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''Details'' was an American monthly men's magazine that was published by
Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The company's m ...
, founded in 1982 by Annie Flanders. Though primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle, ''Details'' also featured reports on relevant social and political issues. In November 2015 Condé Nast announced that the magazine would cease publication with the issue of December 2015/January 2016.


History

In 1982, ''Details'' was launched, as a
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
culture magazine, by Annie Flanders, a former fashion editor, at a meeting of former employees of the newly defunct '' SoHo Weekly News'', including Ronnie Cooke, Stephen Saban, Lesley Vinson, Megan Haungs and
Bill Cunningham Bill Cunningham may refer to: People *Bill Cunningham (rugby union) (1874–1927), New Zealand rugby union player * Bill Cunningham (footballer), Irish international footballer active in the 1890s * Bill Cunningham (infielder) (1886–1946), prof ...
. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' detailed how the magazine changed hands a number of times in the years thereafter:
Alan Patricof Alan Patricof (born 22 October 1934) is an American investor, one of the early pioneers of the venture capital and private equity industries. He founded Apax Partners (based on a play on Patricof's name: Alan Patricof Associates Cross (x) Border) ...
bought the magazine in 1988.
Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The company's m ...
bought the magazine a year later for $2 million. Its later format stemmed from a relaunch in October 2000 following the transfer of the magazine from Condé Nast to sibling division Fairchild Publications. Between its last issue at Condé Nast and first at Fairchild, publication of ''Details'' was temporarily suspended. This allowed for extensive redesign and strategic repositioning of the magazine.


''Music Matters'' CDs

From 1991 to 1999 the magazine produced sampler CDs that were sent out to current subscribers free of charge. While the CDs concentrated on then-current music, older songs were included as well. The initial CD was produced by Andrea Norlander of
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, who oversaw concept, musical content, design, and marketing of the project.


Comics journalism

Cartoonist Art Spiegelman was comics editor of ''Details'' in the mid-1990s; in 1997, he began assigning comics journalism pieces to a number of his cartoonist associates. The magazine published these works of journalism in comics form throughout 1998 and 1999, helping to legitimize the form in popular perception.Mackay, Brad. "Behind the rise of investigative cartooning," ''THIS Magazine'' (Jan. 2008)
Archived at Ad Astra Comix
* "
Burning Man Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...
" (Nov. 1997), pp. 172-175 —  Peter Kuper * "Pray for Surf" (May 1998), pp. 150-153 —  Ben Katchor on sports * "So Much Comedy, So Little Time," (July 1998), pp. 148-151 —  Peter Bagge * "Clothes Encounters" (August 1998), pp. 128-133 —  Charles Burns illustrating a fashion show * "The War Crimes Trials (September 1998), pp. 260-265 — Joe Sacco on the aftermath of the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
* "Ozziefest '98" (October 1998), pp. 184-187 —  Kaz on
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
* "Ready to Die" (May 1999), pp. 146-151 — Kim Deitch * "Smash Violence!" (September 1999), pp. 202-203 — 
Jay Lynch Jay Patrick Lynch (January 7, 1945 – March 5, 2017) was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his ''Bijou Funnies'' and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip ''Nard n' Pat'' and the r ...
parodying censorship of the media * "Chasing Melissas!" (October 1999), pp. 192-197 —  Kim Deitch on the link between computer viruses and pornography * "The Rude Blues" (April 2000), pp. 140-145 —  Joe Sacco


Controversy

In December 2002, ''Details'' featured American pop star Justin Timberlake on its cover, accompanied by the text: “Can we ever forgive Justin Timberlake for all that sissy music? Hey... at least he got into Britney's pants”. This cover and headline were featured retrospectively in the 2021 documentary '' Framing Britney Spears,'' which highlighted how Timberlake benefited from the media narrative surrounding his breakup with Britney Spears, while Spears herself saw her image suffer. This same cover features another story, "Forget feminism: why your wife should take your name." In 2004, ''Details'' published a piece titled "Gay or Asian?" that featured a photo of an East Asian man, and "tips" on how to tell the difference. Some of the text that accompanied the photo: "One cruises for chicken; the other takes it General Tso-style. Whether you're into shrimp balls or shaved balls, entering the dragon requires imperial tastes." The article generated protests over its racism and homophobia — and over how it erased the existence of gay Asian men. To protest, LGBT Asian American individuals and groups came together and held demonstrations.


Staff contributors

Frequent contributors included Augusten Burroughs, Michael Chabon, and
Bill Cunningham Bill Cunningham may refer to: People *Bill Cunningham (rugby union) (1874–1927), New Zealand rugby union player * Bill Cunningham (footballer), Irish international footballer active in the 1890s * Bill Cunningham (infielder) (1886–1946), prof ...
. Contributors included
Beauregard Houston-Montgomery Beauregard Houston-Montgomery is a doll collector and author on the subjects of doll making and doll collecting. He was formerly a contributing editor of the fashion periodical '' Details''. He is also a socialite and photographer. More recently H ...
. Former staffers included Pete Wells, Ian Daly, Kayleen Schaefer, Erica Cerulo, Andrew Essex, Yaran Noti, Jeff Gordinier, Karl Taro Greenfeld, and Alex Bhattacharji. Its Editor-in-chief, for 15 years, since 2000 was Dan Peres, the former husband of Australian actress Sarah Wynter.


References


External links

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{{Advance Publications 1982 establishments in the United States 2015 disestablishments in the United States Cultural magazines published in the United States Fashion magazines published in the United States Men's magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Defunct Condé Nast magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1982 Magazines disestablished in 2015 Magazines published in New York City Men's fashion magazines