The September Issue, with a Happy Face!

[Dan Stiffler]

I have been probably the most vocal critic of PLAYBOY's celebrity addiction.
Thus, it is with great pleasure that I note the September 2003 issue has
neither a celebrity on the cover nor a celebrity pictorial.  Not that I
think PLAYBOY has kicked its habit, but this is a celebrity-clean magazine.
And there is much to love about it.

Other than the fact that the cover is still a formula with respect to type
design (and, please, somebody kill the florescent colors!), it is a clever
concept, one that is both sexy and dynamic.  I especially like the "warning"
label; many of us have complained in the past about the repetitive use of
the word "nude" on the cover and this gets the same idea across in a fresh
manner.  The rabbit-head apron is also a nice touch.

Of course the cover pictorial is, as have been noted on the PML, a
girl-next-door pictorial.  What's not to like about this?  With Freytag and
Wayda behind the cameras, many of these shots have centerfold quality.  This
is a first-rate layout, with excellent thematic consistency.  And to judge
again from PML commentary, Lindsay Garren already has a huge fan club--and
she is fully clothed!  Which only goes to prove that titillating photos have
enormous power.

For my money (and I would imagine a lot less money on PLAYBOY's part), a
layout like this offers so much more pleasure than the C-list celebrity
layouts that PLAYBOY seems to prefer (or is it *has preferred*?).  Sarah
Kozer has absolutely nothing on any of these girls except TV time and a
500,000 dollar paycheck.

And speaking of girl-next-door titillation, the other pictorial is of the
"inaugural Employee of the Month," Jenny Hasse, a PLAYBOY intern who got
hearts a-pumping in the June 2003 issue (Sarah Kozer's, as it happens)--with
only a small photo.  In the great tradition of Janet Pilgrim, PLAYBOY had
sense enough to recognize a beauty in the office.  Now, if only they would
recognize that such beauty is better than celebrity.  My god, this girl is a
charmer!  The photo by George Georgiou on page 73 is a killer and Jenny
throws a look on page 74 that is far better than any of Sarah Kozer's.  I
just love the small insets: the one of Jenny in the archives with the
centerfold of Sandra Settani (4/63); the one on the beach of Lake Michigan,
reminiscent of Cynthia Maddox (5/62).  Yeah, this is the ticket!

A few other comments:

The Gruden interview makes sense in an issue with the NFL preview.

Nicholas Cage did a full interview in 1996.  Why a 20Q now?  To give him a
chance to respond to the Lisa Marie Presley interview of July?  The photo of
Cage by Dan Winters on page 124 is, however, a winner.

The exposé on the religious right is timely and important.  It's also an
important balance to the insipid piece on George W. Bush in the Jan 03
issue.  The artwork for this article is strong, especially the opening
full-page image using the Presidential Prayer Team logo.  There is, of
course, the now-usual side bar (one with the interview again, too) but this
one with its "seven deadly sins" does a nice job pointing out the hypocrisy
of the religious right.  It should work for magazine flippers.

The artwork by Kent Williams for the fiction, "Tuba City," is excellent.
However, it depicts a right-handed pitcher, while the call-out on page 128
says "He's a southpaw."

There is even an Bettie Page by Olivia tie-in to the lead article on SARS!

The opening two-page advertisement is for the Mini Cooper (Mini had a great
"centerfold" ad previously in PLAYBOY).  And the next two-page spread is for
Hugo Boss clothing.  These are both important developments.

All in all, this issue is getting very close to the magazine I would like
PLAYBOY to be.  I am sure that I will continue to have my differences about
the details, but the concepts here are enough to make me buy *two* copies at
the newsstand--just to show my support!

Let's raise a Starbucks to good ol' PLAYBOY!

Dan Stiffler