Philip Weiss: The New M & The Old Observer

New York Observer, February 3, 2001 (click image to read)

Peter Kaplan cobbled together the new M mostly with existing staff from Fairchild.  I offered my services in a Starbucks near his office, "Pay me spit and I'll do anything you tell me to do.  I'll attack machine gun nests for you.  Only condition -- I report to you and not some hump who works for you." Maybe I came on a little strong.  Actually, I would work for one  hump who writes for Kaplan.  Philip Weiss.

Back in 2001, Kaplan was the editor of the NY Observer (Best Of NYO is in the sales bin here) back when that paper meant something more than real estate ads.  Kaplan not only hired Candace Bushnell but he came up with the title for her column, "Sex and the City."  I bet the NY Observer made a fortune off that.

Kaplan rounded out the new M crew with a few cronies from the Observer. One Observer alumni,  Philip Weiss, cranks out a gutsy interview with a difficult subject matter for any straight man... pretty boy model, Sean O'Pry (To Editors at GQ:  Worried about living down the, "Gay men's life style publication." Drop the cheese cake beards and hire Weiss).

I follow Weiss on Twitter  but back in the day, Weiss did an Observer interview with balls-so-big-I-don't-know-how-he-walks writer, Jim Harrison.  The premise for the interview was a discussion between Weiss and Harrison about older women. Harrison was always a hero of mine but Weiss became one too with this beautiful and honest piece about what it's like to be a man growing old and how it's possible to wake up and wise up.

If you're getting up there in the years - read this - you'll love it.  If you're a 25 year old Jr Mint -- I'm working on a Tumbler to explain this to you.  -30-

Peter Kaplan & The New M

It starts with a Peter Kaplan email that looks like a loft in Soho. Lots of white space. Several cancellations and loftmails later we get together for lunch.  Kaplan's wearing khakis, a blue button down oxford and a foulard tie. We sit across from each other in a restaurant booth of an empty Irish pub.

Kaplan (picking up a menu): You hungry?

Me: I've already had lunch.

Kaplan: Of course you have.  It's three o'clock..

Me: I'll just have a club soda.

Kaplan asks the waitress a question.  In a meter not unlike my Russian cleaning lady.  Halting.  The waitress answers.  He interrupts her.  She stops.  He stops.  She replies and he interrupts her again. It's exhausting if you cringe easily...which I do.

Kaplan: So here's what I want you to do.

I write notes on a napkin.  And another napkin.  Kaplan eats lunch and I drink three club sodas. I have to pee like a race horse but I don't want to interrupt him because he's throwing gold at me. We'll see each other two more times.  Each time he'll be wearing the same tie, a blue button down and khakis.

M Magazine debuts today on newsstands. If you have a hard time finding it, you can meet Kaplan and the magazine he's editing through his letter from the editor. There's some good stuff here. Gold.  You may wanna grab a club soda. [Click images to read]