The decline of Q magazine

I never missed an issue from the very first up until around 1996/1997 - it started to go downhill rapidly at that point, IMO.

As an aside, lots of UK magazines which I'd collected over the years - The Face, Dazed & Confused, Arena, GQ - they all went into decline in the late 90s and never really recovered.

 

Your view, My view. No need to be aggressive.

I didn’t think it was very good from the start. There were some good articles sprinkled in there, but over all it was the Smash Hits of rock magazines, in my personal, own opinion.

At least Smash Hits printed lyrics.

 

That’s pretty cool. Wish I had done that with NME from 1985 to about 1992.

 

The new edition of UNcut has a great MBV cover and 10 page article. Plus the best noisy records of all time. John coltrane at number 1

 

And also used as caption for a backstage photo of Page & Plant with Big Country!

 

As I mentioned before, it's the magazine BUSINESS... Whatever you think of them, Beatles, Stones, Floyd, Zeppelin, Dylan get attention and sell magazines. That allows them to run inside a 6 page article on Hurray for the Riff Raff or Ian Matthews

 

Same as how it was always Oasis or Blur on NME covers in the mid 90s. Also reminds me of that apocryphal story that an NME editor addressed a journalism college and said if he put a black artist on the cover sales went down. I assume the story is untrue as I've seen/heard it seperately attributed to every single NME editor of the last 40 years.

 

I also remember the Q caption..
An Exclusive New Photograph of Robert Johnson

 

What does "Q"mean?

 

I remember reading that the magazine was supposed to be called ‘cue’, as in ‘cue (up) the music’, but they thought people would think its a snooker magazine, so they changed it!

 

Uncut rules the roost, of late. Though I've never known where they got their moniker: afraid to inquire!

 

John Mulvey was this week announced as Mojo’s new editor.

 

When it first cam out it was 50/50 movies and music. I always assumed the title was a reference to movies. Probably wrong.

 

The late 80s was a great time for magazines. Not sure when Empire launched... 1989? That was like the movie version of Q. I still have the first issue somewhere.

 

It’s funny you say that as the first 5 issues of Q were my favourites...

Then again, I did like Smash Hits at it’s peak (1982-86) so that probably explains it.

 

I don’t like the glossy Beano mag. It looks like Hello! now

I remember buying it as a comic in the 70s. Think it cost 2p then. Loved Dandy and Whizzer & Chips too.

 

Job upgrade imo.

 

The old rough paper was much better.

 

Shame I don't buy any magazines now, same old.

 

I always assumed it was like an uncut film. The whole story - full version. Seems like a good way to promote comprehensive coverage.

 

Agree. Blitz was pretty good as well.

 

My favourites were the Bash Street Kids and Pansy Potter...

 

The Numskulls.

The Dandy/Beezer.

 

The first issue of Whizzer and Chips had a sachet of grapefruit drink mix as a free gift.

Whenever I have grapefruit now, I think of Gus the Gorilla.....

Whoops, belay that, I meant Corr!! Comic...who was the Whizzer and Chips star character?

 

I don’t remember the first issue, sadly. Do you recall the offshoot of W&C, Shiver & Shake?