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Humor Magazine Will Make Its Grand Debut

The debut issue of Demon magazine is being dropped to all undergraduate rooms today.

Demon is a new humor magazine that features an "inclusive" submissions and printing policy according to the magazine's president, Sebastian Conley '96.

"Our policy is if you submit something that's funny, we'll do our best to run it," said Conley, who is also a Crimson editor.

"You don't have to dedicate your life to Demon to get published," pointed out the magazine's vice-president Jeremy "Screech" Friedman '98.

Conley said yesterday that he started Demon because "Harvard needed a humor magazine." When asked about the Harvard Lampoon, Conley asked "aren't they a Finals Club?"

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Jeremy Friedman '97, treasurer of Demon, referred more directly to the Lampoon. "We're not trying to rival or compete, we're a more visually oriented magazine, doing our own thing."

Friedman also mentioned that the new magazine had broken even financially through advertising and a $500 grant from the Undergraduate Council.

Speaking of the competition that Demon may offer the older publication, Lampoon Narthex James R. Murdoch '96 said "Am I quaking in my boots? No."

The Lampoon is a semi-secret Bow St. social organization that occasionally publishes its own so-called humor magazine.

"The Lampoon is special in the notoriety that we have in the years of national distribution and successful graduates in the comedy writing business," said Abbott.

"We've done well in the face of past competition and we'll do well in the face of Demon" he added, referring to past short-lived humor magazines including Squid and Jerk.

Abbott also defended the Lampoon's rigorous comp. "People running the Lampoon take it seriously, they don't want the high level of quality to drop". Murdoch added that the Lampoon was "the last meritocracy at Harvard."

Not speaking specifically on the Lampoon, Conley said he had never worked on a humor magazine before. "Generally I have no sense of humor so I'd befired right away."

Demon's executives say they find ideasfor their humor everywhere. "I saw a piece on Ms.Clark's hair in Time Magazine and thought thatabsurdity might make a funny story," said JoshuaJ. Schanker '98, also a Crimson editor.

"Just opening up Peninsula gives us 10 humorideas," said Conely.

Revealing a secret previously known only toDemon staff, Sebastian "Gimp" Conleyexplained his nickname to the Crimson. "Look inDemon at the Gimp section on page18...that's me in the gimp costume...that's anundercover appearance.

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