In Which Mad Men Created The Mad World Of Mad Magazine
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 11:27PM 
Subterranean Homesick Jews
by Molly Lambert
To see these gorgeous parody ads from the late fifties/early sixties back covers and inside front pages of Mad Magazine in their full spendor, and be able to read the hilarious fine print, visit this excellent flickr set.
Hey Gang! Let's Play 43 Man Squamish!
New terminology is introduced with no explanation; much of the humor derives from the reader's half-successful attempts at gleaning a meaning from context. Exactly what everyone on the team is supposed to do, exactly what penalties apply and exactly when or why the yellow danger flag is to be flown remains far from clear, even after repeated readings.
From Wiki's entry on Mad Magazine:
Though there are antecedents to Mad’s style of humor in print, radio and film, the overall package was a unique one that stood out in a staid era. Throughout the 1950s, Mad featured groundbreaking parodies combining a sentimental fondness for the familiar staples of American culture, such as Archie and Superman, with a keen joy in exposing the fakery behind the image.
This Cadillac one reminds me of Joan Holloway
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding on the radio, Ernie Kovacs on television, Stan Freberg on records, Harvey Kurtzman in the early issues of Mad: all of those pioneering humorists and many others realized that the real world mattered less to people than the sea of sounds and images that the ever more powerful mass media were pumping into American lives. - Dave Kehr
Tony Hiss and Jeff Lewis wrote about the then-25-year-old publication's initial impact:
It was magical, objective proof to kids that they weren't alone, that in New York City on Lafayette Street, if nowhere else, there were people who knew that there was something wrong, phony and funny about a world of bomb shelters, brinkmanship and toothpaste smiles.
Mad's consciousness of itself, as trash, as comic book, as enemy of parents and teachers, even as money-making enterprise, thrilled kids. In 1955, such consciousness was possibly nowhere else to be found.
Mad is often credited with filling a vital gap in political satire in the 1950s to 1970s, when Cold War paranoia and a general culture of censorship prevailed in the United States, especially in literature for teens. The rise of factors such as cable television and the Internet have diminished the influence and impact of Mad, although it remains a widely distributed magazine.
In a way, Mad's power has been undone by its own success; what was subversive in the 1950s and 1960s is now commonplace. However, its impact on three generations of humorists is incalculable, as can be seen in the frequent references to Mad on The Simpsons.
There's more time for fun when this one line of copy takes 10 seconds to write for the Polaroid Land Camera ad campaign!
Mad was long noted for its absence of advertising, enabling it to skewer the excesses of a materialist culture without fear of advertiser reprisal. For decades, it was by far the most successful American magazine to publish ad-free, beginning with issue #33 (April 1957).
Pulitzer Prize-winning art comics maven Art Spiegelman said, "The message Mad had in general is, 'The media is lying to you, and we are part of the media.' It was basically 'Think for yourselves, kids.'"
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Patti Smith said, "After Mad, drugs were nothing."
William Gaines offered his own view: when asked to cite Mad's philosophy, his boisterous answer was, "We must never stop reminding the reader what little value they get for their money!"
Spy Vs. Spy was invented (in 1961) by a Cuban National
We will refrain from commenting on MAD TV.
The great Daniel Pinkwater wrote an essay, collected in Fish Whistle about his first experience with Mad Magazine.
Arnie Kogen wrote for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. His son Jay Kogen wrote some of the best early Simpsons episodes, including the original Treehouse of Horror with partner Wallace Wolodarsky, who was the inspiration for Otto The Bus Driver.
The original Simpsons lunchlady; Doris Grau, was a gravel-voiced character actress in the spirit of Selma Diamond.
The Usual Gang Of Idiots:
Bernard Krigstein pioneered the artistic use of comic book panels as a temporal dimension.
Bob Clarke is Cutty Sark
Norman Mingo is Alfred E. Neuman
Joe Orlando is Sea Monkeys
Songs In A Jugular Vein:
Crazy - Lil' Wayne: (mp3)
Crazy Rhythms (live) - The Feelies: (mp3)
Crazy You - Prince: (mp3)
Crazy 'Bout You - Christine (McVie) Perfect: (mp3)
Crazy Blues - Angel'In Heavy Syrup: (mp3)
Baby Drives Me Crazy - Thin Lizzy: (mp3)
Beat Crazy - Joe Jackson: (mp3)
Molly Lambert is the managing editor of This Recording
PREVIOUSLY ON THIS RECORDING
Will Hubbard Is TR's Pin-Up Boy For Poetry
Will's Fancy Foreign Netflix Queue
The Cat's Just Fine He Never Left
Missed Connections And Faceblindness
THIS RECORDING IS POTRZEBIE
Reader Comments (5)
vintage advertising is so hot right now.
My Latin teacher in high school, George Woodbridge, was the son of another George Woodbridge, the one who illustrated the 43-Man Squamish article. NEAT-O!
[...] You have got to be kidding me. [...]
[...] Mad Men At Mad Magazine [...]
I love all the old parodies still! I am looking for one that copies Admiral TV for 1959, originally read "Nobody touches her new Admiral!" (it's wireless remote controlled). It became something like "Nobody puts their cotton pickers on her new Admiral" etc. The woman holding the control was Alfred E. Newman in drag, the picture on the set was Donald Duck, playing a saxophone.