The Evolution of Andy Warhol’s Iconic Interview Magazine: The Rise, Fall, and Major Comeback
Image Courtesy: Artlyst
Interview magazine, the creative lovechild of Andy Warhol and John Wilcock, was born in 1969 and quickly rose to great acclaim. Warhol being the famous artist and Wilcock, the reputable journalist, the two made a fabulous duo who obviously knew how to spark conversation and generate buzz within the erupting pop culture scene. From the minute Interview magazine came to life, it changed the trajectory of journalism norms and pushed the envelope- just the right amount, of course. When you learn of the many rises and falls of Interview, you can see how the magazine simply refuses to ever shut its doors for good… and thank goodness for our sake.
Image Courtesy: New York Post
When an artist like Andy Warhol starts a magazine, it is bound to be something special. However, Interview was often downplayed by Warhol whenever he was asked about the magazine. Despite his attempts to stay modest, the magazine quickly became very successful due to the creative, stylistic, and intimate interviews featured. This gave the magazine a unique flare that would push it to icon status long after Warhol’s passing in the late 80’s.
Following the death of legendary Andy Warhol, the magazine was acquired by Peter Brant- a big-time art collector with an impressive list of accolades from his extensive publishing work. Brant has been the owner and chairman of Interview since 1989, despite the many ups and downs the magazine has encountered throughout the years. In 2018, in a (somewhat) shocking turn of events, Interview magazine filed for bankruptcy. As it turns out, the magazine owed upwards of three million to past- and potentially present- employees and the rent was long past due. This is where things get interesting…
A series of complicated exchanges happened in the process of Interview’s financial troubles. Most significantly, after the magazine filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, disaster was narrowly avoided when Kelly Brant (daughter of Peter Brant) cleverly paid $1.5 million to acquire the publication’s assets through the media company, Crystal Ball. This obviously looks rather suspicious, as the company was now dismissed of the multi-million-dollar debts due to the bankruptcy filing and Brant’s purchase of assets. Whether or not this was premeditated is up to your personal interpretation, however, it seems that the answer is fairly obvious.
Image Courtesy: ArtNet News
Interview magazine filed for bankruptcy in May of 2018 and re-launched in September of the same year. Fortunately for the publication, the controversy resulted in plenty of PR and anticipation for the new and improved Interview magazine.
The moral of the story here seems to be that although Interview magazine has had its fair share of bad, neutral, and great years, they are still consistently pushing the envelope and providing their viewers with never seen before content. In next month's issue of Interview magazine, Lana Del Ray will be on the cover, pictured in all white and smoking cigarettes in true Lana fashion. This is sure to be another hit amongst their dedicated audience and will make a fabulous addition to the archive that holds some of the most iconic magazine covers to date.
Strike Out,
Writer: Carly Woollard
Editor: Noelle Knowlton
Tallahassee