Bob Guccione Jr.
Robert Charles Guccione Jr. (born September 19, 1955) is an American publisher and the eldest son of late Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. He founded the music magazine Spin.
Bob Guccione Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Charles Guccione Jr. September 19, 1955 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Magazine editor, publisher, founder of Spin and Gear magazines |
| Years active | 1978-present |
| Spouse | Kimberlin Grace Brown (2001-present) |
Publishing career
In 1978, after two attempts at going into the publishing business on his own, the young, London-raised Guccione went to work for Penthouse publisher General Media International, a company owned by his father, Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. By the early 1980s, at which time he was running the marketing and circulation department, he left the company (and purported position as heir apparent) to once again attempt to establish his own brand.
Launching of Spin magazine (1985)
In 1985, with a loan from his father, he launched Spin. In 1987, his father abruptly shut down the magazine after General Media experienced a financial dip which resulted in a long-lasting estrangement between the two. This estrangement ended a few years prior to the elder Guccione's death on October 20, 2010.[1] The younger Guccione found new investors and relaunched Spin in late 1987. He managed to gather most of the magazine's old staff, and missed only one month of publication.
In 1996, Guccione and Spin were sued for sexual harassment and discrimination by Staci Bonner, a former fact-checker for the magazine. Guccione was cleared of the harassment charges, but found liable for promoting a hostile work environment and not paying Bonner comparably to a man with a comparable job position.
Guccione sold Spin to Vibe in 1997, and shortly thereafter founded Gear, which published until 2003. In 2005, science magazine Discover was purchased from Disney Publishing and Guccione formed Discover Media, LLC to publish the magazine. In 2007, Guccione was ousted as CEO, in what was described by the New York Post as "a falling-out over philosophical differences with his financial backers about how to run the company."[2]
Gear Magazine (1998-2003)
Gear was launched and published in the United Kingdom devoted chiefly to revealing pictorials of popular singers, B-movie actresses, and models, along with articles on gadgets, cars, fashion, guy tales of sex, and sports.
Gear debuted in September 1998, with actress Peta Wilson on the cover. The magazine established itself with several publishing stunts such as publishing a nude photo of soccer player Brandi Chastain.
Jessica Biel controversy
Gear reached its exposure apogee when it featured a risqué pictorial of then 17-year-old actress Jessica Biel, who posed while appearing on the WB family drama series 7th Heaven. A controversy arose when 7th Heaven castmate, actor Stephen Collins, who played her father on the series, described the pictures as "child pornography". Collins later admitted to three counts of child abuse.[3] Others, including A.J. Jacobs writing in Esquire, praised it as a brave move by Biel.[4] The publication, which reached a peak circulation of 500,000 copies sold in 2001, discontinued publication in 2003.
Personal life
Guccione has dated several well-known and powerful women, which include journalist & Spin contributor Celia Farber, political commentator Ann Coulter, heiress Julianna Storne, Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, and film producer Karen Murphy-Mundell. He married Kimberlin Grace Brown on September 22, 2001.
Guccione was immortalized by Axl Rose in the Guns N' Roses song "Get in the Ring" (along with other music journalists) with the lyrics "What, you pissed off cuz your dad gets more pussy than you?/Fuck you/Suck my fuckin' dick". Allegedly Guccione, taking the song's lyrics at face value ("Get in the ring motherfucker and I'll kick your bitchy little ass"), accepted Rose's challenge to a fight.
References
- "Episode 635 - Bob Guccione, Jr". WTF with Marc Maron Podcast. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- "Guccione Jr. Goes From Penthouse to the Outhouse"
- Phillip, Abby (December 17, 2014). "'7th Heaven' dad Stephen Collins admits to sexually abusing three girls". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- A.J. Jacobs (October 31, 2005). "Jessica Biel Is the Sexiest Woman Alive". Esquire. Hearst Communications. 144 (5). Archived from the original on 2010-06-17.