The Realist was an American magazine that used satire and criticism to talk about society, politics, and religion. It was started and edited by Paul Krassner. Many people see it as a very important part of the "underground" or counterculture press in the United States during the mid-1900s.
History
The magazine began in 1958 in New York City. At first, it was published regularly during the 1960s. Later, it came out less often. In 1984, it changed into a smaller newsletter. The very last issue was published in the spring of 2001.
The Realist was famous for its extreme humor and cartoons. However, it also published serious articles and interviews. Famous writers like Norman Mailer, Ken Kesey, and Joseph Heller wrote for the magazine.
Famous stories and hoaxes
The magazine was well-known for playing tricks (hoaxes) and using very shocking humor.
"Fuck Communism" sticker
Krassner made a red, white, and blue bumper sticker that said "Fuck Communism." He told people that if anyone got angry at them for having the sticker, they should tell the critic to "Go back to Russia."
Disneyland Memorial Orgy
In May 1967, the magazine published a famous poster drawn by Wally Wood. It showed many famous Disney characters doing bad or sexual things. This poster became very popular and was sold all over the country.
The Kennedy story
Krassner wrote a very shocking and fake story called "The Parts That Were Left Out of the Kennedy Book." It was about the death of President Kennedy. The story had a very gross scene involving Lyndon B. Johnson. Even though the story was fake, some people at the time believed it might be true. Krassner said he wrote it to show how crazy he thought the government was.
Conspiracy theories
The Realist was one of the first magazines to talk about conspiracy theories. It published the work of Mae Brussell, who wrote about the JFK assassination and the Watergate scandal. When the magazine had money problems in the 1970s, John Lennon from The Beatles gave money to help keep it running.
Notable contributors
Many famous people wrote or drew for the magazine, including:
