Out in the wild: how Ken Layne created an alternative to clickbait in the desert

The Desert Oracle, the former Wonkette owner's pocket-sized magazine, has proven a cult hit while refusing to establish an online presence

UFOs, doomed hikers, William Burroughs, singing sand dunes, Elvis, ghosts, roadrunners and rattlesnakes - the Desert Oracle packs a lot of weird, dark matter between its bright yellow covers.

The pocket-sized magazine, which looks like a cross between a guide book and a punk zine, explores the stranger side of desert life. Created in the arid beauty of Joshua Tree in California, it has proven a cult hit devoured by readers from Los Angeles to London.