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Pif Magazine
Pif Magazine |
Nerve
Editor's Note: We first reviewed Nerve in November, 1998. Since then the site has grown tremendously — in scope, influence, and quality of content. With their recent Webby award (Winner Print & Zines) we thought it was time we revisited this wonderful site. Nerve exists, we are told by the founders, "because sex is beautiful and absurd," a subject in need of "a fearless, intelligent forum for both genders." The staff understands that sex is "lush terrain for good writers" and offer us "cliche-shattering prose and fiction." Indeed, the fiction and poetry featured on Nerve is as good as any on a number of top-shelf e-zines, the only difference being a willingness to tackle sexually explicit material without resorting to macho Playboy-style stories. The first piece I read was "Driving Lessons" by J.T. Leroy, and it took my breath away with its literate, sensual depiction of a sex worker learning the ropes:
There are other small wonders: Justin Tussing's "Heat Wave" with its depiction of Edie Applewhite's sensuous visitation from her husband, dead three years now; Stacey Richter's "What She Wanted," with its achingly true rendition of a girl who always goes for the wrong men, and the fictitious personals written by Nerve staff with headings like, "Self-Loathing Narcissus Seeks Same," and "Mutant Seeks Whatever." The poetry section is outstanding. The highlight for me was Mark Bibbins' "Knowing You Could Is Better Than Knowing You Will":
Along with the classy fiction and prose, there are personal essays by the likes of Naomi Wolf, Erica Jong and former US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. There are the 'Star Firsts' from Cher, Dr. Ruth, Boy George, Gore Vidal and Debbie Reynolds. (Admittedly, most of these first-time sex anecdotes are culled from memoirs and auto/biographies.) There are also weekly columns like "Jack's Naughty Bits" — dedicated to dredging up "great sexy scenes from the history of literature" — and "Two on One," in which two critics go head-to-head over a recent book or film. Nerve also features the obligatory artsy photographs of semi-naked people — featured photographer Spencer Tunick was also a guest in the chat room, which is part of the NerveCenter, a section you must join if you want your work considered for inclusion in Nerve. It may also help, I suspect, if you opt for the premium (paid) membership. The NerveCentre offers access to chatrooms, a page-making facility, a free email address, and more, and was for me one of the most interesting parts of the site, perhaps because of the interactive features (always helps on a sex-oriented site, I guess). I liked this site so much that by the end of my visit I was seriously considering the Nerve Baby-Tee and the Nerve Hip Flask, both of which are, of course, emblazoned with the "enigmatic Nerve logo." There's no denying that, in terms of both design and content, Nerve is a great site. But then again I'd expect nothing less from a 'zine which began with an anonymous contribution of $150,000 and was co-founded by Ivy Leaguer Rufus Griscom and his girlfriend Genevieve Field. Genevieve laments the fact that the Nerve staff have had to sink to stunts like appearing semi-naked on 60 Minutes II in order to generate the publicity they can't afford on their annual shoestring budget. I wonder if she realizes how many other worthy 'zines, run on a fraction of this (strangely enough, unspecified) amount, have fallen by the wayside because their content isn't as media-friendly as that of Nerve (i.e., sex)? They can't be doing too badly, considering the upcoming Spring launch of their "high quality glossy" print magazine. A book is already on the shelves (Literate Smut), and there's even a TV show in the works, apparently. Nerve's press kit offers a who's who of US print media, from Vanity Fair, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times to Cosmopolitan magazine. A closer look at the articles reveals a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards the 'zine itself, using it more as a starting point for discussions about freedom of speech on the Internet, a topic that obviously hits a nerve (sorry) with the folks from this 'zine given that they launched their site on June 26, 1997: the day that the US Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act. I get the impression that they are all for freedom of content/information — as long as it doesn't offend their prestigious client list. Luckily for the people at Nerve, their content is supreme. Bookmark this site. Then again, you could probably just as well read the book. Or the magazine. Failing that, just sit back and wait for the TV show.
Tell us what you think. Email talkback@pifmagazine.com Want Pif to review your zine? Ingrid Woodrow is a writer based in Brisbane, Australia. Her first novel, Goddess and the Galaxy Boy, will be published in early 2001. She is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Queensland and working on a new novel.She is also the founding editor of the online writing journal Mangrove, which is listed as a "Site of National Significance" in the National Library of Australia's PANDORA archive. Further information and samples of her work can be obtained by visiting www.uq.edu.au/~eniwoodr
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