New Yorker piece on Hefner. My first memory of Playboy was my freshman year at college. My roommate had arrived earlier, and had decorated his bookshelf with a recent centerfold. As a naive rube from upstate NY it was both shocking and intriguing. Not enough of either for me to ever subscribe to it, but it continued to be a presence in my mental world.
For some reason now I pair Hefner and Ayn Rand, both libertarians. I was probably more influenced by Hefner than Rand, since his views seemed more mainline than hers. I don't know if that's a common linkage; googling doesn't seem to bring up that many hits. Her general influence seems to have persisted more than his, at least intellectually, though his impact on the culture was greater.
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