@dreambabypress asked @m_j_whitehouse for a list of 10 things he loves and 10 things he hates.
Matthew Whitehouse is the Editor-in-Chief of The Face. He was previously Arts and Culture Editor of i-D. He’s interviewed everyone from Paul McCartney, Jane Birkin and Noel Gallager to Hans Zimmer and Pamela Anderson. His work as a journalist has been twice nominated for commendation by the British Society of Magazine Editors.
For Matthew’s full list of 40 loves and hates, check out our Substack Dreambabypress.substack.com
And so, dear friends, after five years as Editor-in-Chief of The Face, I’ve decided it’s high time I let someone else have a go.
When I was offered the role, someone said to me, “You’ve been given the keys to a rocket ship!” And it really felt like that at times: this ever accelerating engine moving at great speed. I’d been editorial assistant at i-D only three years earlier. Talk about a learning curve! I always wanted to stay long enough to articulate something but have the strength to know when it was in a good place to go. The Face has always been the best of everything. That’s more true today than ever.
This job has been hard as hell. And easy as hell. I think my favourite part, though, has always been this: sat typing or editing some page of copy in the hope that a few more people might read it. The Face was never really just a job for me. I loved it, it’s nearly killed me. I regret so much, I would change absolutely nothing. I didn’t always get it right but I always cared.
Thank you Stu, for giving me the opportunity and for being such a generous editor. Danny and Danielle, for raising my taste level exponentially – I was so lucky to work with you. Sandra and Julia, for making the last couple of years of the magazine my favourite. And of course, Dan, who went from a great boss to an even greater friend.
I want to thank the editorial team: the hardest working in the business. I’m so proud of you. And to the brilliant Jonny: I know The Face is in good hands. I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines.
My biggest thanks, though, is to you, Melissa, meu amor. I only ever really wanted you to like it. Thank you for putting your own career on hold to look after our baby. Everything I do is for you and Duarte. I love you.
And to you, the readers, and every young person who came in and showed me their work – you sharpened my thoughts and gave me the enthusiasm to carry on.
If you’ll indulge me with this last piece of advice: remember the things that give you joy and the things that make you mad. People will tell you that life is complicated – it isn’t. It’s simple if you keep your hearts open.
Until next time, see you round the clubs.
Matthew x
Dream big
Dream how
Dream everything
What now?
High divers
Wise crackers
Normal Normans
Keep walkin’
Talk honestly
Stay longer
Pack up your troubles
The Face rides again
X
In this episode, Matthew Whitehouse shares his journey from a rainy Lancashire childhood to leading The Face, a title caught between myth and reinvention. With refreshing honesty, he discusses the importance of capturing the texture of now—focusing on the present rather than nostalgia or futurism.
We delve into how lived experiences shape politics, the power of small stories, and the art of editorial restraint. For Whitehouse, the essence of contemporary lies in what excites you to pursue.
“I’m not interested in the future. I’m interested in now — in documenting what it feels like to be alive in this exact moment.” - Matthew Whitehouse
Listen to the full episode at the link in bio.
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Hosted by @chrimichael
Produced by @sashagrin
Audio Post-Production & Social by @chasepcoughlin
Original Theme Music by @rellimpot and #chasecoughlin of @theblacksoft
Visual Design by @nernin and @grahamrprentice
#whatscontemporary #theface #Matthewwhitehouse
