Juice

Clever Girl... >> Writing >> Juice

Rachel's note: I don't actually like this essay much, I think the Girl Thing one is better, but this got an obscenely high mark, so...

ntelligent people, dealing with political issues and musicality as well as light hearted gossip. The overall pervading aura the magazine projects is one of carefully contrived 'coolness': attempting to present both itself and its readers as unbearably hip, the very core of alternative culture. In actuality, however, the magazine appeals to those on the periphery of the alternative subculture - adherents rather than artists, followers of fashion rather than lifestyle. Juice appeals to people who think they're cool.

One of the most notable ways in which Juice expresses its 'coolness' and markets itself at adherents to alternative subculture is through its reverence to adolescent rebellion. As Dick Hebdige writes, subculture provides a means for rebellion, for "deformity, transformation, and Refusal". Juice plays upon the appeal of rebellion on the cover of its November 2000 issue, maintaining the discourse throughout the magazine. The cover photo of popular Australian rock band, The Living End, exudes both 'coolness' and rebellion. The band is posed somewhat menacingly, with hands in pockets and blank, nonchalant faces, the headline "The Boys Are Back In Town" constructing them as the archetypal 'rebel without a cause'. They are dressed in clashing, unfashionable clothes - polo shirts, ties, and checked sweaters, all of which are associated with grandparents rather than popular rock bands. This seemingly carefree attitude towards fashion, however, suggests both that they are so 'cool' they can afford to dress badly, and an aversion towards materialism, thereby adding to the 'coolness' of The Living End, and subsequently that of Juice. Also notable are the suggestions of rebellion in the magazine's other headlines, particularly Marilyn Manson's "no more mr nice guy" and "riot on the streets", about the S11 protests,

The Marilyn Manson and S11 protest articles themselves also attract a youth audience through the use of rebellion, albeit in different ways. Marilyn Manson is the human manifestation of the statement "to shock is chic", both in appearance and in ideology. He is pictured naked (p 78) in bizarre makeup, contact lenses in two different unnatural colours, tatooed, with bleached blonde hair, huddled up to look like a frightened but freakish child. The article's text presents Manson as a demon, quoting him as saying: "The two years since the release of my last album have been filled with God and rappers. It's time for death and Satan to be put at the forefront". Quotes such as this make Manson's rebellion seem overly theatrical and extreme, but perhaps Manson himself says it best with: "Anyone can write songs, but I create chaos." Regardless of whether or not Juice's audience is comprised of Manson fans, the unique controversy he provides works to make the magazine more appealing to 'hip' young alternative music listeners, if only for the ironic entertainment he provides. Indeed, it has been suggested that hardcore rock music "reflects the desire of middle-class, white males to shock their parents or other authority figures." This suggests an attempt on Juice's part to market itself at young males, a theory supported by the choice of CDs to be given away with subscriptions to the magazine, including the latest albums of both Manson and rap-rock band Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit in particular have been accused of alienating a female audience, with misogynism present in both their lyrics and onstage behaviour.

'White Riot', about the Spetember S11 protests in Melbourne, works to attract an intelligent youth audience through a different display of subculture and rebellion: political rebellion, through which subcultures attempt to challenge social reality. Juice assumes its readers are intelligent and active, with at least a passing interest in politics. It also assumes a left wing politcal stance on behalf of its readers. The anti-authoritarian attitude displayed by the article coincides with the discourse of rebellion within youth subculture. The portrayal of upper middle-class people involved in protest (quoting a young woman who went on a shopping spree after returning from the protest against multinational dictatorship) echoes the middle-class-university-student tone present throughout much of the magazine, suggesting that Juice is attempting to appeal to people in the midst of a moratorium.

Indeed, much of the magazine's content suggests that it is marketed at a relatively intelligent audience. Juice speaks to its audience with respect, assuming they have a knowledge of musical styles and political events while at the same time allowing them the opportunity to learn a little more about them. Several of the advertisements in the magazine suggest a uni-student type audience, notably the advertisement for 'juice.net', the magazine's website (p 6) which features a small, unappealing half orange, the only item in the fruit and vegetable section of a dirty, rusty fridge. The absence of healthy nutritious food suggests a disorganised, unconventional life, not unlike that of the stereotypical uni-student. it is particularly poignant that this advertisement is for an extension of the magazine itself, providing extra insight into the sort of image the magazine is trying to project. The fact that the advertisement so strongly connotes the life of a young carefree person indicates that this is exactly the sort of person Juice is trying to speak to. The advertisement also displays a level of irony in its use of the word 'juicy' to describe the unappealing orange. This irony is present throughout much of Juice, assisting the magazine in appealing to a young, intelligent audience. The Frenzal Rhomb article on page 126 is saturated with irony, describing the punk band as "the greatest pop band of all time" and likening them to pop acts Human Nature, Mandy Moore, and Anastacia. The irony within the article, which suggests that the band might experience "the dizzying heights of Human Nature-style success, forever setting their names next to the likes of Daryl Braithwaite. Johnny Farnham and Col Joye", suggests a media savvy audience.

The disdain Juice expresses towards the mainstream, both music and politics, might be seen as an attempt to preserve the boundaries between mainstream and alternative culture, described by Gottlied and Wald as "decidedly blurry ... in part because these terms are constantly being negotiated". Both Juice and its audience seem unsure as to where the boundary between 'mainstream' and 'alternative' lies, but all are certain that whatever their tastes may be, their favoured music lies firmly in 'alternative' and whatever they dislike is 'mainstream'. The letters page is overrun by the debate over what constitutes each term, including: "hard work and talent go a long, long way any day over bimbos and bikinis"; " 'Australia's premier rock outfit' - only if you believe Bryan Adams to be America's"; and "the fact that AC refers to Travis endorsing a song that is so obviously 'synonymous with Little-Miss-Knee-Surgery', Britney Spears, misses the point entirely".

It is clear that both Juice and its audience believe themselves to be 'cool', indicating a relationship between the two based upon the notion that "we are a cool magazine, you are a cool reader. Read our magazine and you will be even cooler." There are several derogatory references towards the perceived 'mainstream' throughout the remainder of the magazine. The feature on The Living End treats the band's interviews with 'alternative' radio station Triple J and the 'mainstream' Triple M with a marked difference (p 58 - 59), treating Triple J with respect while making fun of Triple M, and musician Roni Size is quoted as saying: "Look, if I wanted to make a real pop album I could, easily, but that would be so cynical". What this distinction ignores, however, is that the music supported by Juice is also somewhat mainstream in character, or else it would not be written about in what is essentially a mainstream magazine.

This rejection of the mainstream can also be interpreted as a form of cultural rebellion, participants of which have been described by youth culture analyst Mike Brake as placed "on the peripheries of the literary-artistic world, being adherents to it rather than artists. They tend to be middle class, and where young subcultures are involved they tend to have middle-class educations." Juice's relatively intelligent analysis of alternative music fits this description, as does its adherence to what Brake describes as"bohemian values - spontaneity, expressivity and creativity." The magazine outwardly encourages its audience to be independent thinkers, claiming: "In today's global village there is almost no excuse for not seeking out the music you like - or at least what you think you like - and making your own decisions". Ironically, Juice still attempts to dictate its audience's choice of music, recommending only 'alternative' releases and dismissing pop artists such as Billie Piper as "a little more of that sweet, innocent, shirt-skirted, firm-breasted, blonde-haired pop starlet thing." It could, however, be asserted that Juice is forced to review records in this fashion if it is to retain its 'cool' audience. The magazine also encourages its readers to imitate the rock stars featured within its pages, the Homebake competition requiring entrants to "show us some of your own style. That means dressing up as one (or more) Homebake 2000 performers and sending us in a snapshot". This again suggests a higher level of conformity within Juice's readership than the magazine's audience would like to think.

Juice magazine's laid back, ironic tone works to attract an intelligent, media savvy audience. When combined with a reverence towards adolescent rebellion and a preoccupation with the distinction between the mainstream and the alternative, however, the magazine appears to not only seek a media savvy audience, but one caught up in its own trendiness. In its attempt to be part of a subculture, Juice demystifies the subculture and brings it further into the mainstream, suggesting that the magazine appeals to those on the periphery of the alternative subculture, rather than the truly 'alternative'.

What on earth is this bitch talking about?
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