What magazine/paper/periodical most shaped your political thinking?
- Thread starter chilango
- Start date
Nigel
For A Degenerates' Workers State
Crowbar: Brixton Squatter insurrectionist type mag !
Used to sell at 121.
Excellent
Although I tried some of their pyrotechnic guides/projects which weren't 100% successful !
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
It's was quality. I kept all my back issues till some bastard lifted them from me while living in squatland.
Mind you, you wouldn't get away with the "armchair terrorists" header these days.
I've been thinking about this and feel that I was more influenced by vehement disagreeing with periodicals than by nodding in agreement with them
Oz
International Times
Private Eye
New Statesman
New Society
New Scientist
Spectator
Late 60s Observer
2000AD
Furry Freak Bros
Oz
International Times
Private Eye
New Statesman
New Society
New Scientist
Spectator
Late 60s Observer
2000AD
Furry Freak Bros
Nigel
For A Degenerates' Workers State
The artwork on back page was spot on !
It had something to do with Hackney scene didn't it
Nigel
For A Degenerates' Workers State
Any knowledge who done the artwork illustrations for Xtra/Logo ?
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
I seem to recall Haringey but it could have been Hackney. Before my time there... I moved to Haringey in 1986 and Hackney 1988. Dunno who did the artwork.
Lurdan
old wave
Pulled my copies from the back of the 'difficult corner'. Hadn't looked at them for years and I've been having a good chuckle of appreciation.
First Xtra is 1979, last 1981 and the only issue of Logo I have looks like 1982. (Was there more than the one ?). So I think it's fairer to say it was produced in the context of the Islington/Stoke Newington scene of the late 70s to early 80s.
The people that produced it also started A Distribution and later were instrumental in starting the Book Fair. Can't remember the name of the artist (signed himself 'Black Currant'). Amongst other things he also did the art on the A3 Full Employment Funnies leaflet, a couple of versions of which were produced for different marches/demos.
Ought to think about scanning them I guess although they're a slightly awkward size.
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
Some copies of Xtra! now on Libcom:
Xtra! The Paper for Armchair Terrorists
Complete online archive of Xtra! - an anarchist/autonomist newspaper published in North London from 1979 until 1982. Xtra's "Structureless Tyrants" included Simon Read (who infamously infiltrated the National Front's HQ Excalibur House in Shoreditch and became a key witness in the inquiry set up...
Were there 10 issues, Lurdan ? There is a ref online somewhere saying the last one was 1982, not that this matters hugely.
Lurdan
old wave
Nice one.Some copies of Xtra! now on Libcom:
Xtra! The Paper for Armchair Terrorists
Complete online archive of Xtra! - an anarchist/autonomist newspaper published in North London from 1979 until 1982. Xtra's "Structureless Tyrants" included Simon Read (who infamously infiltrated the National Front's HQ Excalibur House in Shoreditch and became a key witness in the inquiry set up...libcom.org
Well I only have nine issues of Xtra myself. After the first two they are numbered. Doesn't mean there wasn't a tenth however.
In that post of mine you quoted I asked if there was more than one issue of Logo. When I came to reread it I remembered why there was only ever the one issue. (It provoked a BIG ROW
). I also said I thought Logo was 1982, probably from looking at an article '1982 THE YEAR OF THE PIG' which refers to 'this summer'.However looking closer it's clearly not 1982. An article on the back page says it was 'put together by two people in London over the Easter weekend', and thinking about it 'the BIG ROW' had to have taken place in 1983 at the earliest and no later than early 1984.
(I guess I should add that afaik Logo was only produced by a couple of people who had been involved with Xtra, and strictly speaking wasn't a continuation of it).
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
Lurdan
old wave
Judged by the high standards set by people looking to exploit the opportunities provided by the bookfair I guess the 'ROW' was pretty weak beer. It's (marginal) interest for me in retrospect (aside from as a source of some amusement) was as one point at which the tensions between different strands of the scene at the end of 'long 68' expressed themselves, but that's more than a bit off topic.
I see a couple of the libcom PDFs are missing pages - crucially issue 6 which is missing the article 'Resistance. Why The Struggle Has Already Started' by 'A sore throat somewhere in Hackney'. (IMO that was a fairly significant text at the time). Is this in hand or do you need scans ? PM me if you do.
Serge Forward
Just enjoyin' my coffee.
Anyone remember Workers Playtime? It was produced by some members of the old London Workers Group and was dead good. I had the full set but donated them to the Sparrows Nest archive.
krtek a houby
Kick me again Jesus
80s NME, Hot Press, Crisis. And a book on racism against Irish people. Can't remember the name but it had contributions from Ken Livingstone and Paul Brady.
Can't remember 90s.
00s was New Statesman, No Logo.
Can't remember most 10s.
In recent years, Nell McCafferty's autobiography.
Can't remember 90s.
00s was New Statesman, No Logo.
Can't remember most 10s.
In recent years, Nell McCafferty's autobiography.
Kevbad the Bad
Amiable Bowel Syndrome
Black Dwarf
International Times
Freedom
Back Street Bugle (Oxford’s Other Paper)
Cienfuegos Press Anarchist Review
International Times
Freedom
Back Street Bugle (Oxford’s Other Paper)
Cienfuegos Press Anarchist Review
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
Before my time, but older heads recommended it. Never saw a copy though.
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
I think Viz might have gone over your head.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
It is after all often kept on a high shelf
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Yeh but they have failed to exercise influence on you in any positive direction
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Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
Workers Playtime is good and is on Libcom too:
libcom.org
Workers’ Playtime journal
Online archive of Workers’ Playtime, a more-or-less regular class struggle-oriented journal produced between Feb ’83 and May ’85.
Lurdan
old wave
For me it would be some of the UK underground press in the early 70s. Black Flag in the mid 70s. And then Fifth Estate in its 'Eat the Rich' gang years in the late 70s.
The latter, aside from its quality as a publication, had the advantage over the others that it was based on another continent, in Detroit, and thus there was little question of being distracted by any experience of the characters producing it. Distance does make heart and mind grow fonder IMO. Of course that's even more true regarding the stuff you churn out yourself, on which note
The latter, aside from its quality as a publication, had the advantage over the others that it was based on another continent, in Detroit, and thus there was little question of being distracted by any experience of the characters producing it. Distance does make heart and mind grow fonder IMO. Of course that's even more true regarding the stuff you churn out yourself, on which note
Channeling the spirit of Playtime, Bette Davis springs to mind. "You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good …. Joan Crawford is dead. Good". Well, as I said, it's a matter of perspective, or lack of it. It's true to say that Playtime 'shaped my political thinking' lol.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
I started reading Fifth Estate in the anti-civ/pro-situ years (1990s onwards) think I probably mentioned it above. As Detroit came up in the thread, I just bought this highly recommended book about DRUM
Detroit: I Do Mind Dying
Black autoworkers fight back against exploitation and oppression on the shop floors in the '60s and '70s.
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
I've collected together all the online ones I could find here now:
Crowbar magazine
Partial online archive of Crowbar, an anarchist squatter magazine published in Brixton, South London in the 1980s.
I know you hate Libcom, Top Cat, but if you want more adding I can scan them...
.Or you can just nick those for another online archive somewhere else innit...
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i think everyone can agree that the best thing about libcom is the online libraryI've collected together all the online ones I could find here now:
Crowbar magazine
Partial online archive of Crowbar, an anarchist squatter magazine published in Brixton, South London in the 1980s.
I know you hate Libcom, Top Cat, but if you want more adding I can scan them...
Or you can just nick those for another online archive somewhere else innit...
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
Isn't it pretty much the only thing about Libcom these days?
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i don't know, it's a very long time since i looked at any other part of the site
planetgeli
There's no future in England's dreaming
This. Exactly this.
I've often glanced at this thread and thought it a bit odd that people's political views were really shaped by any of the literature mentioned. Don't get me wrong, it's been good to see a lot of papers and mags I knew of and also lots I didn't, but I just started to read the whole thread and all the time I'm thinking exactly what Epona has said so I was really pleased to come across their post. My lived experience shaped my thinking, especially from childhood, and once I got out into the world on my own at 16 I was immediately pissed off by some dick selling Socialist Worker at the back of any demo or picket I was on.
"Yeah, read this piece about Trotsky"
"No thanks, I've just come from small town poverty surrounded by a few middle class people who think they've made it good because they can afford a washing machine."
I don't care if this sounds prolier than thou. It was fucking hard being brought up in constant poverty. I didn't need Tony Cliff or anyone else telling me how hard I'd had it or what should be done about it.
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