Welcome to the Twistgrip Web site
July 2008
About the Twistgrip Website/Magazine: By John Garner
Our goal is to carry on in the tradition of Twistgrip Magazine, which was published for two years between Fall of 1997 and Spring of 1999. Since that Spring issue, we haven't printed another magazine -although we did give it our best shot.
For those who're interested, the abbreviated version of the story is that after two years in print, Twistgrip was still not making a profit. So when the original publishers decided to pull the plug, we employees got together and bought the title, in hopes of keeping the mag alive. For the next six months, much time and effort was put into looking for financing and/or new investors, but it eventually became clear that none was forthcoming. In the meantime, we were becoming painfully aware that we weren't deriving any income from our venture either, so it was obvious that something had to give. Therefore we came to the conclusion that, at least in terms of being a glossy magazine, we needed to throw in the towel.
Yet speaking for myself, I found this turn of events somewhat serendipitous. Because as a Web 'zine, Twistgrip can really remain closer to its original intent. Yeah, it's a bummer that none of us will be able to slap a brand-new copy onto the kitchen table next to a steamin' cup a' joe, then listen to that sharp crackle as the fresh pages peel apart for the first time... But on the other hand, Twistgrip was never truly in its element as a glossy -which needs big advertising to pay for its equally-big printing bill. We were always a little too controversial for that, and although our readers quickly got into our tongue-in-cheek manner, corporations are significantly less forgiving. Not only that, but they have memories that'd put an elephant to shame.
Continuing as a Web 'zine, on the other hand, means we can concentrate on showing how fantastic the experience of motorcycling is without worrying about the bottom line. It means we can do more of what we always did best -being cutting-edge, unafraid, and sometimes controversial. And best of all, it means we don't have to worry about whether we insult any advertisers or not, because we don't have any
Of course, it also means that we four (myself, Nick Cedar, Art Bennett and Chet DuBois) -who sank a large part of our lives and savings into trying to make Twistgrip fly as a print mag -will now be able to concentrate on profitable employment for a while. Meanwhile, we'll keep working to make this site better and easier to use, and we'll try to post new material as often as we can.
Thanks again. -John Garner
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