Orbit Magazine

Orbit Magazine (or Orbit) was a Detroit-area publication that billed itself as "an alt newsweekly, with neither news or a weekly schedule."
History
Born from the ashes of Fun magazine, Orbit was published by Jerry Peterson, a software executive with extensive ties to Detroit's early underground punk scene, known as Jerry Vile, co-editor of White Noise Magazine and the oft-costumed singer for the band the Boners.
Orbit launched in August 1990 as a free fortnightly publication, but switched to a stapled and trimmed monthly publication schedule in 1993. A mix of irreverent feature stories, arts and entertainment reviews, local listings, and comics, Orbit was lauded for its cutting-edge design but often ran afoul of various Detroit-area media figures and business establishments for its gleefully impertinent—at times bordering on vicious—editorial tone. Orbit’s long list of editors included Doug Dearth from Fun, the late Matt Beer (formerly Monthly Detroit and Detroit News gossip columnist), David Merline (who left to work on Motorbooty), Scott Sterling (who went on to be editor of Urb), and Jeremy Harvey, who pulled off some of the publications greatest pranks such as disfiguring his genitals with special effects make-up and visiting a nudist camp and operating the World’s Worst Garage Sale, where unsuspecting shoppers were subjected to overpriced and completely undesirable items (such as a suspiciously stained mattress or single sock with holes) in a filthy environ.
Among the glut of free local papers, Orbit earned national attention for its clean layout, sense of humor and striking graphic covers. Every year, Orbit's Anniversary Cover issue featured Jerry Peterson's nephew as he grew up from birth onward. Master photographer Gene Kruger photographed years one through four. Orbit's cover five was photographed by esteemed photographer Stacy Wootten. Issues after that remained murky as to who photographed the Anniversary Cover, but they were heavily doctored by the Art Director. Much credit is due to art director Terry Colon, Terry Colon, later of Suck.com<link> as well as the Fun Magazine regulars Mark Niemenski, Chris Kassel and Gary Arnett: co-creator of the "Tasty wear" clothing line. Tristan Eaton was one of in-house illustrators for Orbit, as was Matt Feazell, creator of The Amazing Cynicalman series. Orbit covers featured some of the first published images from artists such as Glenn Barr, Niagara, and Tom Thewes. Orbits logo was "Orby," the blissfully countenanced, globe-headed mascot created by illustrator Terry Colon.
Popular culture references
In the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, director/actor Quentin Tarantino wears an Orby t-shirt, partially obscured by his robe during his pivotal scenes with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Tarantino had been given the t-shirt by an early Orbit contributor, Geek Monthlys Paul Zimmerman, a film writer who was editor of Film Threat magazine at the time.
Orbit was also known for its parties. Orbit’s All-Star Karaoke Night at the Royal Kubo, a Filipino restaurant. The night featured many local Detroit icons among them Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Dennis White (Static Revenger), Dan and Tra-cee Miller (Blanche), Meg White, and Jimmy Doom. The evening was broadcast live, on an obscure AM radio station “for the shut-ins” and Peterson has publicly proclaimed this radio exposure is what got the musicians record deals.
Legacy
In characteristically irreverent form, the final issue in November 1999 featured “The Weasel List”, a cantakerous compilation of local businesses whose accounts were in serious arrears with the magazine's advertising department. While Peterson had urged his readers to “blame these deadbeats” for the publication’s demise, Orbit was doing better than ever and Peterson had started a secret partnership publication called Real Detroit Weekly, which he described as “Orbit Lite”. This ended up in legal limbo, eventually settling out of court in 2003. Peterson went on to become the impresario behind The Dirty Show, a Detroit erotic-art exhibition: the inaugural Dirty Show was held in the Royal Oak, Michigan offices of Orbit in 2000.

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