''Stay Free!'' was a non-profit magazine about the politics of culture based in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
.
History
Founded by Carrie McLaren in 1993
while working at
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...
, it tends to focus on "the perversions of media and consumer culture." Each issue has a theme, such as
pranks
A practical joke or prank is a trick played on people, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. The perpetrat ...
,
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
, or
marketing
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
and past issues have included interviews with
Lawrence Lessig
Lester Lawrence "Larry" Lessig III (born June 3, 1961) is an American legal scholar and political activist. He is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvar ...
,
Negativland
Negativland is an American experimental music band that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. The core of the band consists of Mark Hosler, David Wills (aka "The Weatherman"), Peter Conheim and Jon Leidecker (aka "Wobbly" ...
,
Stuart Ewen
Stuart Ewen (born 1945) is a New York-based author, historian and lecturer on media, consumer culture, and the compliance profession. He is also a Distinguished Professor at Hunter College and the City University of New York Graduate Center, i ...
, and
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
.
[McLeod, Kembrew (May 2009)]
Interview with Chuck D & Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy
''Stay Free!''. Archived fro
March 20, 2011.
In March 2007, Carrie McLaren announced ''Stay Free!'' would no longer be published in print, though they would continue online. The last print issue appeared in 2008.
The website is no longer online. In 2009, the editors of Stay Free! released the book ''Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture.''
The name was intended as an ironic homage to
Stayfree maxipads, though it is also the title of a song by
The Clash
The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
.
Other projects
To protest the expansion of
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
law, the magazine sponsored the
Illegal Art exhibition, website and compact disc, all featuring artists challenging copyright or art works which were the subject of copyright suits. ''Stay Free!'' also published a free media literacy curriculum.
Distribution
''Stay Free!'' was distributed in the coffee shops, book shops, and other commercial venues of Brooklyn. One magazine cost $2.95.
See also
* ''
Adbusters
The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia. Adbusters describes itself as "a global network of artists, activis ...
''
* ''
The Baffler
''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusett ...
''
References
External links
Official website (archive)
Anti-consumerist groups
Defunct political magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1993
Magazines disestablished in 2008
Magazines published in New York City
Online magazines published in the United States
Online magazines with defunct print editions
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