''Ray Gun'' was an American alternative
rock-and-roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
magazine, first published in 1992 in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
. Led by founding publisher Marvin Scott Jarrett, art director
David Carson and executive editor Randy Bookasta, along with founding editor Neil Feineman, ''Ray Gun'' explored experimental magazine typographic design and unique angles on the pop cultural currents of the 1990s. The editorial content was framed in a chaotic, abstract "
grunge typography
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
" style, not always readable (it once published an interview with
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...
entirely in the symbol font
Zapf Dingbats
ITC Zapf Dingbats is one of the more common dingbat typefaces. It was designed by the typographer Hermann Zapf in 1978 and licensed by International Typeface Corporation.
History
In 1977, Zapf created about 1000 (or over 1200 according to Lino ...
), but distinctive in appearance. That visual tradition continued even after Carson left the magazine after three years; he was followed by a series of art directors, including Robert Hales, Chris Ashworth, Jason Saunby, Scott Denton-Cardew, and Jerome Curchod.
In terms of content, ''Ray Gun'' was also notable for its choices of subject matter. The advertising, musical artists and pop culture icons spotlighted were progressive—for example putting such artists as
Radiohead,
Björk,
Beck,
Flaming Lips
Flaming may refer to:
* Anything set aflame or on fire
* Flaming (Internet), the act of posting deliberately hostile messages on the Internet
* Flame maple, the striped figures in maple woodwork prized for their beauty
* Fläming, a region in ...
,
PJ Harvey and
Eminem on its cover before its competitors. Those choices were guided by Executive Editor Randy Bookasta (and founding editor Neil Feineman for the first three issues), along with an editorial staff that included
Dean Kuipers, Nina Malkin, Mark Blackwell, Joe Donnelly, Grant Alden, Mark Woodlief, Eric Gladstone and photographer
Ian Davies.
''Ray Gun'' produced over 70 issues from 1992 through 2000. Owner-founder-publisher Marvin Scott Jarrett (one-time publisher of a late-1980s incarnation of ''
Creem
''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential crit ...
'') also later created the magazines ''Stick'', ''
huH'', ''Bikini'', and ''
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...
'' (a
New York–based
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...
magazine). The most notable common thread among all of Jarrett's magazines (from his days at ''Creem'' through ''Nylon'') have been their focus on graphic design and music.
Partial list of issues
See also
*
''Emigre'' (magazine)
*
''The Face'' (magazine)
*
''Print'' (magazine)
Books
*''Ray Gun: Out of Control'' by
Dean Kuipers and Marvin Scott Jarrett, Simon & Schuster (1997), . Design and art direction by Neil Fletcher and Chris Ashworth.
*''Ray Gun: The Bible of Music and Style'' by Marvin Scott Jarrett, with Contributions from
Steven Heller (design writer),
Liz Phair
Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...
,
Wayne Coyne
Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips.
Early life
Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
,
Ian Davies and
Dean Kuipers, Rizzoli (2019), .
Ray Gun, the Magazine That Defined the Alt ’90s, Lives Again
by Corey Seymour, Vogue Magazine, May 23, 2019.
Notes
{{Reflist
External links
by Neva Chonin, ''Ray Gun'', May 1998.
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines disestablished in 2000
Magazines established in 1992
Magazines published in California
Music magazines published in the United States