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Interview (magazine)

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Interview
April 2011 cover featuring Lil Wayne
PresidentKelly Brant
Editor in ChiefMel Ottenberg[1]
CategoriesPop culture
FrequencyBimonthly
PublisherJason Nikic
FounderAndy Warhol, John Wilcock
Founded1969; 55 years ago (1969)
CompanyCrystal Ball Media
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websiteinterviewmagazine.com
ISSN0149-8932

Interview is an American magazine founded in 1969 by artist Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock.[2] The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop",[3][4] features interviews of and by celebrities.

History

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Covers displayed in the Andy Warhol Museum

Andy Warhol period

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Pop artist Andy Warhol founded Interview with British journalist John Wilcock in 1969.[2] In the beginning, the magazine was merely a film critique spread published under the title inter/VIEW: A Monthly Film Journal. During this period, Warhol was retired from painting to focus on filmmaking and building a business enterprise.[5]

In 1970, Bob Colacello was taking a film course at Columbia University when he began writing film reviews for Interview. By 1971, Colacello was promoted to editor of the magazine, at a salary of $50 a week. Colacello brought in his friend and classmate Glenn O'Brien as an assistant. Colacello's first issue featured film 1940s-era stills of actress Rita Hayworth on the cover and on every page. The idea came from Warhol's collaborator and filmmaker Paul Morrissey, who told Colacello, "Just put one on every page and it'll be funny."[6]

By 1972, Interview had a circulation of 30,000, mostly subscriptions.[7] The magazine increased size, started printing color covers, and was distributed regularly for 50 cents per copy.[7] The magazine was transformed to become a "reflection of Andy’s social life" said Colacello.[8] "We wanted every issue of Interview to be like a great dinner party, where you have a grande dame, an important political figure, a rock star, an up-and-coming actress, and some model."[6]

Warhol hosted parties for the magazine at New York hotspots such as Studio 54 and Regine's. He used a tape recorder he had in his pocket to capture content for Interview.[8] The interviews were taped conversations of well-known eclectic people usually at a restaurant and published as a iteral transcription. Another trademark of the magazine were full-page photographs of "beautiful people."[9]

By 1981, Interview was priced at $2 a copy and had a circulation of 90,000.[10] The magazine was described as a "hybrid of People and Vogue on elongated newsprint."[10]

From 1972 to 1989, the artist Richard Bernstein created covers of Interview, giving the publication its signature style.[11] Photographers Robert Mapplethorpe and Christopher Makos took pictures for the magazine. Writer Fran Lebowitz was paid $10 a review for her film column. Fashion journalist André Leon Talley answered the phones and styled shoots.[6]

Over time, Warhol withdrew from everyday oversight of Interview but he continued to act as an ambassador for the magazine, distributing issues in the street to passersby and promoting the magazine at events.[10]

Brant Publications period

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In 1989, Brant Publications Inc. acquired Interview magazine from the estate of Andy Warhol for $10 million.[12] Art collector Peter Brant and his then-wife Sandra Brant were friends of Warhol, who died in 1987, and they had briefly invested in Interview in the 1970s.[12]

From 1989 to 2008, Sandra Brant ran the business and her longtime partner Ingrid Sischy was the editor-in-chief.[13] The magazine's format remained consistent at 60% features and 40% glossy advertising. In 2008, Sischy resigned from Interview when Brant sold her 50 percent stake.[13]

2008 to 2018

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For a year and a half the magazine was in flux, edited by Christopher Bollen.[14] Interview restarted under co-editorial directors Fabien Baron and Glenn O'Brien in September 2008, with a cover featuring Kate Moss. Stephen Mooallem and Christopher Bollen served as the working editor-in-chief and editor-at-large, respectively. The publication's content can be found online and via an app, Other Edition, available on iTunes.

As of 2017, Fabien Baron was the editorial director, Karl Templer was the creative director, and Nick Haramis was the editor-in-chief. In December 2013, Stephen Mooallem left Interview to join Harper's Bazaar as its executive editor. Keith Pollock served as editor-in-chief from 2014 to 2016.[15]

It was announced on May 21, 2018, that the publication 'folded' and would end both its print and web publications by the end of 2018. The publication also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidation.[16][17][18][19]

Relaunch

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In August 2018, it was reported that a company owned by Peter Brant, Singleton LLC, purchased Interview out of bankruptcy for $1.5 million.[20]

On September 6, 2018, Interview announced the launch of its 521st issue.[21][22] The magazine was purchased by Kelly Brant and Jason Nikic,[23] with some reports suggesting that the title's intellectual property will be returned to Peter Brant.[24][25]

References

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  1. ^ Hastreiter, Kim (2021-08-27). "Mel Ottenberg Takes Over Interview Magazine As Top Editor". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  2. ^ a b "The 20 Best Magazines of the Decade (2000-2009)". Paste Magazine. 26 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. ^ Kevin Howell (December 13, 2004). "The Crystal Ball of Pop Culture". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  4. ^ Anna Wilson (July 17, 2014). "Ten Things You Never Knew About Andy Warhol". Clash Music. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Warhol, Andy; Pat Hackett (1980). POPism: the Warhol '60s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. pp. 287–295. ISBN 978-0-15-173095-7. OCLC 5673923.
  6. ^ a b c Whittle, Andrea (September 4, 2020). "My Life in Parties: Bob Colacello's Off-Kilter Views of New York Society". W Magazine.
  7. ^ a b Kushner, Trucia D. (1972-04-06). "Dirty Movies Just Part of Andy Warhol's Strange Life". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 68. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  8. ^ a b Bernstein, Jacob (2018-06-16). "The Great Interview Magazine Caper". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  9. ^ Ross, Michele (June 24, 1981). "Interviewing Interview". The Atlanta Journal: Section B.
  10. ^ a b c Weil, Debbie (1981-06-26). "Andy Warhol In Fantasyland: Somehow Smaller Than Life". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. 1-B, 3-B. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  11. ^ Rosen, Miss (2024-03-27). "How Richard Bernstein Created Interview Magazine's Iconic 1980s Covers". AnOther. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  12. ^ a b "Interview Magazine Is Sold". The New York Times. 1989-05-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  13. ^ a b "Ingrid Sischy and Sandra Brant to Helm 'Vanity Fair' Abroad". New York Magazine. 17 March 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Management Changes at Interview Magazine". The New York Times. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  15. ^ Steigrad, Alexandra (28 January 2014). "Keith Pollock Named Editor in Chief of Interview". WWD. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  16. ^ Helmore, Edward (May 21, 2018). "Interview magazine closes, ending a 50-year survey of Manhattan cool". The Guardian. New York. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Santoni, Matthew (May 24, 2018). "Interview Magazine folds, but archive will live on at Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum". TribLive. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  18. ^ Serota, Maggie (May 23, 2018). "Interview Magazine Ceases Publication". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  19. ^ Kludt, Tom (May 21, 2018). "Interview Magazine, founded by Andy Warhol, shuts down". CNN. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  20. ^ Jonathan, Randles (August 29, 2018). "Publisher Peter Brant Buys Interview Magazine Out Of Bankruptcy". Wall Street Journal.
  21. ^ "Interview Magazine on Instagram: "Our 1st cover star is now our 521st! @agnes.varda interviewed by @hansulrichobrist, with love notes to Agnès from @ava, Angelina Jolie,…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  22. ^ "Interview Magazine on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  23. ^ "How Interview Magazine Came Back From the Dead". The Business of Fashion. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  24. ^ "'Interview' Magazine Will Relaunch in September After Peter Brant Essentially Repurchased It From Himself | artnet News". artnet News. 2018-08-30. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  25. ^ Kimball, Whitney. "Report: Interview Magazine Sidesteps 300 Unpaid Creditors and Relaunches". Jezebel. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
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