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flatters not
Maxim-ized House of Roses suffers by comparison
By Jeff Bercovici
As ideas go, they don't get any simpler than this.
Take two of the most successful new magazines of recent years, Maxim and The Source, both of which owe their success largely to an ability to speak to an audience in its own idiom. Extract what you consider the vital elements of each. Combine those elements in a new magazine.
That, in a nutshell, is the idea behind House of Roses, a lifestyle magazine that aims to attract readers who don't see themselves reflected in other men's magazines.
Published independently out of Los Angeles, the 200,000-circulation House of Roses has actually been around for about three years. It relaunches this month with a December/January issue bearing the words "All New" on the cover.
Can a magazine out-Maxim Maxim?
House of Roses tries very hard. Much of the magazine is shamelessly copycatted.
Across the bottom of the cover is a Maxim-esque description of contents: "Fashion, Sex, Brew, Funnies, Music, Fitness, Toys, Money & Rising Roses."
Inside, the magazine is similarly faithful to its influences, with articles written in the style of so-called lad titles such as Maxim, FHM and Stuff.
That means plenty of charts, lists, roundups, product spreads and humorous factoids, as well as the requisite interviews with underdressed young beauties—the "roses" in the name.
Unfortunately, the similarities to Maxim and other established titles only point up what House of Roses doesn't have: their high production values, tight editing and witty, if juvenile, humor.
A majority of the faces shown are black or Latino, and the albums reviewed in the music section are all by hip-hop or R&B artists.
But House of Roses isn't intended just for members of one or two ethnic groups, says executive editor Branyon Davis.
"I don’t want to give the idea that this is a magazine just for black guys or Latino guys," says Davis, noting the magazine’s tag line, "Universal Entertainment for Men."
Rather, he says, it's for readers who like a little extra street flavor--not something you’ll find a great deal of in British imports like Maxim and FHM.
"I think those magazines are great, are universal," says Davis. "But we also thought there was not a magazine that catered to a more urban-type audience as well. Ours has more of an urban slant, whether that's African-American women, Latin women, Asian women or white women. It's not exclusively Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Like other lad magazines, House of Roses is fond of humor that pushes the bounds of good taste, not least humor of the misogynistic kind.
Among the "50 Reasons Why Your Woman Is Not the Ultimate Girlfriend" is "Won’t get your name tattooed on her ass. Is she too good for you or something? How about a footprint instead?"
Elsewhere there's an article titled "Crack Spread," with instructions on how to "Smoke Crack like a Pro," a recipe for "Banana Crack Flambé" and a short interview with a "Crack Hoe."
Davis says the magazine was even more over-the-top before the makeover.
"It's been toned down to appeal to a wider audience. The previous incarnation of the magazine pushed the envelope much in the same way but even more so," says Davis. "But if you limit yourself by too much ridiculous content, eventually you're going to have to shut down."
November 14, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Jeff Bercovici is a staff writer for Media Life.
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