I know what you mean. Having always slightly disgusted myself by regularly buying those 'gentlemens' periodicals' I too am finding them generally unsatisfying at the moment. Since I largely bought them for the fashion pages (and am frequently confused by the apparent penchant for multiple covers), I've resorted to flicking through them in W.H. Smiths before venturing a purchase - but in recent months several (notably 'FHM') have taken to sealing the magazine itself in plastic, thus foiling my perusal.
Never really liked 'Loaded' ('What To Wear For Your Court Appearance') but continued to pick up 'FHM' for their fashiony stuff, and for the best captions around. Way too overtly tits & ass now, to the extent that I feel uncomfortably closeted buying the damn thing.
'GQ' and 'Esquire' I'll only occasionally buy, usually for train or Tube journeys. I find it simultaneously ridiculous and strangely wonderful that whole multi-page articles can be squeezed from the absolute esoterica of the male wardrobe (subsets of cufflinks and the like) and the 'style advice' pages are a laugh (but not as funny as in the American Psychoesque US versions).
'Arena' I quite like, although it's starting to solicit the 'FHM' market, I think, and I'm increasingly flipping through pages and pages of puff pieces of Rebecca Romijn-Stamos's arse (or whatever) to get at the Wardrobe-Building stuff, which I geekily lap up.
I'll happily buy the quarterly 'Homme Plus' versions of all of these. In fact, I even checked out the style supplement of 'Maxim' the other day, a title I'd normally avoid like the gym...
'Jack' never really pushed my buttons, although I liked the weeny, pocket-friendly size.
With you on 'The Face', 'Dazed & Confused', etc. Feel slightly paedophilic - or pederastic, at least - buying those. Very occasionally check out 'The Face' for the gadgety pages, and because I like the design.
'Word', yes, the Morrissey issue only. 'Q' makes me feel overly muso. 'NME' brings a wash of nostalgia tinged with senescence anxiety that I haven't heard of half the bands.
'Course, being a woolly woofter, there're a number of gay equivalents, but they're hardly shining beacons of journalism either. 'Gay Times' keeps trying to reinvent itself with Sex issues (never a good sign) but remains worthy and somewhat dull. 'Attitude' used to be excellent but has gone off the boil a bit fashion-wise (or perhaps I'm just too old for contemporary London queen style) but has good articles from time to time (excellent one this month, on fetishism). The newer ones, like 'ReFresh' are a little too glossy, with too much advertising and too little content.
The free gay weeklies can occasionally surprise ('Boyz' isn't always as lightweight as it looks). I read those regularly.
So, uh, that's me. |
