Episode 87: Gen X and the Golden Age of Magazines
The late '80s and the '90s were a golden age for magazines. With the World Wide Web a few years away, advertising dollars were being pumped into print and art directors and publishers did not disappoint with their offerings. In this episode we talk about Raygun, Wired, Rolling Stone and Vibe and the approaches of David Carson, Plunkett + Kuhr, Fred Woodward and Gary Koepke. Elliot also tells the story of trying to get an internship at one of these lauded publications.
Flip to your favorite liquor ad and show it to your nearest mixologist. It's time once again to join us back in the bar.
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): David Carson’s first cover for Raygun, later cover artwork featuring Porno for Pyros, the infamous Bryan Ferry spread set in Zapf Dingbats
(Top to bottom): Plunkett+Kuhr’s cover and spread from the premiere issue of Wired, a stock certificate from when Wired Ventures went public
(Top to bottom): Fred Woodward’s infamous “roll one” Jimi Hendrix cover for Rolling Stone, opening spreads for profiles of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michelle Pfeiffer
(Top to bottom): Gary Koepke’s Snoop cover for Vibe, a cover and opening spread for a profile of Wesley Snipes
Additional Resources
Generation X (Wikipedia article)
“Generation Exit” (New Yorker article)
Art Directors
David Carson
Plunkett+Kuhr
Fred Woodward
Gary Koepke
Books and Articles
Raygun: The Bible of Music and Style by Marvin Scott Jarrett
50 Years of Rolling Stone: The Music, Politics and People that Shaped Our Culture
“‘We Changed Culture’: An Oral History of Vibe Magazine” (Billboard article)
“The Magazine Business, From the Coolest Place to the Coldest One” (New York Times article)
Erik Adigard’s visual essays for Wired