The International Times ("IT") was an underground paper started in 1966 in the UK, based in central London. Editors and writers included founders John Hopkins (Hoppy), Miles and the enigmatic Jim Haynes. ITs first editor was the acclaimed playwright Tom McGrath. Singer of the Deviants Mick Farren, Jack Moore and avant-garde writer Bill Levywere closely involved. The International Times part of the name was changed briefly to IT after objections from The Times newspaper, but IT never really attempted to shake off its original name. The iconic logo for IT was a black and white photo of Theda Bara, vampish star of silent films. In fact the original idea was to use an image of actress Clara Bow, but Theda Bara was used accidentally. Underground newspapers reached their hey-day in the late 1960s - mid 1970s in the US. Examples Berkeley Barb, Berkeley, California Black Panther The East Village Other, New York City LA Free Press The Last Whole Earth Catalog The Oracle San Francisco The Paper, East Lansing, Michigan Great Speckled... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... For the British film and television writer of the same name, see John Hopkins (writer). ... The Deviants (formally the Social Deviants) were a musical group in the United Kingdom. ... Mick Farren is a UK Underground/counterculture radical and anarchist. ... William Levy (born January 10, 1939), known as the Talmudic Wizard of Amsterdam and Dr. Doo-Wop, is the author of such works as The Virgin Sperm Dancer, Wet Dreams, Certain Radio Speeches of Ezra Pound and Natural Jewboy. ... Theda Bara portrayed Cleopatra, in a costume of dubious historical accuracy. ... Clara Bow Clara Bow (born July 29, 1905; died September 27 [possibly September 26], 1965) was an American actress and sex symbol, best known for her film work in the 1920s and early 1930s. ...

International Times was launched on 14 October, 1966 at The Roundhouse by a gig featuring Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd. The event It promised a 'Pop/Op/Costume/Masque/Fantasy-Loon/Blowout/Drag Ball. The All night rave to launch "IT" also featured Soft Machine, steel bands, strips, trips, happenings, movies. The launch was described as "one of the two most revolutionary events in the history of English alternative music and thinking. The IT event was important because it marked the first recognition of a rapidly spreading socio-cultural revolution that had its parallel in the States" by Daevid Allen of Soft Machine (1). 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... For other uses of the term Roundhouse see Roundhouse (disambiguation). ... Syd Barrett Roger Keith (Syd) Barrett (born January 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England) was one of the founding members of the group Pink Floyd. ... Pink Floyd (formed in 1965 in Cambridge, England) are a British progressive rock band, noted for their progressive compositions, thoughtful lyrics, sonic experimentation, cover art and elaborate live shows. ... The Soft Machine were a pioneering British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz band from Canterbury, Kent, England, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. ... The Soft Machine were a pioneering British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz band from Canterbury, Kent, England, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. ...

A Benefit gig "The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream" was also organised by "IT" and held on April 28 1967 at the Alexandra Palace ("Ally Pally") in London which demonstrated the importance of the quickly developing UK Underground scene. Although "underground" venues such as the UFO Club and the Middle Earth Club were hosting counterculture bands this was certainly the biggest indoor event by that time and probably after. Bands who appeared included Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things, Savoy Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Soft Machine, The Move and Sam Gopal Dream (featuring a young Lemmy of Hawkwind/Motörhead fame/notoriety). 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alexandra Palace from the east Alexandra Palace was built on a hill in Muswell Hill in North London in 1873 as a public entertainment centre. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... It has been suggested that UK Underground movement be merged into this article or section. ... The UFO Club was a famous but shortlived club in London during the 1960s, venue of performances by many of the top bands of the day. ... In sociology, counterculture is a term used to describe a cultural group whose values and norms are at odds with those of the social mainstream, a cultural equivalent of a political opposition. ... Pink Floyd (formed in 1965 in Cambridge, England) are a British progressive rock band, noted for their progressive compositions, thoughtful lyrics, sonic experimentation, cover art and elaborate live shows. ... The Pretty Things are a 1960s and 1970s rock and roll band from London. ... The Crazy World of Arthur Brown is a psychedelic rock album by Arthur Brown, released in 1968 (see 1968 in music). ... The Soft Machine were a pioneering British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz band from Canterbury, Kent, England, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. ... The Move ca. ... Ian Lemmy Kilmister (born Ian Fraser Kilmister, December 24, 1945, also known as Ian Fraser Willis) is an English bass player and singer. ... Hawkwind is a British rock music group. ... Motörhead is an iconic British heavy metal band. ...

Many people who are now prominent UK figures wrote for IT, including such luminaries as the feminist critic Germaine Greer, poet and social commentator Jeff Nuttall, and the DJ John Peel. There were many original contributions from underground writers such as Alex Trochi; William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Leading editorial contributors to the late 1970s IT were Heathcote Williams, Max Handley, Mike Lesser, and Chris Sanders. Dr. Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (born January 29, 1939) is an Australian academic, writer, and broadcaster, who is widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the 20th century. ... Jeff Nuttall (July 8, 1933 - January 4, 2004) was an English poet, publisher, actor, painter, sculptor, jazz trumpeter, anarchist sympathiser and social commentator who was a key part of the British 1960s counter-culture. ... (Auto)biography John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was a British disc jockey, radio presenter, and journalist. ...

In 1986 IT was passed on to performer Tony Allen and writer Chris Brook.

From those first issues published in the 1960s it was printed throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. It was relaunched in 1986. There have been a total of 205 issues. It was contemporary to the other radical underground London magazine, Oz, and later Frendz and Ink; many people who wrote for one also wrote for the others. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The phrase underground press, especially underground newspapers (or simply underground papers) is, these days, most often used in reference to the alternative print media, independently published and distributed, associated with the countercultural movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Oz Number 3 Oz was a satirical humour magazine first published between 1963–69 in Sydney, Australia and, in its second and more famous incarnation, from 1967 to 1973 in London, England. ...

References

• (1) LOST IN THE WOODS by Julian Palacios (May 1998) Retrieved Aug. 8, 2004
• (2) Turner, C. (April 27, 1997) Personal memories of html The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream

External links

http://www.international-times.org.uk