Magazines, do you buy them any more?

[Big Sandy]

I used to subscribe to a lot, bike mags (back street heroes for years) car mags, Land Rover mags... Damn they are expensive now aren't they? A years subscription is pretty much £50 for most. I stopped all the subscriptions as I realised that I was spending a fortune, and nine out of ten times there wasn't much in them that I really found interesting. I started just buying them in the newsagent, but they take umbrage to you reading the mag before buying, then putting it back on the shelf cos there's faff all in it. (Plus taking them out of the plastic bag is annoying thought I'd say it before y'all did)

I have written for some of them, LR mags mostly.. £100 a page, believe it or not. You do wait six months to get paid though. Explains the cost a bit though doesn't it?

I'll be honest, I get more out of forums like this than I ever got from magazines. (It's why I don't mind helping with running costs, it's a lot cheaper) How about you? Do you still subscribe to any magazines?

There's another thing...I don't think they are as well written as they used to be. Plus there's waaaaaaaaay more adverts than content.

 

[Don the Don]

"No" all far to expensive at a fiver plus each, and take up loads of space also too shiny to use as shit house paper so they would just mount up, I look online for any FREE info I need.

 

[Public Enemy]

I still read loads of magazines, but digitally. Got the Readly app which has hundreds of magazines. Costs 12 quid a month but that's only the price of 2 decent magazines these days.
I get to read every bike mag, car mags, shooting mags, photography mags, and anything else that takes my fancy.

 

[Big Sandy]

I see you're of the same mind.

I don't have a computer any more, having lost my rag with the last one and put the sledgehammer through it, mostly using a phone nowadays. Reading magazines on that is quite difficult.

 

[Public Enemy]

I see you're of the same mind.

I don't have a computer any more, having lost my rag with the last one and put the sledgehammer through it, mostly using a phone nowadays. Reading magazines on that is quite difficult.

Yep, I never bother reading them on the phone.
Old eyes, big screen, happy days!

 

[Big Sandy]

I took a piece of steel to my right eye about 18 months ago, I could see it in the mirror so I got it out with a welding magnet. (Yes, I know. 50 miles from an a&e remember) It's healed up, but there's still a scar, so whilst I have vision good enough to drive, see stars, spot the stags on the hill...there's a patch that's no good for reading. For instance, looking at the word 'stags' above I see st gs with fuzz in the middle with my right eye. Good job the left compensates isn't it? I'm considering getting a tablet. There seems to be a few good offers on dingdong manufacturered ones on Amazon.

 

[Big Sandy]

Oh yeah...they told me I'm not allowed hear an MRI machine now, just in case.

 

[gazzatriumph]

Used get motorbike magazines and music ones all the time but in recent years I've not bothered, too expensive and most the content can be found on the Internet.

 

[Steve 998cc]

Classic motor cycle mechanics, and Ride.

 

[Big Sandy]

I used to get classic MC too...and a stationary engine mag, and a woodworking one too.

I don't buy any now. They are all just too expensive.

 

[DD67]

Used to subscribe to...
MCN
Back Street Heroes
AWOL
Streetfighter
Ride

Often some if the subscriptions came with a free gift of heated grips or a trickle charger etc. I used to eBay them to offset the subscription cost.
Plus subscribing invariably reduced the cost per issue by approximately 40%. And it included free delivery.

Now I don't subscribe to any publications. Not even Razzle!

 

[gazzatriumph]

Porn mags, I've seen thousands but never bought one or knew anyone who bought one. Where the fuck did they come from.

 

[Don the Don]

Porn mags, I've seen thousands but never bought one or knew anyone who bought one. Where the fuck did they come from.

Most the one's we came across were glued together so unreadable, we on one Sqn had our own memorabilia person who had to obtain deployment T shirts badges and the like but was also responsible for various items of porn should they be required by folk who needed a five knuckle salsa

 

[Big Sandy]

Porn mags, I've seen thousands but never bought one or knew anyone who bought one. Where the fuck did they come from.

I hitched a lift in a scaffie wagon* once, the back of the cab was FULL of them. Not sure if I'd even want to be touching them, to be honest....


* That's a refuse lorry, in case you were wondering.

 

[MartytheMartian]

I've had two subscriptions to mags in the last twenty odd years. Well I actually had three subscriptions to one mag at one point - A Zippo Lighters collectors mag because each subscription got me a free Zippo handwarmer, leather belt lighter case and Zippo display case. Once I'd got the freebies I cancelled them all, well just stopped paying them and let them whistle for the rest of the loot they thought they were owed. I sold the display cases for three hundred quid each to Zippo fans so I came out quite a bit ahead. Still got the handwarmers and I won't ever be short of a lighter again.

The only current subscription I have is to Commando comics for the sake of childhood nostalgia.

Back in the days before the internet really appeared I occasionally bought mags for whatever I was interested in - Rock music, guitars, Scale modelling, bikes (I used to enjoy the old Used Bike Guide and, I think it was called, the Used Motorcycle Guide? Long time since I've seen either) as it could be quite an entertaining read. It always seemed to me that mags were fifty percent articles that I had no interest in, forty nine percent advertising and one percent, if I was lucky, of good reading.

On the skin mag front here's one to put you off yer cornflakes. When I was a youngster I got a hold on a tasty handful of scud mags but me Dad found them and confiscated them. Well a while later I was rooting around in my folks room while they were out and I found my mags only problem being the manky old bastard had stuck the pages together and I don't mean with Pritt stick! (Well I suppose it was Prick Stick) Now I don't know about you good people but finding my Dad had come over all funny on my porn was not what I'd call a pleasant discovery!

 

[Don the Don]

On the skin mag front here's one to put you off yer cornflakes. When I was a youngster I got a hold on a tasty handful of scud mags but me Dad found them and confiscated them. Well a while later I was rooting around in my folks room while they were out and I found my mags only probably being the manky old bastard had stuck the pages together! Now I don't know about you good people but finding my Dad had come over all funny on my porn was not what I'd call a pleasant discovery!

Your Dad was ex RAF after all, old habits die hard