Faux magazine is devoted to America’s dads

What if America’s dads had a magazine devoted to their own idiosyncratic interests?

Jaya Saxena and Matt Lubchansky had that idea in mind when they created “Dad Magazine: America’s No. 1 Magazine for ‘Pop’ Culture” (Quirk Books, $15.99).

The book takes the form of the 100-year anniversary issue of the fictitious Dad Magazine and is based on a feature Saxena and Lubchansky created for the online magazine The Toast.

Among the faux magazine’s affectionately Dad-inspired articles: “Lately Every Sport Has Been Ruined”; “Hero Dad Gets Quiet Time: The Story of One Man Who Waded Through the Chaos to Read the Damn Paper in Peace”; “What’s Going On In Your Neighbor’s Yard?”; and “Car Maintenance: Why You Should Never Go to the Mechanic.”

We talked to Saxena and Lubchansky recently about dads.

Q: Is there such a thing as a typical dad?

Jaya: I think one of the things we realized is that there’s not a typical dad, but we think all dads sort of have a thing. Like, I look at mine and Matt’s dad, who come from different backgrounds. My dad is an immigrant, first generation, and Matt’s dad grew up in the Bronx. They have very different interests, but the way they talk about the things they’re interested in is very similar.

Q: Why are so many readers of your feature millennials?

Matt: I think it’s sort of the thing where, maybe, teenagers wouldn’t think it was very funny because they don’t think their parents are people yet. But I think there’s something about going to live on your own, having to pay rent and, like, living as an adult that you realize adults are just the same as you but just faking it better. It happened to me and a lot of people I know, where your relationship with your parents changes pretty dramatically once you figure out, “Hey, they’re persons.”

Q: How might Las Vegas dads differ from dads elsewhere?

Jaya: I would imagine, for Las Vegas dads especially, the further west you go there’s always this spirit of almost like the wilderness and sort of experimental dads. … You’ve got a lot of people going out there to get rich or do something, and I think that spirit is still there. So, like, I’m sure you’ve got dads who love going to the casino, dads who love going to shows, dads who love driving the truck around in the desert.

Q: Does every guy, whether he has kids or not, have a bit of Dad in him?

Matt: One of the headlines in the book is a direct quote from a friend of ours. He was 25 at the time and his wife was pregnant. We were over at their house and he was in the kitchen doing something and we just heard, apropos of nothing, “These smoke detectors are too darned sensitive if you ask me.” We said, “You’re 25, buddy. That’s not the time for this.”