The What Is Done

The What Is To Be Done, the weekly journal of arts, entertainment and politics published by The Harvard Crimson since 1976, died last week at a meeting of Crimson bigwigs.

In an open meeting attended by about twenty Crimson editors, The What was terminated and replaced by a new magazine titled Fifteen Minutes.

Julian E. Barnes '93, president of The Crimson, said the decision to dissolve The What and create a new magazine was based on a desire to focus more on campus trends and the entertainment scene and less on Boston subculture.

The late magazine's name had a double meaning, referring to both the inevitable question of what to do on the weekends and the title of Nicholas Chernyshezskii's novel of a Communist utopia, later appropriated by V. I. Lenin.

The What was born on September 30, 1976,when Volume 1, Number 1 first hit the newsstands.The first eight-page issue set the tone for themagazine's future with irreverent reviews ofmusic, art, movies, dance, drama and books. Italso included a backstreets guide to local barswritten by Gay W. Seidman '78, currently asociology professor and a member of one of theUniversity's governing boards.

During the middle of its 15-year-plus run,The What added an indepth feature called a"Scrutiny" and personal essays in a departmenttitled "Endpaper."

The upstart weekly, which cost 15 cents andvaried in length from eight to 16 pages, was afinancial success at first. The Whataveraged 24 pages and was distributed for freeduring its last years.

'High Aspirations'

Seth A. Kaplan '77, the first editor of TheWhat, said magazine's first staff launched thepublication with high aspirations.

"We wanted to provide...a first rate guide ofarts and leisure for the whole Boston collegearea," he said. "A lot of people were involved instarting The What."

Kaplan, now a well-paid attorney in New York,said it was "a sad, sad day" for him but expressedhope that The Crimson's new magazine wouldprosper.

"We had immortality for 15 years, which I guessis something like your Fifteen Minutes," hesaid.

Attracting a core of writers more interested incult groups than dean searches, The Whatprided itself on timely reporting on topicalissues, colorful essays on out-of-the-way places,and a funky, brash, offbeat style.

In recent years The What ran stories onthe Boston Church of Christ, flying cars, witchesin Cambridge, birth control and the microeconomicsof the local marijuana market.

A few months ago, The What Is To BeDone? made national headlines when thecontroversial City University of New Yorkprofessor Leonard Jeffries allegedly threatenedthe life of one of the magazine's reporters.

Former magazine editors last week expressedtheir grief over the passing of The What.

Former What associate editor and self-avowedleftist David A. Plotz '92 called the death ofThe What" a fucking tragedy."

"It's highly symbolic that we are moving from aworld interested in social change to one dominatedby interest in momentary consumer culture," hesaid.

Steven J. Newman '92 said the change was "verysad" but that he had long foreseen it. "When theBerlin Wall fell, we knew it was just a matter oftime," Newman said.

Delivered to every suite on the Harvard campus,as well as to locations at other Bostonuniversities, The What was widelydistributed if not widely respected. Approximately25,000 students received The What.

The What is survived by itsreincarnation, Fifteen Minutes. The newpublication's first issue was distributed today.

According to magazine editor Eryn R. Brown '93,the new weekly will retain many characteristics ofThe What but offer a new image.

"We wanted to change course a few degrees, andthought a new name would help us get a cleanstart," said Brown.

Philip M. Rubin '93, co-editor of the newperiodical, said Fifteen Minutes wouldretain the basic format of reviews, "Backstreets"articles, indepth scrutinies and comprehensivelistings, but would "cut with a new edge."

Rubin said the new magazine will offer morecommentary on recent trends and up-to-the-minutereports on the college scene.

Abbot And Costello

Daniel L. Jacobowitz '93, business manager ofthe magazine, said the name change was partiallymotivated by the Abbot and Costello routine thatoften surfaced when selling ads for TheWhat.

Jacobowitz explained, "A typical conversationmight go, 'Hi, I'm calling from The What?'

'Huh?'

'The What?'

'What?'

'RIght.'

'Who is this?'

'The What'

'Click.'"

Former Crimson President Rebecca L. Walkowitz'92 said she admired the old magazine for alwaysmeeting production deadlines.

"We always tried to make the process moreinclusive, draw people into the discussion, raiseissues. As Crimson president, I admired TheWhat for always coming out on time. Thearticles were pretty good, too," she said.

According to Patrick R. Sorrento, Crimsonphilosopher and production supervisor, TheWhat was often completed several weeks beforethe articles were even assigned.

"Things just aren't what they used to be," hesaid

The What was born on September 30, 1976,when Volume 1, Number 1 first hit the newsstands.The first eight-page issue set the tone for themagazine's future with irreverent reviews ofmusic, art, movies, dance, drama and books. Italso included a backstreets guide to local barswritten by Gay W. Seidman '78, currently asociology professor and a member of one of theUniversity's governing boards.

During the middle of its 15-year-plus run,The What added an indepth feature called a"Scrutiny" and personal essays in a departmenttitled "Endpaper."

The upstart weekly, which cost 15 cents andvaried in length from eight to 16 pages, was afinancial success at first. The Whataveraged 24 pages and was distributed for freeduring its last years.

'High Aspirations'

Seth A. Kaplan '77, the first editor of TheWhat, said magazine's first staff launched thepublication with high aspirations.

"We wanted to provide...a first rate guide ofarts and leisure for the whole Boston collegearea," he said. "A lot of people were involved instarting The What."

Kaplan, now a well-paid attorney in New York,said it was "a sad, sad day" for him but expressedhope that The Crimson's new magazine wouldprosper.

"We had immortality for 15 years, which I guessis something like your Fifteen Minutes," hesaid.

Attracting a core of writers more interested incult groups than dean searches, The Whatprided itself on timely reporting on topicalissues, colorful essays on out-of-the-way places,and a funky, brash, offbeat style.

In recent years The What ran stories onthe Boston Church of Christ, flying cars, witchesin Cambridge, birth control and the microeconomicsof the local marijuana market.

A few months ago, The What Is To BeDone? made national headlines when thecontroversial City University of New Yorkprofessor Leonard Jeffries allegedly threatenedthe life of one of the magazine's reporters.

Former magazine editors last week expressedtheir grief over the passing of The What.

Former What associate editor and self-avowedleftist David A. Plotz '92 called the death ofThe What" a fucking tragedy."

"It's highly symbolic that we are moving from aworld interested in social change to one dominatedby interest in momentary consumer culture," hesaid.

Steven J. Newman '92 said the change was "verysad" but that he had long foreseen it. "When theBerlin Wall fell, we knew it was just a matter oftime," Newman said.

Delivered to every suite on the Harvard campus,as well as to locations at other Bostonuniversities, The What was widelydistributed if not widely respected. Approximately25,000 students received The What.

The What is survived by itsreincarnation, Fifteen Minutes. The newpublication's first issue was distributed today.

According to magazine editor Eryn R. Brown '93,the new weekly will retain many characteristics ofThe What but offer a new image.

"We wanted to change course a few degrees, andthought a new name would help us get a cleanstart," said Brown.

Philip M. Rubin '93, co-editor of the newperiodical, said Fifteen Minutes wouldretain the basic format of reviews, "Backstreets"articles, indepth scrutinies and comprehensivelistings, but would "cut with a new edge."

Rubin said the new magazine will offer morecommentary on recent trends and up-to-the-minutereports on the college scene.

Abbot And Costello

Daniel L. Jacobowitz '93, business manager ofthe magazine, said the name change was partiallymotivated by the Abbot and Costello routine thatoften surfaced when selling ads for TheWhat.

Jacobowitz explained, "A typical conversationmight go, 'Hi, I'm calling from The What?'

'Huh?'

'The What?'

'What?'

'RIght.'

'Who is this?'

'The What'

'Click.'"

Former Crimson President Rebecca L. Walkowitz'92 said she admired the old magazine for alwaysmeeting production deadlines.

"We always tried to make the process moreinclusive, draw people into the discussion, raiseissues. As Crimson president, I admired TheWhat for always coming out on time. Thearticles were pretty good, too," she said.

According to Patrick R. Sorrento, Crimsonphilosopher and production supervisor, TheWhat was often completed several weeks beforethe articles were even assigned.

"Things just aren't what they used to be," hesaid