Modern Drunkard Magazine
 Cover of the May 2003 issue of Modern Drunkard Magazine | |
| Type | Bi-monthly magazine |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Publisher | Frank Kelly Rich |
| Editor | Frank Kelly Rich |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado |
| Website | Modern Drunkard |
Modern Drunkard Magazine is a bi-monthly glossy color periodical promoting the "functional alcoholic's" lifestyle.[1]
History
Created in 1996, it has slowly gained notoriety, and currently has a circulation of roughly 50,000. Modern Drunkard runs advertisements from bars in Denver, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and Philadelphia as well as companies selling drinking supplies. The magazine started releasing print issues again in the first quarter of 2011 and the magazine's official website shows the release schedule once again.[2]
Content
The theme of the magazine − a celebration of alcohol and the seemingly bohemian lifestyles of functional alcoholics − runs counter to the message of moderation commonly found in mainstream America: regular features include "Alcocomics − Cartoons for the sober challenged," "Post Cards from Skid Row" (featuring poetry written by and/or for the inebriated), "Wino Wisdom," and "You Know You're a Drunkard When..." The magazine also features well researched articles on alcohol's place in history, including such topics as the Whiskey Rebellion and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's love of the martini.
Occasionally the magazine will expand on its regular "Booze in the News" feature to focus on a particular alcohol-related issue, such as the shrinking proof of a bottle of Jack Daniel's or MADD's definition of an "alcohol-related driving fatality."
Online content
The magazine's website sells paraphernalia bearing its logo and/or phrases related to the magazine itself and to the liberal consumption of alcohol. The Modern Drunkard IRC chatroom is an active communication channel along with the official forums.
Style
The magazine's artistic style is reminiscent of popular 1950s "men's action" pulp periodicals, with artwork depicting tough, lantern-jawed men and sultry, buxom women.[1]
Modern Drunkard's rebellious standard features a martini glass with an olive above two crossed swords. Three letters, M, D and M, appear on the flag and stand for "Modern Drunkard Magazine."
Staff
The magazine's creator, Frank Kelly Rich, is also listed as the publisher/editor.
Annual conventions
Beginning in 2004, Modern Drunkard Magazine has begun sponsoring an annual convention for readers and staff. Events include live music, independent films, live burlesque, seminars, interviews and drinking games, all accompanied by bar service and many free drink promotions. The inaugural 2004 convention, held at the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas, reportedly broke the casino's record for the amount of money brought in at a bar during a private event.
Notes
- 1 2 David Kelly (2011-06-24). "Homage to boozers: Bimonthly magazine unabashedly celebrates the pleasures and virtues of heavy drinking while defending drunks as an 'oppressed minority'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-10-20.
- ↑ Smith, Dinitia (2004-10-20). "A Serious Business for a Humorous Drunkard". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
External links
- Modern Drunkard official site
- Profile on Frank Kelly Rich
- Article on Jack Daniel's controversy in USA Today
- Frank Kelly Rich Interview