Variety & Vogue B-Days

When trade mag Variety launched on December 16, 1905—120 years ago yesterday—its beat was the popular entertainment of its day: variety shows.

Sure, its branding was a little on the nose, but at least it was accurate. The magazine covered everything from vaudeville to burlesque, circus performers to chanteuses. In short, Variety covered the live arts of its moment—which, in this local cultural moment, feels oddly contemporary. Burlesque shows have proliferated throughout the region; circus arts are roaring back; pop-up spectacles, music and theater of every stripe are undeniably part of our cultural bloodstream. In short, variety—in its live and local forms—is back.

In its early days, Variety magazine cost a nickel. For comparison, this paper is free, which, adjusted for inflation, means you owe us money. Keep it. There’s no need to pay us anything but attention, which we in turn pay forward as pixels and printer’s ink for the heart of our coverage: the arts.

Consider this paper as a kin…