Interview (magazine)

Andy Warhol period

There are several accounts of why Warhol began publishing Interview. Warhol later joked that he had started the magazine "to give Brigid something to do." Founding editor Gerard Malanga recalled that Warhol had been denied press passes to the New York Film Festival, and suggested that having a publication through which to obtain press credentials was the reason Warhol created a magazine. In his memoir POPism: The Warhol '60s (1980), Warhol offered another explanation:

Everyone, absolutely everyone, was tape-recording everyone else. Tapes brought up great possibilities for interviews with all kinds of celebrities, and since we were a long time between movies lately, I began to think about starting a magazine of nothing but taped interviews. Then John Wilcock dropped by one day and asked me if I would start a newspaper with him. I said yes. John was already publishing a magazine on newsprint called Other Scenes, so he had a complete typesetting and printing set up already. Together we brought out the first issue of Interview magazine in the fall of '69.

Interview was launched in October 1969 as inter/VIEW: A Monthly Film Journal, with a cover featuring a still from the experimental film Lions Love… (and Lies) (1969), starring Warhol superstar Viva. Initially devoted primarily to film criticism, the title paid homage to View, the literary magazine published by Charles Henri Ford in the 1940s. The inaugural issue listed Malanga, Paul Morrissey, John Wilcock, and Warhol as editors. Wilcock's name remained on the masthead until October 1970, and he continued printing the magazine through December. He later recalled that after Other Scenes folded, he decided to leave for Europe and amicably ended his partnership with Warhol, who gave him $5,000 and two Flower paintings in exchange for his share.

After Malanga's departure in 1970, actor Charles Rydell joined the editorial staff, while Soren Agenoux assumed the newly created position of managing editor. Agenoux subsequently recruited Bob Colacello, then a graduate student at Columbia University, who had begun writing film reviews for Interview in 1970. Colacello became managing editor later that year and brought in his friend Glenn O'Brien as associate editor. By December 1970, Rydell and film director Jerome Hill became part-owners of Interview. They sold their interests to Peter Brant and his cousin Joe Allen in 1971.

In 1972, Interview had a circulation of 30,000, mostly subscriptions. O'Brien worked with artist Richard Bernstein to create the new cursive Interview logo, which is still used today. The magazine increased size, started printing color covers, and was distributed regularly for 50 cents ($4 in 2025) per copy. Interview was transformed to become a "reflection of Andy's social life" said Colacello. "We wanted every issue of Interview to be like a great dinner party, where you have a grande dame, an important political figure, a rock star, an up-and-coming actress, and some model."

O'Brien and his wife Jude Jade sold advertising for the magazine before Sandra Brant became the director of advertising in 1972. O'Brien succeeded Colacello as managing editor of Interview in 1972 and continued in that capacity until 1973. In 1973, Rosemary Kent, an editor from WWD magazine, became the editor-in-chief of Interview, which at that point had a circulation of almost 70,000. In 1974, Colacello took over as executive editor and remained in that position until 1983.

Warhol hosted parties for the magazine at New York hotspots such as Studio 54 and Regine's. He used a tape recorder he had in his pocket to capture content for Interview. The interviews were taped conversations of well-known eclectic people usually at a restaurant and published as a literal transcription. Another trademark of the magazine were full-page photographs of "beautiful people."

By 1981, Interview was priced at $2 ($10 in 2025) a copy and had a circulation of 90,000. The magazine was described as a "hybrid of People and Vogue on elongated newsprint." From 1972 to 1989, the artist Richard Bernstein created the covers for Interview, giving the publication its bold and colorful signature style. Francesco Scavullo, Robert Mapplethorpe, Christopher Makos, Herb Ritts, Mario Testino, and David LaChapelle were among the pioneering photographers whose work was featured in the magazine. Writer Fran Lebowitz had a column in the magazine, and fashion journalist André Leon Talley answered the phones and styled shoots. Over time, Warhol withdrew from everyday oversight of Interview but he continued to act as an ambassador for the magazine, distributing issues in the street to passersby and promoting the magazine at events.

Brant Publications period

In 1989, Brant Publications Inc. acquired Interview magazine from the estate of Andy Warhol for $10 million. Businessman Peter Brant and his then-wife Sandra Brant were friends of Warhol, who died in 1987, and they had invested in Interview in the 1970s.

From 1989 to 2008, Sandra Brant ran the business and her longtime partner Ingrid Sischy was the editor-in-chief. The magazine's format remained consistent at 60% features and 40% glossy advertising. Following her hiring at Interview, Sischy operated the company for a few months at Warhol's Factory before relocating the headquarters downtown to 575 Broadway in 1990, where Jed Johnson decorated the space. In 2008, Sischy resigned from Interview when Brant sold her 50 percent stake.

2008 to 2018

For a year and a half the magazine was in flux, edited by Christopher Bollen. Interview restarted under co-editorial directors Fabien Baron and Glenn O'Brien in September 2008, with a cover featuring Kate Moss. Stephen Mooallem and Christopher Bollen served as the working editor-in-chief and editor-at-large, respectively. The publication's content can be found online and via an app, Other Edition, available on iTunes.

As of 2017, Fabien Baron was the editorial director, Karl Templer was the creative director, and Nick Haramis was the editor-in-chief. In December 2013, Stephen Mooallem left Interview to join Harper's Bazaar as its executive editor. Keith Pollock served as editor-in-chief from 2014 to 2016.

It was announced on May 21, 2018, that the publication 'folded' and would end both its print and web publications by the end of 2018. The publication also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidation.

Relaunch

In August 2018, it was reported that a company owned by Peter Brant, Singleton LLC, purchased Interview out of bankruptcy for $1.5 million.

On September 6, 2018, Interview announced the launch of its 521st issue. The magazine was purchased by Kelly Brant and Jason Nikic, with some reports suggesting that the title's intellectual property will be returned to Peter Brant.

Citations

Sources

• Colacello, Bob (1990). Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-016419-5.
• Mulroney, Lucy (2018). Andy Warhol, Publisher. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-54298-0.