Smash Hit RIP

In 1978, former NME writer Nick Logan gave birth to Smash Hits at his kitchen table. The cover star for the first few issues was Plastic Bertrand, and Logan was so insecure about the magazine that he edited it under the pseudonym Chris Hall. He shouldn’t have worried as the magazine went on to reflect and shape the pop music of the 1980s. Its colorful posters became wallpaper for teenagers’ bedrooms. The real revolution was securing the rights to print the lyrics to the ‘Smash Hit’ of the moment. These lyrical crib sheets rested between the pages of school textbooks. Scanning the words of Nik Kershaws ‘The Riddle’ had a greater appeal to me than studying my French verbs.

Smash Hits was my first introduction to the wonderful world of the music press. Interviews and record reviews showed a wonderfully naive and witty take on the world of pop. What they may have lacked in terms of critical analysis, they made up for in humor, pathos, and an ability to show no respect for reputation. My mistrust of Paul Weller stems from the amount of abuse he suffered at the hands of Smash Hits. He was ridiculed for his angst-ridden approach to music. He looked like Rik from The Young Ones, the people’s poet with a guitar. While I admire Jam, I don’t love them like I think I maybe should and Weller’s post-Jam music leaves me cold.

Posh, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and Baby owe much of their brand image to Smash Hits. The nicknames come from the pen of a Smash Hits writer, just Mel, Mel, Emma, ​​Victoria, and Geri don’t have the same ring to them as they do.

So why did he die on his feet? Well, the pop landscape has been changing rapidly. The rise of the Internet has provided a free font for lyrics. Britpop crossed over into mainstream media and much of what was special in the music press began to wither. Oasis and Blur were everywhere, so there was no need to search for something like Smash Hits for coverage.

The irreverent style that so many fans had won for Smash Hits. Typical question; What color is Thursday? It is sadly out of place in this media-trained age. Stars can’t deviate from the script PR people have given them, parroting the same answers in a wide range of publications. Why did you need Smash Hits if the same points are made in Heat or The Daily Mail? By stripping bands of any semblance of personality, record companies have not only watered down the color on the charts, they’ve murdered the cut and oomph of the pop music press.

In the past, Morrissey would drop quotes about Oscar Wilde or the color of his underwear. It was through Smash Hits that I first came across the Jesus and Mary Chain, New Order, The Cure, The Mission and a cast of 1000’s. The post did have a bite. On an assignment to interview New Order, the sullen reaction and hostile nature of the band resulted in a piece that reportedly cost Barney Sumner his marriage. Bizarre Love Triangle made flesh.

It seems strange that Arctic Monkeys define a turning point where organic pop seems to be replacing the manufactured variety that Smash Hits has now left behind. I guess NME has stolen the ground that Smash Hits once held. If they printed song lyrics, NME would be Smash Hits in independent clothes.

I doubt Smash Hits will be missed as music has been replaced by a general idea of ​​celebrity at the center of youth culture. The change from Top of The Pops to Sunday is another sign of this. Heat covers this new ground well and should be commended for his stance on weight issues. Hardly a week goes by without celebrities being attacked for being too skinny or praising women who aren’t afraid of having curves.

It’s always sad when any form of print media folds. It means fewer voices, fewer opinions, and fewer options. I hope someone sitting at a desk at the NME is dreaming of a new pop magazine…

Tony Heywood