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CIRCUS Magazine Is No More
- May 18, 2006
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According to Gawker.com, long-running rock publication Circus has closed its doors. Circus Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Gerald Rothberg has sent the following magazine-closure e-mail to the publication's contributors: "It is with sadness and a deep sense of loss that I must inform you that I've experienced great financial loss, which includes Circus magazine. Over the last year, I've tried my best to hold on to Circus mag, selling all my personal possessions, including my home, pumping the money into the mag. And I've lost all. I've held off contacting people because of the shame and humiliation I've experienced. I'm broke. I feel like Humpty Dumpty who had a great fall. " Circus magazine is in foreclosure. Will the magazine be resurrected? I don't know. If it will appear on the newsstands again, we'll find out. Let me say this now, I appreciate and I am grateful your contributions all these years and wish all my freelance contributors the best of health and success." According to RockCritics.com, Rothberg started Circus in 1966 under the title Hullabaloo. In the almost 40 years since, Circus has been many different kinds of music publication. It started out as a general interest rock magazine, running stories on classic rockers such as the DOORS, GENESIS, and GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. Later, Rothberg realized that his target audience — teen boys — loved to read about their favorite rock stars over and over, month after month. So when a band like KISS hit, they were one of Circus's biggest cover stars. Circus covered all kinds of rock and pop music but always featured a large number of heavy metal and hard rock bands in its pages. Following an unpopular move to a pop culture weekly in the mold of People in the late '70s, Rothberg went back to a monthly format and started to get back to the hard rock and heavy metal stars that made his magazine sales soar. Rothberg's lean toward those kind of acts paid off big time in the '80s when the hair metal explosion hit. Month in and month out, it was DEF LEPPARD, VAN HALEN, and BON JOVI on the covers. The hair metal years in the '80s were Rothberg's most profitable for Circus. When grunge hit in the '90s, Circus got confused and lost its focus (even putting rappers ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT on the cover one month — and getting tons of hate mail in the process).
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COMMENT | Circus???
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:12:07 PM
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Haven't seen an issue in years. Proabably not as good as it used to be. What ever happened to Power Metal Magazine> That kicked ass!!!!
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COMMENT |
posted by : Ignignokt
5/18/2006 1:12:27 PM
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first post
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COMMENT | circus
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:14:20 PM
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has sucked since the early 80s so this is no loss. i have not even seen it in a few years so honestly i thought it was gone already, same with hit parader they have sucked for well over 20 years now to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! best magazine for true metal and hard rock from the oldschool CLASSIC ROCK UK...........................
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COMMENT |
posted by : HadesGates
5/18/2006 1:14:47 PM
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Never was a fan of the magazine, but it's always sad to hear about someone losing everything they have for something they've worked their entire life on. Best of luck to you.
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COMMENT | i only read
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:16:18 PM
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GUITAR ONE !
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COMMENT |
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:17:06 PM
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Circus was a really terrible magazine. It had the look of a zine someone made in their basement, they focused on pop metal, and the 10 year old band presskit photos I've seen a million times before were beyond lame.
Decibel is the best American-published metal magazine there is today.
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COMMENT | I remember
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:20:52 PM
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I hated how trendy this was...every week it was Motley Crew or Ratt cover, or whatever was in at the time. Being into underground music, I never bought the damn thing. Best of luck though.
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COMMENT | no big loss
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:20:53 PM
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did'nt cover good bands...
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COMMENT |
posted by : Shithead666
5/18/2006 1:26:44 PM
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that mag was classic. If it wasn't for people getting info from total shit websites like this useless pile of shit...
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COMMENT | Can't think of a title
posted by : Acacia22
5/18/2006 1:30:54 PM
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COMMENT |
posted by : HadesGates
5/18/2006 1:14:47 PM
Never was a fan of the magazine, but it's always sad to hear about someone losing everything they have for something they've worked their entire life on. Best of luck to you.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said. Notice how he wasn't an asshole about it?
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COMMENT | CLAUDE
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:32:02 PM
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me and my brother claude were huge readers of this magazine in the 80's.it helped a many bowel movement go easier........
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COMMENT |
posted by : Al Bundy
5/18/2006 1:35:34 PM
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circus had too many hair bands in it. im glad its gone.
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COMMENT | Wow!
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:37:12 PM
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I haven't read Circus since I was in junior high, I honestly didn't even know it was still around. It was never a great mag in the music-journalism sense but I ripped apart many issues to hang pictures on my walls. Fare thee well, I guess
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COMMENT | shithead666
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:39:04 PM
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but your on here reading it
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COMMENT | HOW MANY TIMES
posted by : BOSTON-JOHNNY
5/18/2006 1:39:42 PM
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HOW MANY TIMES YOU THINK PREIST WAS ON THE COVER OF CIRCUS. IF YOU ANSWER CORRECTLY I WILL FLY YOU AND A BUDDY UP TO BOSTON FOR THE NEXT YANKEES -RED SOX GAME -FREE BEERS AND 2 SLUTTY ESCORTS ON ME. GOOD LUCK GENTS
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COMMENT | I know why they closed, the real story.
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:41:13 PM
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Circus fucked with Axl back in 90, and ever since they have never been able to get any buyers because of it, and now they are dead! Axl will shut down your business if you fuck with him!
GNR>YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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COMMENT | Circus and Hit Parader
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:49:52 PM
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Seem like the same magazine to me. They both have Korn and Slipknot stuck so far up their ass, it's ridiculous! It seems like every goddamn issue has one of those two bands on the cover!
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COMMENT | Shitty......
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:51:12 PM
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Magazine. The only thing that they had going for them was the pics, and they printed the same ones month after month. I have bought a few, but most of the ones I had seen had Limp Bizkit, or Papa Roach on the cover. The actual content was fucking horrible, always filled with misprints and such. And the news was so outdated.... Who gives a fuck?
If I Soak My Hands In Others Blood Am I Sick?
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COMMENT | ...
posted by :
5/18/2006 1:58:01 PM
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Shitty rag. Aardschock was the real deal back in the day. That is until they stopped my subscription and kept my money. So fuck them too.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What I said. Notice how I was an asshole about it?
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COMMENT | why all the hate for Circus?
posted by : metalliaddict
5/18/2006 2:02:46 PM
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oh yeah...i'm on Blabbermouth...i nearly forgot.
i used to read circus in the late 80's. when i was into that stuff, i thought Circus was great. granted, i haven't read an issue in years but it's still sad to see it go.
as HadesGates said, it's sad to see someone pour their entire life into something, just to see it fail. really...that's sad. best of luck to mr. rothberg. hopefully he can pick himself back up.
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COMMENT | Circus sucked...
posted by :
5/18/2006 2:19:48 PM
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Since I saw U2 on the Cover in the early 90's. I figured Circus was overwith like 5 years ago....
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COMMENT | One bonus about the rags though. If ya kept them....
posted by :
5/18/2006 2:31:12 PM
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It's great to go back to 1989 articles of Motley Crue to see them say "If one of us left, we'd have to break up the band, because how cold we fool the fans and call ourself Motley Crue"
Or Ozzy Say he done with the Booze to know he done tours with the sauce year after year to follow, now it's not easy to go and find articles on here from 10 years ago, but I have boxes of RAGS I have often picked up in an emergency bathroom run, to look back at stuff that the band would all heave at now....
LOL
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COMMENT | talking shit about Slayer
posted by : dmorris22174
5/18/2006 2:53:49 PM
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I remember reading a record review of Slayer's Reign In Blood in Circus once. They were positive about the musicianship but totally slammed the lyrics. Saying that they were lacking any sort of talent or complexity or something like that. Little did they know that Reign In Blood would become an all time metal masterpiece.
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COMMENT |
posted by : Rich376
5/18/2006 3:17:19 PM
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I used to buy Circus magazine every month back in the mid-80's. I think the last time I bought that magazine was like 1989 or 1990.
But, I would occasionally thumb throw the magazine in the store from time to time and think to myself "My God, What the hell happened to a once great looking Metal magazine?"
From the looks of it the magazine was totally mis-managed for the past 10-15 years. First off, They did a horrible re-Design of the magazine that looked like total crap. They switched from nice glossy color pages to black and white newsprint. The articles sucked and had tons of spelling mistakes and the photography was a total disaster, The few color pages looked horrendous. After Grunge hit in 1991. Circus magazine had no idea who to market the magazine to.
They would run features on every type music and never could establish a clear cut group to market to. There would be an article on METALLICA and then You flip the page and there's a crappy looking color pinup of Blink 182.
I can't believe that magazine was able to survive throughout the past decade.
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COMMENT |
posted by : RotNRoll
5/18/2006 3:27:29 PM
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Dude, I stopped reading that when I was 15 years old. I didn't know it was still around! Shit, oh well!
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COMMENT | this magazine
posted by : volt5000
5/18/2006 3:34:34 PM
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i dont know if you guys realized but Slipknot was on the cover of this magazine on every fucking issue.I'm not surprised.Sucks for the guy though.
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COMMENT |
posted by : scusemewhileIwhipthisout
5/18/2006 4:03:30 PM
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No more is CIRCUS magazine - May 18, 2006
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COMMENT | Oh yeah -New Kids On The Block...
posted by :
5/18/2006 4:23:33 PM
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On the cover of Circus, that was an aberation, then they went right back to the Hard Rock/Metal for the rest of the GLORIOUS 80's!!! The those losers Nirvana came along....
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COMMENT |
posted by :
5/18/2006 4:35:28 PM
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Thats sad to hear. I read it at the library a few times and it wasn't bad.
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COMMENT | eh
posted by :
5/18/2006 5:14:42 PM
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Circus was an OK mag. It was good for wallpaper, I guess. Revolver is definitely the best music mag. But still, I can't help but wonder why Circus is no more? Were they just not selling enough issues or what?
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COMMENT | Missing the point........
posted by : lucaplakia
5/18/2006 5:27:52 PM
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The guy lived and breathed rock music, not boy bands. Gave us a huge amount of articles and down-lo on the bands out there. Your bashing someone who loves music just like the rest of us. Shame to hear he lost it all. Best of luck!!!
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COMMENT |
posted by : Firefly
5/18/2006 5:30:21 PM
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My friends and I used to read Circus and Hit Parader back in the early 80's. I have to admit I loved reading them...especialy on the shitter. We were 12 yrs. old reading about Quit Riot, Maiden, Priest and Twisted Sister they appeared larger than life to us. These mags were a big reason I got into rock/metal and played guitar. However, when thrash hit Circus never caught on and stuck to the glam format as opposed to Hit Parader who featured the likes of Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and on couple occasions the mighty Cro-Mags. Like everything else that was big in the 80's it died when Grunge hit. It seemed like it was all gone over night. Honestly, I thought Circus and Hit Parader were done a long time ago.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
5/18/2006 5:59:26 PM
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thats too bad to hear, in the 90s Circus was one of the only rock magazines actually worth reading. espcially when some of the others really started to suck.
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COMMENT | Circus ruled my high school years!
posted by : RockMyMonkey.com
5/18/2006 6:14:08 PM
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Then one time I saw New Kids on the cover and never looked at them again for about five years. Then I saw Korn on the cover and never saw them again. I went from buying a stack of issues every year to never buying another copy. Jumping from trend to trend will kill you off. I do hope he comes back with less trend jumping.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
5/18/2006 6:37:48 PM
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great magazine in the 70's and 80's. kinda lost interest in the 90's. sorry to hear about your hardship. good luck
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COMMENT |
posted by : lemmy33
5/18/2006 7:15:31 PM
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I remember quite clearly when I wrote off Circus mag...when they had an issue around 1990 called "the Headbanger's Guide To The New Kids On The Block" With a fuckin picture of one of the new kids on the cover...that was it for me, and i'm surprised they managed to hang on another 15-16 years. Their KISS issues from the 70's are classic though.
I do admire the publisher's dedication in giving up everything to keep the magazine alive, good luck.
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COMMENT | told ya
posted by :
5/18/2006 7:52:08 PM
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COMMENT | Oh yeah -New Kids On The Block...
posted by : ROCKMORE64
5/18/2006 4:23:33 PM
On the cover of Circus, that was an aberation, then they went right back to the Hard Rock/Metal for the rest of the GLORIOUS 80's!!! The those losers Nirvana came along....
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And ya all thought I was joking, they were in there.... as mentioned several posts past this one and mine.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
5/18/2006 8:50:23 PM
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Wow.....
Looks like the dozen or so early 90's "Circus" mags I just gave away to charity might be worth a bit more than the 30 cents I got for most of them now.
The magazine itself really went to complete shit in the late 90's due to poor writing and no real target demographic. Shame that it ended like it did for the magazine especially given the amount of time and effort Rothberg put into it. Best of luck in the future.
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COMMENT |
posted by : childrenofthedamned
5/18/2006 10:49:32 PM
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Lemmy33 is right. I spent my paper route money to buy the Kiss issues in the 70's. They had the best coverage and some of the best pics. They reported on a wide variety of music and issues, before MTV and the....genre-lization of popular music. Too bad they couldn't make it. How hard could it be to look like Revolver?
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COMMENT | Plenty of memories
posted by :
5/18/2006 10:49:48 PM
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One thing I will never forget in my teen years is this magazine.
Couldn't of made it without reading CIRCUS.
One of my favorites back then.
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COMMENT | back in the days of metal
posted by :
5/18/2006 11:45:43 PM
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I do not understand why all the negativity.
If you grew up in the 1970-1980s you would of loved CIRCUS.
Great information about the bands back then.
The pictures and everything that went with it rocked.
Times have changed and so have the attitudes towards music.
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COMMENT | It is with geat sadness that I say
posted by :
5/18/2006 11:51:52 PM
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who gives a shit. This asswipe untily has always sucked too much Bon fucking Jovi in the issues. It is with great sadness that i gotta split!...
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COMMENT | funny thing is
posted by : hippieshateslayer
5/19/2006 1:48:14 AM
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most of the ass hats bitching about Korn/Slipknot on the cover of Circus weren't around when it was Slayer,Kiss,Tallica,Megadeth,Priest,Maiden or Motorhead on the cover. HAHAHAHAHHA!!!! Stupid KIDZ!
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COMMENT |
posted by :
5/19/2006 4:19:07 PM
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Circus was thee goto magazine from 83' to 90'...or whenever the "grunge" scene came along and ruined metal for so many years. Hit Parader was good during those years too.
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COMMENT | Circus - Best magazine in my time
posted by :
6/5/2006 10:43:48 PM
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My God... it looks like half of you people couldn't even name a band from the 70s. That's when I was reading Circus and it was THEE best rock magazine out there. Hit Parader didn't even come close.
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