The Magazine That Wouldn’t Go Away

I have gotten a lot of magazine subscriptions over the years. The first one I can remember getting is Highlights for Children. After that, I was a big fan of Disney Adventures. The digest format actually was pretty neat. I got a subscription to The Source when I was older and I even subscribed to the short-lived The Source Sports. Not too long after subscribing to The Source, I subscribed to Vibe. Because I liked comic books, I subscribed to Wizard. Through a free offer, I got Electronic Gaming Monthly and Maxim for a year. Then, since I like manga, I subscribed to Shonen Jump. The last magazine subscription I started was Entertainment Weekly, when I got a very cheap subscription offer ($20 for 45 issues). As of now, I officially subscribe to EW, Vibe, Shonen Jump and The Source (technically...they haven't sent me an issue for almost a year even though I'm paid up for two...BASTARDS). However, I receive another magazine that I never subscribed to...Complex.

Complex is a men's magazine owned by Mark Ecko (of Ecko Unlimited). Its gimmick is that it is a double-sided magazine. One side is primarily devoted to hip, urban culture. The other side is a buyer's guide for that hip, urban culture. I don't know how I started getting it, but one day it just started coming to the house. I never received or sent back an offer for it. In fact, I had never heard of the magazine until I just randomly received it. I got a bill to renew my subscription, but I never sent it back. However, I'm still receiving issues. I just received the February/March issue today.

Can you believe that this isn't the first time I've been randomly sent a magazine? One day, I started receiving Prevention. I got it monthly for a whole year without ever subscribing or sending back anything. Maybe my illustrious history of subscribing to magazines (and paying them off quickly) has resulted in me getting some kind of preferential treatment. I get a lot of those "Special Business Rate" offers for various magazines, just like what I got for EW. I want to subscribe to some of them because the offers are just so good. Part of me wishes that I took up that offer for Interview Magazine...I've forgotten how much it cost, but it was insanely cheap.

I'm not mad that I get Complex randomly. In fact, it's not that bad of a magazine. I wonder when my phantom subscription will end. In the meantime, I plan to let my Shonen Jump subscription lapse. I think I'll just buy the books of the series I really like. As for The Source...I think they treat their subscribers like crap. I have kind of given up on even getting the issues I'm owed, even though part of me is really pissed off that they have my money and they have not sent me any issues. Maybe I'll get another subscription in the future. I wouldn't mind getting Rolling Stone or Spin if the price was right. There are probably a few other magazines out there that I'd probably like. Any suggestions?

[Listening to: the prime time of your life - Daft Punk - Human After All (4:23)]