Entertainment For Lively Minds
Changes to The Word: great so far, but there's JUST one thing...
Yeah, that's right, another punter telling you how great you are; just what you need.
I love the staples, I love the shininess and smelliness of the cover, I love that new bit where Mark Ellen does his own version of "I've Been Everywhere, Man" at the beginning, I love anything that gives Danny Baker the chance to have a page to himself, and I laughed so hard at Giles Smiths' review of that 1970's kid's DVD thing that a little bit of wee came out. I've lost count of the things I love. Oh, did I mention that I also love Kerry Shale? If I didn't, I'll get back to that.
You've been so brilliant this month, in fact, that I've accidentally misplaced a box in my brain that had "critical distance" written on it.
There is just one thing though, while you're in the business of change (and this is my Kerry Shale bit): I'm not happy with that podcast sting that goes: "The Word: A magazine, a podcast, a website (pause) a way of life".
I've never liked it. It doesn't scan proper
ly, and it breaks the golden "rule of three". If there is an opposite of premature ejaculation, then that sting is it. I know you're all four of those things, but still, it just doesn't sound right, and I think it should go. How about:
"The Word Magazine: a website, a podcast, a way of life."
NO: that's still not right, but maybe there's something else....
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There is also
the unbearable smugness of the voice itself to contend with.
Sponsored Word reader/listener voiceover?
To raise a bit of revenue as advertising on podcasts is difficult, how about the possibility of us readers/listeners/subscribers offering to sponsor a Word Podcast?
We get to read out the "The Word, a magazine...a way of life" and get a mention on the Pod, how about it?
I'd pay for that!
and
Podcast guests also?
What, we sponsor and choose a Guest
or we could appear as the Guest?
Sorry, Retro
My diction is clearly letting me down today. I meant that it would be nice to have podcast guests read the sting sometimes.
Good idea...
don't worry about diction, I didn't mean it that way. Anyway, you should see how many of my posts end up with me apologizing for the confusion!
Agree
'..a way of life..'...errr...how?
Of course, be on to it straight away
*I'll hold him. You hit him.*
Good call, Pax Romana!
And while we're at it, I'd like my name displayed in large letters on the front cover, with '...is brill' beneath it.
new look
i'm only a few pages in, but already there seems to be a substantial amount more substance, if that makes sense.
i think i'm going to like it.
love the cover illustration - gives the mag an identity that will stand out on the shelves i think too.
initially thought the staple made it feel lighter, but actually once you're in the mag, it feels more dense, somehow...
niiiiiice.
I'm not the only one who
keeps the volume turned down for the first 10 seconds of every Word podcast, then? I'm glad it's not just me.
I wasn't going to say this
...because I just knew that lots of others were going to in other threads, but I don't want to bitch about anything...
I *love* the new cover
I *love* the new format with staples (seems sort of 'grown up')
I *love* the new content
(I really enjoyed the bit where the team shared their film/music/book/TV/gaming loves of the past month and missed that)
You took something I loved, and just made it better. Good effort.
Size isn't everything....
What pleased me most about the new and improved (not to say past issues were old & inferior) The Word is the more compact size.
It fits wonderfully in my new leather man-bag, and looks very smart on my desk at home.
I've not got round to reading it yet, but first impressions are good.
I'm aware that image isn't everything, but it does help.
"Entertainment for lively minds"
makes it sound like Saga magazine or something. Other than that, no quibbles.
Who he?
I know Mark Ellen is responsible for the guitar playing, but who's is the voice? Is it the bloke off the Lurpak ad?
That's
Kerry Shale. And I love him too.
It's this fellow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Shale
Thanks Mr Romana / Mr Lewry
It's Rutger Hauer on the Lurpak ads by the way and he's Dutch, so I was a mile off.
All good, apart from...
the cd - what's going on there? The music's as great as ever (in fact I think it's the best for a while) but I much preferred the old packaging.
Anyway, it won't stop me renewing my subscription
I hate the staples
It feels cheap. Like reading The Sunday Times Mag.
And how are we supposed to find a particular issue on our shelves at home when they all look the feckin same?
Hate the staples (but not Pops)
Newness mostly great
But I could have lived with Mark Ellen's man about town intro being a page shorter and, say, Chris Addison's interview being a page longer: it seemed a bit arbitary that Sean Lock got the usual old two-page Facetime and Addison didn't.
Still, most of the other mini-features worked well in the new size, and I agree it seems to generally be back on form of taking ages to read because of all the variety in it - I'm all in favour of any magazine that writes about Duke Special, and the next website I visit will be the Fleet Street books one.
It feels cheap??
Haven't got it yet. I live in France so only got February issue today. But paper quality is ALL. You can't read the excellent WORD magazine on crap paper. I have thrown books away because they have been printed on crap paper. So I await the new version with great trepidation.
(I know it's anal but there it is)
My own small gripe
Whilst we're nitpicking...
I have to say that David Hepworth's description of Murray Walker is well wide of the mark.
Otherwise a great column, and great mag overall.
still waiting
for my copy :(