Queue here for Q, a great read about music (Q)

Member Name: wheato

Product:	Q
Date:	15/02/09 (80 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Packed full of interesting facts and figures.

Disadvantages: None

I have just bought Q magazine for the first time in ages. It is the March 2009 issue, I have just broken up for half term and wanted something to read over the obligatory slobbing with my Chinese take-away and bottle of wine on the first night of the holidays. It is a ritual most teachers follow! I was pleasantly surprised with the magazine, the Chinese was ok, and the wine was great!

The price of Q is £3.90, seems a bit steep, but probably compares equally with all the other monthly, glossy magazines that line the shelves these days. I wouldn't know, I never buy them. For the unitiated Q is a monthly music magazine, and it has lots of features and articles on a wide variety of music genres. I find it interesting because the interviews help me understand the real people behind the sometimes manufactured personas.

Q follows a set format each month, this month it includes interviews and articles on Peter Jones, Gene Simmons, Amy Winehouse, The Rise and Fall of Top of the Pops, Katy Perry, Starsailor, Florence and the Machine and Take That. Ok, I have a confession, Take That are my guilty pleasure, am going to see them (again) this summer and I am torn between the talented Mr. Barlow and the diminutive Mr. Owen! So, there is an interview with Take That in Q, is this a clever marketing ploy I wonder, to get people like me to buy magazines like Q? It reminds me of the days when Princess Di on the cover sold the magazine, whatever was inside. Ok, ok, maybe not, but the mention of Take That on the cover sold the magazine to me, so job done!

I love the snippets of information that I glean from Q magazine. Did you know that Dragon's Den Peter Jones is Jay Kay's biggest fan? No, me neither, but now I do I will never again look at him in the same light. Did you know that Katy Perry's parents were pastors? No, me neither, but maybe I could have guessed that one.

My favourite part of the magazine is quite predictably the review section. Am i that transparent? Yes! There are over 20 pages of reviews and the reviews are described as "Morrissey having a good old moan, The Boss hasn't a care in the world, Lily Allen returns, Jimi Hendrix's legacy is lasting, how to buy Bob Dylan, and Metallica and Colplay in the flesh." These reviews are really useful, as I am trying to widen my music taste (for obvious reasons I hear you say) and I will be trying one or two new genres as funds allow.

There is a quirky, dry sense of humour running underneath most of the magazine, that really made me laugh out loud at times, a bit like me really!
For example, there is a letter asking why Bono has taken to wearing eyeliner, is it to look like Keith Richards? Also, why on earth did Clint Eastwood wearing white socks with black trainers for his interview with Jamie Cullum? The obvious answer is do you fancy telling Dirty Harry his fashion sense is rubbish! Probably not everyone's taste, but I found it really funny!

I found the subscription offer quite bizarre. I am quite interested in a subscription but surely any self-respecting Q reader will already own The Killers cd that they are throwing in for free, a bit of an own goal there I think. Cd aside I actually think the offer might tempt me anyway. £9.99 for 3 issues delivered to my door, with a Q Special Edition Magazine and Q Quiz Book free! I am still reading the magazine, it is so packed, my only gripe is that some of the text is so small in places, I think I may need glasses. Oh heck, is that a pre-requisite to be a Q reader? It does seem to be aimed at shall we say the slightly more mature music fan. I will definitely buy it again and let you know. All in all a very good read.

Summary: If you are interested in the people behind the songs you should read this magazine.