Dan Rather Can Say Whatever He Wants. Here’s What He’s Saying Now.

In a wide-ranging interview, the legendary reporter gives a clinic on journalism, its intersection with politics, civil rights, and the future of American culture. [Image] [mayors]( 'One of The Low Points in American History': Dan Rather Goes Long on Our Defining Moment Standing amid the wreckage of late 2020, it’s funny, and a little sad, to look back at the moment when Dan Rather took the piss out of Richard Nixon on national television. Rather, who will turn 89 on Halloween, has been an unlikely commentator on this mess of a year, employing social media to call out President Trump on his calamitous leadership and to offer hope that things can get better. He has also read some poetry to his considerable following: 1.4 million on Twitter, 2.7 million on Facebook. When he speaks, or writes, it is with not only nine decades of experiences behind him but six decades of reporting on, investigating, and searching for truths in American politics and culture. He is a man to listen to. Today he runs his own production company, called News and Guts, focused on investigative reporting. He is free to tweet what he wants (“There will be no vaccine for the climate crisis”) and to write essayistic posts about democracy and humanity. He is older than some dirt roads, and free to say whatever the hell he wants. The Nixon moment is funny because it was a light, extemporaneous exchange between a president and a journalist he loathed. Rather speaks in short essays. He never liked Teleprompters, and his ability to speak in measured sentences that accumulate, building thought by careful thought, into a cohesive, hard-won, and often surprising synthesis, remains intact. Ryan D’Agostino spent nearly three hours talking to Rather. What follows are excerpts from those interviews, barely edited but for clarity and length, and with a bit of context where necessary. It’s rare access to Dan Rather, who calls himself simply a reporter but is in fact the great interpreter of our time. [Read the Full Story]( [Image] [Image]( It's Time to Acknowledge Miller's Crossing As the Best Coen Brothers Movie If you love cinema, then it’s safe to assume that you also love the Coen brothers. Like the far chattier Quentin Tarantino, who would burst onto the rapidly evolving American auteur scene a few years after the Coens’ break-out hit Raising Arizona, the Minnesota siblings spent their teen years as movie-mad sponges. They seemed to absorb every last drop of film history (both high and low) like two halves of the same thirsty and encyclopedic hive mind. During their four-decade partnership behind the camera, Joel and Ethan have tweaked and toyed with screwball comedies, neo-noirs, musicals, Horatio Alger stories, social satires, old-school Westerns, and new-school Westerns. It’s almost as if they live in mortal fear of being labeled or pigeonholed. Some of these genre experiments have worked better than others (RIP, The Ladykillers), but when it comes to which of their films stands as their greatest achievement, everyone seems to have a strong opinion. Here’s Chris Nashawaty’s: it’s Miller’s Crossing, hands down. And here’s why. [Read the Full Story](  [Image]( Bonobos' Off Duty Pants Live Up to the Name—and the Hype Dead smack in the middle of summer, Bonobos did something that might have seemed wild to anyone who'd been living in sweats, shorts, or sweat shorts for the past few months: The brand introduced a new style of chinos. Pants? In the summer? During These Times?! Groundbreaking. Ah, but here's the thing: These weren't your normal, everyday chinos. Instead, the Off Duty Pant, as it was dubbed, is done up with an elasticated waistband, a drawstring, and a cropped, right-at-the-ankle length. And it promptly flew off the digital shelves, necessitating a restock just a month after its debut. Why all the fuss? Sitting, as it does, amidst an ever-expanding library of soft-waisted pants of the chino-ish variety, the Off Duty Pant isn't mind-blowingly new or novel. It isn't the kind of statement piece that demands a pause as you scroll through the timeline. Instead, it's just...a very good pair of pants. Which is exactly why it deserves a place in your rotation. Style Director Jonathan Evans explains why they’ve earned our latest Esquire Endorsement. [Read the Full Story]( [Image]( We're in the Midst of the Crocs Renaissance. Panic (or Celebrate) Accordingly. A few weeks ago, Succession star Nicholas Braun posted an Instagram story; in it, he expressed a strange new desire that had suddenly awoken within him. He needed to own Crocs. Now, as he is a celebrity and Crocs is a brand, it may not shock you to learn that a few days later he followed up with another Instagram story of him enthusiastically unboxing a large assortment of Crocs and Jibbitz (the little charms you pop in them) gifted to him. And we can infer that he liked them, seeing as he chose to wear a pair of Crocs to the 72nd Emmy Awards a week ago. Full disclosure: We are of the belief that Nicholas Braun would look good in anything (fuller disclosure: the man is 6 feet and 6 inches tall). But even still, his choice to finish his Paul Smith suit with a pair of Crocs for this year’s socially distant Emmy Awards is a bold one, and is one that has been noted by many, including The Cut and Harper’s Bazaar. Braun’s Emmy Crocs even featured personalized Jibbitz that spelled ‘Antibodies,’ the title of his virus-punk summer single. And though he certainly brought Crocs into The Discourse this week with his Black Tie Croc (free wedding dress code idea!) look, the Crocs renaissance was well underway before Braun stepped into a pair. [Read the Full Story](  [Image]( The 9 Best Vinyl Record Subscriptions to Pad Your Collection This weekend brought us the second of this year’s three COVID-delayed Record Store Days. And truly, there is nothing better on a chilly autumn evening than the warm pop and crackle of an LP on a physical turntable. Whether you’re putting on an old favorite or taking a chance on something new, the feel and the ceremony around a real vinyl record just hits different. Unfortunately, the days of combing through the racks of a record store are on hold for the time being, and tracking down a good copy of a great disc on eBay just doesn’t satisfy in the same way. But you’re in luck: A whole bunch of vinyl subscription services have sprung up online, giving members monthly shipments of fresh records tailored to their tastes. These services are to music what Blue Apron is to food, except you don’t have to do any work, and the product stays fresh forever. You can’t go to the record store, not even on Record Store Day, so let the experts and/or algorithms get the records to you. Here are a few really interesting vinyl subscription services. None of them offer you 12 albums for a penny, the way Columbia House used to, but there’s also no monthly dash to the mailbox to get the reply card out so you don’t get stuck with that Judds record. [Read the Full Story]( [Image]( The PAX 3 Vape Gives You a First-Class Ticket to the Elusive State of Relaxation Just because it's cliche, doesn't make it untrue: We've never needed weed more than right now. It's not only that. We've never asked for more from our weed, either, whether our high pursuit is the catalyst for a weekday wind-down, a warm blanket for defrosting what chronically ails us, or the vehicle of choice on the road to a laugh. And so, with so much currently out of our control, when given the opportunity to put our hands back on the steering wheel, we sure as hell ought to take it. Like eating that "cheat" meal because the world is certainly doing its part to cheat you, or making that purchase of an item that's taken up permanent residence in the cart, treating yourself to a stylish high is a good start. You already know strain choice has a lot to do with catching the intended vibe. What you're smoking from matters, too. Holding a tightly rolled joint in your hand, listening to the crackling of burning paper and flower, is about as romantic as it gets. Packing a glass piece seems juvenile, but who among us wouldn't leap at the opportunity to turn back time? But for the person who's made this timeless activity as much a part of their life as the coffee maker with a comma on the price tag, the vessel of choice is the PAX 3, which just released in four new colors. [Read the Full Story](  Follow Us       [Unsubscribe](  [Privacy Notice](  esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019   Â