Man who penned “Headless Body in Topless Bar” retires
After 40 years with the New York Post, the man who penned the famous headline "Headless Body in Topless Bar" has retired.
After 40 years with the New York Post, the man who penned the famous headline "Headless Body in Topless Bar" has retired.
Vincent A. Musetto penned that screaming headline in 1983, and is his most famous. As the Toronto Star reports, it made New York Magazine's 2003 list of best tabloid headlines. But that's not his favourite headline.
According to the Star:
"Instead that honour goes to 'Granny Executed in Her Pink Pajamas,' a story about a woman who chose to wear pajamas in the electric chair rather than prison garb."
The Star also quotes Musetto's headline-writing advice, shared with People Magazine in 1987:
“Zap, zip, zonk, nix, those are good verbs. Short. Short and powerful. They’ve got to convey a sense of urgency. Nouns? Tots, kids, fire, you know — SIX-ALARM FIRE. Blaze is good, but fire’s shorter. Siege. Siege is good. Madman, maniac, fear. My favorite word is “coed.” When you see coed, people want to buy the paper. I don’t know why — just some young, innocent girl getting into a lot of trouble. It’s the dirty old man in people. It’s a very sexy word.”
In honour of Musetto we want to know: What's the best headline you've ever read? The worst?
