A raving, unconfined realist

>> Paul Krassner, the godfather of funnybone subversion

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Mad Magazine dropout and close friend of Lenny Bruce, Paul Krassner produced the first (and arguably best) humour magazine to subvert the subversives, question the answers and make mincemeat out of every sacred cow in sight. From '58 to '74, and again in the Reagan '80s, The Realist stood as a handbook for free thought committed to print. Heading our way for the Anglofun segment of Symfolium, Krassner, now a standup comedian and freelance writer, took a moment to chat with the Mirror.



M: Are you still as apolitical as you were at the dawn of the '60s?

PK: That wasn't being apolitical, it was being independent. So it made me more political, I thought, because I wasn't limited by any particular ideology, any "ism." I could make fun of the left and the right equally.

M: What did you think of Jesse "the Body" Ventura's election as governor of Minnesota?

PK: I was delighted, for a few reasons. First, he was such a refreshing change from politicians who rely on focus groups and polls for their opinions. He was the only candidate who came out for the decriminalization of marijuana. He didn't kowtow to anyone, said what he pleased, dressed as he pleased. Also, a lot of young people voted for him, who wouldn't have voted otherwise. It's indicative of how cynical the public has become. So I welcomed him. His background wasn't just wrestling--he was mayor of a small town for awhile, and he had a radio talk show where he expressed his opinions, so people knew where he stood. He's a caricature, but that's fine--they all are.

M: Do you think there's anything really subversive going on in mainstream media these days?

PK: The Internet has helped. It used to take anywhere from 10 to 20 years for an idea, a notion or news or information, to rise from graffiti on a wall to mimeographed zine to the underground press to the alternative press to the mainstream. Now, it's almost immediate. The rate of acceleration of information has changed the nature of news. I mean, this also includes misinformation, but that's good in a way, because it forces people to be more skeptical, and not take truth for granted.

The rise of free weeklies is another thing. In Seattle, you've got the mainstream papers, then the alternatives, the alternatives to those, and then alternatives to those, posted on telephone poles. It's exciting, although the weeklies have come to depend on advertising. Then there's the tabloidization of mainstream media, everything from Clarence Thomas and pubic hair on the cover of the New York Times to the Clinton scandal--you'd have little kids asking their parents, "What's oral sex?" I think it's occurred because the competition is so fierce that to get readers' attention they have to go further and further, break more taboos.

M: Where does The Realist fit into this?

PK: There's only three more issues to come, then I'm retiring to the great...publishing... cemetery. I've been doing it since 1958. One of the reasons I'm ceasing publication is, its original purpose was to serve as an example of unfettered communication. It would have happened anyway, but in that sense, The Realist served its purpose. When I started, I was a lone voice...

M: "A raving, unconfined nut," to quote the FBI...

PK: Yeah! And now irreverence has become an industry. :

Krassner joins Wavy Gravy, Ed Holmes and others on Tuesday, April 4 for a 2pm conference at la Maison de la Culture Plateau Mont-Royal, free, and then an 8pm stage performance at Lion d'Or, $20