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The New Yorker Makes Soda Ban Pulpy For Cover
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 11, 2012
Modified Jun 11, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 11, 2012
Modified Jun 11, 2012
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This week's issue of The New Yorker features a soda/sugary drink ban-inspired cover by Owen Smith. Shocking that The New Yorker didn't opt for a Nanny Bloomberg caricature! Anyway, Smith explains, "When I heard about Bloomberg’s plan, on the national news, to make large sodas illegal, my mind immediately went to ‘Are people going to jail for this?" Oh don't be silly—after a quick stop-and-frisk anybody packing a giant soda will simply be issued a summons and released.
Smith continued, "Making things criminal that you wouldn’t necessarily think of as a crime, to me it’s just ‘crime fiction,’ and that’s sort of a pulp idea. When I was in art school, pulp covers weren’t mentioned because they were considered far too trashy. I discovered them when I was at a thrift store, or a used bookstore, or at a flea market, and then I just started collecting —pulp magazines and book jackets. I just like the way they’re quickly done but quite nicely painted, and sexy—sex and violence always catches."
You can see more of Smith's work here—he painted this portrait of Jay-Z for Rolling Stone.
Tagged
mayor bloomberg
owen smith
pulp fiction
soda ban
the new yorker
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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