Southwest’s Eclectic Spirit
“Grandma’s okay,” dad said on the phone. “But you might want to pay her a visit.” So that night I bought a ticket and the next day I was on Southwest flight 1167 to Phoenix. I packed in a rush, forgetting to grab one of the many magazines on our overflowing coffee table.
I glared at the seat-back pocket. “It’s just me and you.” I opened up the January 2008 issue of Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine with low expectations. It was that or Sky Mall.
Seat-back airline magazines are generally on the crap end of the magazine spectrum, somewhere below ancient doctor’s office magazines (“What to Eat in 2004!”), but above the local Pennysaver.
And, at first, Spirit matched my expectations. The usual suspects were all there. My horoscope advised me to get moving “at NASCAR speed.” The crossword puzzle was done already, mostly correctly, thanks to a previous reader. And the front of the book was flush with cutesy fare (“No more than 22% of your office knick-knacks should be personal.” Noted.)
And the ads. Oy, the ads. Look, I know that seat-back mags are for local advertisers and smalltime marketers, but the overwhelming amount of ads, coupled with their lack of production values, can make even the most professional magazine look like a bathroom stall billboard.
But once you get past all that, Spirit is actually a pretty good read. The features are not just the usual “what to see where” fare. This issue was an eclectic mix of fun stories. Some standouts:
- “High Rollers” by Tom Wilmes on the resurgence of roller derby and the little shop, Sin City Skates, that helped kick it off. One thing I learned: Skaters all have unique names, registered with The International Skatergirls’ Master Roster. Favorites from the article: Robin Drugstores, Ivanna S. Pankin, Darth Hater.
- Shiela Lowe’s story on graphology. Bonus points to Southwest’s president Colleen Barrett for volunteering a writing sample for analysis. The verdict: She plans ahead, values her privacy, and is conventional but straightforward.
- This issue saw Spirit’s first “Your Adventure In” feature, a combination of personality test and travel info. Start by answering a few personal preference questions (“What’s your favorite Tom Cruise movie?” Unfortunately, none of the above that guy’s a whackjob wasn’t one of the options), then, depending on your answers, you’re directed to one of four stories about you’d like in Dallas Fort Worth. Cute.
- The inevitable story about hot new gadgets was made entertainingly surreal by photos of a little puppet dude using them without explanation. (This made me miss Greg The Bunny intensely.)
- My favorite story in the issue was “Sure Played a Mean Pinball” by Spirit editor Jay Heinrichs. It was part personal confessional, part history of the game, part review of the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, and part interview with the iconoclastic proprietor of the museum. Very entertaining with an elegant NY Times Magazine-style design.
Before I knew it, we were touching down and I’d never opened my laptop. In the end, isn’t that what a seat-back magazine is for?
Oh, and, Grandma Powazek is doing okay.
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