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Off Limits

Wake them up before you Go-Go

Compiled By Amy Haimerl 

When asked in November 2000 to comment about the entertainment bi-weekly Go-Go, John Reidy, the man behind the landmark Denver zine known as The Hooligan, said, "If Go-Go is around for seven years, I'll eat a turd."

The bet turned out to be a safe one: The publication shut its doors for good approximately two weeks ago. According to CEO Darlene Cypser, the decision was foreshadowed by slow ad sales for the March 6 St. Patrick's edition, which turned out to be Go-Go's last. "That's usually our biggest issue, but with all the uncertainty about whether war was going to break out and the bad economy in general, a bunch of our regulars dropped out," she says. "After that, we thought, 'If this is our biggest issue, we're in real trouble.'"

Founded in 1999 by Gary Haney, Go-Go began as a homegrown porn mag before evolving into a more mainstream publication. Shortly thereafter, Haney sold Go-Go to Trygve Lode, a bodybuilder and wannabe action hero who co-starred in the Cypser-produced film Dragon and the Hawk, described in its publicity material as being "somewhere between Xena and Lethal Weapon." The magazine eventually built a circulation that reached 35,000, but it had frequent financial woes and was often accused of not paying staffers on time. Such complaints have grown louder than ever in recent weeks, with one source saying employees were asked not to talk to the press for fear that existing contracts might not be fulfilled. However, Cypser doesn't hide Go-Go's fate. "It was a hard decision," she says, "but it was the right decision."

And it's sure to improve John Reidy's diet.

Easy rider: In honor of Michael Jordan's final Denver appearance against the Nuggets last Sunday, the home team -- represented by beamin' owner E. Stanley Kroenke, GM Kiki Vandeweghe and others at center court -- presented the ex-Bull-turned-Wizard with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The ride, driven into the Pepsi Center by Rocky, touched His Airness, who already has two cycles in his stable but no Harley, according to Nuggets spokesman Tommy Sheppard. The team and Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson will size up the $30,000 machine for Jordan (with the help of a lanky young Nug who's buying his own hog); they plan to ship it to Jordan's Chicago address in about a week. Now, that's what we call vroom service.