Interview Magazine and its Pop Culture Influence

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a brief look at the influence and legacy of Andy Warhol’s famed magazine

Covers of "Interview Magazine - displayed in the Andy Warhol
Museum, Pittsburgh, PA. Found on Wikimedia Commons. Taken
by Becca923 on June 27, 2011.

On Monday, it was announced that legendary arts publication Interview Magazine would be ceasing operations. The move comes after months of legal issues, the most recent of which was a law suit brought on by former editorial director Fabien Baron who alleges that the magazine owes him $600,000 in back pay. Because of this, the publication has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and is liquidating their assets.

On the surface, it may seem like this is just another print publication closing down. A lot of magazines have been suffering in the last decade or so. NME announced the end of their print edition just a couple of months ago. The Pitchfork Review and Nylon shut down their print operations last year.

However, Interview Magazine is different. Launched in 1969 by artist and cultural pioneer Andy Warhol, the publication let artists from all mediums (musicians, actors…“celebrities” if you will) interview other artists, something that hadn’t been widely done before. Interviews were often rough and left unedited, which meant that these conversations were very candid. By putting together stars that might be fans of each other, interesting, often intimate questions and answers were given, employing a new perspective that former editor Ingrid Sischy told Publishers Weekly in 2004 said leads to “full[er] portraits of people.” One of their most recent interviews finds comedian and actor Seth Rogan interviewing rapper 21 Savage about everything from music and weed to flying planes and video games. This candid style led to the magazine being given the nickname “The Crystal Ball of Pop.”

Besides its groundbreaking interview style, Interview Magazine also turned heads with its artwork. Featuring photographs from top photographers, many of the magazine’s covers pushed boundaries. Over the last decade, photographs of Kate Moss, Claire Danes and Kanye West have drawn headlines for their risqué-ness or the light that they portray the artist in.

Over the years, Interview Magazine has had its issues, but has always bounced back. The magazine has re-launched twice: once in 1990 after it was sold to Brant Publications three years earlier following Andy Warhol’s passing, and again in 2008 under the editorial direction of Fabien Baron and former Factory member Glenn O’Brien after Peter Brant took full ownership of Brant Publications.  

Interview Magazine has continued to play an influential role in popular culture over it’s more than four decade tenure. In 2004, an extensive seven-part retrospective featuring many of the magazine’s most important interviews was released. The magazine helped boost the careers of writers, artists and photographers alike. Following Monday’s announcement, many celebrities that were inspired by the magazine or had the opportunity to be interviewed / interview others took the internet to lament its end, including musicians and bands like Wavves, Best Coast, Moby and more.

With its unique artistic and written style, Interview Magazine has managed to capture some of the most candid interviews ever published. Originally an extension of Andy Warhol’s iconic artistic empire, it’s groundbreaking celebrity on celebrity interviews and edgy artwork helped it remain relevant for more than 40 years. The magazine helped launch the careers of writers, musicians, actors, photographers and artists of all kinds. Despite their recent legal troubles, Interview magazine will be a piece of pop culture that will be sorely missed.

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