Philly's famed alt-mag Magnet turns 21

When Philly-based Magnet started in 1993, the American alternative-music magazine landscape was awash in options: Spin, Ray Gun, CMJ, Harp, Alternative Press, and Option, to name a few. Most have perished, gone online only, or morphed into emo-metal/skate-core rags, leaving Magnet (once a quarterly, now a monthly) as alt-publishing's last mag standing - or, figuratively, last man, now that Eric T. Miller's mag has turned 21.

"Being 21 means we're finally able to drink legally," says Miller with a laugh. "We're throwing out the fake Magnet IDs and hitting the bars for real."

This magazine means more to the Temple University grad than just a good gig. "I'm 42," Miller says. "Magnet is 21. I've been doing this for half my life. I've never had another 'real' job. I don't know anything else. Magnet is what I do."

Magnet gets a birthday party Thursday, with Miller's favorite band, Guided by Voices, at the Troc.

It's also celebrating with an issue starring punk-turned-actor Fred Armisen. "I've always loved Magnet," says Armisen, onetime Trenchmouth drummer known for roles on Saturday Night Live, Portlandia, and Late Night With Seth Myers. "The covers are always so cool, but never overly obscure. Just right. Plus, it's designed so well. . . . It's an honor to be included."

At its start, Magnet was defined by a stark photo aesthetic and serious writing about daring acts, at a time when the mainstream sought to take hold of the alt world. "With every issue, we try to have a good mixture of 'cool' and 'fun,' two things that I am not in real life," Miller said. He mentions favorite covers with Guided by Voices (six times), Hüsker Dü, Tom Petty (once alt-controversial, since he also had a middle-of-the-road presence), Radiohead, and Yoko Ono.

Some featured acts - Beck, Afghan Whigs, Pixies - stood the test of time. Some - Spacemen 3, Sonic Youth, Ween - have splintered. But all on Magnet's covers have innovated in the independent-music world. Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices calls it "an indie-rock conspiracy."

For Miller, that conspiracy started in college: "I knew nothing, and we did everything horribly wrong, yet it worked."

Magnet went through several incarnations until art director Kimberly Merritt and senior editor Matthew Fritch (both of whom have moved on) came on board in the mid-'90s. That version put the mag "on the map," says Miller. Then came brand recognition, in the 2000 film adaptation of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity.

"Merritt and Fritch were as important as me in growing Magnet," says Miller. Theirs was a dysfunctional family united for a cause.

Another crucial role-player is Pollard, an avatar of rock's lo-fi movement. "First time I met Eric," he says, "was during an interview in Manhattan for a cover story. We got drunk, and he may have gotten into trouble with his fiancee."

Miller considers Pollard the greatest songwriter of his generation: "I've compared his music to what Woody Allen has done through film, but I don't think Bob likes that comparison. [Guided by Voices] is the band most associated with the magazine, and I'm proud of that." Pollard goes on to say that when Guided by Voices makes moves toward new albums, like 2014's Motivational Jumpsuit and Cool Planet, he first calls Miller: "It's important Eric be part of, if not behind, every step of the process."

For personal and professional reasons, Miller took Magnet online-only in 2008. He dug the webzine, but jumped at the chance to go print again when Philly's Alex Mulcahy (the Red Flag Media publisher behind Grid and Decibel) contacted him in 2011.

"We've done 30 issues together since," says Miller. "I'm grateful for that. Look, I thought we'd last a few issues, so to be finishing up number 110 now, 21 years later, blows my mind."

Magnet Turns 21, with Guided by Voices, Surfer Blood, and Titus Andronicus

Starts at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Trocadero, 1003 Arch St. Tickets: $35. 215-922-6888. www.thetroc.com.

EndText