|
The Argotist Online |
|
A Deeply
Dilettante Review by Nick Watson (Originally published in
The Argotist magazine in February 1996) The Diagnosis Despite
a seeming weight of evidence to the contrary, the radical diversification of the
media that began in the mid 80s has not delivered any broad new horizon in
magazine publishing. Specialisation is now widespread, with a plethora of
subject-specific titles targeting closely defined niche readerships, and this
has been hailed as a victory for diversity, choice and opportunity. And yet, the
narrow focus, which identifies each individual magazine, operates only to stifle
diversity and to encourage insularity within the pages of any given publication.
The possible realisation of difference, and by this I mean a challenging,
alternative perspective, is denied by the implementation of agendas, which are,
by definition and necessity, exclusive. The specialist magazine is an
information ghetto that stands only as one part among a collection of other such
divided parts. There
are, of course, magazines that still aim themselves at a general readership and
their subject matter can be wide-ranging, with articles on everything from trip
hop to paperclips in the same issue. This kind of magazine supplies, in one
sense at least, something of an eclectic diet and yet such publications
invariably promote a uniform, in-house prose style which is as narrow in its
aspiration as the subject-specificity of the single focus volume. Again, any
significant realisation of diversity is denied by a safe and turgid sameness of
style that secures intact an isolated identity. The specialist magazine is
usually guilty of this as well. These
two approaches to publishing show how a preconceived form can control and
negatively affect subject matter by ensuring either thematic or stylistic
conformity. With this kind of voluntary constriction, distinctions that have
traditionally been made about readership groups can be reinforced and exploited.
For example, old divisions between high and lowbrow cultures are encouraged by a
publishing world that prefers to treat them as mutually exclusive—each genre
knows its place and can find little or no opportunity to communicate directly
with another. The Prescription The
Argotist is different. This magazine will
not simply add another sheaf of uniformity to the superficially diverse shelves.
Instead, we aim to celebrate a dynamic interactive pluralism by creating a
magazine form that facilitates a “deeply dilettante” dialogue between a
multitude of voices in the arts. The Argotist exploits the very
difference that other magazines deny and from the sum of these different parts
achieves its own unique identity. In order to better recognise individual
voices, we will not separate them out according to the tried and tested generic
formula. We will replace the divisive experience of fragmentation with a
genuinely cosmopolitan and interactive condition. This magazine aims to bring
together as many different written argots as it can muster whilst maintaining a
level of incisiveness about all things artistic. The magazine will then
constantly regenerate itself as “The Argotist”—master of argots. As
you will see, this first issue has great stylistic diversity, which, in
combination, is a refreshingly vital change from the usual fare—and we believe
this is the kind of diversity readers have been looking for. There is something
of the academic bias to this opening edition, but that is something that will be
balanced out over future issues. Again there is a literary bias and although the
Poetry Portfolio will be a regular feature, the central theme of each edition
(here “Performance Poetry” will move between art forms. The Argotist will appear three times a year in February, June and September. copyright
© Nick Watson Nick
Watson is a graduate of Liverpool University and was the editor of The
Argotist magazine from 1996-2000.
|