Gandalf’s Garden
‘As the counterculture expanded, underground magazines were bought by people outside their original constituency. For instance, Gandalf’s Garden, ‘the Mystical Scene magazine’, began running pieces by underground figures like John Peel, aimed at this wider audience.’
Ink
‘Ink was Richard Neville (editor of Oz) and Ed Victor’s attempt to bridge the gap between the counterculture and the ‘Hampstead liberals’. Unfortunately it needed far greater financial backing and properly trained reporters to achieve it, neither of which it had.’
Frendz
‘ Frendz grew out of Friends newspaper, which in turn began life as the British edition of Rolling Stone magazine (when they broke away from the US edition, they briefly became Friends of Rolling Stone). This issue, from July 1971, featured the Oz obscenity trial, a subject close to their hearts.’
The Black Dwarf
‘Not strictly an underground paper, Black Dwarf was edited by a socialist collective including Tariq Ali; it took up the name of a 19th century radical news journal and retained their numbering. Launched in May 1968 during the “Events of May”, it quickly became the main vehicle for left-wing news for the counterculture.’
cOZmic Comics
‘ cOZmic Comics was Oz magazine’s attempt to raise money by presenting underground comics to a British audience. Unfortunately the British comic artists were not as good as the American originals. It must be recognised that the women’s movement had only just begun and they are very un-PC.’
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