Unread Herrings

There were 2 seminal magazines in the Age of Aquarius. The National Lampoon arrived as a monthly in the spring of 1970. A sophmoric, smart ass, older kid's magazine. Smarter than Mad, funnier than anything else available. Their stock in trade was topical parody. Little was off limits, as demonstrated by the ad above.

For those too young to remember, VW bugs supposedly floated, at least for a while. For the rest of the story Google Mary Jo Kopechne, and put 2 and 2 together.

By the time the Lampoon movies (Animal House et al) went into production (1977) the magazine had pretty well run its course, although it remained on life support under various incarnations until the late 90's. Back issues are available but expensive. A CD of back issues is supposedly either in the works or available at Amazon.

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead written by Rick Meyerowitz is a great biography of the magazine, its creators, writers and the generation which produced them.

In the mid 80's came SPY.

Spy's claim to fame was satire, although at times it would accidently resort to solid investigative news reporting. Created by Graydon Carter, it dealt primarily riffed within the media and entertainment industries, which in those days meant a lot of inside NYer stuff. For we flyovers, Spy was Holden Caulfield all growed up, an intro to textual cool. Traces of the old may still be found in Vanity Fair, which not coincidently is edited by Mr. Carter.

In its infinite wisdom Google Books has digitized all copies of Spy. For a time travelers look back to what in many ways feels a hundred years ago take a look here. It's worth the peek for the ads alone. Always start with the first issue and work forward.

Toad

Graydon Carter - Cool Guy

As a kid, I was never much of a Mad Magazine fan. My buds and I were too busy to find much time to read, and we blew all our grass cutting money on french cars and motor boats.

In the spring of 1970 though, a new magazine emerged. The National Lampoon. It was irreverent, topical, funny and strongly directed at college age males. I was hooked immediately, and can still recite verbatim many of the first several issues. The creativity level died pretty quickly though,and by the time the movies came out it was a hollow shell of its former existence.

Fast forward 15 years or so. Another new magazine arrived aiming at the demographic of the original National Lampoon reader, now in his 30's. You remember it as Spy Magazine.



Spy, like NP was topical, satirical, funny, and at times nearly libelous. Occasionally, you be amazed to find a hard hitting investigative piece which would knock your socks off. The recession of the late 80's crippled it, and it was killed it off too soon in the early 90's. It's creator was today's birthday boy, Graydon Carter.


Carter sold off his share of Spy and knocked around journalism awhile. In 1992, after Tina Brown left for the New Yorker, he became editor in chief of Vanity Fair, a position which has given him access to the world of celebrity, wealth and power for nearly 20 years.

Blogging buddy, on hiatus, Sartre hates VF but reads it regularly. I like the magazine a great deal, but get to it infrequently. Like most of us, I enjoy looking at beautiful people, but unlike Jon Goesselin I don't ever want to get caught up in the mix. Fortunately, for me, it ain't never gonna happen.

So the years have been good to him. He's put on a pound or two. Owns the Waverly Inn, his own restaurant in NY. Shows up in a movie here and there. Is a well known raconteur, and pretty good guy considering all that he is surrounded by. There is a marvelous book about Graydon's unique management style, "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" by Toby Young. Catty!!

I'd kill for his hair.

Here's to today's cool guy, Graydon Carter. Happy Birthday.

Toad