If you are curious to see what happened to drug-addled counter-culture heroes of the early 1970s — the funny ones — you’ll want to join former Lampooners Rick Meyerowitz, John Weidman, Sean Kelly, Brian McConnachie, Christopher Cerf, Tony Hendra, Michel Choquette, Fred Graver, Ratso, Peter Reigert (Boon of Animal House), and more and more and more, when the New York Public Library celebrates the National Lampoon and Meyerowitz’s new book Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead.
“If the magazine had a point of view, it was that everybody and everything was fair game: raving, right-wing lunatics, tie-dyed peaceniks, tedious noodniks; all were offended by their stick-in-your-eye style of humor.”
National Lampoon blazed like the proverbial comet for a decade, spinning off special projects, books, magazines, theater pieces, films, television shows, and eventually—writers and artists. The mainstays of the magazine moved into the mainstream media and the Lampoon pedigree faded from their resumes.
On December 4th, Live From the NYPL will reunite many of the editors and artists who were the core of the Nat Lamp’s staff in the 1970’s for “a once-in-a-lifetime evening of reminiscence and laughter,” crows Meyerowitz. This evening of laughter and mirth (and in some cases, girth) will bring tears to your eyes, and moisture to your seat.
Read The New Yorker review here. Order tickets here.
