Founding publisher of National Lampoon, Matty Simmons, is working on a book called Animal House: The Book about the making of the movie. If you have any funny or interesting stories or incidents that happened to you during or after or because of the movie, Matty would like to hear from you. You can send your stories to: mattyahbook@aol.com

Rare Sam Gross lithograph (the “frog’s legs” cartoon) on eBay right now (not cheap, either). Check it out.

The July 1970 (Bad Taste) issue included a cartoon by Peter Bramley that was purportedly “too vulgar to be run as originally intended.” To render it harmless, the cartoon was presented as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Now, over forty years later, Cartoon Carol (of Pox Girls in Australia) has assembled the puzzle, using the latest computer imaging techniques to avoid damaging the precious copy of the magazine in which it appeared. To view the completed puzzle, click (if you dare) on the puzzle piece displayed here. Glad that’s finally cleared up.

National Lampoon Revisited event video has been posted on FORA.tv. If you missed the event, You can see it now. (Thanks to Matthew for the link.) Update: This video is unfortunately no longer available. But you can see some video I shot at the event here.

I’m still working on my write up about last Saturday’s event. In the mean time, you can read Dennis Perrin’s take on it. (Dennis wrote the biography of Michael O’Donoghue, ” Mr. Mike: The Life and Work of Michael O’Donoghue, The Man Who Made Comedy Dangerous“.)

2/9/16 Update: So, I never got round to posting my write up. It was really, really cool to be there, and probably the most amazing thing to happen with me as a result of doing this website, but I didn’t really know what to write. I may get around to it someday, but it’s like more than six years later now as I write this update. Do you really care? You do? Well… Maybe I’ll get to it. In the mean time, take a look at the next news item, which has a link to a video of the event. It’ll be almost like you were there…

10/19/23 Update: I finally wrote about it here. Also, Dennis Perrin has apparently removed his post about the event from his blog.

While you’re waiting for me to post my item about Saturday’s event, here are some reviews of Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead:

The New York Times

The Wall Street Journal

The New Yorker

And, to show it’s not just New Yorkers writing about it, here’s one from Saginaw, Michigan: The Review

National Lampoon Revisited at the New York Public Library was almost everything I hoped it would be and more. I will post something about it here soon. One thing: The NYPL posts videos of events like this on the its site on this page. There were video cameras there, so, presumably, this one will be, too. I’ll post a link when and if it becomes available.

Update: So, I never got around to posting something. Sorry. Okay, here it is: It was fantastic. There. Satisfied?

10/19/23 Update: Never say never. Finally.

The original painting by Mara McAfee for the November 1973 cover of National Lampoon—the one that looks like a self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh with a banana in his severed ear—is up for auction. If you’re interested, there’s more info here. Update: It sold for $7,320 a week or so later.

A week and a half from now (December 4), a bunch of former NatLamp people are getting together at the New York Public Library to celebrate the publication of Rick Meyerowitz’ Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. I will be there, too. More info here.

Someone on eBay is selling a pair of the Nixon & Agnew puppets that Rick designed for National Lampoon in 1970 (as seen on the cover of the October 1970 (Politics) issue). Check it out. (Thanks to John for the tip.)