Hugh Hefner has passed

Will spill some seed tonight in his honor

Entourage Scene
"Lifetime Ban Pauly"

I remember I had a professor of English in college and he (strangely) implored everyone one day in class (guys and girls) to subscribe to Playboy. He said it was the best magazine on the planet with the writing.

(and he might have been right) - and the magazine had other pluses as well.

Dude put out one of the best magazines ever. Maybe the best. He was able to combine total soft-core porn with political commentary, solid sports, renowned short-stories and opinion articles from famous people. (and they weren't dogshite like they are today). Real interviews.

It wasn't just the articles. Hefner was a huge influence on and supporter of a wide range of arts. Jazz took a huge hit in the 60's with the dominance of rock and roll. Hefner's clubs and music festivals (and coverage in the magazine) was a big lifeline for musicians.

Hefner started out as a cartoonist. He employed a fricking Murderer's Row of cartoonists and artists for his magazine. Guys like Jack Cole, who'd created Plastic Man and was a top comic artist in the 40's couldn't get work and depended on Hefner as a patron. That Little Annie Fanny comic? It funneled money to almost the entire art staff of Mad Magazine (and artists like Frank Frazetta and Russ Heath) because Kurtzman and Elder couldn't keep up with the requirement of four fully painted pages each month. Plus now famous cartoonists like Gahan Wilson, and artists like Leroy Neiman... Those magazines had the best cartoons and best story art on the news stand.