Al Feldstein, the Soul of Mad Magazine, Dies at 88 | Hacker News Reader

Al Feldstein, the Soul of Mad Magazine, Dies at 88

nytimes.com

71 pointsshrikant17 comments

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!

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

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

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.

Here in sweden MAD stopped publication around 2000-2001 iirc, citing that 'the real world is now crazier than mad magazine, so it's time to stop'. In reality it was due to poor sales I'm sure.

Anyway as someone who grew up with the wonderful weird humour of Mad and the wonderful wacky art from guys like Don Martin, Mort Drucker (I remember the Mad movie parodies better than I remember the actual movies), Jack Davies etc, I feel sad to hear that it seems to have lost it's once great appeal.

Actually I just recalled an exchange from the Mad spoof on Return of the Jedi, went something like this (when I read it so many moons ago it was in swedish, don't know how it relates to the original english version):

  Darth Vader: the rebuilding of the death star is taking too long, you will have to work faster.
  Officer: But we are already working 14 hours a day!
  Darth Vader: You'll need to double your efforts.
  Officer: And work 28 hours a day?
  Darth Vader: I'm a sadist, not a mathematician.

This is Mad magazine to me.

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

Easy there :) I'm 31 and love those as well.

And National Lampoon.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

It's impossible.

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.

I knew something felt off about the title -- corrected, thanks!

Surely you meant to type "Feldstein."

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