C/D: The Baffler

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Is the Baffler worth $7.50? I read their writer's guidelines and am baffled that anyone would read this zine. Please, enlighten me.

― Citizen Fred (Citizen Fred), Monday, 17 March 2003 05:23 (twenty-three years ago)

How did their writer's guidelines manage to tell you so much about the content?

It's quite good, in my opinion -- occasionally a bit up itself, but quite good. (Last fantastic thing I remember reading in it: story on Al Capp.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 17 March 2003 05:42 (twenty-three years ago)

No poetry!

― Citizen Fred (Citizen Fred), Monday, 17 March 2003 05:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I haven't seen the last few issues. I was a subscriber once upon a time and while it was an interesting journal, there were a few too many poor articles about contemporary film and music (all of which valorized various "indie" artists at the expense of Popular Culture) and many too many Tom Frank screeds which were essentially the same article dressed up in different clothes.

Some of their stuff on local culture was interesting, but they all have this sky-is-falling quality that grows wearisome (like similar articles in Harper's and The Atlantic. Well, to me.

The best thing I read in The Baffler was a long piece on the aesthetics and politics of gay pornography. Does anyone else recall this?

And I've seen the lastest issue around town, with its cover featuring a comely young woman. What's that about?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 06:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Er, so on the whole I'd say classic for the occasional essential article. But the name of the magazine sort of tips you off to the post-grad "culturejammer" pretentions with I eventually found intolerable.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 06:40 (twenty-three years ago)

It's better than Adbusters. It's not nearly as good as Stay Free.

― Chris P (Chris P), Monday, 17 March 2003 07:21 (twenty-three years ago)

'about as "baffling" as a fifth grade crossword puzzle'

― tyg, Monday, 17 March 2003 07:27 (twenty-three years ago)

classic but all the articles sound the same after a while. and i agree with tyg.

― aaron (aaron), Monday, 17 March 2003 07:29 (twenty-three years ago)

you can buy a collection of the best baffler essays in monograph, and that's got the article amateurist is talking about. the essays are usually pretty intelligent but again i agree with amateurist re sky-is-falling-in quality. i'm not sure america has ever produced an essay better than joan didion's 'the white album', which is in a collection w/ the same name (except for maybe kyle stone's 'neighbours' from a recent granta). 'the white album' seems like the ur-essay of that personal essay variety. david foster wallace is almost up to par in this capacity too; also tom wolfe.

― Clare (not entirely unhappy), Monday, 17 March 2003 07:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, The Baffler. I actually lived with Tom Frank for a couple years and it was a good experience for me; the guy does really know his Marx pretty well, and I found it helpful to talk with the guy about the stuff. It was a point in my life life where I totally was exploring Marxist criticm, reading Althusser and stuff like that. But he does sort of live in this old world fantasy world where like theory can change the world and shit. I mean that's kind of the whole Baffler aesthetic; they are all totally great people. Any random person that is going to come along on this thread and dis the Baffler guys; it really strikes me as a little too convenient. Like I seriously wonder. I know some people get defensive because they don't like the old-school Marxism tone that the Baffler sometimes strikes. But I also wonder how much Marx have some of these people actually read? It's always really easy to dismiss a piece of music or whatever. More challinging and problematic is to refute the arguments made by some of these hardcore marxists. Because let's face it, pop = capitalism. I like the fact that these guys continue to hammer this point. SOmebody needs to.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 17 March 2003 07:53 (twenty-three years ago)

wait I just reread my post and saw how drunk and idiotic it sounds as written (because I am drunk and idtiotic; it's late on a Sunday night and I will recover). But anyway, yeah, the Baffler guys. Good on 'em. And yes, that woman who is on the current cover? My God!

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 17 March 2003 07:58 (twenty-three years ago)

that comment above reminds me: i love althusser and adorno and horkheimer. baffler's one of the only non-academic (in the most rigid sense) periodicals that uses, as far as i can tell, a new historicist approach to cultural texts, and i like that. probably cause i'm fuckin boring. but i don't reckon baffler at all gives off change the world vibes. i think they're more into observing/examining/delineating/comparing/exposing and inherent in that's the possibility for change - they don't bang on like guys from a university marxist club at a cheap pint night, if you know what i mean/have ever met that kind of smelly bastard. (god i'd love a pint)

― Clare (not entirely unhappy), Monday, 17 March 2003 08:14 (twenty-three years ago)

haha! I just re-rread my post and I'm eveb right now more drunk than when I made it. But for the most part yeah, love those Baffler guys. I mean SOMEBODY needs to hold up old-schoolh Marxsim for Christ's sake.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 17 March 2003 08:33 (twenty-three years ago)

even more than ever now.

― Clare (not entirely unhappy), Monday, 17 March 2003 08:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Is that really what they're doing? It seems like a variant on high-pitched cultural criticism pretending to political engagement, sometimes. I mean, there are more pernicious phenomena on which they can bring Capital to bear, than the stuff they usually focus on.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 08:47 (twenty-three years ago)

We've been here before. Not a criticism, just an observation, something to add to the stew.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 17 March 2003 13:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Allow me to throw a spanner in the works...

http://www.ampcon.freeserve.co.uk/ch/baffler.gif

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:37 (twenty-three years ago)

diamond you lived with thomas frank? damn homie. you just got cooler too.

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:53 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm really enjoying the idea that "Wanksta" is aimed at Thomas Frank.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:55 (twenty-three years ago)

(haha diamond even calls him 'tom')

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Wha-hey...my first Freshman year roomate was Richard Hell's cousin!

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, my old boss lived in the apartment next door to Richard Hell. He would sometimes knock on her door and need to borrow some sugar or eggs or whatnot.

― Chris P (Chris P), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:05 (twenty-three years ago)

Sounds like the beginning of a home invasion movie!

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Wait, what the hell does Richard Hell or his cousin have to do with anything?

― Chris P (Chris P), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:08 (twenty-three years ago)

its baffling

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I love the Baffler, but my favorite articles are the ones on labor & economic history and so forth, like that Al Capp article that Nitsuh talks about.

While we're dropping names, I once opened the Baffler to find an article devoted to mocking a former (and really annoying) roommate of mine. (No, I'm not going to say who he is.) What was funny was that the author didn't seem to know him personally, but got him totally right. This roommate had a huge ego - I was thrilled to see someone tear him down so accurately.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Monday, 17 March 2003 15:18 (twenty-three years ago)

You roomed with Steven Spielberg?

― hstencil, Monday, 17 March 2003 15:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Wait, what the hell does Richard Hell or his cousin have to do with anything?

Mr. Diamond roomed with Tom Frank --> I roomed with Richard Hell's cousin. Whee.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 17 March 2003 16:04 (twenty-three years ago)

The sky is falling.

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 17 March 2003 16:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Would you like to explain that comment to the class, Mr. Little?

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 16:31 (twenty-three years ago)

(Maybe later.)

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 17 March 2003 17:35 (twenty-three years ago)

C'mon, guys, the horrible Chicago roommate name-drop of choice is supposed to be "hahaha yeah I actually lived with Wesley Willis for a summer."

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 17 March 2003 17:44 (twenty-three years ago)

(I've met like 482 people who claim to have lived with Wesley Willis. They think this is supposed to sound cool, but since Wesley Willis remains a mentally ill near-homeless person I don't think it reflects well on them to have been sharing quarters with him.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 17 March 2003 17:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Nabisco has a habit of hanging out in halfway house rec rooms.

― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 17 March 2003 17:49 (twenty-three years ago)

nope, not WW. :)

― Kerry (dymaxia), Monday, 17 March 2003 17:59 (twenty-three years ago)

eight months pass...

http://i.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/westbank/mourning.jpg

― Dada, Sunday, 7 December 2003 04:35 (twenty-two years ago)

six months pass...

does anyone want my old issues of the baffler? i have #11, #6, two copies of #9, #8, #13, #7, #10. i'd part with them for $3 each, say.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently there's a new book by Frank out. Heard him on radio somewhere.

― Hunter (Hunter), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:21 (twenty-two years ago)

what's in 'em?

― g--ff (gcannon), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:26 (twenty-two years ago)

er, if you're really interested i could type up the contents pages.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

ha those are no help! i mean, you're getting rid of them so you can't be too fond, but are there any highlights? i have 11 & 13 sitting around somewhere. i thought they were the shit back then.

― g--ff (gcannon), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

oh yeah, there's tons of highlights--like the aforementioned articleon gay porn, and chapters 14, 15, 17 of tom frank's harangue about contemporary civilization (actually the gay porn thing *is* really good, as i remember it). i'm just getting rid of them b/c i've become a fascist about housecleaning. i want to be all zen-like with practically no possessions and shit.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:46 (twenty-two years ago)

if you can grit your teeth and hang on to them for a few weeks i might be game but i'm broke at present.

― g--ff (gcannon), Friday, 18 June 2004 00:53 (twenty-two years ago)

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