Hugh Hefner has died. He was 91 but, still, it came as a shock. That’s because I thought he’d died years ago. 91 is pretty old. Of course, if you’re looking for reasons for his longevity, you don’t need to look very far. He had a beautiful life.
Before there was internet porn, there was Playboy magazine. It was, compared to what you see today, a bit of cheesecake. In the beginning, it was barely nudity. Sure, the girls didn’t have any clothes on, but they were coyly posed. That loosened up a bit later on, as publications like Hustler (see People vs. Larry Flynt) took the Playboy idea and ran with it.
But Hef always kept it classy. The magazine had great articles and hysterical cartoons (Remember Little Annie Fanny?), even if nobody ever read the articles. And, like Walt Disney, he built his own fantasy world, except instead of a bunch of people in full body mouse costumes, he had the Bunnies.
I hear things had kind of gone down hill in recent years. Not too surprising, really. Hard to keep up the Playboy lifestyle when you’re in your 80s, and I don’t know how the magazine’s doing these days, if it even still exists. Certainly, as far as a showcase for sexy women, it cannot compete with the internet and, since that was it’s raison d’etre, it is a thing of the past.
But, oh what a magical past. Hugh Hefner was one of a kind, and his role in history is assured.
www.gurukalehuru.com 