(EDITOR’S NOTE : On Thursday, former Screw publisher / NYC icon Al Goldstein shuffled off this mortal coil at the age of 77. Between his stewardship of Screw and the Manhattan Cable fixture, “Midnight Blue”, Al upped the ante in the Sexual Revolution in a manner that was equal parts absurd, anarchic, hilarious…and hilariously self-indulgent. It’s very hard to imagine the mainstream success of say, Howard Stern or Vice’s global empire, where it not for ground broken — and then paved over —- by Goldstein long before weekly papers coveted his classified ad revenues.  It’s also hard to imagine a consumer advocate like Randy L. getting any respect where it not for Al’s pioneering path, but perhaps that’s not necessarily a good thing.

For all Goldstein’s accomplishments, for all his battles on behalf of the First Amendment, it’s easy to forget that he was dedicated gourmand, as this post from February 25, 2008 ilustrates – GC)

After a weekend arguing with my Dad over the respective merits of the Democratic party’s remaining challengers, I had thought about posting Al Goldstein’s latest campaign video, but changed my mind after watching an older clip from Al’s salad days. Never mind Seinfeld spitting out mutton, this has to be the finest publicity the Old Homestead ever received.