Why is so hard for people to think of Shel Silverstein as working for playboy? When was playboy so deified? When did showing off your gorgeous naked body become such a horrible thing? Plus, his artistry and comics were hilarious. But oh no!!! He wrote children's poetry, how could he be part of that horrible Playboy...bah! Are you serious. It would probably be a good idea for the your little johnny or suzy to see someone naked to show them that they don't have to be ashamed of their beautiful body. They don't have to be perfect looking to feel good about themselves. Wow, that's crazy talk in our society.
What's really fun is to walk into a library and ask for Shel's "adult" stuff. they look at you lie you just walked off the crazy plane, then they look at you liked you 'd just asked, "Can you tell me where your porn is? "Adult" is the only way to describe it, because it isn't for kids. Anything that isn't for kids is adult. Mature always winds up meaning old people...so I guess I'm still a kid. If you are able or have the opportunity to pick up any of Shel's adult stuff...or especially his plays I strongly recommend it. What a great read Shel Silverstein's stuff truly is.
But, the library is the best place to find all of this stuff if you can get over the old ladies scoffing at you, the old men chuckling, and the younger women moving their children away from you. Incidently, he is the inspiration for the name of this Blog.
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Shel (ever read Uncle Shelby's XYZ book?) was great. But authors are like brands. It's easier for most consumers if an author sticks to a "type" of writing.
Some authors use different names for their different types of work which seems to work very well. This doesn't confuse most consumers and it lets the ones who really care know the secret about people's different pennames and personna.
Raold Dahl for interesting, wrote some hysterical adult (yes R or X) stuff about his uncle (perhaps a mythical uncle). I always thought it should have been under a different name since it's led to some confusion and awkwardness through the years.
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