American Originals: In praise of "troublemaker" Paul Krassner
The writer, activist, satirist and free speech champion Paul Krassner - founder of The Realist magazine - left behind a bright, blazing trail worth remembering
I thought I’d take a break from flying saucers for a bit. I’ll come back to them soon – they’re a source of endless fascination for me. Meantime, I wanted to write a tribute to one of my heroes: the late, great satirist, dissenter, and writer Paul Krassner (1932-2019). Krassner would’ve been 93 next April. Krassner was the founder of one of the pioneering gems of alternative media, The Realist magazine. What follows is a profile of Krassner, one of “Hunt’s Heroes and Heroines,” as part of my series called “AMERICAN ORIGINALS” – profiles of the men and women that I hold in high esteem, the kind of people that we need now more than ever.
Enjoy!
Paul Krassner has always been my idol. When I was a kid growing up in the deep red state of Utah, other kids that I knew revered celebrities: movie and TV stars, bands, pop singers, famous athletes. But I loved Sixties radicals like Abbie Hoffman, Dick Gregory, Joan Baez, Ella Baker, and Paul Krassner.
I interviewed Krassner over 20 years ago for a biography that I wrote about activist and writer David Dellinger. Paul was such an amazing guy – eloquent, funny, thoughtful, creative, colourful and richly detailed in his replies to my questions, really the perfect interviewee. And if I could’ve written his biography too, I would have jumped at the chance.
Yes, I found Krassner to be a total mensch, and so supportive of my Dellinger project – the kind of nurturing mentor who makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger and grander. He’d been my hero long before our interview. And after I interviewed him, well . . . even more so! He dedicated his life to being a shit-disturber.
Paul Krassner – activist, writer, comedian – lived from 1932 to 2019. He wrote articles about the eventful times in which he lived, and he immersed himself in the Counterculture during the 1960s and 1970s. He started his own magazine, The Realist, in 1958, a satirical publication that boasted as its first subscriber Tonight Show host Steve Allen.
Why is Paul Krassner worth remembering? We need more Paul Krassner-hearted people in today’s world. More shit-disturbers. More genuine nonconformists. More people willing to give a spirited middle finger to the suffocating forces around us that would try to snuff out individuality.
Here are seven reasons why we should all stop what we’re doing today for a moment to remember the late, great Paul Krassner:
Reason 1: Krassner played a pivotal role in helping to invent alternative media. Some have called Krassner “the father of the Underground Press,” but he rejected the title. As Krassner told an interviewer in 2009: “Underground is a misnomer because The Realist was sold openly, and people knew where they could get more copies. Other people named it the underground press as other papers followed it. I never called it ‘counterculture.’ The word wasn’t invented! But when People magazine called me the father of the underground press, that made it official.”[1]
Krassner’s paper, The Realist, published things that no other periodical would touch. It published the writings of Norman Mailer, Terry Southern, Woody Allen, Mae Brussell, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Jean Shepherd, and many others. Its pages contained humour, social commentary, and in-depth investigative journalism.
“When I started, there was no counterculture. I felt like the only Martian on the block,” Krassner explained. “And The Realist served to show that there was a Martian community.”[2]
It covered an array of events, from the Kennedy assassination to the Counterculture to the rock music scene, and other matters having to do with drugs, politics, pop culture, and sexuality. It also published cartoons by the likes of R. Crumb and Jules Feiffer and other noted illustrators. In the 1970s, John Lennon of the Beatles gave the magazine a huge contribution at a time when its funds were running dry. The Realist blazed a trail, and opened up new spaces for dissenting journalists to explore compelling topics of the day.
Reason 2: Krassner was the ultimate free speech warrior. Krassner’s mighty little magazine, The Realist, published pieces that challenged the status quo, and helped shatter age-old myths and taboos. The Realist inspired others to start their own underground papers, and it pleased Krassner to see so many alternative periodicals literally spread like wildfire in the 1960s and 1970s. In his own publication, Krassner tested the First Amendment every chance he got. He proudly regarded himself as a free speech warrior at a moment in history when championing everybody’s right to express a wide range of opinions was a radical position to adopt.
He also somebody pushed the envelope when it wasn’t fashionable to do so. In 1963, at the height of the Cold War and anti-communist fervor in the United States, Krassner, along with MAD Magazine artist John Francis Putnam, designed and sold a red, white, and blue poster with the phrase "Fuck Communism" emblazoned on it – and with the word "Fuck" prominently displayed in a red, white and blue patriotic style.
This was a time when the word “fuck” was considered highly offensive and rarely seen in print. Krassner's intention wasn't to promote communism, but rather to satirize the prevailing political climate and the hypocrisy surrounding the use of language. He wanted to expose the absurdity of how people reacted to both the word "fuck" and the word "communism" with such irrational fear and outrage. By juxtaposing the two, he aimed to highlight the absurdity of both reactions.
The poster proved to be controversial, even within counterculture circles. Some people found it offensive and juvenile, while others regarded it as a brilliant piece of satire that exposed the double standards and irrational fears of the time. Whatever one might make of it, the “Fuck Communism” poster was a bold thing to create in 1963 America.
Reason 3: Paul Krassner offered future generations a shining example of what it means to be a nonconformist. He exposed hypocrisy. His brand of satire highlighted the gap between what authorities said and what they did, revealing their inconsistencies and double standards. Krassner questioned authority. He never blindly accepted the pronouncements of government officials or other powerful figures. He encouraged people to think critically and challenge those in power. These were all traits of a man who loved his country so much that he threw everything he had into nudging it closer to its professed ideals.
Reason 4: Paul Krassner used humour as a weapon. He understood, better than anybody, the subversive potential of being funny. Humour can undermine authority, make people question their own deeply held beliefs and assumptions, and even inspire nonviolent resistance in others. From the time of Krassner’s childhood, when he watched the Marx Brothers and Laurel Hardy on the big screen of his local movie theatre, he saw that laughter moved people. It lifted them to a better place. It brightened their spirits. It gave them some semblance of hope in a world where despair came so easily. As he once said, “I found out as a kid that you can get attention by making someone laugh.”[3]
The satirist’s love of humour dated back to his childhood. The Brooklyn-born Krassner started playing violin at age 6 in 1938, but by 13, he was already writing funny essays and performing stand-up. This early immersion in humour influenced his later work. “I only had a technique for playing the violin, but I had a real passion for making people laugh,” he explained.[4]
Krassner called himself a “Groucho Marxist,” and “a raving, unconfined nut” (the title of his memoir incidentally — the origin of which is explained below!), which was the closest he ever came to labelling himself. He loved nothing more than the sound of laughter. He believed that social change had to go hand-in-hand with humour. He also thought that if one loved democracy, one had to test it. Poke it, prod it, nudge it along. Make it bigger, make it wider, push its boundaries to the limit – and then push them a little further. Don’t be afraid to offend others – in fact, take joy in it. No wonder the motto of his publication The Realist was: “Irreverence is out only sacred cow.”
Reason 5: Paul Krassner lived through a fascinating period of history. Those who know me know that I focus a lot of my research on the so-called “Long Sixties” – that turbulent era of transformation and upheaval that lasted from roughly the mid-1950s to sometime around the early 1970s. It was a period fraught with all kinds of dramatic social, political and cultural changes.
He had a front-row seat to some of the most eventful years in U.S. History. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Krassner maintained a relentless pace. “That really was a turning point in my life because I had morphed from a satirist into an activist,” he recalled.[5] He crisscrossed the United States at a moment when so many things were happening all at once, on the domestic and international stages. As a lifelong dissenter, he spoke at protests and public events. He met and came to know some of the most significant people of the day, including Civil Rights activists, feminists, antiwar protesters, and important figures of the counterculture.
Krassner appeared on television talk shows, adding jest to the often-stuffy proceedings. He was attacked by more than one pipe-smoking square as an irreverent troublemaker. He loved being called a radical. He never forgot that the word “radical” simply meant “root.” And he was always someone who insisted that change would only come about by going to the root of society’s ills, seeking to solve them in a more meaningful way.
In 1967, Paul Krassner coined the term “Yippie” to describe an extremely loose-knit organization that he helped to create called the Youth International Party. Among his partners in crime in the Yippies were the radical celebrity agitators Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin.
The New York Times explained the significance of the colourful Yippies:
Their theatrical shenanigans included streaming to Washington to “levitate” the Pentagon and organizing a nighttime “yip-in” at Grand Central Terminal to celebrate spring; it drew some 3,000 revelers, prompting nightstick-swinging police officers to charge the crowd and arrest 17 as protesters yelled “Fascists!” The press seemed transfixed by their antics.[6]
Reason 6: Paul Krassner possessed a joie de vivre that remains infectious. All those who knew Krassner said the same thing about him: He was a main in love with life. In a 1968 issue of the glossy weekly pictorial Life magazine, Krassner offered his personal philosophy in a profile about his career as a modern-day rebel: “If I had one thing to tell everybody, it would be: Do it now. Take up music, read a book, proposition a girl – but do it now. We know we are all sentenced to death. People cannot become prisoners of guilts or fears. They should cling to each moment and take what enjoyment they can from it.”[7]
While the word "troublemaker” – which was often applied to Krassner during his lifetime – might seem like a negative label, in Krassner's case, it was a badge of honour. He was a troublemaker for the right reasons, and in the best sense of that word. He dedicated his life to fighting for a more just and equitable society. He used his voice and his wit to challenge the powerful and inspire others to question the world around them. His search for hope in a world beset by war, racism, poverty, and numerous other social ills, is, to this day, still poignant has much to teach us.
And finally . . .
Reason 7: What an amazing legacy Paul Krassner leaves behind! While known for satire, Krassner was a serious journalist and interviewer. He engaged with diverse figures, from comedian Groucho Marx to LSD guru Timothy Leary to author Joseph Heller, demonstrating his intellectual curiosity and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Krassner nurtured young talent. He mentored a number of journalists who cited him as their main influence. In 1993, his memoir titled Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut: Misadventures in Counterculture appeared on bookstore shelves across North America, and critics celebrated it for its blend of engaging history and hilarious satire.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recognized Krassner’s ability to spark subversive laughter among readers and packed audiences alike. Moreover the Realist was having a much larger cultural impact on the United States than its circulation numbers would indicate, which spooked the feds to no end. In fact, the FBI furnished the name of Krassner’s autobiography. The FBI spied on him extensively, developing a thick dossier on him over the years. One FBI agent referred to Krassner in a letter as “a raving, unconfined nut,” which is where Krassner got the title for his memoir.
The FBI feared Krassner because he could make people laugh and, in the process, potentially win them over to his point of view. Little wonder that comedian George Carlin – a friend of Krassner’s – understood why the FBI spied so relentless on Krassner. “The FBI was right. This man is dangerous — and funny, and necessary,” Carlin remarked.[8] Carlin referred to Krassner as “funnier than Danny Kaye, more powerful than Jerry Lewis, as important as acid.”[9]
Krassner spent his last years in Desert Hot Springs, a small community north of Palm Springs, California, living with his wife and soulmate, Nancy Cain. He remained active political causes for the rest of his life, and according to his daughter, he wrote prolifically up until he died. One of his proudest achievements was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 from Veterans for Peace, an organization of antiwar veterans who honoured Krassner for the decades that he fought on the frontlines against injustice in the United States.[10]
Paul Krassner died at age 87 on July 21, 2019. Right up until he died, he embodied the spirit of what Civil Rights activist and Congressman John Lewis called "good trouble," using his wit and satire and especially his humanity to challenge injustice and, along the way, to push for a better world.
NOTES
[1] Bruce Fessier, “The Eternal Realist,” Desert Sun, August 30, 2009, E2.
[2] Jon Kalish, "Paul Krassner, Comedian Who Captured The Zeitgeist Of The '60s, Dies At 87,” All Things Considered, National Public Radio, July 22, 2019.
[3] Scott J. Wilson, “Counterculture Satirist Coined the Term ‘Yippie,’” Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2019, B5.
[4] “Paul Krassner, radical activist, dies at 87,” Politico, July 21, 2019.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Joseph Berger, “Paul Krassner, Anarchist, Prankster and a Yippies Founder, Dies at 87,” New York Times, July 21, 2019, Section A, 21.
[7] “Underground Editor Paul Krassner: Easygoing Advocate of the Outrageous,” Life, October 4, 1968, 46.
[8] Harrison Smith, “Paul Krassner, countercultural ringmaster and leader of the Yippies, dies at 87,” Washington Post, July 22, 2019.
[9] Scott J. Wilson, "Paul Krassner, counterculture satirist who coined the term ‘Yippie,’ dies at 87," Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2019.
[10] “Counterculturist Paul Krassner through the years,” Desert Sun, July 21, 2019.
Andrew- My favorite enlightening piece of this is that he used humor as a weapon. To your point, this is not as easy as it looks. So those who have successfully done such, is praiseworthy in more ways than one. Your piece’s ability to highlight this, is itself a praiseworthy feat.
Hi Andrew,
I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never heard of Paul Krassner before; now, after reading this excellent article by you, I look forward to reading his written work.