When People magazine called Paul Krassner “the father of the underground press,” he responded with mock outrage. Krassner called the publication “the magazine of the lunatic fringe,” a label that belied its wide influence. Newsman Harry Reasoner said in his memoir that there were only two men he would not shake hands with: Sen. Joseph McCarthy and Paul Krassner. By the 1980s, he said, “bad taste had become an industry.”After closing the Realist, Krassner moved to Desert Hot Springs in 2001. A book titled " Zapped by the God of Absurdity: The Best of Paul Krassner,” is slated for release later this year.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 22, 2019 00:22 UTC