Hara Kiri, a stupid and mean newspaper
Hara Kiri, a stupid and mean newspaper
The first issue of the monthly Hara-Kiri appeared in September 1960, born from the
meeting with François Cavanna, Georges Bernier, alias Professor Choron,
and Fred. The newspaper immediately adopted a line of conduct which it did not
will never leave: laugh at everything. Around Cavanna, a
sniper team consisting of, among others, Reiser, Cabu,
Wolinski, Gébé or Delfeil de Ton. First victim: the press of the time, which
the monthly pastiche with enthusiasm, perverting the insipid photo-novels of
the popular press, the candid cooking sheets of women's magazines or even
the practical sheets which will become the crazy "DIY sheets of the
Professor Choron", without forgetting the sweetened and hypocritical eroticism of the magazines
specialized. The monthly also invented the diversion of advertising: "The
"Advertising takes us for fools, advertising makes us fools," says the
newspaper. A cheerful, systematic and caustic demolition of the society of
emerging consumption. From the very first issues, the merry band proclaims the
newspaper "Beast and Wicked" to also go through the mill, in a humorous way
absurd, often dark and brutal, everything that elsewhere deserves respect and
compassion: homeland, religion, army, morality, illness,
old age. Victim of publication bans for his excesses and his
insolence, and despite numerous trials and seizures, the Hara-Kiri adventure continued
continued for twenty-five years (the little brother Hara-Kiri Hebdo was created in 1969
by the same team). These guerrillas, as motivated as they are uncontrollable, will expand
episodically their circle to many artists like Francis Blanche, Romain
Bouteille, Renaud or Coluche. We see the friends of the time passing by in the newspaper:
Serge Gainsbourg, Christian Clavier, Thierry Le Luron, Pierre Perret, Alain
Souchon, Carlos, each in turn protagonist of the provocative photo novels.
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