Raw sex, Raw math and RAW

The October 1969 issue of Playboy, which featured a letter from one "Arnold K. Ravenhurst." 

Here is an unexpected followup to yesterday's post: Crackpot historian, Hollywood actor and all-around MVP Adam Gorightly has a particularly amusing post up at Historia Discordia, "RAW Math vs. RAW Sex," about the time when Discordian Greg Hill responded to a condemnation of sex education in the public schools from the Christian Crusade with a warning about the dire consequences of math education.  The upshot is that Robert Anton Wilson, writing as "Arnold K. Ravenhurst," planted Hill's warning in the Playboy forum.

Adam Gorightly got an assist with his post from Martin Wagner. More Martin Wagner news soon.

'Ronald Weston' writes to Playboy

Playboy, March 1972, where the letter below appeared

A note from Jesse Walker, who discovered Robert Anton Wilson's use of "Ronald Weston" as a pseudonym, or at least helped confirm it: "The *Jaguar* exchange gave me a little brainstorm, and I did a search at the Internet Archive for 'Ronald Weston.' I found that 'Weston' periodically wrote letters to the Playboy Forum."

An example:

THE ONLY MAILBOX IN TOWN
When I read that the U.S. Postal Service and the Bureau of Customs are inspecting first class mail from overseas without warrants or prior consent of the addressee (Forum Newsfront, October 1971) I heard a loud whirring sound. I finally recognized it as Thomas Jefferson spinning in his grave. I also heard the ghoulish laughter of Lysander Spooner, anarchist and constitutional lawyer, who predicted in 1848 that a government mail monopoly would eventually lead to this type of thing.
                                                                                                                             Ronald Weston
                                                                                                                             Cuernavaca Mexico

Jesse used Google for the search, e.g. site:archive.org "ronald weston"

Hugh Hefner has died

 Hugh Hefner (Creative Commons photo).

Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who inadvertently played a role in the creation of Illuminatus!, has died, age 91.

The New York Times obit is available. You can also read the Chicago Tribune article. 

Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea were both editors at Playboy magazine, and many of you know the story about how that experience helped create Illuminatus! The magazine received many letters with wild conspiracy theories, and one day, sitting in a Chicago bar after work, Shea suggested writing a novel in which the conspiracy theories were true.

Wilson's Schroedinger's Cat trilogy has a character which obviously is based upon Hefner.

Several years ago, I contacted Playboy and asked to interview Hefner. I had asked my newspaper editor whether she would be interested in a story, and she said, "Sure." I would have used some of the interview for the paper, and some for a posting here. I never got a response, so that's one that got away. 

A rare RAW interview

The very popular and successful bOING bOING blog originally was an offbeat magazine edited by gurus of cool Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair. It was my favorite magazine (I once phoned it because I was so upset that it hadn't published any new issues) and Mark and Carla have ever since been big favorites of mine. I let my subscription to "Playboy" magazine expire after it dropped Mark's Internet column. (Carla once was photographed for the magazine, so they both have a connection with the publication where Wilson worked and conceived ILLUMINATUS!)

But I missed the first couple of issues of the magazine, and so I did not know, until Thursday, that the very first issue included an interview with Robert Anton Wilson. A PDF of that first issue is available for $2. I bought a copy after being tipped off by a friend, Gary Shindler, who keeps on eye on pop culture for me.

A taste:

BB: I was disappointed when I learned that last year's Libertarian candidate for president, Ron Paul, is an anti-abortionist.

RAW: I didn't know that. I'm theoretically a Libertarian, but I know they're never going to win so I don't even pay that much attention to the Libertarian Party. What I like about the Libertarian Party is they throw good parties. They invite me to their conventions and I have a good time. I kind of wish that they would have nominated Russell Means. I thought he would have been a colorful candidate. The idea of a Native American running on the Libertarian ticket would have gotten more publicity. I mean, it's all show biz these days. I keep telling all the Democrats I know they should persuade Paul Newman to run for president. He's been a Democrat all his life and he'd win hands down. The Republicans have nobody they can put up against him. Could they get Charlton Heston? Hell no! Heston looks his age, Newman doesn't. Newman hands down, a walk in. The Democrats don't think that way. The Republicans are way ahead of them in terms of PR.