Between pipes and bunnies...

THE PIPE CLUB – FEBRUARY 1968

At the beginning of March last year, the authoritative American weekly Time dedicated its cover to him, which is usually reserved for the consecration of the success of figures in art, cinema, literature, politics or publishing. Inside, the "weekly magazine" from across the Atlantic developed its "cover story" discourse, giving a lot of space to his company, which today has a "turnover" of many millions of dollars. An ultra-modern, ultra-pop sculpture depicts him with his "cardigan", his shirt open at the neck, a pipe in his left hand and another in his mouth. We are talking about Hugh Marston Hefner, a 40-year-old American who has built an impressive empire thanks to artistic photographs of young "starlets" or famous screen actresses (among these Ursula Andress, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor) and of ordinary girls in costumes Eve. We are talking about the director and publisher of the famous "for men" magazine Playboy, which in its first issue had only 70,000 copies, while today - after fourteen years - it has reached four million units. Hefner has launched, through the columns of his periodical, his own "philosophy", which is worrying right-thinking and conservatives, as it postulates a greater sexual freedom. He has been harshly attacked for what he publishes, both in photographs and in articles, but he has also been cited several times as a champion of freedom in every way. Secularists attacked him and reverends of various religious faiths defended him (him and the photographs of him as "insulting"). His newspaper is allowed to live in many states around the world and has been opposed in others, such as Italy (where sale on newsstands is prohibited), which has seen its Minister of Posts and Telecommunications even prohibit sending it in a sealed envelope to subscribers. HMH – as Hugh Marston Hefner is called in the States, with the typically American craze for acronyms – does not interest us as a "philosopher" or as the publisher of a magazine with unquestionably racy photographs. We are interested in him here, as he is one of us, an avid pipe smoker, to which he dedicates various space in the pages of his paper creature, which in a short time has come to constitute a real fact of custom. In an issue of Playboy, a photo report showed us the new "mansion", the 19th-century cotton planter-style residence of times gone by, that Hefner had built near Chicago. In his room, where he spends twenty-four hours a day, the camera had highlighted a curious detail: countless bottles of "Pepsi Cola" and an enormous bunch of pipes, coming out of a large vase. In every part of this fantastic house (where the fabulous "bunnies" with satin ears and white cotton tails also live) scattered here or there,between a tissue paper and a print proof, numerous pipes peep out. All those who talk about Hefner agree in considering him a "clean" man, who offers a "clean" magazine, even though his censors, at home and abroad, think the opposite. Nothing is left to vulgarity, nothing is granted to the lowest instincts. Advertising even tries to offer something that highlights the most positive sides of the reader who approaches it. This is what Howard Lederer, advertising director, also says. In this context, the systematic "opening" arises to companies producing pipe cuts (such as the new locally produced "Madera Mixture") or to the most famous pipe brands, such as "Keywoodie" and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of today's man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.Everyone who talks about Hefner agrees that he is a "clean" man who offers a "clean" magazine, even though his censors, at home and abroad, think the opposite. Nothing is left to vulgarity, nothing is granted to the lowest instincts. Advertising even tries to offer something that highlights the most positive sides of the reader who approaches it. This is what Howard Lederer, advertising director, also says. In this context, the systematic "opening" arises to companies producing pipe cuts (such as the new locally produced "Madera Mixture") or to the most famous pipe brands, such as "Keywoodie" and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of modern man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.Everyone who talks about Hefner agrees that he is a "clean" man who offers a "clean" magazine, even though his censors, at home and abroad, think the opposite. Nothing is left to vulgarity, nothing is granted to the lowest instincts. Advertising even tries to offer something that highlights the most positive sides of the reader who approaches it. This is what Howard Lederer, advertising director, also says. In this context, the systematic "opening" arises to companies producing pipe cuts (such as the new locally produced "Madera Mixture") or to the most famous pipe brands, such as "Keywoodie" and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of today's man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.nothing is granted to the lowest instincts. Advertising even tries to offer something that highlights the most positive sides of the reader who approaches it. This is what Howard Lederer, advertising director, also says. In this context, the systematic "opening" arises to companies producing pipe cuts (such as the new locally produced "Madera Mixture") or to the most famous pipe brands, such as "Keywoodie" and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of today's man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.nothing is granted to the lowest instincts. Advertising even tries to offer something that highlights the most positive sides of the reader who approaches it. This is what Howard Lederer, advertising director, also says. In this context, the systematic "opening" arises to companies producing pipe cuts (such as the new locally produced "Madera Mixture") or to the most famous pipe brands, such as "Keywoodie" and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of today's man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.like the « Keywoodie » and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of today's man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.like the « Keywoodie » and others. As if that wasn't enough, a few years ago Playboy published an extensive article (certainly inspired by its promoter and "deus ex machina") dedicated to the faithful friend and companion of today's man (the pipe), giving it a halo of sanctity. The article also talked about the varieties of tobacco with which to form the tastiest and most virile blends, the shapes and finishes of the pipes of the best existing brands, the history of this purely masculine object, from the moment of its birth in the form of briar log to its creation as a finished pipe. There was even an attempt at statistics to see how many "aficionados" the pipe has throughout the world, reaching the point of establishing its number at sixty million smokers. It was a work of research, of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our common friend, whether smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our mutual friend, be it smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.of in-depth documentation, of competence mixed with a journalistic sense of the highest caliber: among so many naked women, dedicating five or six pages to the pipe was also a test of faith and love towards our mutual friend, be it smooth or sandblasted, natural or flamed, curved or straight. Among so many harmonious curves of flesh, the reader will certainly have found it pleasant to look at the beautiful line of certain pipes, he will also have been able to appreciate the care in the preparation of mixtures made with various tobaccos, such as Perique, Latakia, Virginia, Burley , the Turk. Hugh Hefner's magazine has now entered the library of the "pace-setter", of the connoisseur, of the man, that is, who sets the tone for today's life. His "off the cuff" interviews with the most varied characters (not least Fidel Castro) on the world scene, his women photographed under the sign of the rabbit (called the "playboy of the animal kingdom" by Hefner), his advertising pages , his articles which denote the maturity of American public opinion, have made the reader, whether Mister Brown or Mister Bianchi or Herr Schmidt, truly feel like a "he-man", a man - a man, as we could call us translating badly. And the pipe could not fail to be the protagonist in this painting which places it as a symbol of true men.

Antonio Romani