Subversive News And Satire Magazine Smashpipe Promises A Very New Year
Smashpipe, an online magazine that takes things out of perspective, announced that it will continue to subvert expectations in the new year. The third edition of Smashpipe, which hit the internet at midnight Dec. 31, includes a breakdown of the brainwashing of the electorate, examines the lesser evils of the candidates, encourages holiday suicides and offers a comparative look at rising fascism in the West Bank. Smashpipe also continues to bring out the worst in New Yorkers, from crime blotters to long-forgotten films.
In its first two editions, Smashpipe broke news in pieces to reveal that candidate Donald Trump is actually the new incarnation of famed comedian Andy Kaufman and that Obama drunkenly admitted he would be moving back to Kenya if Trump gets into office. The magazine even previewed Trump's acceptance speech.
Publisher John Engstrom resumed publication of the alternative news and satire magazine on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, after over a year's hiatus. Smashpipe includes regular contributions from co-head writers Jim Knipfel and Tony Sokol and weekly horoscopes by Rob Brezsny.
"I'm proud to bring Smashpipe back to its New York City roots and that we are dedicated to publishing over than 500 original articles in the next year," Engstrom said in a statement.
Smashpipe publishes "the best writing we love twice a week including regular contributions from Jim Knipfel and weekly horoscopes by Rob Brezsny." Both writers made their bones at free weekly alternative paper The New York Press, which was the main competitor to The Village Voice in New York City from 1988 to 2011.
Jim Knipfel wrote the long-running and popular "Slackjaw" column for the New York Press. He also wrote the critically acclaimed memoirs "Slackjaw," "Quitting the Nairobi Trio" and "Ruining It for Everybody," as well as two novels, "The Buzzing" and "Noogie's Time to Shine."
"The thing that sets Smashpipe apart from so many of the other places I've written for is that there's no limit, no restrictions, no agenda," said Knipfel. "We have no target demographic, which means the writers have the freedom to say whatever the hell they want without worrying about who they might offend or what sacred cows they might be skewering. Most sacred cows deserve a good skewering. Plus they're delicious. Oh, and Smashpipe pays, too."
Brezsny was the first famous horoscope columnist to prognosticate in first-person language. Utne Reader described Brezsny's column Real Astrology as breathing "new life into the tabloid mummy of zodiac advice column," or so it says on Wikipedia. Brezsny wrote the books "Images Are Dangerous," "The Televisionary Oracle," and "Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings."
Other contributors include Daniel Riccuito, publisher of the alternative film magazine The Chiseler, Christopher Longo, deputy editor at Den of Geek, as well as John Strausbaugh, Jennifer Matsui, Laura Brienza and Derek Davis.
