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Gloria Stavers

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The Resume

    (October 3, 1927-April 1, 1983)
    Born in Wilmington, North Carolina
    Birth name was Gloria Gurganus
    Editor-in-chief of ’16’ magazine (1958-75)

Why she might be annoying:

    Her articles about celebrities tended to be puff pieces.
    She would often cover up if a celeb was married or gay to maintain the illusion that they were ‘attainable.’.
    She became romantically involved with several of the celebs she interviewed, including Dion and Jim Morrison.
    She would terrorize underlings, with ‘Do I have to do your fucking job for you?’ being a frequent refrain.
    She was a heavy smoker, which probably contributed to the lung cancer that killed her.

Why she might not be annoying:

    Despite not having any prior journalistic experience, in a year she rose from subscriptions clerk to editor of ’16.’
    She was also the magazine’s primary writer and photographer.
    She read every fan letter sent to ‘16’ to stay in touch with what her readers wanted.
    She used ‘16’ to promote some unlikely candidates for teen idol status, including Lenny Bruce, Jonathan Frid, and Alice Cooper.
    Record companies sought her opinion on how best to promote their acts.
    Dave Marsh wrote, ‘Gloria Stavers and 16 magazine basically invented rock and pop-culture journalism as we know it today.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying