Your
Unauthorized Guide
to the Golden Age of National Lampoon
Magazine (1970-1975)

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March 2010 Archive

March 31, 2010

213. I was hoping to find out which issue (I think it as from the mid 70s) featured a chart or grid that showed the affects of using two drugs at the same time. The grid had columns and rows in which each drug had its own heading. There was short scenarios on the grid where two drugs intersected.

It was in the January 1980 (Fantasy) issue. The title was "Common Drugs and the Fantasies They Produce" and was written by Tod Carroll.

Posted March 31, 2010, 10:10 PM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 27, 2010

212. I am trying to locate one Ed Subitzky piece called "Getting Older Comics" but cannot remember the year or the issue.

That would be "Growing Older Comics" from the July 1978 (100th Anniversary) issue.

Posted March 27, 2010, 09:33 AM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 26, 2010

211. Who was responsible for re-writing great works of fiction in one sentence? I recall the Bible was condensed to: God creates man then gets mad at him for everything he does. When did it appear in the Lampoon?

Debbie sez: "'Kondensed Kliff's Notes' by Ed Subitzky and Larry Sloman, in the Oct '86 (Back to School) issue."

Posted March 26, 2010, 02:29 PM in Answers. | Comments (4)

March 23, 2010

210. I'm trying to locate the lampoon issue that featured a gay Russian sailor who demonstrated various hand signals used by sailors for different types of homosexual sex. I think he was a cartoon character. And I think his name was Crackers Jackoff. Does it ring a bell?

I don't know if it is the definitive answer, but Carol think you may be conflating several different things in your memory from the May 1977 (Gay Ish) issue. I think she's probably right. See the Comments link for more detail.

Posted March 23, 2010, 09:32 AM in Answers. | Comments (4)

March 22, 2010

A "Lemmings" T-Shirt worn by John Belushi is up for auction on eBay. Also included is a program from the show. Check it out... (Thanks to John for the tip.)

Posted March 22, 2010, 08:40 PM in News.

March 21, 2010

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead, a coffee table book all about National Lampoon by artist and long-time NatLamp contributor Rick Meyerowitz, will be published soon. The book focusses on the writers and artists who made the magazine great, and will include essays by many of those same people, excerpts and full reprints of many classic pieces, and lots of material and photos never before published. It's available now for pre-order on Amazon.com at a discount rate. I think it would be safe to say that this will be the best book ever published about National Lampoon.

Posted March 21, 2010, 03:01 PM in News.

March 17, 2010

209. I'm looking for information about a Wrightson story, I saw a page on the back of a National Lampoon promo trading card with no info about where it was published, I didn't find any reference of it in the National Lampoon pages on your site, or even in the Wrightson index, or any other USA publication, but I found that it was published in a French publication ("Echo des Savanes Special USA"). Here is scan of the trading card back. Do you know if it was published in National Lampoon?

Yes, it was: "Love Under Laboratory Conditions", by Tedd Mann and Blaine Schlosser, illustrated by Berni Wrightson, appeared in the November 1979 (Love) issue.

Posted March 17, 2010, 08:50 AM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 13, 2010

208. I am looking for a short story from late '70s, early '80s called "Boy's Wrath". Not sure if it was by O'Rourke or Hughes.

The title, "Boy's Wrath", is correct. It appeared in the April 1980 (Vengeance) issue and was written by John Hughes.

Posted March 13, 2010, 12:33 PM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 11, 2010

Now in HD Where Available: If you click on the small cover images in the Issues section, a much larger image will now appear. Click again to make it go away. (Not available yet in the Recordings or Books & Anthologies section. Soon.)

Posted March 11, 2010, 11:42 AM in News.

The 1973 Lemmings stage show at the Village Gate in New York City was promoted with a poster that was never seen in the magazine or used for the soundtrack LP. (Slight correction: A version of it did appear in the National Lampoon Songbook. Thanks, Jeff!) It featured a beautiful illustration by James Grashow. I remember seeing it in graphic design annuals back in the seventies. There is a copy of it on view at this auction site. (For a larger image, click here.) (Thanks to Rollo for the link.)

Posted March 11, 2010, 11:35 AM in News.

March 9, 2010

207. I’m trying to find the edition that had a parody of various Rolling Stones songs. Some of the “songs” were “Dark Meat” for Brown Sugar;” Flatulent Girl” for Factory Girl, and “I Got the Reds” for I’ve got the Blues. I think it was called “Rim Shot” or “Ram Shot”.

The piece was called "Rim Shot" and appeared in the October 1972 (Remember Those Fabulous Sixites?) issue.

Posted March 9, 2010, 09:14 PM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 7, 2010

206. Do you know where I can find a little cartoon I loved a long time ago? It's a circus lion tamer dude but he's training giant worms and one worm is being reprimanded, "No donuts for Shirley!"

Sure, I remember that one. It was a cartoon by M.K. Brown called "Russ de la Rocca -- Worm Trainer of the Americas". It appeared in the Funny Pages section of the September 1972 (Boredom) issue. It was also reprinted in the special issue National Lampoon Comics (1975).

Posted March 7, 2010, 01:07 PM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 6, 2010

205. I remember a single-pane cartoon, which may have appeared on a NL subscription renewal notice rather than in the magazine. A hot dog is standing by his mailbox, reading his mail, specifically a flyer that reads, "You may already be a wiener!" Ring any bells?

It was by cartoonist Charles Barsotti. He features it prominently on his website (in a slightly more neatly drawn form): http://www.barsotti.com/fbelly1.html

Posted March 6, 2010, 12:56 PM in Answers. | Comments (0)

204. There was a story I remember where I believe they were talking about how to give an executive "bj". I remember drawings showing a guy in a suit under the conference room table doing so and also with his hand outreached servicing another member of the management team. Very funny pre-Dilbert type corporate management satire. I am dying to find that issue and article and pictures. I find these people in business more often than some would believe! Any ideas?

"The National Lampoon Guide to Effective Salesmanship" by Tony Hendra and Gerald Sussman. It appeared in the December 1975 (Money) issue.

Posted March 6, 2010, 12:43 PM in Answers. | Comments (1)

March 5, 2010

203. I remember a story about a man who wakes up to find himself as a boy again, back in time, but he has retained all of his adult experiences. Needless to say, this works out to his advantage as a child. Does this story line ring a bell? I’m pretty sure it was in a NL issue, do you know which one?

The story was "Going Back", By Michel Choquette and Anne Beatts, and appeared in the October 1971 (Back to School) issue.

Posted March 5, 2010, 03:52 PM in Answers. | Comments (2)

202. Year and years and years ago (30?) I believe I read an incredibly funny comic story in National Lampoon about a white guy trying to document a black bluesman's life. The charactitures were in the style of R. Crumb. I believe the white guy basically finances a black bluesman's final party and they travel the back woods of the true down and very dirty bluesman lifestyle. There was one very funny part about the two being hung over and heading to a BBQ place where an order of "Snoots" is brought out. The Snoots is a Pigs Nose smothered in BBQ sauce.

According to Michael: "This was not fiction from the Poon, but a true short story written by the late, great guitarist Mike Bloomfield about his youthful adventures with the much older bluesman Big Joe Williams. It originally ran in High Times when Larry 'Ratso' Sloman was editor and was later published as a small book called Me & Big Joe. Ratso was later Executive Editor of the Lampoon. The illustrations were indeed by Robert Crumb." Thanks for clearing that up, Michael.

Posted March 5, 2010, 12:16 PM in Answers. | Comments (3)

March 4, 2010

201. Do you know what issue or where I can find the spoof ad of “the insult that made a man out of Mac?” The parody comic starts the same as the original until Mac returns to the beach. Rather than punching the bully, he kicks him in the junk. Mac seems to feel sorry for the bully and they start to bond. With the girl friend looking on in disgust, they begin to develop a gay attraction. The closing scene is Mac and the bully embracing on the beach in the sunset. I’m almost sure this was a Lampoon parody.

They did do a few parodies of those ads, but I'm not remembering this one. If you, dear reader, know the answer, please use the Comments link below.

Posted March 4, 2010, 09:52 AM in Answers. | Comments (1)

March 3, 2010

200. I've been looking for the story about how Congress passed a law to improve baseball in Washington by giving all of the best players to the Senators (this was back in the early to mid-1970s). Guys like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, etc. were "traded" to the Senators and the team ended up winning 161 games and losing none, but had 1 game rained out.

It was the "1977 Washington Senators Yearbook" from the February 1977 (Grand Fifth Term Inaugural) issue. That was the issue that imagined what the world would be like if JFK hadn't been assassinated.

Posted March 3, 2010, 09:42 AM in Answers. | Comments (0)

March 2, 2010

199. Hey, Mark, how come you never seem to know the answers to any questions? Except for the older ones, towards the bottom of the page, it seems like you're too stupid or lazy to answer questions yourself anymore.

It's not that I never know the answers, I've just been too lazy to post them when I do. Instead, I just email the answer back. For years, I've only posted the ones I don't know.

No more. I've decided to stop doing that. From now on, I will post all questions here, not just the ones I don't know. That way, everyone can benefit from the useless information lodged in my brain, not just the lucky emailer. This doesn't let Carol off the hook (thanks, Carol!), or any of the other faithful unfortunates burdened with NatLamp fun facts to unload here. But the world will now know that I am doing my part in this completely trivial endeavor.

Posted March 2, 2010, 09:42 AM in Answers. | Comments (3)

March 1, 2010

198. I remember a diagram from an early 70's issue that demonstrated women's excercise - specifically tongue push-ups. The woman lies face down on the floor and pushes herself up with her tongue (tongue thrusts?). Talk about core strength! Do you have any recollection of this?

That was in a Harvard Lampoon parody, not from National Lampoon. It was published in 1972 (the one with Henry Kissinger in the centerfold). The article was called "Slimbering Up Those Lazy Muscles" by "Perry Stalsis, M.D.". (Thanks to Jim for helping me out on this one.)

Posted March 1, 2010, 03:14 PM in Answers. | Comments (2)

197. I'm surprised no one has asked for this one: An ad for dog masks--shows a couple screwing on a lawn wearing dog masks. I believe it said, "If dogs can do it, so can you."

Yeah, gee, a real head scratcher that it hasn't come up before. I don't happen to remember it, unfortunately. If you, dear reader, know the answer, please use the Comments link below.

Posted March 1, 2010, 03:11 PM in Answers. | Comments (3)

196. Do you know who the nude girl on the cover of the album "Drugs, Sex, & Rock & Roll" is, and how old she was at the time?

No idea. And who's business is it, anyway? Still, if you, dear reader, know the answer, please use the Comments link below.

Posted March 1, 2010, 03:07 PM in Answers. | Comments (0)

195. The title of the short story was "Dead Wood." It was a heart-wrenching tale of a mid-level corporate executive desperately trying to save his job with a half-baked motorcycle stunt aimed at impressing his boss. The story is told from the wry point-of-view of an observant colleague. The story is very 'real' with no fantastic elements other than "Mr. Dead Wood's" increasingly futile goal of saving his job. A timeless piece that would read very well in today's downsized economy.

See question #158 (below).

Posted March 1, 2010, 02:58 PM in Answers. | Comments (2)

194. Many years ago I read an article in the magazine that depicted a scenario where a NYT reviewer uses the F-word in notes for an article that inadvertently goes to press. Once that happened, the taboo on the word was broken down, and the next couple of years had the word appearing all over mainstream media and advertising. Any idea when that article appeared and how I could get a copy?

Carol sez: "That was 'The F-Word Comes of Age', in the September '91 (Coming of Age) issue." Thanks, Carol!

Posted March 1, 2010, 02:47 PM in Answers. | Comments (2)