According to editor Max Madden, "In the male experience today, we are surrounded by sex, yet we men feel this underlying and unsaid pressure to perform. MODVOX hopes to remind men that sex is still fun. And all things surrounding sex are fun."
Addressing the magazine's concept, Madden told XBiz that the idea behind it was two-fold... "First, sex and pornography have become relatively ubiquitous in the mainstream media and in the public. Rock and rap stars feature strippers and porn stars in their videos on MTV. College newspapers feature interviews with adult film actresses. Magazines like Maxim and FHM have exploded offering titillating glimpses of female stars and starlets. Cable channels run reality shows based on the porn business. But with this democratizing of sex and porn comes an underlying and unspoken fear and pressure among men: to perform like porn stars. On the surface, men love sex and porn. But once in the bedroom, many of us get caught up in the whole 'why is my sex life not measuring up to a porn star's?'"
Madden continued, "Second, because of the proliferation of pornography both on the Internet and on video, there's just too much to choose from! None of the mainstream men's magazines review porn, and many of the current sites that do, tend to be a little dry. And so the magazine was created to bring fun and humor back into sex. We want to remind men that sex is not necessarily serious and all about performance. We also want to guide them to good quality porn so that they don't waste their money on crap sites or videos."
When Madden says that he's targeting the mainstream, he means it: "This magazine is not intended for a niche crowd like porn geeks and addicts. It's intended for regular young men to which porn is just like music and movies: entertainment."
So what does the future hold for MODVOX? "I don't want to become too porn-centric. It needs to stay broad and tackle all aspects of making sex fun. So look forward to articles about how to hook up in a bar, the sex worker industry, swing clubs. On Monday we'll start to run a sex and relationship advice column. But we do love porn and we'll run articles about the industry and interviews with the stars." said Madden.
The magazine debuted with two reviews of adult films (the classic Behind the Green Door and Jenna Jameson in The Masseuse), two reviews of porn sites (Vivid.com and BustyAmateurs.com), and a review of six different brands of lubricants. Also in the launch were a column about having sex with an ex, a feature article about common fantasies men share, and a weekly round-up of porn industry news called "Dirty Dirt."
In the coming weeks, the magazine will continue to add at least one article or review per weekday. Upcoming stories include a sex advice column, a feature about lingerie modeling, and an interview with an adult film actress.
MODVOX showcases commissioned illustrations from up-and-coming illustrators for its feature articles and masthead, the magazine is written by a select number of young freelance writers, and published by Thirteen Pages.