I bought this about a little more than a month ago. I have no problem throwing away this ten dollar piece of shit.
I love “discovering” new publications but when the content is so worthless, I’m just annoyed. Fuck you Monocle, you trivial piece of shit.
Maybe I’m a little too harsh on this periodical -probably not though. I learned about it a few months back on thebrilliance.com. I don’t want to go into a rant about thebrilliance.com and how it’s run by these punkass little girls, and how despite that fact I’ll still visit occasionally to find out about new things. Anyway, Monocle rubs me the wrong way -what a pretentious title.
It just feels like the writing is lackluster and the topics being a little trivial. It comes off as this all-inclusive global publication must-have for the elite covering 5 major areas: Affairs, Business, Culture, Design and Editorial (ABCDE, get it? It’s novel). I saw this guy read it on the subway, before I actually looked through it myself, and now I realize he was a douchebag.
I think the problem is that it’s spreading itself too thin. It has a few completely random articles scratching on the surface of entertaining world news. Entertaining is the right word to describe its eclectic selection of news. It’s just all over the place, literally, a drop about some interesting/or not-so- interesting shit in Hong Kong, a drop about something in the US, a droplet about this or that in Japan or Europe. It just feels like covering random news is not the right way to go especially if it’s not going to go in-depth about it. The Economist does a far better job and if you are an industry leader or high-income young world business traveler, as this magazine is targeting, you probably would not get your news from this piece of shit magazine.
It’s really more of a look-book of luxury goods and services w/ its recommendations of hotels and restaurants, fashion editorials, its overemphasis on design/architecture and its blatant Japanese fetish (there was a manga insert, literally a 10 page advertisement stylized in a Japanese manga form for American Express). Every chance it gets, the editors/writers will praise/fetishize Japanese design/services/products or Japanese anything. It feels a little too fanboy (to me).
It’s a magazine for the faux elite because if you are an industry leader or like I said a “young world business traveler,” you wouldn’t really read this magazine. It’s a total wannabe magazine. It’s like CARGO magazine, dressed up.
ADD: The magazine was founded by Tyler Brule, who started Wallpaper* magazine. I read somewhere that we’re described as the “Wallpaper generation.” Ew, gross.
i have that exact issue of monocle
i still have no idea what the damn thing is about.
also, i had the hardest time reading the shitty japanese james bond manga in the back of the magazine.
I’m with you. I was atracted to the photographic appeal of one their covers like a fly is atracted to shit, 5 minutes later, surprisingly it doesn’t take more than that, you realize they’re not that different.
Thanks for the link up man - much appreciated.
You’re welcome!
dear mr. jimmy;
while i would agree that the periodical known as ‘monocle’ is a pitiful excuse for journalism or literature or light entertainment, it may have yet served some other useful purpose, such as resale on ebay to some curious hick from hicksville for 49 cents (plus $7.50 shipping and handling from nyc) or recycling with the ny times or lining the bottom of some bird cage to catch a load of some parakeetial fecal matter.
otherwise, thank you for your fine review of this negligible periodical.
I’ve driven through some these little hick towns and the kids there hang out at the gas stations. Yeah, no doubt there are a bunch of them on eBay sourcing for high gloss magazines or “limited edition” colorful sneakers.
last winter i think it was when they had a whole issue focused on bikes. it was amazing. they also had a rad issue on the japanese military last summer. the issue about their favorite cities in the world and what their ideal city would have was when it started going to shit. the last few issues since then are completely pointless.
Sorry i’m gonna have to disagree with you on this one. theres ahrdly any other magazines on the market like it. If your a male reader reasonably educated under 35 its one of the only magazines that is on the market thats is not New Scientist, Empire Magazine or Mens mags. i found thats its extremely accurate and great journalism. i’m asutralian and when ever they do a artcile on it they nail on the head. i agree the economist is good but the economist is a weekly magazine and besides its aimed at a way older market, its a different format. Monocle is a monthly magazine aim and the younger and educated and its supose to entertain as well as inform. btw whats wrong with the anime?