Before there was Arthur Kade, there was John Bolaris. And before there was John Bolaris, there was, oh, I dunno, Teddy Pendergrass. But wait, roll that back up a little bit. Somewhere in there — after the city of Philadelphia had exited its golden age of bona fide celebrity poonhounds and at some point before it entered its current state of grotesquely banal semi-celebrity (possibly overcompensating) poonhounds — right there in the middle, there was Chestnut Hill millionaire playboy Harry Jay Katz. From the 1970s through the 1990s, no one in Philadelphia got more ink for doing less than Harry. (At right is Katz, some time in the last century, presenting Sandra Bernhard with a Liberty Bell.) All these guys — from Kade to Bonaduce to Gervase to chroniclers like Dan Gross, A.D. Amorosi to yours truly — kind of owe their whole deal to Harry. Were it not for his bold example in the days of cocaine and chest hair (non-ironic edition), a slow news day in Philadelphia might have remained just that — a slow news day. But in the 1990s — as detailed in this PhillyMag article by Stephen Rodrick circa 1997 – Katz’s ne’er-do-well existence finally began to catch up with him when a lady friend drowned in his hot tub, he declared bankruptcy, and the dream, that glistening disco-ball dream, was at last over.

Harry’s stayed mostly out of the headlines since then, save for a throw-’em-a-bone line item here and there in Gross or A.D., which usually serves more as a reminder of the strange criteria for celebrity that exists, and only exists, in Philadelphia. Well, old habits die hard, if they ever die at all, and if this Craigslist post is anything to go by, the now-quite-elderly Katz could once again be tasting the tart grapes of infamy. Posted on the site’s Writing Gigs page, the post alleges that it’s been Katz who, over the past few months, has repeatedly posted the following ad:

SEEKING A WOMAN WHO WRITES EROTICA AND LIVES IT TOO !!!

Have you thought about it? Lived it? Care to write about it? They must be real life experiences.
We are still aggressively seeking a bright, young, aspiring female columnist who combines her intelligence with sexuality, sensuality and passion.
We’re still on a deadline.
We are a National features syndicate in business – quite successfully – since 1979 and have already offered this column to our 300 + member publications.
When responding, please tell us about yourself. Socially and sexually (this is a question asked of all applicants) . A sample piece would be helpful. No longer than 1,250 – 1,500 words.
Photos would, most assuredly, be a plus.
And, please be in the Philly area.

Now, if you are a freelancer with any brain in your head whatsoever, attuned to the frequently sheisty language of Craigslist postings, you should smell something rotten in Denmark straight away, no matter who the post is coming from. But apparently, a number of women have submitted their work and been burned — or at least enough women to start something of a sleuth campaign to find out just who is posting the ad. And according to one CL poster who calls herself “Lexis-Nexis Lady,” the signs all point to Harry Jay Katz, from some telltale email addresses that track back to domains that Katz owns, to the invocation in some reply emails of Katz’s NationalNewsBureau.com, a news site that would seem to have no news whatsoever. After presenting her evidence, Lexis-Nexis Lady signs off with the following:

So I hope I speak for Philadelphia Craigslist writing/editing when I say: Harry Jay Katz, we’re 98% sure it’s you. Stop posting these ads every five minutes. It is fucking creepy. There are few things more annoying than ads looking for someone to write for free, but dishonest ads transparently looking for free jackoff material is one of them.

To which we say: Harry, we’re not 98% sure it’s you, and we kinda don’t care if it is. Craigslist is a jungle, and everyone should beware. But if it is you, this much we know: God love ya, buddy, for keeping it up at your advanced age. Also, you don’t have to go such a long way ’round to get your jollies. This is the Internet: Throw a rock and you’ll hit free porn that requires no subterfuge whatsoever.

Philebrity tried to contact both “Lexis-Nexis Lady” and Harry Jay Katz for comments for this post, but as of this writing, was able to reach neither.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pm.