Meanwhile in the Boom Boom Room

There's a big backlog of stuff I have meant to post but never got around to writing about — so just a heads-up that I'm gonna add all this semi-old stuff into the mix as we make our merry way forward at ye olde Flat Earth.

First up, in case you missed it, an interesting interview with Olivier Zahm, the founder of Purple Magazine, at style.com. Say what you will of Zahm (that he's kind of a dirtbag, or that he thinks he's Serge Gainsbourg, for example) but Purple has been around for a long time and has broken ground in so many directions — the dude is living his dream and his magazines are always worth a look. Here Zahm discusses the future of print, and I have to say that I agree with him on many levels and find his thoughts on the matter quite inspiring. For example:

So you don’t think the Internet will replace magazines?

The commercial magazines may be replaced, because the Internet is a better place for commerce and immediate information. The Internet is a chance for magazines because it forces the magazines to be more creative and to really explore what they are, what is the essence of a magazine and what a magazine is meant for. And it’s not meant for commerce…Magazines are also made for instruction, for energy, for voyeurism, for sexiness, for pleasure, for a lot of things. Not only a place to sell products. This is why you don’t have any good magazines now in Japan. It’s a disaster because they just consider magazines like an extension of advertising…This kind of magazine, strictly commercial, will certainly disappear because you have more information, more contact, more possibility of buying on the Internet. But a true creative fashion magazine can’t be replaced by a true creative fashion site because it doesn’t exist and it won’t exist. You don’t want to look at a fashion shoot on your screen, do you?

Well? Do you? Read the rest at style.com and see more Purple here.