Yesterday at the age of 91, Hugh Hefner passed from this mortal coil. As founder of Playboy and longtime advocate for free speech, civil rights, and sexual freedom, Hefner may be considered to have embodied some Thelemic ideals. He was always controversial, considered by some to be cheapening sex and exploiting women; still, his offerings such as “Playboy After Dark” featured appearances by artists including Tina Turner, Sammy Davis Jr., the Grateful Dead, Deep Purple, Three Dog Night, Steppenwolf, Harry Nilsson, Grand Funk Railroad, James Brown, Iron Butterfly, Linda Ronstadt, and Joe Cocker at a time when most television talk shows largely hosted only white men.
The writing in Playboy featured serious interviews with notable people like Jimmy Carter (“I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times”), Bertrand Russell, Jean-Paul Sartre and Malcolm X. The magazine published writers such as Ray Bradbury, Vladimir Nabokov, Kurt Vonnegut, Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud, James Baldwin, John Updike and Joyce Carol Oates.
According to William S. Bloxsom-Carter, the director of food and beverage at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, Hugh Hefner enjoyed “…lamb chops and… fried chicken with mashed potatoes, which is his mother’s recipe.” Hugh Hefner’s Eating Habits According to Playboy Mansion Chef.
In honor of Mr. Hefner, here are some recipes he might have enjoyed.
How a Magazine Changed the World.
Playboy Playmates Reflect on Hugh Hefner’s Life.
Hugh Hefner, Playboy Founder, Dead at 91.
