

Al Feldstein, the Soul of Mad Magazine, Dies at 88 - shrikant
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/business/media/soul-of-mad-magazine-al-feldstein-dies-at-88.html?_r=0

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stephancoral
RIP Al Feldstein. My life would not have been the same were it not for that
fateful day rummaging through the boxes in the back of my neighborhood comic
shop (remember those?) and finding a cachet of MAD from the sixties and
seventies.

I would get in trouble with my parents becaue I'd be up until 2am reading MAD
by my nightlight and would be exhausted in school the next morning. But MAD
taught me more than my public school could've: it gave me a real-world
education, the view that things are messed up and broken and that jokers,
pranksters, spitballers, and rabble-rousers may be on to something after all.

MAD used to be incredibly intellectual in the earlier days, which makes sense
considering the bulk of its audience was college students (whereas nowadays
the diminishing readership is probably mostly tweens and manchildren). MAD
exposed me to D.H Lawrence, to Virgil and Homer, to a huge array of cultural
references across manifold genres. For only a few bucks an issue (cheap!), I
was taken away from my suburban bubble and thrust into an irreverent comedic
realm that was a catalyst for many of my own projects. I got in a lot of
trouble at school because I turned all my assignments on their head but I
wouldn't have it any other way.

Also lets not forget MAD's contribution to the hacker culture: they published
Donald Knuth's portzebie measurement system!

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sixQuarks
MAD magazine's downfall really accelerated after they introduced paid
advertisements.

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stephancoral
Personally I think the downward trajectory began in the mid eighties. I
remember buying the first issue that had advertisements in it (#402) and
wondering what took so long. That being said, even its downward trajectory
still had some absolutely golden moments. I really enjoyed "Monroe" \- it had
a great underground comix feel

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omilu
My only experience with mad is during the 80s, I thought it was great, 90s era
or beyond not so much. I still have my collection which I reread on occasion,
still funny still brilliant. I find it weird that stand up comedy from the
80s, can age so poorly, I mean absolutely not funny at all today. But old txt
files and written stuff maintains its relevance.

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dvere
Mad Magazine, Dr Demento, and Monty Python; these things lie in the heart of
almost every 45+ year old programmer.

~~~
serf
I'm twenty-something, and those are my comedy 'bases'.

Perhaps it has something to do with the types of humor?

Monty Python, for example, tends to create comedy from the over-exaggeration
of pure logic. I think we, as programmers, tend to do that anyway; to see it
portrayed on the silver screen is great, and maybe we also get a sense of
relief from realizing that we aren't the only ones coming up with such
silliness, albeit mentally.

Same sort of traits abound in Dr.Demento and MAD. 'Wet Dream' and most of the
'Lighter side of...' series are similar. Take a logical premise, and take it
to the point of silliness.

RIP. I have fond memories of MAD, and it definitely helped created the person
I am today.

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stox
This man completely corrupted my childhood. Thanks! I am a better man for it.

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drawkbox
MAD magazine helped everyone laugh at the absurdity of things and introduced
lots of kids to satire, cynicism and sarcasm. It helped us take things a
little less serious and not to worry. Every author/artist that worked on the
magazine is a free thinking hero. Thanks Al. MAD magazine was one of the best
sites on the pre-internet.

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jacquesm
Without Mad Magazine, George Carlin and Billy Connolly my life would probably
be quite a bit different.

Why commit suicide, only because the last issue was sold out...

RIP Al & thanks, two of my favorites down.

I'll go find my catsuit now I guess.

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devindotcom
Damn. RIP, Al. Loved the mag for many, many years and still take a trip down
memory lane when I find one sitting around the house during holiday.

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ArkyBeagle
Try to imagine what the would would have been like without them.

It's impossible.

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johnohara
Feldstein, not Goldstein. Mad, not Screw. The original NYT title is in error,
since corrected.

There is a percent of my youth related to "Spy vs. Spy", "The Lighter Side
of..." and of course, every parody. Classic.

He's no doubt laughing right now at the irony of the NYT's mistake.

~~~
shrikant
I _knew_ something felt off about the title -- corrected, thanks!

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FroshKiller
Surely you meant to type "Feldstein."

