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IN CONVERSATION|SAM WORTHEN
Name|Samuel Worthen (nemonic.bandcamp.com)
I use my mom's name because I'd rather that my students not find out that I'm a model. And because I'm proud to be her son.
Age|23
Hometown|My mom lives in Milton, Massachusetts, I went to school in Providence, and now I live in Bed-Stuy.
How did you get discovered? I was riding the train home from teaching summer school in the Bronx. A handsome dude asked me: "You're a model right?" I laughed, and he said that he models with Red, and that I should go to their open call and talk to George Brown, who signed me.
How did you get discovered? I was riding the train home from teaching summer school in the Bronx. A handsome dude asked me: "You're a model right?" I laughed, and he said that he models with Red, and that I should go to their open call and talk to George Brown, who signed me.
What were you doing prior to modeling? I was, and still am, teaching. I've taught music in different contexts for the last eight years, but this is my first year teaching middle school English. It's a more-than-full-time job, but I'm excited to keep working as a model and learning about fashion.
People would be surprised to know that I...used to have gold, curly hair to my sternum. I donated last year. I love modern languages. I've studied French, Italian, Spanish and Mongolian.
What is your latest obsession? Recently, I've been obsessed with reggaeton, especially Don Omar's more melodic songs. That groove propels me. It helps me get to school at 6am, and it's something to look forward to on my walk from the building to the bus.
Since you are an educator, can you listed your five favorite books? The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz; One Hundred Years of Solitude/Cien Anos de Soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa; Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino; The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway; Venite Poemas de Amor y Una Cancion Desesperada by Pablo Beruda And, it's not a book, but Joanna Newsom's Ys is heart stretching literature.
Your most prize possession? I asked everyone in my life who speaks a language other than English how to say and write "butterfly." I practiced writing the 33 words, the different alphabets, and then drew them into a butterfly. It was her birthday, I was in love, and I pulled my first all-nighter cutting the stencil. In the morning, I printed, waited, ironed, washed, and my best friend, Matt, drove me to the post office while I held the wet shirt out the window to dry. I made it, 4:59, and sent the shirt to her express. I printed one for myself, and it's still my favorite shirt. (See image above)
Growing up, who did you look up to as your hero? My heroes were and are my grandparents, Tom and Sherbie Worthen. They are hard-working—in their late 70's and still running their own business—and pro-adventure. I remember Tom taking his chainsaw out into Hurricane Irene to preemptively cut branches until the men sent to do that by the state sent him home. When I was in a band, they came to every show. I hope to be like them when I grow up.
When is the last time you said, "I Love You" to someone? The last time I said, "I love you", like that, was to the last person I loved, in the stairwell of the house I lived in Providence. I said it in Mongolian. Since you asked, her name is Dulma, and she's wonderful.
Three adjectives that best describes you: Intense, Sweet and Patient
Describe your personal style: Most of my hours, I'm wearing teacher clothes: button downs, ties, gabardine suit pants, a jacket. My favorite tie was my grandfather's, pink with five types of flowers. Otherwise, my clothes are mostly t-shirts I printedor hand-me-downs from people I love, my grandfather, my friend Peter, my little brother. Besides my school shoes, I have three pairs: work boots with the soles half-detached, Nike Mavericks for skating, and navy canvas loafers that my friend La Güira took off and gave me when he saw the state of my boots. He threw my boots in the trash ("¡Pero esos son mis favoritos!") but when he left the party in his socks, I retrieved them.
Your favorite place you have travel to: My favorite place that I've been to but never lived in is Cape Town. I went when I was 18 with my high-school jazz band to play three weeks of shows around South Africa. The two most memorable people I met were Nyameko, a fellow trumpet player and xhosa rap virtuoso (he didn't have e-mail and I have not found him) and Aqeelah, the all-around lovely photographer friend f my host family (we write letters)
Your favorite film and scene from the film: Once—Scene: My favorite scene might be where Marketa pulls her Hoover down Grafton Street, like an elephant by its trunk, to Glen so he can fix it. The way she says "It's fucked" is so adorable.
Your favorite sport: I cared and knew a lot about sports ten years ago, when the Red Sox "first" won the World Series. Now I'm pretty ignorant, but I have to say the Celtics and Paul Pierce because he's been so good for so many years, 15 for Boston plus one for Brooklyn, and we have the same real last name.
If there's a destination or item you would recommend us to check out or visit about your native country/city or town, what would you recommend? Providence, Rhode Island—If you come to visit me in Providence, I would take you to the train bridge. I've been there with many of my favorite people, sometimes to write graffiti, sometimes to sit. Even though, physically, climbing it dangerous, on that platform way above the Seekonk river, I feel safe.
If you were given a indie cable show, what type of show would it be? Which song would you choose as your theme song? It would probably be a cooking show called "Grab Bag." I have never watched a cooking show, not a full episode, but this is something that I love to do and might be fun to watch: a friend and I go the grocery store and each choose three ingredients, each of which fits one criterion (e.g. "something summer""what a rodent might worship as an idol"). We hide them from each other in the store. Then we convene and make a meal out of all of them. Word to Tanner Senecal at The Essex Inn for being the best collaborator and my culinary hero.
Theme song: I would write and record my own theme song, but the best I've heard is Ziggy Marley's from Arthur.
Your wish for the remainder of 2014? If I could have one wish, it would be to have no chronic pain, starting now. I wouldn't wish to never have had pain. Pain has made me me. But if it could go away today, I could do so many more things.
Clothing: Black jacket with leather sleeves and blue t-shirt, both by Baldwin; green jacket with brown corduroy collar by Fingers Crossed; blue t-shirt by Alex Mills; all other clothing and shoes, Samuel's own
MODEL AGENTS|AGENCY:
George Brown|Dave Fothergill|Citizen/Red
IMAGES|CONCEPT|CASTING|John Tan
MODEL|Samuel Worthen|Citizen/Red
Shot on location at the new FINGERS CROSSED|JTC/VT Studio, Chelsea, NYC
Shot on location at the new FINGERS CROSSED|JTC/VT Studio, Chelsea, NYC
Special thanks to George Brown & Dave Fothergill and the men's board at Citizen/Red; Tim Cush at Maguire Steele; Ryu Hayama at Fingers Crossed; Samuel for his time to answer a lengthy Q&A and time spend with JTC!
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SAMUEL WORTHEN' S SELF PORTRAIT
