1960s Teen Fan Magazines and The Beatles: An Exploration of Community, Fandom, and the Beatles Narrative

In the 1960s, before the days of the internet, there were few places a young person could read about popular music – as a limited number of print media outlets took popular music, especially rock, seriously. In order to read about popular music (beyond the reprinting of lyrics, industry news, or promotions), one would turn to newly developed teen-type and teen fan magazines like DIG or 16 Magazine, where pages were full of artists such as Elvis, Annette, Leslie Gore, Connie Francis, and Paul Anka. In 1964, the teen fan magazine reached a new height with the arrival of the Beatles. Not only did magazines such as 16 feature the fab four, but this arrival caused many one-shot Beatle-focused magazines to emerge, and the establishment of more long lasting teen fan magazines. These magazines were an accessible source of detailed information on the fab four for many years. Teen fan magazines not only helped fuel Beatlemania by creating a community through international pen pal opportunities, the publishing of letters to the editor, and recruiting stringers, but it acted as a vital information source – all of which empowered young Beatles fans. However, the consideration of teen fan magazines within the Beatles (and popular music journalism) narrative is lacking or often dismissed as ephemeral and lacking seriousness. Through first-generation interviews and textual analysis, this research considers the role that teen fan magazines played communally among Beatle fans, as well as how they contributed to lasting Beatles narratives. Ultimately, by considering the relationship between 1960s teen fan magazines and the Beatles, this article aims to establish the value of teen magazines within the Beatles discourse.25