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Chicago Magazine: Not For Me
By JOHN F. KUCZAJ
A couple weeks
ago I got the first issue in my new subscription to Chicago
Magazine.
Wait--let me back up a bit.
In June,
I got a solicitation in the mail with an offer of 12 issues of
Chicago Magazine for $9.95. I've never subscribed to Chicago
Mag before...heck, I've never even bought one off the rack
before, but considering I was being offered 12 issues at 1/2
the normal subscription rate, that's 12 issues at 1/5 the
normal single copy rate, I decided to give it some thought.
Several days later (I think it was on "Macaroni &
Cheese Tuesday") I decided to give Chicago Mag a chance. I
really wasn't sure what to expect from the mag...pretty much
the only thing I knew about it was that Steve Rhodes wrote
Press Box on the web site.
A couple weeks ago, I got
the August issue--the first of what I figured would be a
monthly celebration of Chicago culture...a periodic education
into the best of Chicago...an occasional look into the heart
of the city of big shoulders. Lucky for me it was also the
issue in which Chicago magazine would show off the best of
Chicago!
Instead of an enjoyable read, what I got was
an uncomfortable feeling not unlike that of showing up to a
black tie gala wearing cutoffs and an "eat me" t-shirt.
Chicago Magazine just ain't for me.
The best of
list was on oddly eclectic mix of disconnected, vapid and
inconsequential categories peppered with the truly
interesting.
"Best Golf Pro"? "Best Cool Drink"? "Best
Rainy Day Refuge"?
Reading this best of list reminded me
of the Chicago Monopoly game I got as a gift. Rather than put
honest-to-goodness Chicago landmarks and attractions, the
makers of the game decided to sell space as advertising (I'm
sorry, but Wolley Cab just isn't that identifiable with
Chicago). I had to wonder if some of the things on the Chicago
Mag list we paid mentions in their own whimsical category.
Heck, the city of Chicago has an exploding Improvisational
& Sketch comedy scene but there's no place for it in this
list, which has 3 dance-related categories including "Best
Dance Shop".
Okay, maybe the list is so diverse and
unconnected because someone was trying to be clever. Maybe I
shouldn't bash the list. Much.
As I read through the
rest of the magazine, I was stunned by the amount of
uninteresting, elitist & faux-entertaining fluff filled
the innards. The only article that held my interest at all was
on Brian Urlacher & his brother, but that meandering epic
spanned 11 pages and subsequently lost me after three.
I guess I should have known that Chicago Magazine
targeted an upscale audience, huh? What do you want me to say?
Okay, fine: I'm an idiot!
Actually, considering
the bargain-basement offer I got for the mag, the fact that it
strives to be upscale never entered my mind. I figured it was
a blue-collar, meat-and-potatoes mag for the whole city.
Wrong.
I guess Primedia was just desperate to
pump circulation numbers before the sale (ultimately to the
company I work for). Interestingly, a week after I got the
August issue, I got the July issue. Now I'm wondering if my
subscription was for 12 back issues of Chicago Mag. At least
the July issue had something I was interested in…eligible
single women among the annual list of Chicago's
Most Eligible.
Some people who know me might think
that I hold a grudge against Chicago mag because year after
year, they fail to include me on their "Most Eligible" list.
Nothing could be further from the truth. And by that I mean,
yes, I hold a major grudge. I'm eligible. Quite eligible.
Really freaking eligible. Argh!
Actually, I don't see
why Chicago Mag doesn't do this feature every month. I'd buy
the mag - maybe even at cover price. There were some mighty
fine women listed (including WFLD's delicious Nancy
Pender...grrrrr!) and with the opportunity to e-mail the
eligibles, I'm thinking that the July issue alone was worth
the $9.95 price tag.
Okay...maybe Chicago Mag's got a
couple redeeming qualities, but overall I'm disappointed that
a magazine which takes its name from "The City of Big
Shoulders" is targeted to the city's elite minority. I don't
think I'll be renewing my subscription next year, well, maybe
if they give me another insanely low offer.
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Take a look at the previous issue: Monday,
July 29
Take a look at the issue before that: Friday,
July 12
* Pseudonym
Published weekly...or so.
Contributions
welcome--e-mail an article to
the editor
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