'Circus' Closes; Clowns Sad
We've never really heard of Circus magazine, and we suspect this entirely our own fault, because we're so inexcusably square. We're told it's a big-deal rock and metal mag, and, like Rolling Stone, it has been around since the late '60s and run by the same guy the whole time. Or, at least, that was the case until yesterday, when freelancers learned it had unceremoniously shut down. In an era when rich Hachette shutters seemingly successful ELLEgirl because projections didn't look good, when rich Mort Zuckerman can't decide whether or not he's actually willing to sink money in Radar, this has got to be the saddest magazine-closure email we've seen:
To All Circus Mag Contributors:
It is with sadness and a deep sense of loss that I must inform you that I've experienced great financial loss, which includes Circus Magazine. Over the last year, I've tried my best to hold on to Circus Mag, selling all my personal possessions, including my home, pumping the money into the mag. And I've lost all. I've held off contacting people because of the shame and humiliation I've experienced. I'm broke. I feel like Humpty Dumpty who had a great fall.
Circus Magazine is in foreclosure. Will the magazine be resurrected? I don't know. If it will appear on the newsstands again, we'll find out. Let me say this now, I appreciate and a I am grateful your contributions all these years and wish all my freelance contributors the best of health and success.
Sincerely,
Gerry Rothberg
Circus Magazine
It actually brings a sniffle to our wizened nose. (Or maybe it's just allergies.)
