Magazine Mania

i am absolutely wild about magazines. there is something so satisying about sitting down and reading a magazine from cover to cover. my love of magazines started back in the day (in the 70's when i was a teenager) with *tiger beat*, *16*, *cream* and *hit parader*. i got hooked on magazines while accompanying my mom to the grocery store. every two weeks, when my father got paid, my mom would go to our nearby A&P and stock up on food. since she only went every two weeks, and we had a big family, this took some time. as soon as we hit the store i would race to the magazine stand and read the entire time my mom was shopping. invariably, my mom would buy 1 or 2 magazines to take home with me. i read the above mentioned magazines every month, cover to cover, and cut out pictures to hang on my wall. the latest pics of leif garrett, shawn cassidy, john travolta (he used to be a teen idol, remember) and linda carter (wonder woman) had to go on my wall immediately. these people kept me company, and transported me from the appalachian coalfields to los angeles and new york. also, it was through these magazines that i became such a big music fan, with *cream* and *hit parader* being my way to stay up to date on what my favorite bands were doing, and to turn me on to new music.

i eventually moved on to *rolling stone* and *spin* as i headed into high school. i also would buy *cosmopolitan* and *teen* occasionally just because all of my friends did so, but to be honest, i never could get into those mags for young women. all the talk about one's physical appearance, and how to get a boyfriend just didn't resonate with me. they left me feeling inadequate and ugly.

now, i read a number of different magazines on a regular basis - some that i subscribe to, others that i buy at the newstand, or read at the campus library. here is a list of the magazines we currently have subscriptions to at the moment. please keep in mind that some of these were xmas gifts, and not chosen by us. however, we do enjoy all of them.

1. HARPER'S - wow. what a magazine. it's glossy and smart. anne turned me onto harper's a couple of years ago. every article is like a mini-dissertation. it's fabulous.
2. THE ATLANTIC - this has good political commentary. they are scary and alarmist sometimes, but it still keeps me up to date on politics. they no longer cover fiction regularly. you have to buy separate editions for that. but this year (2005) they had a wonderful, 5 part series -"in the footsteps of tocqueville" -by bernard-henri levy, a frenchman who goes all over the u.s. and writes about his observations. it's good stuff.
3. NEW YORK - this magazine can be a bit lurid in their coverage of scandal in new york city, but overall it's good cultural and political criticism and keeps us informed on what is happening in n.y.c.
4. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY - this magazine is so skinny and glossy. this was a gift from a.'s mom. it's a cursory look at film, tv, music, books etc. very superficial but a quick and entertaining read most of the time.
5. BITCH - this is a gift from our friend, cheryl. it's good cultural criticism from a young feminist perspective. we dig it.
6. THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER - yes, we do get this one every week. this was a gift from a's mom and we thorougly enjoy it. i don't usually read a word of it, but i love the pics of celebrities caught off-guard. it's mean-spirited and salacious but very, very funny.
7. LIVING - nana bought this for us as a xmas gift a couple of years ago. she loved martha stewart and was a lot like her. we enjoy the practical advice of this mag, and some of the recipes are delicious. thanks nana. may you rest in peace.

okay, that's it for now. i'm open to suggestions about magazines that other people enjoy.

jb