Paul Krassner

Paul Krassner calls himself an investigative satirist. Don Imus labeled him “one of the comic geniuses of the 20th century.” And, According to the Los Angeles Reader, “Krassner delivers 90 minutes of the funniest, most intelligent social and political commentary in town.”

On the other hand, a couple of FBI agents went to one of his performances and stated in their report, “He purported to be humorous about government policies.” His FBI files indicate that after Life magazine published a favorable profile of him, the FBI sent a poison-pen letter to the editor, complaining: “To classify Krassner as a social rebel is far too cute. He’s a nut, a raving, unconfined nut.”

“The FBI was right,” said the late George Carlin. “This man is dangerous--and funny; and necessary.”

ABC newscaster Harry Reasoner wrote in his memoirs, “Krassner not only attacks establishment values; he attacks decency in general.” So Krassner named his one-person show Attacking Decency in General, receiving awards from the L.A. Weekly and DramaLogue. He is the only person in the world ever to win awards from both Playboy (for satire) and the Feminist Party Media Workshop (for journalism). When People magazine called Krassner “Father of the underground press,” he immediately demanded a paternity test. Actually, he had published The Realist magazine from 1958 to 1974. He reincarnated it as a newsletter in 1985. “The taboos may have changed,” he wrote, “but irreverence is still our only sacred cow.” The final issue was published in Spring 2001.

Porn Soup

Paul Krassner reads from and discusses his book, "Porn Soup," a collection of his "One Hand Jerking" columns from AVN ONLINE, a trade journal for the Internet porn industry. Fetishes galore. (You might want to consider the wisdom of bringing kids to this session.)

The Rise & Fall of the Yippie Empire

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Yippies (Youth International Party), Paul Krassner -- co-founder with Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, reveals how a myth became a reality at the Democrats convention, the conspiracy trial and the film "Chicago 10". This classic example of counter-culture political activism is particularly relevant in an election year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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