How things change
A friend sent us a 2003 clipping from the Thunderbird, the student newspaper of the University of British Columbia.
Who said this, an excerpt from a review of the first issue of The Walrus?
Who said this, an excerpt from a review of the first issue of The Walrus?
It's a solid enough magazine, but far from fresh. The one truly cool idea in the entire magazine is the illustrated review, humourously executed by Richard Hahn. If they're pushing the big names, then how about Mike Myers' take on a literary essay? We already know how Douglas Coupland does it.The answer? Jeremy Keehn, the current Managing Editor of...The Walrus.
So little for the West (not to mention the Atlantic). Total substantive mentions of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island: 0. Vancouver and the Prairies make lovely cameos in the feature on Germany, but overall it's enough to make you misty-eyed for the Alberta Report.
It should improve.
The verdict: Not subscription worthy… yet.
posted by D. B. Scott at
12:49 am
7 Comments:
Cute, D.B. Looks like my inside joke has just wandered out in the nude.
My favourite part, in hindsight, is "pleasing ad-to-content ratio." Thankfully, times do change, and perspectives do evolve.
I gotta say, I am loving these constant Walrus updates. It is like the Canadian Magazines version of Coronation Street.
We've all done our share of talking about the Walrus. How can you stop yourself? Will they get charitable status? Why did the board resign? How long will the new publisher last?
I feel like one day I am going to open up Masthead and see a story penned by Ken Alexander's house keeper.
I'm really glad my magazine isn't in the spotlight.
Wow. A managing editor who was in J-school a couple of years ago. A new publisher with no magazine experience. An editor/owner who worked in TV for two years before he convinced his Dad to buy him a magazine to play with. Who is there to learn from at the Walrus? Noooooooooo-body! But then, as a registered charity, they can always tap into the chocolate covered hazelnut market.
I tune in for the latest in postal subsidies and literary magazine funding and I get the Smoking Gun. I LIKE IT!
It's always fun to piss on the Walrus, we all know. But let's keep our focus on the real problems there. Jeremy is one of the hardest working people at the magazine, and has been so since the day he set foot in the office as an intern. He's never wavered in his commitment or integrity or sheer talent. I've worked with Jeremy before and have more respect for him (and learned more from him) than most of the experienced people taking up breathing space at Canada's magazines.
Rising up quickly isn't always a sign of mismanagement- it's also an indication of ability (in this case, Jeremy's). It'd be nice if people could celebrate an achievement once in a while.
And while experience has weight and merit, sometimes experience becomes bitter, jaded, and bogged down in "how it's always been done" to come up with something fresh and new.
I might point out that Jeremy took the light-hearted item with more grace than either the detractors or his defenders.
If 'anonymous' has worked with Jeremy and seems to have observed him from inside the Walrus - why post anonymously? Hmmmm.
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