美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Playboy' Founder Hugh Hefner, Champion Of Free Speech And 'Smut,' Dies At 91

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Hugh Hefner has died at the age of 91. He created Playboy magazine at his kitchen table in Chicago in the early 1950s. It became not only a brand but it came to symbolize¹ a lifestyle, both glorified² and despised, of lavish³ parties with attractive young women and permissive attitudes about sex. Scott Simon has this look back at the life of Mr. Playboy.

SCOTT SIMON, BYLINE⁴: Hugh Hefner's magazine was blamed or credited with setting off a cultural revolution in America. But within a few years, he was a target for the women's revolution, a champion of civil rights who was branded a male chauvinist⁵, proponent⁶ of free speech who was decried⁷ as a merchant of smut. Playboy published outstanding writers - Joseph Heller, Margaret Atwood and Norman Mailer, and distinctive⁸ interviews with acclaimed⁹ and controversial figures including Fidel Castro, Miles Davis and Malcolm X. But who are we kidding? The magazine made millions because serious pieces were printed on the flip¹⁰ side of pictures of naked women. Hugh Hefner told us in 2007...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

HUGH HEFNER: The Playmate of the Month, the centerfold, came directly out of the influences of pinup photography, an art from World War II and before. But what set them apart was what I described at the time as the girl next-door. But it all comes from that notion of being a fresh, wholesome¹¹, all-American person, and in the context of the Playmate, a sexual icon¹². The recognition that - and it was the statement that the Playmate of the Month was all about - that nice girls like sex, too. Very revolutionary in the 1950s. In some quarters, radical¹³ even today.

SIMON: Hugh Hefner was a cartoonist for Esquire magazine in Chicago in 1952 when he was turned down for a $5 raise, realized that wasn't what he really wanted to do, anyway. So he raised $8,000 from 50 investors¹⁴, including his mother, to create a prototype for a new magazine. He found a five-year-old shot of a nude¹⁵ model in the files of a Chicago calendar company and bought it for $500. The model was Marilyn Monroe before she'd become a star. The magazine sold out in days. Playboy.

MICHAEL HAINEY: And, you know, the joke about Playboy is it's I get it for the articles. But in fact, the journalism¹⁶ in it was profound.

SIMON: Michael Hainey is the editorial director at Esquire magazine.

HAINEY: One of the first stories he published, it was rejected from Esquire. It was a fiction piece about heterosexual men in the near future who were persecuted¹⁷ by a gay majority. And, you know, he - he was experimenting with publishing controversial, cutting-edge stuff. You know, the fiction he put in there was - you know, he was always paid top-dollar for fiction, published a lot of authors who never would've found an audience. For 50 years, 60 years, as long as Hugh Hefner was publishing Playboy, you know, when he started off he fought a lot of battles in terms of the First Amendment¹⁸ and free speech. Now, whether we agree with what he was publishing and how he was portraying¹⁹ women, that's all what he was battling about in the courts and for free speech. So, you know, he fought a lot of those battles and he fought them, I think, ahead of his time.

(SOUNDBITE OF CY COLEMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA'S "PLAYBOY'S THEME")

SIMON: The 1950s were a buttoned-down time. Playboy was unbuttoned, all about jazz and booze and swinging. The success of the magazine led Hefner to create Playboy clubs in Chicago in 1960. He hired talented black comics including Dick Gregory and Bill Cosby at a time when most clubs were segregated²⁰, and Lenny Bruce, when the comedian²¹ was often tried for obscenity. But Hugh Hefner's profile as a hip²², liberal activist²³ was cracked by the rise of feminism in the 1970s. Hefner and Playboy were accused of demeaning women as sex objects. In 2003, on Playboy's 50th anniversary, he told us he preferred to pose those criticisms this way.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

HEFNER: I recognize that I remain a - even after half a century - a controversial figure, but America has always had conflicts related to things related to sex. In other words, we remain essentially²⁴ a very puritan people.

SIMON: I think there are - a lot of our listeners would say, look, I'm not hung up about sex. I think it's great. I'm not a Puritan. I just think what they do in Playboy makes objects of women.

HEFNER: Well, I think you ought to talk to the women who've been in the magazine and see how they feel about that. I mean, what is more puritan than somebody who has a strong opinion about somebody else's life and who disapproves²⁵ of it because somehow or other it's not their particular way?

SIMON: As popular culture changed, Playboy was caught between critics who considered Hefner the emblem²⁶ of anti-feminism and competitors like Larry Flynt's Hustler, who were explicit²⁷ to the point of raunchy. Circulation declined. Playboy clubs closed. Hugh Hefner turned control of Playboy over to his daughter, Christie Hefner, in the 1980s. She believes the enterprise her father founded didn't demean women and elevated the struggle for civil rights and free speech.

CHRISTIE HEFNER: So if you want to reduce the magazine to its center three pages then in effect you've objectified the magazine.

SIMON: Hugh Hefner spent the last decades of his life more as a cultural symbol than a force. He relocated to a southern California mansion²⁸ with a koi pond, game room, grotto²⁹ and a movie theater to host lavish parties. But the host reportedly mostly stayed in his bedroom suite³⁰, working in silk pajamas³¹ on his round bed. At the time we interviewed him in 2003, Hugh Hefner shared his mansion with seven women all young enough to be his granddaughters. But the man who set out to surround himself with sexuality and extravagance looked isolated³² and lonely. He told us his eventful life had convinced him romance was an illusion.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

HEFNER: I mean, sex - sex was handed to us by the powers that be. But romance is something that we invented that is unique to humankind. And what's interesting about the Western romantic tradition, of course, is that some of the classics are real "Romeo And Juliet" where everybody dies. I mean, there are a few little details that we haven't quite worked out in terms of all of this. In the fairytales, it's pursuit and then they lived happily ever after, but we never really deal with they live happily ever after.

SIMON: Hugh Hefner, the founder³³ of Playboy. Scott Simon, NPR News.

1 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

2 glorified   

美其名的，变荣耀的

参考例句：

• The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
• The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。

3 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 chauvinist   

n.沙文主义者

参考例句：

• I don't know how she can live with him;he's such a male chauvinist pig!我真不理解她怎么能与他一起生活，他是个典型的大男子主义者。
• How can you do the Muslim chauvinist thing?你怎么能做穆斯林沙文主义的事情？

6 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。

7 decried   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责，说是不起作用。
• The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

9 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

10 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

11 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

12 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

13 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

14 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

15 nude   

adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品

参考例句：

• It's a painting of the Duchess of Alba in the nude.这是一幅阿尔巴公爵夫人的裸体肖像画。
• She doesn't like nude swimming.她不喜欢裸泳。

16 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

17 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

18 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

19 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

20 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

21 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

22 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

23 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

24 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

25 disapproves   

v.不赞成( disapprove的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She disapproves of unmarried couples living together. 她反对未婚男女同居。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her mother disapproves of her wearing transparent underwear. 她母亲不赞成她穿透明的内衣。 来自辞典例句

26 emblem   

n.象征，标志；徽章

参考例句：

• Her shirt has the company emblem on it.她的衬衫印有公司的标记。
• The eagle was an emblem of strength and courage.鹰是力量和勇气的象征。

27 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

28 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

29 grotto   

n.洞穴

参考例句：

• We reached a beautiful grotto,whose entrance was almost hiden by the vine.我们到达了一个美丽的洞穴，洞的进口几乎被藤蔓遮掩著。
• Water trickles through an underground grotto.水沿着地下岩洞流淌。

30 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

31 pajamas   

n.睡衣裤

参考例句：

• At bedtime,I take off my clothes and put on my pajamas.睡觉时，我脱去衣服，换上睡衣。
• He was wearing striped pajamas.他穿着带条纹的睡衣裤。

32 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

33 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。