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Paul Krassner, Writer, Activist & Counterculture Leader, Dies at 87

HeadlineJul 23, 2019

And Paul Krassner, writer, comedian and a leading figure of the “Yippie” counterculture movement, died over the weekend at his home in California. He was 87. He was the founder and editor of the underground satirical publication The Realist. The term “Yippie” emerged out of the Youth International Party, which Krassner co-founded. The group famously staged a performance-based protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention—at the height of the Vietnam War—by advancing Pigasus, a 145-pound pig, as a presidential nominee. Krassner also set up a referral service for people who needed abortions at a time when the procedure was still illegal. He created the service when women started calling him for help in response to an interview he did with an an abortion doctor. Krassner was once described by an FBI agent as “a raving, unconfined nut”—a phrase that Krassner ended up borrowing for the title of his memoir. Comedian George Carlin later said, “The FBI was right. This man is dangerous—and funny, and necessary.”

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