| Categories | Music magazine |
|---|---|
| Founder | Marvin Scott Jarrett |
| First issue | 1992 |
| Final issue | 2000 |
| Country | USA |
| Based in | Santa Monica, California |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 1533-4732 |
Ray Gun was an American alternative rock-and-roll magazine, first published in 1992 in Santa Monica, California. 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" style, not always readable (it once published an interview with Bryan Ferry entirely in the symbol font Zapf Dingbats), but distinctive in appearance.[1] 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, 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) also later created the magazines Stick, huH,[2] Bikini,[3] and Nylon [4] (a New York–based fashion magazine).[5] 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
| Issue # | Date | Cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 1992 | Henry Rollins |
| 2 | December 1992/January 1993 | R.E.M. |
| 3 | February 1993 | Dinosaur Jr. |
| 4 | March 1993 | Frank Black |
| 5 | April 1993 | Porno for Pyros |
| 6 | May 1993 | PJ Harvey |
| 7 | June/July 1993 | Sonic Youth |
| 8 | August 1993 | Iggy Pop |
| 9 | September 1993 | Urge Overkill |
| 10 | October 1993 | Teenage Fanclub |
| 11 | November 1993 | Swervedriver |
| 12 | December 1993/January 1994 | L7 |
| 13 | February 1994 | Ministry |
| 14 | March 1994 | Morrissey |
| 15 | April 1994 | Elvis Costello |
| 16 | May 1994 | Alice in Chains |
| 17 | June/July 1994 | Perry Farrell |
| 18 | August 1994 | Lush |
| 19 | September 1994 | Jesus and Mary Chain |
| 20 | October 1994 | Kim Deal & J Mascis |
| 21 | November 1994 | Liz Phair |
| 22 | December 1994/January 1995 | Keith Richards |
| 23 | February 1995 | Belly |
| 24 | March 1995 | Mudhoney |
| 25 | April 1995 | Pavement |
| 26 | May 1995 | Beastie Boys |
| 27 | June/July 1995 | Björk |
| 28 | August 1995 | Neil Young |
| 29 | September 1995 | Flaming Lips |
| 30 | October 1995 | David Bowie[lower-alpha 1] |
| 31 | November 1995 | My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult |
| 32 | December/January 1996 | Sonic Youth |
| 33 | February 1996 | Smashing Pumpkins |
| 34 | March 1996 | Cypress Hill |
| 35 | April 1996 | Iggy Pop & Perry Farrell |
| 36 | May 1996 | Rage Against the Machine |
| 37 | June/July 1996 | Soundgarden |
| 38 | August 1996 | Yoko Ono |
| 39 | September 1996 | Beck |
| 40 | October 1996 | Tricky |
| 41 | November 1996 | Mazzy Star |
| 42 | December 1996/January 1997 | Smashing Pumpkins |
| 43 | February 1997 | Nine Inch Nails |
| 44 | March 1997 | David Bowie |
| 45 | April 1997 | U2 |
| 46 | May 1997 | Chemical Brothers |
| 47 | June/July 1997 | Blur |
| 48 | August 1997 | Wim Wenders & Michael Stipe |
| 49 | September 1997 | Björk |
| 50 | October 1997 | Oasis |
| 51 | November 1997 | Jane's Addiction |
| 52 | December 1997/January 1998 | Marilyn Manson |
| 53 | February 1998 | Goldie |
| 54 | March 1998 | Radiohead |
| 55 | April 1998 | Pulp |
| 56 | May 1998 | Pearl Jam |
| 57 | June/July 1998 | Garbage |
| 58 | August 1998 | Andy Warhol |
| 59 | September 1998 | Prodigy |
| 60 | October 1998 | Kiss |
| 61 | November 1998 | Marilyn Manson |
| 62 | December 1998 | R.E.M. |
| 63 | January 1999 | Beck |
| 64 | February 1999 | Underworld |
| 65 | March 1999 | Shirley Manson |
| 66 | April 1999 | Jamiroquai |
| 67 | May 1999 | Eminem |
| 68 | June 1999 | Jamiroquai |
| 69 | July 1999 | Edward Furlong |
| 70 | August 1999 | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| 71 | September 1999 | Chris Cornell |
| 72 | October 1999 | Missy Elliott |
| 73 | November 1999 | Stone Temple Pilots |
| 74 | December 1999/January 2000 | Nine Inch Nails |
See also
Books
- Ray Gun: Out of Control by Dean Kuipers and Marvin Scott Jarrett, Simon & Schuster (1997), ISBN 0-684-83980-6. 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, Wayne Coyne, Ian Davies and Dean Kuipers, Rizzoli (2019), ISBN 978-0-8478-6315-0.[6][7]
Notes
- ↑ Final issue to be art directed by David Carson.
- ↑ Shetty, Sharan. "The Rise & Fall of Grunge Typography". The Awl.
- ↑ Reminiscing on 90's huH Magazine by Eric Compton, Maximum Metal, May 6, 2016.
- ↑ Bikini to Hang it Up by Keith J. Kelly, New York Post, January 20, 2000.
- ↑ Nylon Magazine by Helen Lee, Sassy Bella Magazine, November 7, 2007.
- ↑ "Nylon Magazine". Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
- ↑ Jarrett, Marvin Scott (May 14, 2019). "Ray Gun: The Bible of Music and Style". Rizzoli New York. ISBN 978-0-8478-6315-0. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023.
- ↑ "Ray Gun, the Magazine That Defined the Alt ’90s, Lives Again", by Corey Seymour, Vogue magazine, May 23, 2019.
External links
- "Magical Mystery Tour", by Neva Chonin, Ray Gun, May 1998.