Scandal update! Maxim apologizes to the Black Crowes, offers rare Eliza Dushku prints in penance

In the first recorded instance of tact in its publishing history, Maxim has officially apologized to the Black Crowes for making up a bunch of stuff about what their album might have sounded like if they'd heard it. Says Maxim editorial director James Kaminsky in a statement released today:

"It is Maxim's editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers."

A pretty waffling apology, if you ask us. Kaminsky makes it sound like the issue at hand was less "our writer lied outright" than "we gave a specific star rating to a record we didn't quite finish, and a policy was not followed by someone somewhere." Note the Orwell-infuriating use of passive voice, the semantic judo move of saying it wasn't heard in its entirety and the lack of calling out the writer by name (David Peisner, who has apparently also written for Metromix, which is owned by Tribune, which cuts my checks. I actually feel a bit bad for the guy in all this, as it's not impossible that Maxim might have told him to go through with the fake review. Also, there's this punishing bit of irony. "Blaming writers for the sorry state of music criticism today is sort of like blaming inmates for the sorry state of the prison system." Indeed!).

One would think that if Peisner were a rogue reviewer firing off baseless opinions like a critical Yosemite Sam, Maxim would be first in line to distance itself from him, but the magazine didn't here. There's a whiff of malfeasance in the air to Maxim's non-apology, but I guess this is where the magazine is drawing its lines for editorial honesty. Maxim's not supposed to be the Economist or anything, but still. Next they're going to tell me that their top 10 tips for talking your girlfriend into a threesome weren't actually field-tested.

-- August Brown

Photo: Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[WEB SHERIFF]

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Hi August / 'Soundboard',

Many thanks for your candid reporting of Maxim's erroneous review of The Black Crowes forthcoming album, "Warpaint" ... .. pre-release security on this album has been handled by the artist's label Silver Arrow / Megaforce and Web Sheriff and, for the avoidance of doubt, review copies have not been sent-out to magazines etc.

Regards,

WEB SHERIFF

[Nathan]

Maxim, by it's very nature, could be described as sophmoric at best. The fact that they allowed this review to be published demonstrates the magazine's mediocrity and irrelevency. As long as the readership accepts and enjoys baseless opinions, Maxim and magazines like it, will continue to pollute the publishing industry.

[Mr. B Natural]

Maxim is not exactly a bastion for in-depth, intelligent observations on much of anything. Well-stated post, Nathan.

[Jim W]

Any man over the age of 17 who reads Maxim ought to be ashamed of himself anyway. Grow up.

[John Q]

what about the controversy over the new jack johnson album to?
http://johnnydoom.blogspot.com/2008/02/critics-say-new-jack-johnson-album.html

[Jacob M.]

I stopped reading Maxim, because when it to politics it was bias and pro-military. That's when I drew the line. I'm talking about the US edition of the magazine.