It's a Loser, Baby
An entrepreneur and his webzine hope to succeed, thanks to others who've failed
By Michael Freidson, Time Out New York, August 24-31, 2000

The word "failure" means different things to different people. To Arthur Miller's Willy Loman, it meant not being well-liked. To heart surgeons, it means possible death. And to the man behind Failure Magazine (failuremag.com), a month old website that chronicles sundry missteps in the worlds of sports, science, technology, business, the arts and entertainment, "failure" might mean success. (After all, if people come to read stories about failure, then the mag will have visitors and may become a hit.) The site, edited by New Yorker Jason Zasky, lures visitors with sometimes humorous articles on failed products (such as Benecol, a low-cholesterol product that "sounds more like a cough syrup than a margarine"), failed wars (Charles the Hammer's victory at the Battle of Tours in 732 A.D. may have meant a lot to France, but an Arab victory, says the site, might have "accelerated the development of modern science") and failed executives (in a stretch, the mag includes an interview with Steve Wozniak, the happily unemployed co-founder of Apple, a company that has known its share of flops). One article, posted this week, titled "Failure of Christianity," looks at the views of the late, controversial Bob Briner. Briner, also a sports producer, authored "Roaring Lambs," in which he argued that Christians have given in to secularists in the battle over mainstream culture.

Until this year, Zasky, 30, was managing editor of Musician. Five years ago, he and his cousin had the idea for a print magazine but Zasky opted for an online version instead. He figured that way, the business would be financially viable (on the Web, anyone can be a publisher). Now, his mag includes links with every article, and he can sell merchandise (Failure mugs and T-shirts) directly online. Time Out New York talked to the Scarsdale-based entrepreneur to find out why he's so driven by failure.


Time Out New York: Do you get many jokes about the magazine's title?
Jason Zasky: We got a good bit in the beginning. I think when people hear the words "Failure Magazine" for the first time, they have an expectation as to what we're going to be. They figure we're jokey or mean-spirited, or they think we're going to be a self-help site where people come to vent about their personal misfortune. We're none of those.

TONY: What is the mag's definition of failure?
JZ: Failure is usually in the eye of the beholder; most people don't label themselves a failure; it's someone else who's attaching that tag onto them. We try to cover unique stories that you wouldn't see anywhere else—the other side of the story. Ironically, we tend to write about people who are actually successful, because they are the type who are out there making things happen. If you make things happen, you're inevitably going to have a few setbacks.

TONY: So do you put a positive spin on your subjects?
JZ: We don't look at them in a negative light, but we don't necessarily have to put a positive spin on it. Sometimes a failure is just a failure. There's this trend lately—especially with all the dot-coms going under—it's considered normal to fail in business, and we don't really think that's true. So we don't say it's okay to fail; instead we see it as a life experience. It's inevitable, like death and taxes.

TONY: Do you think most people get off on other people's screwups?
JZ: Sure. But I don't think that has long-lasting appeal. I think my favorite story we've done so far is about the golfer Moe Norman [a professional in the late fifties whose possible autism-and odd, clownlike dress and manner-prevented him from finding wide acceptance on the Tour]. That's really indicative of what we're trying for: a rare story that shows how sometimes failure is all about expectations. He never made any significant money on the tour; yet, he was one of the greatest golfers ever.

TONY: Speaking of sports, I hear you want to interview Bill Buckner, the outfielder whose between-the-legs error cost his Red Sox the championship in the 1986 World Series.
JZ: He would obviously make a fantastic story. Most people don't really know what's happened in his life since the '86 Series. For instance, he's got a condominium complex out in Idaho, where he lives, called Fenway Park. I think most people would be surprised about that.

TONY: When you contact these interviewees, where do you say you're calling from?
JZ: When we first call someone and say, "We're from Failure Magazine, we'd like to do a story on you," the reaction is always the same initially: "What was the name of your magazine again?" It was more of an issue before we launched because people couldn't see the site; but now, 98 percent of the time, people just climb on board. People like that it's different, and say they understand what we're doing.

TONY: How are you making money?
JZ: The revenue will come from advertising and sponsorships. We're also licensing out content, possibly to network television. And we're trying to sell mugs. Lots of mugs.

TONY: If the magazine does fail, does that mean it's also a success in your eyes?
JZ: Uh, no. If the magazine failed, I personally think it would be sad. Definitely, the idea is to be successful in the traditional sense.

TONY: How many Web companies are there in Scarsdale, anyway?
JZ: Not any that I know of, besides us. Westchester's got its share. We looked into starting in Manhattan, but Scarsdale's a lot cheaper. Our plan is to move into the city when the real estate markets dies down. [Laughs] I guess we just need a few more dot-coms to go out of business.

This article appeared in Time Out New York, August 24-31, 2000, Issue No. 257
Copyright © 2000 Time Out New York