Hit Parader Returns to Parade Hits Again
This was the first metal magazine I ever purchased in my life. I was ten.
Younger readers will likely look at that and find themselves dumbfounded to see Slaughter listed in front of Pantera. Once their eyes uncross, though, they’ll also likely stop to wonder what the hell Hit Parader was. Well, kids, I’ll tell ya, it was a magazine. Imagine MetalSucks but without opinions and you can’t read it on a computer. It went out of business in 2008, which was at least a decade after anyone I know stopped reading it (honestly, if you’d asked me, I’d’a thunk it went out of business by 2000).
But now Hit Parader is going to be a thing again, kind of! While it won’t be a magazine, it will be “a branded production studio for TV, film, live events and more,” according to Variety. It’ll be run by CEO Ash Avildsen (founder of Sumerian Records and Summer Slaughter), VP of artist relations Matt Pinfield (MTV’s 120 Minutes), and president Josh Bernstein (ex-Loudwire, ex-Revolver). Planned offerings, some of which will air before the end of the year “Covid-19 permitting,” will include…
- A pair of reality competition shows entitled No Cover and Roadie Rage, the former of which will be hosted by Pinfield.
- A movie about Tom Zutaut, the dude who signed Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe (he was played by Pete Davidson in The Dirt).
- An original scripted series called Paradise City, the cast of which includes Black Veil Brides’ Andy Black, Bella Thorne, Drea de Matteo, and the late Cameron Boyce. “The first season of eight 40-minute episodes is complete, with a goal of five seasons in total,” according to the report. A teaser (below) was released earlier this year.
They’re also reportedly planning to revive events like the Mayhem Festival, the Rock N’ Roll Roast, and the Golden Gods (which makes a ton of sense — Bernstein produced the Golden Gods for years).
You can read Variety‘s entire report here.
[via The PRP]
