Ray Gun was an American alternative rock-and-roll magazine, first published in 1992 in Santa Monica, California. Led by founding publisher Marvin Scott Jarrett, art director David Carson and executive editor Randy Bookasta, along with founding editor Neil Feineman, Ray Gun explored experimental magazine typographic design and unique angles on the pop cultural currents of the 1990s. The editorial content was framed in a chaotic, abstract "grunge typography" style, not always readable (it once published an interview with Bryan Ferry entirely in the symbol font Zapf Dingbats), but distinctive in appearance. That visual tradition continued even after Carson left the magazine after three years; he was followed by a series of art directors, including Robert Hales, Chris Ashworth, Jason Saunby, Scott Denton-Cardew, Ian Davies, Jerome Curchod & Naomi Hendry.
In terms of content, Ray Gun was also notable for its choices of subject matter. The advertising, musical artists and pop culture icons spotlighted were progressive—for example putting such artists as Radiohead, Björk, Beck, Flaming Lips, PJ Harvey and Eminem on its cover before its competitors. Those choices were guided by Executive Editor Randy Bookasta (and founding editor Neil Feineman for the first three issues), along with an editorial staff that included Dean Kuipers, Nina Malkin, Mark Blackwell, Joe Donnelly, Grant Alden, Mark Woodlief, Eric Gladstone and photographer Ian Davies.
Ray Gun produced over 70 issues from 1992 through 2000. Owner-founder-publisher Marvin Scott Jarrett (one-time publisher of a late-1980s incarnation of Creem) also later created the magazines Stick, huH,Reminiscing on 90's huH Magazine by Eric Compton, Maximum Metal, May 6, 2016. Bikini,Bikini to Hang it Up by Keith J. Kelly, New York Post, January 20, 2000. and NylonNylon Magazine by Helen Lee, Sassy Bella Magazine, November 7, 2007. (a New York–based fashion magazine). The most notable common thread among all of Jarrett's magazines (from his days at Creem through Nylon) have been their focus on graphic design and music.
Partial list of issues Issue # Date Cover 1 November 1992 Henry Rollins 2 December 1992/January 1993 R.E.M. 3 February 1993 Dinosaur Jr. 4 March 1993 Frank Black 5 April 1993 Porno for Pyros 6 May 1993 PJ Harvey 7 June/July 1993 Sonic Youth 8 August 1993 Iggy Pop 9 September 1993 Urge Overkill 10 October 1993 Teenage Fanclub 11 November 1993 Swervedriver 12 December 1993/January 1994 L7 13 February 1994 Ministry 14 March 1994 Morrissey 15 April 1994 Elvis Costello 16 May 1994 Alice in Chains 17 June/July 1994 Perry Farrell 18 August 1994 Lush 19 September 1994 Jesus and Mary Chain 20 October 1994 Kim Deal & J Mascis 21 November 1994 Liz Phair 22 December 1994/January 1995 Keith Richards 23 February 1995 Belly 24 March 1995 Mudhoney 25 April 1995 Pavement 26 May 1995 Beastie Boys 27 June/July 1995 Björk 28 August 1995 Neil Young 29 September 1995 Flaming Lips 30 October 1995 David Bowie 31 November 1995 My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult 32 December/January 1996 Sonic Youth 33 February 1996 Smashing Pumpkins 34 March 1996 Cypress Hill 35 April 1996 Iggy Pop & Perry Farrell 36 May 1996 Rage Against the Machine 37 June/July 1996 Soundgarden 38 August 1996 Yoko Ono 39 September 1996 Beck 40 October 1996 Tricky 41 November 1996 Mazzy Star 42 December 1996/January 1997 Smashing Pumpkins 43 February 1997 Nine Inch Nails 44 March 1997 David Bowie 45 April 1997 U2 46 May 1997 Chemical Brothers 47 June/July 1997 Blur 48 August 1997 Wim Wenders & Michael Stipe 49 September 1997 Björk 50 October 1997 Oasis 51 November 1997 Jane's Addiction 52 December 1997/January 1998 Marilyn Manson 53 February 1998 Goldie 54 March 1998 Radiohead 55 April 1998 Pulp 56 May 1998 Pearl Jam 57 June/July 1998 Garbage 58 August 1998 Andy Warhol 59 September 1998 Prodigy 60 October 1998 Kiss 61 November 1998 Marilyn Manson 62 December 1998 R.E.M. 63 January 1999 Beck 64 February 1999 Fatboy Slim 65 March 1999 Underworld 66 April 1999 Shirley Manson 67 May 1999 Eminem 68 June 1999 Jamiroquai 69 July 1999 Edward Furlong 70 August 1999 Red Hot Chili Peppers 71 September 1999 Chris Cornell 72 October 1999 Missy Elliott 73 November 1999 Stone Temple Pilots 74 December 1999/January 2000 Nine Inch Nails
See also Emigre (magazine) The Face (magazine) Print (magazine)
Books Ray Gun: Out of Control by Dean Kuipers and Marvin Scott Jarrett, Simon & Schuster (1997), . Design and art direction by Neil Fletcher and Chris Ashworth. Ray Gun: The Bible of Music and Style by Marvin Scott Jarrett, with Contributions from Steven Heller (design writer), Liz Phair, Wayne Coyne, Ian Davies and Dean Kuipers, Rizzoli (2019), ."Ray Gun, the Magazine That Defined the Alt ’90s, Lives Again", by Corey Seymour, Vogue magazine, May 23, 2019.
Notes
External links "Magical Mystery Tour", by Neva Chonin, Ray Gun, May 1998.