Spy (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Spy was a satirical monthly magazine founded in 1986 by Kurt Andersen
and E. Graydon Carter, who served as its first editors, and Thomas L. Phillips, Jr.
, its first publisher. After one folding and a rebirth, it ceased publication in 1998. Spy was named after the fictitious magazine that employed James Stewart
's character, Macaulay "Mike" Connor, in the movie The Philadelphia Story.
Primarily a magazine of satirical reporting and humor, but also featuring some more serious investigative journalism, the New York
-based Spy traced its influences to "H. L. Mencken
and A. J. Liebling
and Wolcott Gibbs
from the '20s, '30s, and '40s; parody-Time
-ese of the '40s and '50s; New Journalism
of the '60s and '70s; Private Eye
, the scabrous (and much jokier) British fortnightly; and the ways we just happened to write," as Andersen and Carter would later write in Spy: The Funny Years. On April 12, 2011, during a live interview on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Kurt Anderson stated that Mad magazine
also had a strong influence on their humor by creating examples of satirical and cold analysis of government and prominent figures read in their youth.
It specialized in intelligent, thoroughly researched, irreverent pieces targeting the American media and entertainment industries. Many issues often featured brief photographs of nudity relevant to a story. Some of its features attempted to present the darker side of celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger
, John F. Kennedy, Jr.
, Martha Stewart
, and especially, the real-estate tycoon Donald Trump
and his then-wife Ivana Trump
. Pejorative epithets of celebrities, e.g. "Abe 'I'm Writing As Bad As I Can' Rosenthal
" and "former fat girl Diane Brill" became a Spy trademark.
Spy briefly broke even in 1989, but ultimately was not successful as a business, particularly after a recession
began to affect the U.S. economy beginning in the early 1990s. The founders sold the magazine to European buyers in 1991; several months later, Carter left the magazine; Andersen departed eighteen months later, being replaced by Tony Hendra
. The magazine briefly ceased publication in 1994, was revived soon afterward under new ownership, and finally went out of business permanently in 1998. Its last editor was a recent Harvard
graduate, Bruno Maddox
.
In October 2006, Miramax Books published Spy: The Funny Years (ISBN 1-4013-5239-1), a greatest-hits anthology and history of the magazine created and compiled by Carter, Andersen, and one of their original editors, George Kalogerakis.
' s popular features included "Separated at birth
?" (side-by-side photographs of two different celebrities, similar to Private Eyes "Lookalikes") and "Celebrity Math," which presented thumbnail head shots atop simple mathematical models representing the components of celebrities (e.g., Fabio
- Catherine Deneuve
= Billy Ray Cyrus
).
The magazine also specialized in often elaborate stings and hoaxes that explored the American phenomenon of celebrity. Notable efforts in this regard include: the purchasing by the magazine of a bona fide Scottish noble title, a test of the U.S. Postal Service in which letters were addressed only with the photograph of the intended recipient (The letter sent to Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor was successfully delivered), and, to test the ethical limits of the public relations industry, the successful pitching of a chain of fast-food restaurants that served burgers of freshly ground rabbit meat and was fronted by a fuzzy-eared mascot who told customers how delicious his species was to humans.
For a humorous magazine, Spy often was aggressive about straight feature reporting. In the summer of 1992, it ran the only serious investigative story on President George H.W. Bush's alleged extramarital affair
s with Jennifer Fitzgerald and other women. The following year, Spy ran an article entitled "Clinton
's First 100 Lies," detailing what it described as the new president's pattern of duplicitous behavior. After O.J. Simpson was acquitted on charges of murdering his former wife and her friend, Spy ran a cover story under the headline "He's Guilty, By George!" presenting a long list of details that its writers said proved conclusively that Simpson was the killer; he did not sue. The cover illustration parodied that of the much-hyped premiere issue of George
magazine, with Simpson standing in for Cindy Crawford
. Spy used attorneys to vet such potentially libelous material, but its stories often angered their prominent subjects and occasionally drove away advertisers.
Kurt Andersen
Kurt Andersen is an American novelist who is also host of the Peabody-winning public radio program Studio 360, a co-production between Public Radio International and WNYC. In 1986 with E. Graydon Carter he co-founded Spy magazine, which they sold in 1991; it continued publishing until 1998...
and E. Graydon Carter, who served as its first editors, and Thomas L. Phillips, Jr.
Thomas L. Phillips, Jr.
Thomas L. Phillips, Jr. is an American businessman most closely associated with publishing ventures. He was the founding publisher of Spy Magazine, and a founding member of the original management team at Starwave...
, its first publisher. After one folding and a rebirth, it ceased publication in 1998. Spy was named after the fictitious magazine that employed James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
's character, Macaulay "Mike" Connor, in the movie The Philadelphia Story.
Primarily a magazine of satirical reporting and humor, but also featuring some more serious investigative journalism, the New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based Spy traced its influences to "H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
and A. J. Liebling
A. J. Liebling
Abbott Joseph Liebling was an American journalist who was closely associated with The New Yorker from 1935 until his death.-Biography:...
and Wolcott Gibbs
Wolcott Gibbs
Wolcott Gibbs was an American editor, humorist, theatre critic, playwright and author of short stories, who worked for The New Yorker magazine from 1927 until his death. He is best remembered for his 1936 parody of Time magazine, which skewered the magazine's inverted narrative structure...
from the '20s, '30s, and '40s; parody-Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
-ese of the '40s and '50s; New Journalism
New Journalism
New Journalism was a style of 1960s and 1970s news writing and journalism which used literary techniques deemed unconventional at the time. The term was codified with its current meaning by Tom Wolfe in a 1973 collection of journalism articles he published as The New Journalism, which included...
of the '60s and '70s; Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
, the scabrous (and much jokier) British fortnightly; and the ways we just happened to write," as Andersen and Carter would later write in Spy: The Funny Years. On April 12, 2011, during a live interview on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Kurt Anderson stated that Mad magazine
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
also had a strong influence on their humor by creating examples of satirical and cold analysis of government and prominent figures read in their youth.
It specialized in intelligent, thoroughly researched, irreverent pieces targeting the American media and entertainment industries. Many issues often featured brief photographs of nudity relevant to a story. Some of its features attempted to present the darker side of celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
, Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
, and especially, the real-estate tycoon Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
and his then-wife Ivana Trump
Ivana Trump
Ivana Trump is a former Olympic athlete, socialite, and fashion model noted for her marriage to mogul Donald Trump.-Early years:...
. Pejorative epithets of celebrities, e.g. "Abe 'I'm Writing As Bad As I Can' Rosenthal
A. M. Rosenthal
Abraham Michael "A.M." Rosenthal , born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, was a New York Times executive editor and columnist and New York Daily News columnist . He joined the New York Times in 1943 and worked for the Times for 56 years - from 1943 to 1999...
" and "former fat girl Diane Brill" became a Spy trademark.
History
Despite its relatively short life, Spy was among the most widely acclaimed and discussed of American magazines of its time, chiefly for its detached and ironic tone, its use of quasi-scientific charts and tables to convey information, and its elaborate, classically influenced typography and layout.Spy briefly broke even in 1989, but ultimately was not successful as a business, particularly after a recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
began to affect the U.S. economy beginning in the early 1990s. The founders sold the magazine to European buyers in 1991; several months later, Carter left the magazine; Andersen departed eighteen months later, being replaced by Tony Hendra
Tony Hendra
Tony Hendra is an English satirist and writer who has worked mostly in the United States. Educated at St Albans School and Cambridge University, he was a member of the Cambridge University Footlights revue in 1962, alongside John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke-Taylor.-Career:In 1964 Hendra...
. The magazine briefly ceased publication in 1994, was revived soon afterward under new ownership, and finally went out of business permanently in 1998. Its last editor was a recent Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
graduate, Bruno Maddox
Bruno Maddox
Bruno P. Maddox is a British literary novelist and journalist who is best known for his critically lauded novel My Little Blue Dress and for his satirical magazine essays....
.
In October 2006, Miramax Books published Spy: The Funny Years (ISBN 1-4013-5239-1), a greatest-hits anthology and history of the magazine created and compiled by Carter, Andersen, and one of their original editors, George Kalogerakis.
Features
SpySeparated at birth
Separated at birth, usually phrased as a question, is a light-hearted media device for pointing out people who are unrelated but bear a notable facial resemblance, implying that they are twins who were separated soon after being born and presumably adopted by separate families.The title "Separated...
?" (side-by-side photographs of two different celebrities, similar to Private Eyes "Lookalikes") and "Celebrity Math," which presented thumbnail head shots atop simple mathematical models representing the components of celebrities (e.g., Fabio
Fabio Lanzoni
Fabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
- Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
= Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
).
The magazine also specialized in often elaborate stings and hoaxes that explored the American phenomenon of celebrity. Notable efforts in this regard include: the purchasing by the magazine of a bona fide Scottish noble title, a test of the U.S. Postal Service in which letters were addressed only with the photograph of the intended recipient (The letter sent to Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor was successfully delivered), and, to test the ethical limits of the public relations industry, the successful pitching of a chain of fast-food restaurants that served burgers of freshly ground rabbit meat and was fronted by a fuzzy-eared mascot who told customers how delicious his species was to humans.
For a humorous magazine, Spy often was aggressive about straight feature reporting. In the summer of 1992, it ran the only serious investigative story on President George H.W. Bush's alleged extramarital affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
s with Jennifer Fitzgerald and other women. The following year, Spy ran an article entitled "Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's First 100 Lies," detailing what it described as the new president's pattern of duplicitous behavior. After O.J. Simpson was acquitted on charges of murdering his former wife and her friend, Spy ran a cover story under the headline "He's Guilty, By George!" presenting a long list of details that its writers said proved conclusively that Simpson was the killer; he did not sue. The cover illustration parodied that of the much-hyped premiere issue of George
George (magazine)
George was a glossy monthly magazine centered on the theme of politics-as-lifestyle co-founded by John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Michael J. Berman with publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in New York City in September 1995...
magazine, with Simpson standing in for Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
. Spy used attorneys to vet such potentially libelous material, but its stories often angered their prominent subjects and occasionally drove away advertisers.
Editorial staff
- Graydon Carter, co-founder
- Kurt AndersenKurt AndersenKurt Andersen is an American novelist who is also host of the Peabody-winning public radio program Studio 360, a co-production between Public Radio International and WNYC. In 1986 with E. Graydon Carter he co-founded Spy magazine, which they sold in 1991; it continued publishing until 1998...
, co-founder - Susan Morrison
- Jamie Malanowski
- Bruce Handy
- Larry Doyle
- Jim Collins
- Walter KirnWalter KirnWalter Kirn is an American novelist, literary critic, and essayist. His latest book is the 2009 memoir Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever.-Overview:...
- George Kalogerakis
- Joanne Gruber
- John Connolly
- Michael Hainey
- Tim LongTim LongTim Long is a comedy writer born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Tim calls Exeter, Ontario, Canada his home town and has written for The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Spy Magazine and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently credited as a consulting producer on The Simpsons, Long was - until...
- Louis TherouxLouis TherouxLouis Sebastian Theroux is an English broadcaster best known for his Gonzo style journalism on the television series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met.... His career started off in journalism and bears influences of notable writers in his family such as his father, Paul Theroux and...
- Daniel RadoshDaniel RadoshDaniel Radosh is an American journalist and blogger. Radosh is presently a staff writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He was previously a contributing editor at The Week. He writes occasionally for The New Yorker...
- Nell ScovellNell ScovellNell Scovell is a television and magazine writer, producer and director. She is the creator of the television series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which aired on ABC and The WB from 1996 until 2003....
- Henry AlfordHenry Alford (writer)Henry Alford is a humorist and journalist who has contributed to Vanity Fair and The New York Times for over a decade. He has also written for The New Yorker. The author of three books, he won a Thurber Prize for his second, Big Kiss, an account of his attempt to become a working actor...
- Elissa SchappellElissa SchappellElissa Schappell is an American novelist, short story writer, editor and essayist. Her first book of fiction, Use Me a collection of ten linked short stories, was published in 2000 by William Morrow, and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She is the co-founder of the literary magazine Tin...
- David KampDavid KampDavid Kamp is a composer and sound designer located in Essen, Germany.He studied Electronic Composition at the ICEM Folkwang Hochschule and has worked with directors and motion design studios on animated movies, shorts, commercials, and television series...
- Aimee Bell
- Paul RudnickPaul RudnickPaul M. Rudnick is an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His plays include I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla and The New Century. He also wrote for Premiere magazine under the pseudonym Libby Gelman-Waxner, and for Spy.Rudnick grew up in Piscataway...
- Lisa BirnbachLisa BirnbachLisa R. Birnbach is an author best known for co-authoring The Official Preppy Handbook, which spent 38 weeks at number one on the New York Times bestseller list in 1980.-Career:...
- Alexander IsleyAlexander IsleyAlexander Isley is a graphic designer and educator.Isley was born in Durham, North Carolina and studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Cooper Union School of Art in New York....
, art director (1987-1988) - Sonda Andersson, associate art director
- B. W. Honeycutt
- Christian Kuypers
- Cleo PaskalCleo PaskalCleo Paskal is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, , Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Geopolitics, Manipal University, India and Adjunct Professor of Global Change, School of Communication and Management Studies, Kochi, India. Also she was a consultant for the U.S...
- David BourgeoisDavid BourgeoisDavid Bourgeois is an American satirist, film critic, and editor. His work has appeared in numerous publications and on Web sites.He began his career working for Spin magazine in 1989...
- Anne Williamson
- Daniel Carter
- Bruno MaddoxBruno MaddoxBruno P. Maddox is a British literary novelist and journalist who is best known for his critically lauded novel My Little Blue Dress and for his satirical magazine essays....
, editor-in-chief (1996–1998) - William MonahanWilliam MonahanWilliam J. Monahan is an American screenwriter and novelist. His second produced screenplay was The Departed, a film which earned him a WGA award and an Academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay.-Writer and editor:...
, editor (1997–1998) - (John Norton), Advertising and Marketing Director (1987-1988)
- Josh Gillette
- Walter Monheit™
Books
- Separated at Birth? (1988, ISBN 0-385-24744-3): A collection of photographs from "Separated at Birth?"
- Private Lives of Public Figures (Drew Friedman, cartoons from Spy, 1990)
- Spy Notes on McInerneyJay McInerneyJohn Barrett McInerney Jr. is an American writer. His novels include Bright Lights, Big City; Ransom; Story of My Life; Brightness Falls; and The Last of the Savages...
's "Bright Lights, Big CityBright Lights, Big City (novel)Bright Lights, Big City is an American novel by Jay McInerney, published by Vintage Books on August 12, 1984.- Plot :It is written about a character's time spent caught up in, and notably escaping from, the mid-1980s New York City fast lane. It is one of the few well-known English-language novels...
/JanowitzTama JanowitzTama Janowitz is an American novelist and a short story writer. The 2005 September/October issue of Pages magazine listed her as one of the four "brat pack" authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis, Mark Lindquist and Jay McInerney.-Life:Her parents, a psychiatrist father, Julian Janowitz, and...
's "Slaves of New YorkSlaves of New YorkSlaves of New York is a 1989 comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. It was directed byJames Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and starred Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Potter, and Steve Buscemi.Based on the stories Slaves...
"/EllisBret Easton EllisBret Easton Ellis is an American novelist and short story writer. His works have been translated into 27 different languages. He was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney...
's "Less Than Zero" and All Those Other Hip Urban Novels of the 1980s (1989, ISBN 0-385-24745-1): A CliffsNotesCliffsNotesCliffsNotes are a series of student study guides available primarily in the United States. The guides present and explain literary and other works in pamphlet form or online. Detractors of the study guides claim they let students bypass reading the assigned literature...
-style look at the literature of the nineteen-eighties - Separated at Birth? 2: The Saga Continues (1990, ISBN 0-385-41099-9)
- Spy High (1992)
- George Kalogerakis, Kurt Andersen, and Graydon Carter, Spy: The Funny Years (2006, ISBN 1-4013-5239-1)
CDs
- Spy Magazine Presents: Spy Music (Vol I)
- Spy Magazine Presents: White Men Can't Wrap (Vol II)
- Spy Magazine Presents: Soft, Safe & Sanitized (Vol III)
External links
- Spy magazine at Google Books
- Peter Hall, “Spy Magazine – 1986: Years after its demise the legendary magazine continues to exert a cultural influence,” Metropolis, April 2006 Issue, March 20, 2006
- Todd Leopold, “Spy magazine remembers ‘The Funny Years,’ ” CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, November 16, 2006 - Ten Years Ago in Spy (retrospective site)
- "MONHEIT DEAD! Remembering Spy Magazine’s Elegant Blurbist, Messenger, and Nightclubber Extraordinaire"