Gerald Taylor, R.I.P.

March 22, 2021

Jerry Taylor, who was National Lampoon‘s associate publisher from 1971-72 and publisher from 1973-75 (the Golden Age) has died at the age of 85. He was also executive producer on most of the National Lampoon record albums, such as Radio Dinner and Lemmings. Aside from Lampoon stuff, he was creator, publisher and executive editor of the Harvard Lampoon parodies of People and Newsweek as well as parodies of Playboy, Cosmopolitan, and Rolling Stone, and was involved on a similar level with many other magazine-related things throughout his career.

Like many of the business staff at National Lampoon, he was sometimes used as a model in photo shoots. The most prominent example was the Kelly Girls parody from the November 1975 (“Work”) issue, where he was featured as an executive demonstrating the “Henry VIII desk” on the opening page.

Full obit here.

Comments

Within days of Tony Hendra’s passing.

—Keith

March 24, 2021 2:45 pm

Oh, wow. I missed that somehow. I'll post something soon.

—Mark

March 24, 2021 4:03 pm

I remember sitting in Gerry's 5th avenue apartment drinking Bombay Safire Martinis back in the 1980s when I was writing in the city, and was enthralled by his incredible sense of humor and his great kindness. At the time he was working on New York Doctor, and I introduced him to my father, a surgeon, who ended up a featured personality for the first issue. He invited me to second night Passover dinner at his home with his beautiful wife, which I never expected, along with many other gestures of friendship back then. What a grand man gone.

—Mark Yoslow, PhD

December 10, 2021 2:59 am

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