Show #6-19 – May 20, 2007
 National Lampoon
There are two distinct era’s for National Lampoon. The early years, when the magazine was at the forefront of a comedy revolution. And the later years when Lampoon had ceased to exist as a publication and became merely a brand for titillating movies.
 The politically important humour of the 1960’s was centered around universities on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, the comedy shows Beyond The Fringe and Monty Python’s Flying Circus were outgrowths of Oxford and Cambridge theatre.
And in America National Lampoon had its roots in one of the country’s most respected institutions of higher learning – Harvard.
Now the new company wishes to reclaim its place at the vanguard of humour…they have gone on-line, published a series of books, and are even thinking of reviving the magazine.
It's interesting that this revival of National Lampoon occurs at a time, which to some degree parallels the 1960's. Instead of Vietnam there is Iraq, instead of Richard Nixon there is George Bush, and maybe in an age that is dominated by celebrity lifestyle and conspicuous consumption there is also a need for intellectual silliness.
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