<em>Dirt</em> Magazine Answered All the Important Questions

In the early '90s, one magazine helped change the scope of alternative publishing during the unpredictable era of print media with a simple question: "Would you chew up a nasty-tasting vitamin B-12 for $5? Yes or no?"
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In the early '90s, one magazine helped change the scope of alternative publishing during the unpredictable era of print media with a simple question: "Would you chew up a nasty-tasting vitamin B-12 for $5? Yes or no?"

The question, though random, seemed innocent enough. What no one predicted though, was that this survey would quickly spark a growing number of male teen magazine readers during a time where a published voice for young male readers was noticeably absent on magazine shelves. Dirt magazine, brother to the universally-adored Sassy, was the brainchild of young guns Spike Jonze, Andy Jenkins, and Mark Lewman. But to relive the birth of Dirt magazine in full graphic detail, one must go back to the late '80s, before Spike, Andy, and Mark were formally connected. Back in those days, Spike was just a 17-year-old Maryland BMX shop worker and Mark was simply a bike-obsessed high schooler from Michigan who wrote fan mail to a 20-year-old Freestylin' BMX magazine editor named Andy Jenkins, who was based in California. Read the full history on the Opening Ceremony website.

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