''Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Writers and Artists Who Made National Lampoon Insanely Great'' by

Rick Meyerowitz Rick Meyerowitz (born November 29, 1943) is an American artist, and author. He is best known for his work for '' National Lampoon'' magazine and its spin-offs, including his posters for the comedy film ''Animal House''. Early life Meyerowitz w ...

, is a 2010 book which was published by

Harry N. Abrams Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mar ...

of New York. The book consists of a compilation of work by a selection of writers and artists whose work appeared in '' National Lampoon'' magazine in the 1970s, as well as introductory commentary on those people and their work, by Meyerowitz and others. The book is hardback, coffee-table sized and is profusely illustrated. A very similar title was used for the 2015 documentary film '' National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead'', for which Rick Meyerowitz designed the poster, as he also did for the 1978 film ''National Lampoon's

Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller (writer), Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Tom ...

''.

Writers and artists included

The book covers the work of the following people. The content of the book is as follows: * The Founders:

Doug Kenney Douglas Clark Francis Kenney (December 10, 1946 – August 27, 1980) was an American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, TV and film, who co-founded the magazine '' National Lampoon'' in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of ...

Henry Beard Henry Nichols Beard (born June 7, 1945) is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine '' National Lampoon'' and the author of several best-selling books. Life and career Beard, a great-grandson of 14th Vice President John C. B ...

* Present at the Birth:

Michael O'Donoghue Michael O'Donoghue (January 5, 1940 – November 8, 1994) was an American writer, actor, editor and comedian. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, and was a major contributor to ''National Lampoon'' maga ...

, George William Swift Trow, Christopher Cerf,

John Weidman John Weidman (born September 25, 1946) is an American librettist and television writer for ''Sesame Street''. He has worked on stage musicals with Stephen Sondheim and Susan Stroman. Career Weidman was born in New York City and grew up in Westport ...

Michel Choquette Michel Choquette (born March 14, 1938) is a Canadian humorist who has written for print, for television and for film, and a comedian who has performed for television. Life and career Choquette was born March 14, 1938, in Montreal, Quebec to a Fren ...

* The Cohort:

Arnold Roth Arnold Roth (born February 25, 1929) is an American cartoonist and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines, and newspapers. Novelist John Updike wrote, "All cartoonists are geniuses, but Arnold Roth is especially so." Care ...

Tony Hendra Anthony Christopher Hendra (10 July 1941 – 4 March 2021) was an English satirist and writer who worked mostly in the United States. He was probably best known for being the head writer and co-producer in 1984 of the first six shows of the long ...

Sam Gross Sam Gross (August 7, 1933 – May 6, 2023) was an American cartoonist, specializing in single-panel cartoons. He contributed to an array of publications, including ''The New Yorker''. History Born in The Bronx, New York City, Gross was the son ...

, Sean Kelly,

Anne Beatts Anne Beatts (February 25, 1947 – April 7, 2021) was an American comedy writer. Early life Beatts was born in Buffalo, New York, to Sheila Elizabeth Jean (Sherriff-Scott) and Patrick Murray Threipland Beatts. She has described her parents as " ...

Charles Rodrigues Charles Rodrigues (September 29, 1926 – June 14, 2004) was an American cartoonist perhaps best known as a contributor to '' National Lampoon''. Biography Rodrigues was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts; his father came from Madeira, Portugal, ...

* The First Wave:

Brian McConnachie Brian John McConnachie (December 23, 1942 – January 5, 2024) was an American actor, comedy writer, and children's book author. Background McConnachie was born in Manhattan, New York, on December 23, 1942, and was raised in Forest Hills, Queen ...

, Chris Miller, Gerald Sussman,

Ed Subitzky Ed Subitzky, full name Edward Jack Subitzky (born March 19, 1943), is an American writer and artist. He is best known as a cartoonist, comics artist, and humorist. He has worked as a television comedy writer and performer, a writer and performer ...

P.J. O'Rourke Patrick Jake O'Rourke (November 14, 1947 – February 15, 2022) was an American author, journalist, and political satirist who wrote twenty-two books on subjects as diverse as politics, cars, etiquette, and economics. '' Parliament of Whores'' ...

Bruce McCall Bruce McCall (May 10, 1935 – May 5, 2023) was a Canadian author and illustrator, best known for his frequent contributions to ''The New Yorker''. He has also illustrated children's books. Life and career McCall was born on May 10, 1935, in S ...

Stan Mack Stan Mack is an American cartoonist, illustrator and author best known for his observational comic stri''p Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies'', which ran in ''The Village Voice'' for more than 20 years. He was an early pioneer of documentary cartoonin ...

* The Second Coming: M.K. Brown,

Ted Mann Ted Mann (April 16, 1916 – January 15, 2001) was an American businessman involved in the film industry and head of Mann Theatres. In 1973, he purchased the National General Theatre chain and changed the name of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, w ...

Shary Flenniken Shary Flenniken (born 1950) is an American editor-writer-illustrator and underground cartoonist. After joining the burgeoning underground comics movement in the early 1970s, she became a prominent contributor to '' National Lampoon'' and was on ...

, Danny Abelson &

Ellis Weiner Ellis Weiner (born 31 October 1950) is an author and humorist who has previously worked as an editor of '' National Lampoon'' and a columnist for ''Spy Magazine''. His humor has also appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''Paris Review'', and ''The New ...

Wayne McLoughlin Wayne McLoughlin (1944–2015) was a Welsh artist who dedicated his drawings to nature. He was most known for his cover art in Erin Hunter's ''Warriors'' and ''Seekers'' series. Early life and education As a child, McLoughlin enjoyed explor ...

* The End of the Beginning:

Ron Barrett Ron Barrett is an American illustrator, best known for illustrating the children's book ''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'', which was written by his former wife, Judi Barrett. Career He is a graduate of the School of Industrial Art in New Yo ...

Jeff Greenfield Henry Jeffrey Greenfield (born June 10, 1943) is an American television journalist, lawyer, and author. Early life and education He was born in New York City, to Benjamin and Helen E. Greenfield. He grew up in Manhattan and graduated in 1960 f ...

Ron Hauge Ron Hauge is an American television writer and executive producer. Early in his career, Hauge was a contributor to '' National Lampoon''. In 1989 he created a graphic for ''Spy Magazine'' captioned "The World Championship," with wars between co ...

, Fred Graver * The Art Directors: Cloud Studios,

Michael C. Gross Michael C. Gross (October 3, 1945 – November 16, 2015) was an American artist, designer, and film producer. From 1970 to 1974 he art-directed '' National Lampoon'' magazine, and subsequently co-ran a design company. In 1980 he started wo ...

and David Kaestle, Peter Kleinman, Skip Johnson

References

{{National Lampoon 2010 non-fiction books Books about National Lampoon Comedy books Works originally published in National Lampoon (magazine)