“No take backs”

We are pleased to announce that Gaucho Marks is officially changing our name to Nexustentialism. This move is the result of a months-long discussion and process with our editors and staff, and we hope for the rebrand to signify a new era for the organization.

Gaucho Marks Magazine was founded 12 years ago with the intent to bring comedy and levity to UCSB, as no other satire outlet existed at the time. “Gaucho Marks,” is a play on words referring to the popular 20th century comedian and actor Groucho Marx. He was a member of the Marx Brothers comedy act and creator of the famous “mustache glasses,” to which we owe our logo. A great pun, to be sure, but recently we’ve come to realize that our Gen-Z audience increasingly has no idea what our name means.

It seems the iconic status of Groucho has faded into historical obscurity, only to be known by boomers and film studies majors. We don’t wish to ostracize our readers any more than they already are by our off-putting content, so we hope the new name has a better reception.

After brainstorming new name ideas for several months, our staff came up with “Nexustentialism.” It is a portmanteau of the words ‘nexus,’ meaning ‘a connection linking two or more things together,’ and ‘existentialism,’ a philosophical view relating to free will and identity. Our magazine embodies these two ideas, as we believe in forming a connection to our fellow students through existential humor and satire.

We are proud to announce this completely original title that will come to express our works and represent our publication as a whole. 

With love, 

Nexustentialism ❤