National Lampoon July 1974

National Lampoon
July, 1974

In modern vernacular, the July, 1974 issue of the National Lampoon can safely be labeled as one of the most 'transgressive' yet issued, although back in '74 it simply would've been regarded as another instance of 'sick' humor from editors Henry Beard, Tony Hendra, Brian McConnachie, and Sean Kelly.

The issue's major theme was food, or more precisely, the lack of it. The main feature is Famine Circle, a satire of the venerable magazine Family Circle. The articles in Famine Circle make fun of starving Indians and Africans. Definitely not politically correct humor !

Things really take a turn for the grotesque with the 'Doggie-Wogs' article by Bruce McCall.

The article showcases a portfolio of fake correspondence from the advertising firm of Yessman, Flummox, and Bolt, Inc., with Aggravated Foods, an American pet food company, that proposes to convert starving Indians ('wogs') into dog food (!). 

Along with the comic content, we get advertisements to remind us that Kris Kristofferson is a gritty and true-to-life singer-songwriter. And there's a new band on the scene, called 'Kansas', made up of six 'Topeka Jayhawks'.

There you have it. Transgressive humor that would certainly not ever see print nowadays.......