Ten years…


JOEL MARTENS EDITOR IN CHIEF


It’s hard to believe that I’ve already hit my six-year mark withThe


Rage Monthly. Time has flown by and I have to say, the memories are rich and sweet. Publisher Jay Jones took a risk hiring me on, to be sure. Though


I had been the editor of my school newspaper,The Cardinal a hundred years ago and a writer for the magazine for a few years, my experience was not exactly in line with the title, “Editor-In- Chief.” Those first months were intimidating, fascinating, stressful and enlightening to say the least. There have been so many amazing life-altering experiences to


choose from and mine is all the richer, for having had the honor of being a part of something so extraordinary. I’ve had the great privilege of working with amazing, dedicated and committed coworkers. There is never a question when it comes to making sure what needs to happen, does. Publisher Jay Jones, Art Director Cesar Reyes, Associate Publisher Brad Hart, Copy Editor (and former Editor) Bill Biss, Account Executive Kevin Plautz and the many freelance writers and photographers who participate, always show up and always get the job done. Producing a high-quality magazine that speaks to the breadth of our variant LGBTQ community, isn’t always a simple task and though I may have many new grey hairs (we’ll blame it on that), the rewards of a job well done are innumerable. As a writer, it’s almost impossible to choose favorites, there have


been so many watershed interviews, conversations and stories. If pressed, I would say it was having the chance to interview Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg in person for the film Florence Foster Jenkins. I’m not one who is easily star-struck; I’ve always believed that humans are just that, humans. But, when Streep laughed at something I said and put her hand on my shoulder while doing it, I was all agog. And Hugh Grant? All I can offer is that ever since seeing his blue eyes in Merchant Ivory’s homoerotic film,Maurice, well, let’s just say I was a goner. All three actors were funny, gracious, and completely disarming. But OMG, she actually laughed at something I said! Choosing a cover is another impossible task. With 10 years to


pick from, that’s roughly 120 beautiful images to choose from. But, because it always makes me think of the diversity of images within his stellar book,The Box, I’m going to select March 2017’s cover photo by Ron Amato. The male form is a beautiful thing to behold and photograph for sure and Amato has the gift for capturing the ethereal “essence” found in remarkable photogra- phy. The simplicity of the shot, with no embellishments other than one tattooed arm, stuns me every time I see it. If you haven’t seen Amato’s book, invest in one, it will become a treasured keepsake. Experiences are another of the many great gifts I have received


over the years, being a part ofThe Rage Monthly and if I have to choose one, I would have to say it was the first GLAAD Media Awards back in 2011 and each subsequent year following. To understand that we are each in our own small way, a part of a much larger LGBT community and that there are so many forces working to improve our daily lives, completely blew my mind and continues to do so.


BILL BISS COPY EDITOR


It’s truly a decade ofThe Rage Monthly magazine. First, I’d like to congratulate publisher Jay Jones for his vision for this magazine and for hiring me as Editor-in-Chief in 2007. I held this capacity until 2011 and I am sincerely proud of this. Like the lyrics of the Led Zeppelin song, “Good times, bad times, I’ve had my share…” It was a privilege to hold this position and most importantly, it’s the laughter, hard work and fun that I remember from those years. Speaking of Jay’s vision, it was always his belief that our magazine was “the little engine that could.” “Toot, toot, beep, beep” is so right. While I had been working for gay media since 1999; it sure beats my previous jobs in accounting, I’ll tell you that. That leads to my favorite cover. It’sThe Rage Monthly issue


from August of 2007 with the gold-dusted Adonis with the curly hair photographed by Dennis Covey, for that cover. This image always reminds me of a new adventure in publishing and the challenge of creativity. There have been too many rewarding interviews over the


years. Yet, if I could “turn back time” to December of 2010… it would be interviewing Cher, Christina Aguilera and Stanley Tucci in person at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. The film musicalBurlesque was about to open nationally. This time was truly one of the fondest experiences of my career. To Editor-in-Chief Joel Martens, Art Director Cesar Reyes, Associate Publisher Brad Hart and Account Executive Kevin


Plautz… “Guys, I love ya!” Congratulations to you and all. Yes, Jay Jones… you and our writers, too! Happy 10th Anniversary!


I like whenThe Rage Monthly steps out of its comfort zone


and tries something completely different. Similar to what we did back in March of 2015. A local artist design a comic book-inspired cover that seemed to have gone over very well. I hope we can try it again in the future. My favorite regular column in the magazine would have


to be Mixology. It’s where we feature a local bartender or bar employee that everyone is familiar with. It’s a way to get to know more about them and the places we love in our community. My favorite would have to be a little over two years ago when we featured Jason Alan from Urban MO’s in Hillcrest after they had just completed their patio renovation. Jason was hilarious and everyone was really fascinated by new addition to one of their favorite watering holes. There are so many events that I’ve been lucky to attend


and that I have been able to organize. I would have to say my favorite would beThe Rage Monthly’s first charity event back in April of this year. We sponsored the First Annual Easter Bonnet Competition to raise money for one of the funds at The Center here in San Diego and all the local businesses that we worked with, were so generous in donating items for a raffle, making the event a complete success. It was held at the newly-opened restaurant in Hillcrest called Concept 278. We couldn’t have had a better host, or a better time and we managed to raise over $7,000. Not bad for a first-time charity event! Watch for next year’s version, because it looks like we will be doing it again!


KEVIN PLAUTZ ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE


JUNE 2017 | RAGE monthly 31


bill and liza minnelli


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