Algis Valiunis at Commentary Magazine reviews two books about the life of Hugh Hefner, talks about where the Playboy 'philosophy' came from, why it got to where it is now, and adds a discussion of just how much lower he thinks it will go.
The best line, to me (and one of the few that I would print on the front page here) is:
"Watts, . . . has written a life so admiring of its subject’s energy, intelligence, and innovation that one almost forgets that these were also Lucifer’s salient qualities."
I am always amazed by the folks who take Playboy and Hefner seriously. He found a niche, and exploited it. Ca-Ching.
ReplyDeleteWhether that was for the eventual good or bad I can't say. I can say I never bought the line nor the life style concept. That's not to say I didn't get a kick out of some of the photos and articles as a young guy...I just knew it was a fantasy niche.
Maybe I was too serious too early on.
Hey, I never looked at Playboy for the articles. I only looked at it for the pictures. Honest!
ReplyDeleteLOL Matt!
ReplyDeleteHere's one of their better pictures:
img:"http://blogwaybaby.com/Playboy%20Marilyn%20Monroe%20Cover.jpg"
Libertines. Ugh. They won't be happy until we are all walking around with our genitals exposed in public and making like apes in an episode of Attenborough's "Life" on every corner. It's a 'human right' dontcha know.
ReplyDeleteAlison got the point of the author, best, I think.
ReplyDeleteBut add to that the likelihood of the rest of the ever-sleazier magazines and 'entertainment' that graces our society today would have been much less far along the road to Hell without the pioneering pornography of Hugh Hefner.