The Friday Thing #903

Some of you missed a treat last week with Gawx.

The Friday Thing #903 is about content - literally, the word "content". I'll get to that in a moment but before then, I have a confession to make. I have become a world class magazine bore, I think.

As you may have heard, we published a print magazine here at Microsoft recently, and it has led me down the rabbit hole of magazines. I bought this delightful magazine of magazines from CoverJunkie (via eBay) and tore through it...not literally. It has some of the most amazing magazine covers you will ever see.

Then I bought (also from eBay) this excellent book from Jeremy Leslie and spent a good few hours nerding out on magazine culture.

Last week I read about Chanel issuing their own magazine and a new store in New York and the opening of Library180 that the Times called a "Magazine Nirvana in Manhattan’s Financial District". It's a "trove of periodicals is available for anyone to peruse at Library180, a project by two printheads who met as interns at a fashion magazine." It's now top of my NYC visit list for my next trip.

It could be that old adage about once you start looking for something, you see it everywhere - but I can't help thinking that there is something of a magazine renaissance going on.

Next up is my newfound addiction to the Print Is Dead (Long Live Print!) podcast from Magazeum. Thank you to Brian for the tip on this one. Tons of interviews with folks such as Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair fame whose book I recently devoured - despite my best instincts that it'd be terrible, it was fantastic. Also on the podcast are Neville Brody (The Face), Tyler Brule (Wallpaper, Monocle), David Granger (Esquire, GQ), David Remnick (New Yorker), Scott Dadich (Wired), Tina Brown (Vanity Fair, New Yorker), Gloria Steinem (New Yorker) and soooo many more.

One of my favourite passages so far from the episodes I have listened to is from David Granger when asked about "content" Here is what he said:

David Granger: Well, “content” is a word that I try not to use. I think it’s the dirtiest word in the English language, especially starting in the mid-aughts of this century.

It’s just like, “Content.” It’s like the great leveler. It’s like anything that fills up the space is of equal value. That’s what the word “content” means. It’s like, “We’re going to get some content and put it on this website.” What the f***? You have, like, you have articles. You have photos. You have great pieces of writing. It’s not “content.” It’s something that somebody slaves over. 

But that’s the mindset. It turns out that the medium is the message, right? If you create something that’s designed to be read quickly, whether it’s on a webpage, or social media, or whatever, it’s going to suck more than something that is designed to move somebody and make them rethink the foundations of their life.

And a magazine has the potential to create a work of art, a timely work of art, that’ll have a profound effect on somebody. 

So wonderfully put, right? I was asked this week in totally different context what my favourite "dirty" word was. I think I have my answer. Content.

From now on, I plan to try to avoid using content when talking about creative endeavours such as features, articles, interviews, photography. These works deserve more reverence than simply being lumped together as "content". I may not always succeed, but that's my plan.

That's all for this week. Music is from Jamiroquai with Seven Days in Sunny June. I know, it's July and I have almost certainly shared this before, but it felt right today.

cheers and Happy Friday.

-Steve