The Lampoon

Which is the Lampoon, Dear Reader: a select club or a literary effort? For the last few months, the answer has been all too clear. The Castle may have been beseiged with good times, but the printed matter has been dreary. Since fall, the Lampoon's coffers have been cracking with filthy PlayboyParody lucre. The club was refurbished, but the magazine's layout and content brightened only sporadically. Unfortunately for the Lampoon, money can talk, but it can't write.

Whatever has been making Lampy a dull boy, Lampy only knows. Many of the articles have been precious, sweet little nothings-lots of gilt and no lily. Things frilly and roccoco are fine, but they must be done with infinite care. At the same time, any piece that showed merit has appeared at least 13 times in the last 12 months. Now that the 'Poon is in the chips, it can certainly afford to have the printer make up some new plates.

In view of his recent history, it is easy to appreciate the new Lampoonthe "Games People Play Number." In comparison to the last few issues, it looks pretty good. Just as we were getting sick of the merino-joke re-runs, they have disappeared to make room for almost entirely new copy. Not only that, but in the "games" theme the Lampoon has found a big, bright, hard-to-miss bullseye. With a theme, and a fairly simple one, to focus on, the Poonies are on target more often than usual. Most of the six or seven games they have invented are mildly funny-sometimes very mildly-but at least the average is better than usual.

The spectacular standout is David McClelland's "Great Game of Absolution and Redemption," a satire on, of all things, Calvinism-a highly successful satire which not so long ago would have gotten him dunked in every pond in Massachusetts. The Puritan game delights in the fact that wherever the player moves, he can't help but fall into sin, McClelland's apt use of the unexpected turns a good idea into a brilliantly funny piece.

Though not so spectacular, the "Unwed Mother" game by Henry Beard and Mark Stiumpf, takes some excusable cracks at Pill-wheels and has the added virtue of being slightly dirty. The list of thumb-nail sketches for parlor games at the start of the issue makes good fun of Parker Bros. jargon and is an amusing reductio ad absurdum of games in general. After the third or fourth game-article, the technique of reducing a real-life problem to playing-board size starts to wear a little thin, but the pieces are worth skimming for the occasional laugh.

Of the three of four articles that don't deal with games, the only really notable one is Tom LaFarge's Ibis-Blot introduction. The Ibis-Blot introduction is the prose found under the masthead, usually two or three incomprehensible paragraphs. The masthead page has always been a bastion of mysterious tradition-who is that smug guy passed out on the keg, anyway? LaFarge has made charming personalities out of the three traditional figures, Ibis, Jester, and Blot. At least we get a hint as to who they are any way they are there. LaFarge has exploited the Castle mystique for all it is worth. His piece is a good example of how to be precious and get away with it. Unfortunately, he doesn't get away with anything in another piece written in Holden Caulfield-like tautologies.

Although the Lampoon has made it up to the decent mark, it is useless to pretend that it is much of a provocative humor magazine. Like all Lampoonsthis issue has a few strong points, but the magazine needs more visual pep-cartoons, maybe photographs-and a less staid layout. But basically, what the 'Poon needs is more talent to widen the nucleus of good writers which has kept a spark of life in this year's issues.