Considering the Playboy Interview

Richard Horgan writes at FilmStew that the Playboy Interview was once a cultural milestone, but today has become just another pit stop on the Hollywood PR circuit.

And so, as Playboy Magazine marks its 50th anniversary this month, it is somewhat emblematic that its celebratory January 2004 issue Interview with Something’s Gotta Give star Jack Nicholson is neither groundbreaking nor unique, although the actor could certainly teach his peers a thing or two about maintaining an aura of mystique in today’s multimedia age. By refusing to do TV interviews, the 66-year-old has kept just enough of his id out of limelight’s unflattering glow. Or, put another way, you can be sure that if and when Jack does The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the end of the world will be very near.

The author of this month’s Playboy Interview, freelance journalist David Sheff, has been doing Hef’s Q&A work for some time. For example, his January 1981 chat with John Lennon and Yoko Ono was the last major interview given by the couple before the singer’s untimely death on December 8th, 1980.

And who can forget Robert Scheer's "lust in my heart" interview with Jimmy Carter.