The New Little Pages

There’s a lot of irony to this post. For one, I have a reputation for ruthlessly and unfairly attacking just about anything that Source Interlink (Is that who owns R&C and SR this year?) puts out. Although I don’t believe I’ve been unfair or that any of my criticism has been unwarranted, I’m often labeled as the antagonist… The hater of print… The pupil turned enemy…  The leader of destruction… Gonzo gone horribly wrong.

I don’t think many of these detractors realize how much passion I actually have for the tangible. They don’t see me fall to my knees when a new issue of The Rodder’s Journal hits my mailbox. They don’t see me smiling as I read the latest from Traditional Rod & Kulture. And they certainly don’t see me struggling to create my own print version of The Jalopy Journal.

Many also don’t realize that Rob Fortier (editor of the “enemy” and leader of the Janets) is a very good and old friend of mine. This friendship is ironic in itself for a number of reasons. Rumors are just that… But many of them fly. Why wasn’t The Hot Rod Revolution (undoubtedly one of the best small car shows in the country) covered in print? Or how about the H.A.M.B. Drags?

Perhaps a sidebar written here to elaborate would be appropriate. During the Round Up this year, I slouched over a bar stool at The Continental Club and nursed a tequila out of exhaustion. To my right, a couple of fellas that I don’t know and have never met were discussing a roadster that recently came out of Texas. Apparently, it was denied a feature in Rod & Custom because of over coverage on the H.A.M.B..

“I heard Ryan was so pissed that he arranged for Coonan to shoot and feature it in The Rodder’s Journal.”

The stories/rumors almost always come complete with a memo sent out by the top brass at Source Interlink. These memos are sent to people like Rob and typically forbid them from promoting The Jalopy Journal or the H.A.M.B. in any way, shape, or fashion. No coverage – no matter the car, no matter the event.

It all begs the question: How much of this is true and how much of this is fiction? I’ve never really dug that hard to find out and frankly, I don’t really care all that much. Rob is my buddy… I don’t have a whole lot of buddies. The ones that I do have, I am fiercely loyal to. All of the nonsense kind of ends there.

So yeah, there is a lot of irony to this post… But let me key you in on the real irony here. Forget my friendship with the enemy. I started The Jalopy Journal and the H.A.M.B. because I didn’t believe in the business model of modern magazines. To do this day, I still don’t. I feel like editorial should not be for sale. I feel like ad revenue is too often just a whore tip. I feel like the bottom line buried the passion. And yet, here I am, promoting a magazine published by the very company responsible for all of this shark jumping.

“Rod & Custom’s Little Pages” is a book put together primarily by Rob Fortier and Aaron Kahan (one of my favorite print designers). The premise is simple and honorable. They wanted to bring back the little format of old to feature vintage and vintage inspired content. From what I understand (I’ve yet to see it), there is a very low ad count and those that are found in the book don’t effect content at all. It’s a magazine with straight priorities. How about that?

The book is on newsstands now and you should be able to pick it up at the usual places where you find other Source Interlink titles. That ‘s what I’m hoping anyway… I’m headed to Barnes and Nobles today.