Author/entertainer Bill Dyszel has written and performed a tribute to folded magazines called "Morbid Major Magazine Song," which chronicles the many magazines that have fallen by the wayside in recent years. As AdAge's Ann Marie Kerwin notes, the lyrics were written in October, which means Dyszel missed major foldings like Radar, Playgirl, O At Home, and others...but you'll still see and hear many familiar titles in the video below:
Lyrics:
(To the tune of I Am a Very Model of A Modern Major General by Gilbert & Sullivan)
By Bill Dyszel
The many paper publications writers once were writing for
Have mostly disappeared and left a handful all are fighting for
They went by names like Mirabella, Cosmo Girl, and Living Well
Amazing Stories, Omni, and Organic Style and Mademoiselle
And Spirit of Aloha, which you may perchance have read in flight
And also Windows Sources, HomePC, Musician, Cue and Byte
And 7 Days and Audio, and Quick and Simple and Cachet
And, PC Magazine, but no understood that anyway.
When Budget Living says they're broke, you know conditions aren't so nice.
And don't forget Success, whose claim to fame is that they failed twice.
McCalls, Industry Standard, House & Garden all have gone away
And Rosie sank as fast and deep as Underwater USA.
When Country Journal, Harper's, Jewish Woman, Coronet and Mode
Have followed New Age Journal as they all were flushed down some commode
When Blueprints future plans have all been relegated to the past
And National Lampoon will surely not be who is laughing last.
When Women's Sports and Fitness, Golf for Women, Gusto, Sync and Spy
Are only sold along with Lifetime at that newsstand in the sky
All writers start to fear that their careers are headed for the drain
A lot like Talk and Child and Life and Look and Lear's and George and Jane.
The experts all are telling us that in our brave new century
There'll be new opportunities exciting and adventur-y
But to a freelance writer none of this may seem too funny,
Cause you know the next to go will close up shop and owe you money.
(Created for the 60 Anniversary of the American Society of Journalists and Authors)