Mr. Magazine

“When we were doing Ray Gun, Neville Brody (the famous British graphic designer and art director) came out with this quote, The End of Print, and I think he meant it in a derogatory manner. We ended up using that in places and then David (Carson), my first designer, ended up doing a book called The End of Print. To me, this is sort of tongue-in-cheek, but it’s really me getting back in print. It’s the rebirth of print.” Marvin Scott Jarrett (on the tagline of his new magazine The Rebirth of Print)…

A Mr. Magazine™ Launch Story…

From Ray Gun to Nylon and many titles in between, Marvin Scott Jarrett is no newcomer to magazines. And he is making his return to print in a big way: a big beautiful magazine with a very familiar and personal moniker, Marvin, a quarterly  music magazine that is very stylish and fashionable and is aimed at men as its main audience. Marvin has traveled all over the world and has called L.A. his home for most of his adult life except for the period he published Nylon magazine when he moved to New York City. 

Marvin magazine, Marvin told me that this may be his most exciting title yet, simply because it is centered on his passions, his vision, and his own personal headspace. And quite unique in that the advertising for the magazine is based on one partner/one sponsor per issue instead of the traditional way of selling and carrying advertising in magazines. For the first issue, the magazine has teamed up with Porsche, a company that saw a desire to partner and showcase its luxury brand with this new luxury magazine. A very intriguing concept that comes from a very intriguing man. While many might still argue that print isn’t what it used to be, Marvin believes print is still a viable and desirable investment. 

So, please enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ video cast with Marvin Scott Jarrett, cofounder & editor in chief, Marvin magazine.

But first here are the sound-bites: 

On the tagline which reads The Rebirth of Print: When we were doing Ray Gun, Neville Brody came out with this quote, The End of Print, and I think he meant it in a derogatory manner. We ended up using that in places and then David Carson, my first designer, ended up doing a book called The End of Print. To me, this is sort of tongue-in-cheek, but it’s really me getting back in print. It’s the rebirth of print.

On how he visualized his ideas for the new magazine and then put them on ink on paper: I had been thinking about it for two years, from inception of idea to it coming out into the world. Basically, I knew that I wanted to start a new brand more on the male targeted side, although it’s really for any gender. And it was going to be very music-focused. I was in the desert, we were on vacation, and basically had the hotel stationery. I drew a picture of Marvin as the masthead and I drew a little person on the cover. I kept that and I started thinking about what I could do in this world; what would I do if I had a new print vehicle? 

On whether he was concerned about starting a new print magazine during a pandemic and an ever-changing world: I always saw us getting past the pandemic. And with the current world situation, I realized that I was able to do meetings all over the world through Zoom. We put this together in a pandemic and we didn’t make a big deal about that. It was a time for reflection, a new chapter for me. And it allowed me to really think about what I wanted to do.

On this being one of many magazines that he has launched: When I was doing Ray Gun, I had a bunch of magazines. I did a snowboard magazine called Stick; I did a magazine for MTV in Europe called Blah, Blah, Blah; we did a custom magazine for Warner Music Group. I was doing all those different magazines under the Ray Gun publishing company. And then with Nylon, my partner and wife Jaclynn really pushed me to just focus on one title, one title was vital. The closest thing we got to another title was the spinoff of Nylon Guys.

On how the birth of Marvin compares to the birth of Ray Gun or Nylon: It could be the most exciting launch for me ever. The fact that it’s called Marvin makes it more personal. It’s really exciting to do whatever I wanted in the print world and not think about making it for $2 because it’s going to sell for $4 or $5. Or it’s got to be this and we have to print hundreds of thousands of them. It wasn’t that. It was something born in a different space in my mind. It was really a creative project.

On the frequency of the magazine: It’s a quarterly.

On whether it’s offered in subscriptions: Not as of yet. There may be a time that I might want to do subscriptions, but for right now it’s just at these 15 or 20 cool bookstores around the world. 

On how he decided on the U.K.-born singer, songwriter and actor Yungblud for the cover of the first issue: I made a mood film before I started the all execution of the print. And Yungblud was one of the features in the film and somebody that I liked. I personally met him a few years ago. He came to my house and we chatted and I liked him before he really took off and I thought that I would be interested in doing something with this guy someday. It just kind of came full circle and I wanted him to be the launch cover.

On what he believes is the future of print: I think more specialized, personal magazines are going to be the ones that impact the most when it comes to print. Some of the big magazines, traditional print magazines that are owned by the three or four big publishing companies, the product is different than it was ten years ago. They have to make it for as little as possible, and the distribution system is crazy. The idea praying that 10 magazines sell three or four  and the rest get destroyed, that model didn’t really interest me. 

On anything he’d like to add: It’s exciting for me to do it again. I worked on that Ray Gun book with Rizzoli for two years. It came out last year. And I really started getting more into music again, not that I was ever not into music, it’s part of my life. I grew up as a musician and most of my friends are musicians. I’ve just wanted to do a new music magazine for 2020 and beyond.

On what someone would find him doing if they showed up unexpectedly one evening at his home: I generally play some music. I’ll watch some form of TV or film to relax. I get up really early and I find that my best thinking time is in the morning. My first four or five hours are my best. 

On whether he feels more at home on the West Coast than the East Coast: Yes. Basically, I lived my whole adult life in Los Angeles, except for when I started Nylon. I moved there full time for five years. And then for the following 10 years we were bicoastal, so I always kept my house in L.A. There are so many creatives out here, more space, there’s sky and the weather. L.A. is my home.

On what keeps him up at night: I’m not really in that headspace right now that I have those worries. I sleep well at night. I’m doing what I love and I’m building a new business, a new brand, a new platform and it’s really an exciting time for me. To me, this is Act Three and I want it to be the biggest and best Act yet.

And now, without any further delay, enjoy the Mr. Magazine™ video cast with Marvin Scott Jarrett, cofounder and editor in chief, Marvin magazine.