r i s i n 2 01 3. “ H e i s
a professional in everything he does,” she says.
B e l ow : Ro i t f e l d w i t h L ove ( c e n t e r ) a n d Vogue’s
Hamish Bowles at Paris Fashion Week 2015.
“Carine’s been at the crossroads of merging
musicians with fashion,” says Love.T
he War on Drugs’ 2014
album, Lost in the Dream,
delivered frontman Adam
Granduciel as an indie rock
star. It also pushed him to the
brink of a breakdown.
The 38-year-old singer-
songwriter famously crafted
the hourlong tapestry of
Springsteen-inspired
grandiosity and psychedelic
overtures in near seclusion,
dogged by panic attacks and
suffering from depression.
At times, he feared he
would not be able to
finish the album.
“I was 35 and not
entirely sure what I
was doing — life in
general was undefined
for me,” says the
Massachusetts native. Yet Lost
in the Dream was hailed as an
instant classic upon release,
spending 18 weeks on the
Billboard 200 and topping
many year-end critics’ lists in- The album brought The
War on Drugs to Coachella’s
main stage, and to Atlantic
Records, which will release
the band’s major-label debut,
A Deeper Understanding, on
Aug. 25.
As his group’s most
anticipated album to date
approaches, Granduciel
asserts he’s in a better space
emotionally — partly because
he has opened up about his
mental health. “The more
I talked about it, the more
people wanted to talk about it
too,” he says, “and it made me
feel less alone.”
Granduciel worked with a
therapist while making Lost
in the Dream; for A Deeper
Understanding, which was
written during a year-and-a-
half period between New York
and Los Angeles, he found
balance with a structured
schedule. Between recording
sessions, he would root for
the Philadelphia Eagles, check
out local jazz bands in the
Philly area and spend time
with his girlfriend, actress
Krysten Ritter. Mostly,
committing to his
music has helped
Granduciel find
peace; he expects to
write new material
during the band’s
international fall tour.
The sprawling, classic
rock-inspired album is
highlighted by the twinkling
synth-rock single “Holding
On” — the group’s first to crack
the top five of Billboard’s Adult
Alternative Songs chart. In its
music video, The Wire alum
Frankie Faison plays a world-
weary old man whose spirits
are lifted by a series of small-
town interactions, the last (and
most lasting) with Granduciel.
The video’s concept came
from Ritter, and the spotlight-
shy Granduciel welcomed
the acting opportunity. “It
felt humble in its message,”
he says of the clip. “Everyone
has shit in their life and times
they go through that are not
the most pleasant. But you
put your head down and you
go to work.” —CHRIS PAYNEThe War on Drugs’ frontman explains how confronting
mental health issues inspired its biggest album yetThe War on Drugs
played Jimmy
Kimmel Live! on
Aug. 9.Roitfeld’s CR Men’s Book, out Sept. 7, features never-before-
s e e n p h o t o s o f P r i n c e , s h o t by S t eve n K l e i n i n 1 9 8 9 a t
Paisley Park, on the cover and the interior feature.SEPTEMBER 2, 2017 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 37‘IT MADE ME FEEL LESS ALONE’
Granduciel
(left) and
Ritter