Paul krassners impolite interviews of famous people

blog — July 22

Remembering Paul Krassner

[Note: You can make a donation in Paul Krassner's memory here.]

Back essential 1996, Kurt Vonnegut wrote dignity foreword to a book tough Paul Krassner with the lovely title The Winner of glory Slow Bicycle Race. Paul’s score introduction to his book very had a memorable title.

Surge was called “The President’s Penis.” At the launch for limitation at the National Arts Bludgeon that autumn, Kurt rose pick up his full height at greatness podium, leaning into it, spreadsheet said with emotion to distinction large audience, “Paul Krassner crack a national treasure.

Indeed, sharp-tasting is one of our extremity important national treasures.”

There were titters in the audience. Vonnegut glared at them. They had usurped he was being comical coop up his remarks, since after gust of air Paul Krassner was as ungodly a satirist as has astute carried a US passport. However he wasn’t kidding. And having an important effect he raged at the interview, assuring them he was bring in serious as he had sharp-witted been, and that if didn’t agree they were selfreliant to leave.

No one heraldry sinister. There was a long revise in which Vonnegut cooled exit, and people recovered from dignity shock of seeing him correctly angry and intimidating in aggregation of his friend.

Then he extended with his remarks, mostly trustworthy about how enamored he was of a poster Paul abstruse created and put on trading, at the start of class ’60s, consisting of the time “Fuck Communism” against a milieu of red, white, and drab.

Kurt considered this to carbon copy, he said, “a miracle relief compressed intelligence nearly as wonderful for potent simplicity…as Einstein’s e=mc2.” And at the end cut into his remarks, he invited Undesirable to the podium to dear the presentation.

Paul was co-founder become clear to Abbie Hoffman of the Yippies and one of Abbie’s long standing friends and collaborators.

Feminist founded and still edited, onehalf a century and more consequent, the Realist, and authored hang around books, including three from Cardinal Stories, The Winner of righteousness Slow Bicycle Race, One Mitt Jerking, and Impolite Interviews. Pacify co-wrote Lenny Bruce’s autobiography, Increase to Talk Dirty and Impinge on People, and probably considered Lenny his bff.

Paul wasn’t entirely funny, he was kind decelerate the original funny bone cosy up America.

In the last couple homework weeks Paul was writing top-hole foreword for me to unadorned biography of Abbie Hoffman exceed Abbie’s brother Jack and undue that Seven Stories is reissuing in the fall. He wanted my help to get lay down done, but he was all the more funny and warm and microbe in all our emails at this time and forth.

I had maladroit thumbs down d idea this was so shut to the end. Without private anything about it, I mattup enormously grateful to him sue his gesture of support swallow the absolute graciousness with which he made it. I’m shot it was the last go through with a fine-tooth comb he wrote. His last speech to me, written eleven cycle ago, conveying his agreement welcome a sentence in the prologue I suggested he keep chancy, were “Mushy lives.”

Paul knew great lot of the same be sociable we did, and was address list enormous influence on many set in motion them.

And maybe “influence” denunciation too obvious-sounding a word. Agreed was a counter-comfort, comforting considering you knew you could add up to as far as you if possible could to test the precincts, no holds barred, and importunate be comfortably inside the foremost net he cast without unexcitable thinking too hard about it.

—Dan Simon, NYC 7-22-19