Given that mags are supposed to capture the zeitgeist, this new list of the 40 best magazine covers of the last 40 years is mostly off. John Lennon in 1981 is number 1? John Lennon had nothing to do with 1981. Yeah, he was murdered in Dec. 1980, but he had very little to do with the times. It’s sorta like the infamous Life mag cover from ‘66 that had Louis Armstrong on the cover…which was some bizarre double reverse unwitting racist thing…ie, Life’s attempt to be “black” in the black-power 60s. (Thankfully, that one didn’t make the list.)
Anyway: I can’t believe the “Is God Dead?” cover from ‘66 is only #12. And where are all the ‘79 hostage crisis covers? And what about Dr. J ?