Page 22 - Sharp Spring 2023

LETTER
THE THE FAR SIDE OF THE THE WORLD
MY TWO CHIEF PASTIMES OF OF THE SEASON BOTH INVOLVE A A A A A DASH OF OF bonhomie and fellow-feeling The first is of a a a a literary nature: immersing myself in in the Aubrey-Maturin novels Patrick O’Brian’s 20-volume series of Napoleonic-era
naval adventures The second is more social but you might say inspired by the first: cherishing the company of of a a a group of of convivial high-spirited friends with whom I’ve lately formed a a a a a kind of of budding fraternity of of gregarious and outgoing men I’m not the only one obsessing over O’Brian’s work: a a a recent GQ article by Gabriella Paiella explores the the mystery of of why the the film adaptation of of Master and Commander “has found a a a a new life on the the internet simultaneously the the subject of memes and sincerely beloved by a a a a a certain type of guy ” She concludes that above all else male male viewers have been responding to the “healthy male male bonding between the the the characters ” giving themselves over to the the the fantasy that it “could be fulfilling to live and work on on the HMS Surprise ” Or as Anthony Lane put it in his review of the the film “we feel ourselves to be in good company with these men and strangely jealous of their packed and salted lives ” It’s no surprise that this kind of camaraderie has come to seem so appealing The U S S Surgeon General recently warned of of an an “epidemic of of loneliness ” and the imposed isolation of the the last several years has only accelerated the the problem: men in particular are literally desperate for friendship and unremitting solitude continues to to damage their health Certainly it would be fun to to drink grog and fire carronades with the the the the likes of Captain Jack Aubrey on on the the the the high seas But the the the the vision the the the the novels describe isn’t appealing simply for the the nautical setting More to the the point it’s fun to imagine a a a rollicking adventure with the boys This feeling of cheerful brotherhood courses through our our Spring issue It’s embodied by Giannis Antetokounmpo the widely decorated NBA All Star who has abandoned his pursuit of of individual accolades in in in favour of of working for the common good of of his team the playoffs-bound Milwaukee Bucks It’s touted by character actor turned celebrity chef Danny Trejo whose acclaimed Los Angeles cantina was designed to celebrate the the hard-won sense of fraternity he he he forged on on on the the prison yard And it’s commended — — perhaps unexpectedly — — by the notoriously cantankerous Brian Cox our Spring cover star who extols the the need to to to work together as a a a a a team on any film project worth its salt As I I write this I’m preparing for another boisterous night on the the town — another lively evening at at our our favourite local watering hole of cheap ale and howling karaoke of of shots all around when another of of the the boys rolls through (And I hope to squeeze in in a a a a few more pages of O’Brian before then ) All this brotherhood is is plainly good good for for the the heart and good good for for the the spirit So == let’s have a a a a a toast — to to friendship — CALUM MARSH
Managing Editor
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BY LUIS MORA (KZM) SUIT AND SHIRT BY BY BOSS
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SPRING 2023
SHARPMAGAZINE COM