Analysis of a Music Magazine Double Page Spread #1

This double page spread is dedicated to the American band ‘All American Rejects’, as stated at the very top of page on the left. As in most typical double page spreads based upon a band or solo artist interview, this particular spread contains a main picture of the band, which takes up a large proportion of the two pages. The largest piece of text upon the two pages is the title, which contains words which are also lyrics from one of the bands songs. ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ suggests to the audience that the band will be revealing just that within their interviews; their deepest secrets. This is possibly why the ‘secrets’ part of the title stands out more than the other two words. It has been emboldened, written in a clearer, block font, and typed in red.

There are three dominant colours upon this particular spread; red, black and a pale lilac. Both of the red and the black are slightly edgy colours, and have possibly been used in relation to the bands rebellious attitudes. As stated within the description of the spread, the band may sound innocent, but as highlighted, ‘don’t be fooled.’ This is intriguing and attractive to an audience, as many fans of the band will be very interested in reading about the bands unknown secrets.

Moreover, it seems that Tyson is the most important member of the band. This is evident from various aspects upon the spread. Instead of stating within the description beneath the page title, ‘The All American Rejects dish the dirt…’, it states ‘Tyson and his crew dish the dirt…’. This suggests that Tyson, being the lead member of the band, almost owns or controls the other members. He is therefore also the most dominant feature of the main image. Within this image, it looks as though he is pushing the other three band members out of the way, towards the background of the image, so that he is in the front, and therefore the most dominant person within the readers eye. The look upon his face is one which suggests he is self assured and confident. He is also looking into the camera, which is shooting from a straight on angle, in medium close-up, and he is therefore engaging with the audience. Additionally, upon the left-hand side of the spread, all members of the band are interviewed. However, on the right-hand side of the spread, there is an extra interview with Tyson alone.

The way in which the members of the band are dressed further expands on their slightly extravagant or rebellious attitudes. They are dressed in a variety of colours, the main member wearing purple jeans with a red hat, and one of the other members wearing a striped pair of dungarees. There are also smaller photos of the band members surrounding the main image, however these are displayed in black and white rather than colour, ensuring that the main image stands out more. Each of the photos show a member of the band looking happy and confident.

Furthermore, near to the main image, there is a quotation from within the interview. This is a line which is possibly attractive to the audience, interesting them to read the interview and further expand on this teaser. Within the actual interview, each of the band members names are highlighted, as are the questions. All text stands out upon the plain black background, making it clear and easy to read. This could also relate to the band standing out with their bright, edgy clothing and their playful personalities.