National Lampoon
April, 1971
Let's take a trip back in time again, to April, 1971, and the latest issue of National Lampoon, which features a fine cover by Frank Frazetta.
There's some interesting advertising in the magazine.
Psychology Today offers an intriguing array of games for adults, including one - 'Blacks and Whites' - that promised that players will 'find out what it's like to be black and poor'. The game resonated quite profoundly with white liberals. There are advertisements for record albums from Ian McDonald and Michael Giles, who were British musicians; their album is available at YouTube, although I don't think it's very good.
Two albums originate from members of the Taylor family: Kate Taylor and Alex Taylor, who were brothers and sisters of Livingston, Hugh, and James Taylor. The albums from Kate and Alex offer decent early 70s folk tunes, nothing earthshaking, but nothing awful, either.
Two Years On was the Bee Gees reunion album, recorded after Robin rejoined the band. It yielded the hit 'Lonely Days'.
Lampoon editor and founder Doug Kenney stars in the 'Foto Funnies'. The best feature in this April issue is a parody of the men's 'sweat' magazines, titled Real Balls Adventure. It's a dead-on satire of the genre. Considerably more acid in its tenor is a parody of baseball and football cards. 'Booblegum Cards' features professional athletes who got in trouble for a variety of things. It's a sign that back in the day, more than 50 years ago, the transgressions of professional athletes very much were the stuff of pop culture discourse.
There you have it..........satire from the long-ago year of 1971.
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