With the Vacation sequel out in theaters now, it's a good time to go back and revisit the history of National Lampoon, the influential comedy magazine that once branded the franchise. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of National Lampoon is a documentary directed by Douglas Tirola that explores the origins of the magazine, begun in 1983 by a pair of Harvard grads before becoming a launching pad for a wealth of comedy superstars and a major influence on comic culture. The film features interviews with Judd Apatow, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and many more. Here's the synopsis:
From the 1970s thru the 1990s, there was no hipper, no more outrageous comedy in print than The National Lampoon, the groundbreaking humor magazine that pushed the limits of taste and acceptability – and then pushed them even harder. Parodying everything from politics, religion, entertainment and the whole of American lifestyle, the Lampoon eventually went on to branch into successful radio shows, record albums, live stage revues and movies, including Animal House and National Lampoon’s Vacation. The publication launched the careers of legends like John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Christopher Guest and Gilda Radner, who went on to gigs at Saturday Night Live and stardom.
Director Douglas Tirola’s documentary about the Lampoon, DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON, cleverly chronicles its founding by two former Harvard students, its growth, demise and everything in between. Told thru fresh, candid interviews with its key staff, and illustrated with hundreds of outrageous images from the mag itself (along with never-seen interview footage from the magazine’s prime), the film gives fans of the Lampoon a unique inside look at what made the magazine tick, who were its key players, and why it was so outrageously successful: a magazine that dared to think what no one was thinking, but wished they had.
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story Of The National Lampoon opens in theaters and VOD on September 25th.
