Welcome to the Personal Website of George Michael Huff

Aug 14 2008

Death of an Icon

By George Huff

When I stumbled into my early teens, or maybe even before that, I had a strong draw towards music and more specifically bands. Being born in Seattle made me gravitate towards the scene there, even if I lived in Alaska. And what band is synonymous with Seattle? Nirvana of course.

Before the internet we had TV or magazines to get information about bands. Back then, MTV played music, on television. Hard to imagine such a radical concept now. Anyways, this brings me to the topic of the post - Rolling Stone Magazine. One of the first Rolling Stones I ever picked up was the one showed below. Walking by it in the store, I had to have it. As with most kids, this involved begging and pleading with Mom. Eventually I convinced her of all the reasons it was necessary for me to obtain this magazine and she caved.

This was my first interaction with the magazine which I soon had a yearly subscription to. I brought it home, read it cover to cover, and trusted its insight on movies, music, and television - culture basically. Part of what made it stand apart from the other was its larger than life format - the magazine was big. I knew when it came in the mail because it stuffed the mailbox.

When I stumbled across this article, courtesy of Mr. Gruber, it made a part of me die inside. They are killing the larger format in favor of streamlining operations. Reading in between the lines, it’s about profit. Which is understandable, but shitty from a brand/aesthetic/nostalgia perspective. And the money quote from, Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone.

“All you’re getting from that large size is nostalgia.”

Yea, that’s probably right. But for this one-time avid reader, it’s the last of a great standard - the big magazine format. The background of this website is composed of advertisements from a stack of big magazines. And believe me - the experience of flipping through them is so much better than the throw away small format of today. The big magazine format is the equivalent of vinyl in music.

If I could wish a different fate on the magazine, it would be this: build a better website that has more tie-ins with the magazine. Offset costs of doing the bigger magazine (paper, printing, shipping, etc…) with a better digital presence. And for goodness sakes, put Silver Jackson on the cover.

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Comments for Death of an Icon

Meggan August 14th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

I don’t like this either. RS would look sad as a tiny, normal magazine.

Jason Glaspey August 14th, 2008 at 1:31 pm

I, too, remember that cover. However, I was already a subscriber when that issue came in the mail. And oddly enough, I believe it’s that issue that has one of my favorite musical quotes of all time– speaking of Grohl, the author writes, “[he] bludgeons his drums like they owe him money.”

I’ve never thought of Nirvana and not had that quote go through my head, even now, 16 years later.

And while I’ve quit reading it long ago, it’s a sad moment to hear that they’re going to a smaller format. Kind of like Favre going to the Jets.

JACY August 14th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

NICE POST.

BUMMER NEWS BUT THEN AGAIN, ROLLING STONE ISN’T AS RELEVANT AS IT WAS ONCE (ESPECIALLY DURING THE TIME OF THIS COVER). THINK OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY THEN AND NOW. SOME PEOPLE DIDN’T HAVE ANSWER MACHINES IN PLACE BACK THEN.

RS IS JUST NOT AS IMPORTANT, SO I SAY DOWNSIZE IT TO BASEBALL CARD FORMAT AND SELL IT IN PACKS WITH GUM.

George Huff August 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

@meggan - my thoughts exactly.

@Jason - love that quote.

@jacy - maybe that’s why I stopped reading it. I guess the only thing left for me to admire was the big format. “you get gum if you buy our mag!” What a scheme that was as a kid collecting cards.

PETE SCHUFT August 14th, 2008 at 2:24 pm

Just one more reason to slough the immortal coil of print media.
My guess is that they were using outdated printing presses and they can’t afford the upkeep. Maybe they are trying to scale their printing up, or down.

Guy Louie August 14th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

Ah, I agree on the Silver Jackson cover etc. side of the story… As far as news goes, printed catalogs are dead, though one off interviews, art and other forms of tangible media…. they still serve… on the bright side, maybe a few trees will be saved?

Sam August 15th, 2008 at 10:23 am

I think the original large format was intended to be a tool for stoners to de-seed their herbs. Using a subscription insert and a slightly rolled large format mag makes a great ramp for separating the two. I think this marks a shift in the overall quality of herb being produced today.

James September 18th, 2008 at 5:54 am

Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.