Adventures in a world of print
Apparently 1 in 4 of us use the topic of weather as an opener to a conversation. Blimey, says a lot about the UK. So, small wonder then, that a magazine has appeared on my desk dedicated to the subject of – the weather. Continue reading ‘Weather report’
It’s sometimes said that a magazine’s adverts tell you more about the readers than the editorial content – certainly that’s true of, say, the Sunday Telegraph magazine, which is likely to run interviews with edgy grime artists in between its ads for stairlifts and gardeners’ kneepads. So who do you think would be reading a mag crammed with ads for Aston Martins, luxury whirlpool baths, diamonds, Rolex watches and home security systems? Yes that’s right – footballers. The organ in question is The Players Club, official publication of the players’ union, the PFA – and in this case the editorial does actually tally closely with the ads. Too closely for comfort, at times, with many of the pictures used in the ads cropping up again in nearby editorial. The whole shamelessly opulent package does rather undermine the notion of a trade union publication being there to battle on behalf of the downtrodden.
It’s always nice to see a new running mag, but I fear Men’s Running may hit the wall sooner than you can say “Grease up my nipples”. Not only is it laced with dated, sub-Loaded fnarr-fnarr phraseology like that (it’s aimed at ‘runners with balls’, would you believe), but by taking the monogendered approach it’s also depriving itself of half its potential readers and a fair chunk of its potential subject matter. Avoiding repetition is hard enough for Runner’s World, which can at least throw in the odd feature on running while pregnant, which sports bra to buy and why those beastly men insist on spitting so much. Besides, I’m not convinced that the kind of muscle-worship and preening to which this new title panders is actually that common in running circles, which are largely populated by scrawny characters with a healthy lack of interest in their appearance. Wild Bunch Media, who have launched Men’s Running, already do a title for women runners, so they have a vested interest in this division of the sexes. But nearly all running clubs and road races welcome runners with or without balls, and I’d have thought the whole subject is largely gender neutral. Oggi oggi oggi – why, why, why?
Well, the definition of comely is ‘good looking’ or ‘attractive’, and this new magazine by Adeline Media certainly ticks those boxes.
oh comely (keep your curiosity sacred) is a strange publication however. Cover lines are scribbled, layouts are minimalist, capital letters are banned and features tend to be written in the first person by interesting folk who have had strange jobs, and plenty to say about them. The website says the magazine is about “people, their quirks and creativity”. And although it all looks beautiful, there just seems to be something missing. I flicked through the pages and most of it was pleasing to the eye, but I couldn’t help thinking the content was unsustainable and without direction. However, I do like the idea that the magazine seems to have been put together by a bunch of enthusiastic individuals, who have really given the magazine a tone of voice. They will have their followers.
On the eve of the World Cup final we couldn’t not have a football related post could we? Football Punk has passed me by a bit, and this is issue 8. I was aware of Golf Punk though, which blazed onto the scene a few years ago and rightfully shook up the elitist world of golf, mainly through their innovative fashion pages. Football Punk though? It doesn’t really need punking does it? Seems Golf Punk was bought out last year, and Football Punk was deemed a good idea by the new owners.
Anyway, this issue came with a couple of other mags – a retro World Cup special and a World Cup betting guide – oh and a poster of Wayne Rooney (to throw darts at). Nuff said.
So another men’s magazine closes. Maxim, which, to be honest, I won’t miss much – has closed in the UK. However, it still continues to sell 2.5m copies in the US, and has franchises in other countries such as China, India and France. I found only one copy in my archives – it dates from 2000 – around the height of the lads’ mag boom, but it is pretty dire, and I am surprised it held on for so long. I can’t even bring myself to put the cover up here. The image above is the launch issue from 1995 – edited by Gill Hudson – now editor of Radio Times
The digital version of the magazine will continue we are told – and I guess that is the way things are going anyhow. In this YouTube culture, you can access pretty much anything you want immediately, so waiting a month for a printed magazine to hit the shelves seems pretty redundant.
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