Magazines: "Smash Hits"

The British pop magazine "Smash Hits" is ceasing publication. "Smash Hits" was a guilty pleasure for me back in the 1980s. The latest copy and a packet of Revels was quite a treat for young Patanoia. If you judged a magazine by its cover (and pull-out poster), it was aimed at teenage girls. But if you read the bits (or Bitz) on the inside, it was very silly and very funny. And they sneaked in some quality music too. I bought my first Go-Betweens album after reading their review of "Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express". This Guardian article sums up its appeal well. The Guardian blog has an additional tribute with reader comments. Lots of memories. No one mentions the "fright wigs" (e.g. Tina Turner), but the Sunday Herald (linked above) does. (They also mention how SH asked Billy Gibbons out of ZZ Top: "Do you wear your beard in, or out, of the bed-clothes at night?")