Died On This Date (July 12, 2010) Tuli Kupferberg / The Fugs

Naftali “Tuli” Kupferberg
September 28, 1923 – July 12, 2010

Tuli Kupferberg was a counter-culture icon who is best remembered as a poet, cartoonist, activist and co-founding singer of the Fugs, a folk rock band formed in 1965.  Kupferberg first gained notice during the late ’50s when he published his own Birth magazine which featured such Beat writers as Allen Ginsberg and LeRoi Jones.  He wrote several acclaimed books as well, the best known is perhaps 1966’s 1001 Ways To Beat The Draft.  In 1964, Kupferberg formed the Fugs, a folk rock band that took well-deserved jabs at the government and society in general.  They have been called one of New York’s first underground bands.  Since he was in his ’40s at the time, he referred to himself as “the world’s oldest rock star,” a description that would make even more sense when the band reformed in 1985.  Their comical “Boobs-A-Lot” has been a staple on Dr. Demento’s radio program for years.  The Fugs were introduced to a new generation when their “CIA Man” was prominently featured in 2008’s Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading.  Kupferberg suffered a stroke in 2009, prompting such devotees as Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye and Lou Reed to put on a benefit concert on his behalf.  Tuli Kupferberg was 86 when he passed away on July 12, 2010.

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