In seventh grade, Sassy mysteriously arrived in the mail, addressed to my great-grandmother who lived with us. I don't know where it came from, but that ghost subscription was perhaps the most important event of my teen years.
I studied it. I memorized every detail. How to get into Columbia. Who Thurston Moore was. Places in New York City to go vintage shopping. Why obsessing over your physical appearance and relationship status were unhealthy behaviors. How to start a rock band. Etc etc. When Sassy folded / was bought out by Peterson publishing, losing its indie status, I wrote the angriest letter of my life and canceled my subscription. I think I cried.
Looking back, one article perhaps remains the most influential piece of Sassy literature: "The Tormented Boy: An Ethnological Study." I loved it. I hung it up on my bedroom wall and memorized every characteristic of every type of sensitive guy they created: Disaffected Writer Boy, The Soulful Musician Boy... The point of this article was to point out types of guys to avoid. I think I took it the wrong way.
At least I'm not the only one: http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/jesella/cutebandalert/index.asp?page=3
No comments:
Post a Comment