We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in profiles.
Search results
A Survey of My Right Arm
Why couldn’t this ailing appendage get over itself? Diagnosing a mysterious malady.
William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll
From Bob Dylan to David Bowie to The Beatles, the legendary Beat writer’s influence reached beyond literature into music in surprising ways.
“I Miss My Body When It Was Ferocious”: The Transfiguration of Paul Curreri
For years, singer-songwriter Paul Curreri was a shouter of singular beauty. Then he went quiet — slowly, at first, then all of a sudden.
Remembering Daniel Johnston
This outsider musician made music sound new again to everyone who listened.
Anyone’s Son
Cody Dalton Eyre, a 20-year-old Alaskan Native, was having a mental health crisis on Christmas Eve, 2017 when his mother called 911 for help. So why did police officers end up shooting and killing him?
Those Limits Were Not Hindrances: An Interview with Megan Pugh
How a writer worked hard to understand one of American music’s most mysterious performers while protecting his past, and art.
Wonderful Things: The Kid Creole and the Coconuts Story
Combining island sounds with stylish clothes and an unforgettable stage presence, one of New York City’s most original bands helped influence 1980s pop culture, and they never sacrificed their unclassifiable artistic vision.
Shelved: Sonny Rollins Live at Carnegie Hall
The saxophone colossus recorded two concerts at the same venue fifty years apart. Only one recording emerged from the vault.
Cut From the Same Cloth
Artist Myfanwy Tristram was irritated by her teenage daughter’s extreme fashions — until she took an illustrated journey into their origins.
