New Playboys: As good as these old Playboys?

June 10, 2006 12:40 PM

I just found a big box of old Playboys that cover dates from the mid sixties to the early eighties. I got to reading them (clothed) and you know what? Everything I've ever heard about how good the articles are is true! I'm sure they still have hot babes, what I'm asking is are they still writing these great, edgy articles about culture and politics, or are they basically FHM now? I mean these magazines have articles from everyone from Andy Warhol to P.G Wodehouse for chrissakes.

Extra points if you link me to a really cool article as proof.

posted by shanevsevil to writing & language (15 comments total)

And Shel Silverstein. In Playboy! Don't forget that a huge huge amount of what he wrote and cartooned was not for children. So sad that he died.
posted by bilabial at 1:08 PM on June 10, 2006

Also in this Month's Playboy:

The New Human -- What it means to be a human being is changing right before our eyes. With advancements in genetics, robotics and nanotechnology, we have started to alter our minds, memories, progeny and maybe even our souls. Radical Evolution author Joel Garreau details how the next scientific frontier will be inside us. Also, Margaret Atwood ponders immortality, Ray Kurzweil considers our singular future, and Mary Midgley rationalizes why we can't live forever.

Not Your Father's Hi-Fi -- A look at the newest mini-gadget wonders that keep tunes, pictures and movies within easy reach. By Scott Alexander

Drifting -- Go sideways or go home. Drifting, the world's hottest motor sport, is the best import from Japan since the Walkman. Though it emerged in the United States only a few years ago, Americans are now racing to match their Japanese counterparts. By Craig Vetter

My Love Machine -- After conceiving and constructing the JillJet, a high-concept hot tub conducive to female climaxes, the master illusionist took the ultimate step and got a patent for his liquidy orgasmatron. By Penn Jillette


It aint what it used to be, but you can still find some decent articles in Playboy. Definitely a step above FHM, but not quite the New Yorker.
posted by sophist at 1:28 PM on June 10, 2006

And the Advisor is always worth reading.
posted by padraigin at 1:41 PM on June 10, 2006

If you can find this DVD, Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time, pick it up. It's a great documentary about Hefner and Playboy. Tons of interviews. Doesn't pull any punches, either.
posted by frogan at 2:03 PM on June 10, 2006

What sophist said.

I stopped buying it when I realized it was gradually turning into another FHM or Maxim. It's still better, but not by that much.

The Advisor is the only part I miss.
posted by Penks at 2:39 PM on June 10, 2006

Not really your question, but if you like good articles, nerve has really good articles about sex. And suicidegirls has really good interviews lately.
posted by bigmusic at 2:54 PM on June 10, 2006

I'd certainly say they jumped the shark.

Scientific American, Wired, and a plethora of other publications have already covered the topic of transhumanism. Consumer Reports and a bucketload of periodicals have profiles impulse-buy gadgets. Drift racing is old as the hills; it hit its peak overseas when Sony introduced the Playstation 2; videogames, comics, and animated series have already been based on the trend. Playboy's feature was likely meant to tie in with the new Fast & the Furious sequel. Penn's piece on the tub could easily have been a byline from Esquire, Stuff, or Maxim. The rabbit has pretty much left the building.
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:56 PM on June 10, 2006

A former tenant of an apartment I used to live in was a sex columnist, and for the first few months I lived there Playboys would arrive in the mail. I have to say that a lot of the articles *were* pretty good. They asked a lot more candid questions than other magazines.
posted by radioamy at 4:25 PM on June 10, 2006

More of what sophist said. I've been a fan since long before I could read, and as I've aged (and the nekkid women become more plastic and air-brushed), the articles have become more and more important to me. They may not be "edgy" compared to what you can find online, but the magazine is among the most consistent and closest to mainstream "keep the government out of my bedroom" publications out there.
posted by phrits at 6:31 PM on June 10, 2006 [1 favorite]

Old ones certainly better (because they had to be?) than the new ones. Playboy seems to have embraced some of the easy crutches recently, but nonetheless it's still worth having along. Considering my 15 or so subscriptions it would be one of the last two dropped, with New Yorker being #1.
posted by sled at 6:46 PM on June 10, 2006

Did you find it in the woods?
posted by hermitosis at 6:51 PM on June 10, 2006

Well it sounds like it's pretty split down the middle. Considering I can try it for a year for about 16 dollars, I think I'll just see about it myself.

Hermitosis: Oh were they yours?

...Actually I found them in a garage sale.
posted by shanevsevil at 8:59 PM on June 10, 2006

Did you find it in the woods?

You know, I've always wondered about this. When I was a kid, my friend Daniel and I found nudie mags in the woods. I've talked to friends who have had similar experiences. Is there some kind of porno mag disposal procedure that involves the woods near people's houses?
posted by Mikey-San at 1:33 AM on June 11, 2006

Wonder no more, Mikey-San!
posted by NekulturnY at 2:12 AM on June 11, 2006

Sonofabitch. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CANNOT TELL US, ASK METAFILTER?!
posted by Mikey-San at 2:21 AM on June 11, 2006