Interview

Interview magazine started in 1969 when Andy Warhol and journalist John Wilcock decided the world needed a new kind of celebrity publication. Instead of puff pieces and press releases, they envisioned a space where famous people talked to each other, unfiltered. The first issue featured a conversation between Warhol and the Velvet Underground's Lou Reed, setting a template that would define the magazine for decades. That signature format, one celebrity interviewing another, gave readers a rare, unpolished glimpse into the minds of artists, actors, musicians, and designers. It felt less like a magazine article and more like eavesdropping on a private chat at Max's Kansas City.

From its New York City base, Interview quickly became the go-to for anyone who wanted to know what was actually happening in culture. Warhol's Factory crowd mingled with Hollywood royalty and downtown punks. The magazine's covers, often shot by Warhol himself or collaborators like Robert Mapplethorpe, were as iconic as the conversations inside. Through the 70s and 80s, under editors like Bob Colacello and later Ingrid Sischy, Interview maintained its outsider edge while covering mainstream figures, think Bianca Jagger interviewing Truman Capote, or David Bowie chatting with Mick Jagger. The magazine never felt like it was chasing trends; it felt like it was setting them.

After Warhol's death in 1987, the magazine passed through various hands before being acquired by Peter Brant's Brant Publications in 1989. Today, under CEO Kelly Brant and editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg, Interview still publishes its distinctive print edition alongside a robust digital presence at interviewmagazine.com. The website runs daily features, video content, and archived conversations that span the magazine's entire history. While the media landscape has changed dramatically, Interview's core mission remains the same: let interesting people talk, and get out of the way. It's a formula that's survived because it never felt like a formula in the first place. [edit]