Sunday, September 13, 2009

The other side of Hef

Fair enough, the man did a lot of good.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't mind seeing that. We forget that Playboy was once revolutionary. Too bad its best days are long over. It should go to more Domai-style non-airbrushed stuff. That might set it apart again. It's become very establishment now. And accepted. I bet you could leave a Playboy out these days and not have it bother most people.

Ray said...

The name Brigitte Berman caught my eye, because both Shelley Berman the comedian and The Hef were born in Chicago, and both are 83 years old.
Sadly, there's no connection I could find.

But when Hef's first issue hit the magazine racks, I was 21 that same fall, and I remember the sensation it caused among so-called 'polite society' - the kind who raise hell like the rest of us, but behind closed doors. Playboy back then was a breath of fresh air, much needed, and the rest is history...
The Hef, for all his personal peculiarities, real and imagined, still qualifies as one of the key figures of the 20th century - and
we can't deny his accomplishments.
There's more to the man than Viagra or scantily-clad babes with more baby-fat than brains, and a lot of his critics are simply motivated by plain old jealousy,
I'd bet.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a Hef hater. I've been a long time subscriber. But I think even the most staunch defender must admit that it's not the magazine it once was. Crap like Maxim have cheapened things. As for the Bunnies, you get all types there too. Some have brains. Most don't. Most are probably at least average though. It makes some people feel better to assume that the beautiful are brainless.

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

I concur. Hef is just the kind of loveable perv I'd enjoy meeting. And hanging out with.
But quite few of my *actual* perv buddies own a superb mansion filled with very un-shy hot babes wearing little more than a smile...

I also agree that Playboy is no more what it used to be. Damn Photoshop.
And curse you, Silicone Valley!

I'm all in support of Jimbo's advice. Domai style would soon save it and return it to the top.
Feel like editing a magazine from your newsletter and blog, Eolake?
(Heck, your name alone would grab most people's attention, just because it sounds so uncommon.)
You've already got your dedicated resident harsh critic(s), so I reckon you've ALREADY met Hef-like success even before you start! ;-)

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

"Domai style would soon save it and return it to the top."

I honestly wonder if the maaaaaaa-a-a-ases could appreciate the variety and lack of airbrushing and so on.
They might perceive it as "cheap". (Which of course it is, financially, due to no expenses for five assistants, make-up artist, air-brusher, etc.)

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't consider makeup a bad thing since almost all women wear it. But no airbrushing.

I think that the "bonehead mass audience" might actually like it. They could always try a few sample issues in addition to the regular Playboy - "Playboy Raw" or something. Unless that would give people the wrong idea.

Anonymous said...

Everyone knows that Hef had a huge influence. I'm not sure why he should be considered some sad old man just because he was able to have a lifestyle that's the dream of every normal, red-blooded, heterosexual male. Any guy who says he wouldn't want that life is a lying sack of shit.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

For a few months, sure. But partying seven days a week for 50 years? O gawd.

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

I for one would soon get tired of the noise. ;-)

Yesterday, I saw a show by genius French comic Michel Leeb, a hilarious "University conference on male sexuality":
"I asked men in an internet survey, `how many times per week do you have sex?`
The average of their answers was 6 times. Hey, even God needed a day's rest!
The maximum reported was 322. That was a goatherder in Lebanon...
The lowest answer was zero. I'm guessing that was the week after his 322 times."

Anonymous said...

I doubt Hef really parties that much.

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

"Sad old man", I don't think so. But tired? Very likely.
"Even God needed a day off"...

TC [Girl] said...

Pascal said...
"...The maximum reported was 322. That was a goatherder in Lebanon...
The lowest answer was zero. I'm guessing that was the week after his 322 times."

LOL, Pascal!! SILLY..."kid"!! ;0)

Anonymous said...

I can't see Hef having run a successful magazine if he spent all his time partying and getting laid. Maybe he's not involved in its day-to-say operations. I know I wouldn't mind spending my "golden years" banging some hot and much, much younger chicks.