Ralph, the print magazine for lovers of pop culture for the fun of it, hits the streets with its fifth edition this week with an exclusive cover story interview with Lou Adler in which the legendary 91-year-old record and film producer discusses some of the highlights of a career that has helped shape pop culture.
Multi-Grammy award-winner Adler’s countless credits range from co-writing ‘(What A) Wonderful World’ with Sam Cooke and Herb Alpert and putting on the legendary Monterey Pop Festival, to working with Neil Young, the Mamas & the Papas, and Carole King, co-owning West Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre, producing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, booking Bob Marley, and discovering Cheech & Chong (and that’s just a tiny part of his incredible story).
Speaking exclusively to Ralph, he spills the beans behind the drama at Monterey Pop festival in 1967 where he famously talked down the fire department from shutting the whole thing down.
“It turned out to be a thing between Hendrix and Pete Townshend of The Who,” Adler says, recalling the moment Hendrix famously ignited his guitar during a now iconic rendition of ‘Wild Thing’. “Each was trying to outdo the other. The Who started smashing their instruments so Hendrix thought: ‘Well I can’t break it, so I’ll set it on fire’.”
Elsewhere in the latest issue, Ralph goes farming with UK rapper Fekky who has swapped the champagne lifestyle for chickens, horses and cows and is documented in his new show Hood 2 Farm and speaks to cult-artist Mr Bingo about his wildly popular shop project (the first interview anywhere with the artist about this).
The magazine also goes backstage with one of the most exciting current theatre productions, How To Win Against History, behind the scenes of Ben Wheatley’s mind-bending new film BULK, has a day out in the park with soon-to-be-national treasure comedian Harriet Kemsley, and heads to LA with the iconic Japanese female Sukeban wrestlers, and American rock sensation Blondshell talks goths and tacos.
Ralph magazine, written for a global, culturally curious audience hungry for content not served up by an algorithm, was launched in June 2024. It is part of Ralph World, an entertainment platform for pop culture content, which also includes a YouTube channel, Substack newsletter and live events, and is backed by Ralph, the entertainment-led creative studio with offices in London, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles and Mumbai.
Editorial focuses on all aspects of pop culture across music, film, comedy, theatre and more, the people who make and love it and the sub-cultures it spawns. Ralph is edited by renowned indie magazine figures, Editor-in-Chief Josh Jones and Senior Editor Ben Smoke. Ralph’s Food & Drink Editor is sandwich pioneer Max Halley and stand up comedian Alexandra Haddow is Comedy Editor.
Published quarterly, Ralph magazine is distributed globally by selected specialist magazine retail independents and chains – including WH Smith Travel outlets in the UK, across the US, India, Japan and Europe.
Past issues have included Blindboy Boatclub, Tim Heidecker and Marta Pozzan, Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Mia Khalifa, Nobel Prize-winner Jon Fosse, Gruff Rhys, comedians Tatty Macleod and Jamali Maddix, Tank Girl creator Alan Martin, award-winning actors Anasuya Sengupta, Ahily Bamroo and Billy Barratt and much more.
Ralph magazine contributors include Vogue UK executive Editor Giles Hattersley; culture journalist Emma Garland; Guardian wine critic Hannah Crosbie; former Loaded and GQ editor James Brown; Little White Lies editor David Jenkins; The Simpsons showrunner and writer BIll Oakley; The Quietus deputy editor Patrick Clarke; and photographers Bella Howard, Dan Wilton, Stephanie Sian Smith, Christopher Bethell, Shervin Ianiz, Rebecca Zephyr Thomas and Jesse Lirola.
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