#tbt Arena Magazine

Arena magazine was one of the best men's lifestyle magazines in publication in the naughties. Articles were aimed at a mature, intelligent audience with insight and wit. There were no exposed breasts, no immature smutty stories and their jokes were actually funny. The clothes they reviewed looked good and the features original and refreshing.

One such article involved an actor giving up his glam lifestyle to travel on horseback through Patagonia, and witnessed his team member catch an armadillo by jamming a finger up its back passage. Okay. Another feature asks “Is your girlfriend doing too much coke?” whilst another interviews the female cast members from US TV show My Name is Earl.

This article portrays said actresses as glamorous professionals, unlike their humorously-trashy fictional counterparts. And yes, they're pictured in underwear, but the women are eloquent and the journalist is actually interested in their background. Jaime Pressly (Earl's “fidelity-challenged” wife Joy) describes learning joke-telling skills from her dad, While Nadine Velazquez- sidekick and Hispanic maid Catalina- discusses her boxing training. It's made clear that both women are in relationships, and the questions never get too personal, but it's an interesting insight into what the actresses' lives are like on a successful comedy series.

The final issue was released April 2009. I spoke to someone in publishing who claimed that the publishers had sacked the editor and the advertisers lost faith. No money, no magazine. Can publishing people confirm / deny?

And which out-of-print publications do you miss?