Housekeeping How NOT to Land a Punch
posted by on June 27 at 16:46 PM
I got an email this morning from Judy McGuire about the cover of this year’s Queer Issue. McGuire writes an advice column for a weekly newspaper and recently brought out a book—which was news to me. (Fire your publicist, Judy.) Anyway, here’s Juuuudy’s email:
So pretty… and so familiar.
On her blog Judy claims that our Queer Issue somehow ripped off her book (“Copycats!!!”). And here’s the evidence…
Whoa… pretty damning. I mean, black backgrounds and text-only covers? Wish we had thought of that first. Oh, wait… we did.
I believe our art director—who actually put the cover together—was harkening back to our first queer issues, and not perusing the dollar bin at Half Price Books, when he put this cover together. And we’ve had Queer Issue covers with a solid background and an little iconic image floating in there somewhere before too, like so and so.
But what about that “How NOT to…” thing? I’m embarrassed to say that the “how not to…” concept isn’t all that brilliantly original—on our part or McGuire’s. It has been done before. Heck, it’s been done to death. A selection of “how not to…” titles available on Amazon.com: How NOT to Make It in the Pop World (2007); How NOT to Make the Same Mistake Once (1999); How NOT to Turn Into Your Mother (2006); How NOT to Get Rich (2005); How NOT to Share Your Faith (2006); How NOT to Look Fat (2006); How NOT to Write a Screenplay (1999); and on and on and on.
Pwned
yeah - you know what I'd say.
Sue me Judy. We'll see how well that goes fur ya.
God. Stranger covers all look alike, don't they? Anyway, what she posted was obviously self-deprecatingly ironic.
Actually, I have no idea who Judy McGuire is. (I'm the one who designed the cover.) More than anything, it was meant as little nod to the covers of queer issues past.
I'm surprised the Stranger's Spam-blocker didn't catch Judy's email before it found your Inbox.
wow. you people are really unpleasant. count yourself down one reader, dan. but hey, you're too important for that to matter, right?
Aw, Judy's not that bad. Her Date Girl column blows chunks, but it's nowhere near as bad as her predecessor in the Weekly, Cherry Pop. But then, few things are. I can't imagine wanting to read a whole book of them, though; I usually pass out from boredom a paragraph or two in.
I think it's understandable that she would take note of the cover. And I think her email is reasonably good humored.
BTW, I find her column entertaining. She's smart and funny and sometimes acerbic. A staight women's perspective on dating is appreciated.
"not perusing the dollar bin at Half Price Books"
This is why I love you.
@9
That was the moment I stopped reading to post #1
Oh, this is choice!
Does McGuire even know that her book's own cover is a direct ripoff?
http://www.amazon.com/Date-Post-Dating-World-Diane-Mapes/dp/1570614709
Granted, her own publishing house cannibalized a prior work -- but the cover is clearly not her own work.
I believe McGuire's cover is a commentary on the Mapes book, not a ripoff of it.
They do look similar. It's not like she threatened you with a lawsuit.
Graphic Design is an infinite loop of inspiration and reference. The images we see during the day stick in our brains -- Past Stranger covers might have inspired "How Not to Date" and "How Not to Date" might have re-inspired Aaron. It's hard to say for sure and it;s nothing to get upset about.
Being slightly douchey (i.e. Gawker) is charming. Being a complete and total asshole is not.
I've read How Not To Write A Screenplay. It was pretty informative, I thought.
she(and Starbucks corp) should read "How Not To Be A Whiny Ass Over Design Details That No One Owns Anyhow", published by bite me press (2008)
@ 9: totally agree. Dan fuckin SAVAGE!
Dan, dude, you do realize that you just gave her more publicity than she's probably ever had?. Judy who?
I think Judy's hot, and I bet she puts out.
By the way, what the hell do you know, Savage? You SUPPORTED Bush's war in Iraq and WENT ON JOHN CARLSON'S show to talk about it!
What a dork!
I think the original email, Dan's post and all of the comments, including this one, are tongue-in-cheek.
Black, black, black for Gay Pride .... now isn't that so hip.
Yuk.
Or maybe just a lot of self loathing?
Either way, I wouldn't read either one. Her column is wince-worthy bad. She can't answer a question or give advice without making it ALL about her. Sorry Judy, you are not interesting. You constantly lead the poor advice-seeking letter writer down a blind alley with some rambling, long winded, likely big-ass fucking lie about YOURSELF. I went from being disgusted with you to feeling nothing but pity. I haven't read "Date Girl" since 2003. I'm sure it's still awful. And you're boring.
You forgot how you ripped of the "how not..." part too. That's strike three.
You're covers have lacked anyway since Corianton left.
Yep, I said it.
geeze, all the slog hate yet again.
I used to read Date Girl all the time. It was entertaining. Yes, it was about her experiences in many cases, but that seemed to be a big point of the column. (Nowdays I can never seem to find it - is it online only?)
And one local advice columnist bashing a local advice column (not columnist, she's in nyc I think) just seems lame. I know the stranger is anti-SW, but c'mon.
The Half Price books comment was dumb too. I've seen I think all of your books at HPB (although not in the Clearance section, which has the $1-$3 books). I doubt you'd find her book in the HPB Clearance section.
In fact, here are some stats from amazon.com:
How Not to Date - 54 used & new available from $4.99
some savage books:
The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family (paperback) - 77 Used & new from $1.50
Skipping Towards Gomorrah - 70 Used & new from $1.95
The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family (hardcover) - 55 Used & new from $1.08
Say "YES" to War on Iraq by Dan Savage Oct. 2002
"War may be bad for children and other living things, but there are times when peace is worse for children and other living things, and this is one of those times."
"The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we're going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves."
Washington Post June 27, 2008
"Bomb Kills Marines, Iraqi Tribal Leaders
At Least 40 Die in Two Separate Attacks"
Say "YES" to War on Iraq by Dan Savage Oct. 2002
"War may be bad for children and other living things, but there are times when peace is worse for children and other living things, and this is one of those times."
"The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we're going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves."
Washington Post June 27, 2008
"Bomb Kills Marines, Iraqi Tribal Leaders
At Least 40 Die in Two Separate Attacks"
for what it's worth, i remember seeing mcguire's book prominently-displayed in barnes and noble locations in NYC around valentine's day. maybe now i'll actually buy it.
whoa! This is, um, needlessly douchey over what seemed like an un-hostile email. I read both your column and hers, but hey... don't be a dick.
Uh, I didn't make those comments.
I guess she was trying to be "funny." Doesn't look like it worked so well for her.
A tad bit sensitive?
The similarity of covers is obvious; your art director's claim that it's just another use of text on a black background is disingenuous at best (I guess I missed how the others used red type to indicate negation, centered over an iconic image representing the subject matter (oh wait, the other examples are all text)).
The art director also doesn't address the interesting similarity of title; the 10 examples you give of the "How not to..." trope Mcguire is clearly playing off of don't include one single one referring to relationships or sexuality; your headline thus looks pretty second-hand.
Also, your heavy-handed "Who is this peasant to question me?" tone just makes you look like an asshole.
That did sound like a bad Poe imitator...
Yeah, Dan, she was kidding. And I liked her old column in the NY Press, which paper has since gone to hell in a Honda.
People defending her: she sent an email to a guy who's a "competitor" (her words) containing the comment "So pretty ... and so familiar." If it was intended as a joke, it wasn't very well done, and why in the world would she send it to Dan *in an email*?
And to the fellow posting about Dan's Iraq war views - have you never been wrong? Never? Wow. I'm impressed.
Of all the "How not to" books, the only synonymous titles are the hooking up-ness of dating and getting married.
So Mc Douchie, you blew it on that point.
But neither cover is pretty. Graphic, bold, witty, but not "pretty". And she wanted attention from a better-known columnist, and now, she got it.
Her column is lame--Amy Alkon is the best relationship columnist (aside from Dan, of course).
Dan, you humor-impaired slag! A girl sends you ONE blessed sentence and it's off to the races? Christ, give it a rest, you bitter old bitch!
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