Misspent Youth Part II

One thoughtful and thought provoking gift I received this Christmas was a DVD containing every issue from the long history of National Lampoon Magazine. Founded in 1971 Lampoon was a mainstay of my teen years. I can't begin to tell how exciting it was to rediscover this rich treasure of satire that I enjoyed for so many years.

Admittedly a good amount of the material is dated particularly when it comes to the political aspects of the magazine. But that aside this is a tremendous collection of social satire that has withstood the test of time. From the silly yet hilarious Letters from the Editor to the randomly placed topless photo funnies it is still funny and relevant thirty years later. Former readers of the magazine will appreciate the return of such comic classics as Dirty Duck, Timberland Tales (featuring Constable Tom rumoured to have a small amount of brain damage) and Zippy the Pinhead.

As I loaded the DVD on to my trusty laptop I found myself wondering if humor written in the days before random urine testing in the workplace would withstand the test of time. I wasn't disappointed. You can find the set over at www.nationallampoon.com..