High Times, OZ School Kids Issue, September 1971. Inaugural Australian issue.
One of the major issues of the 1960s countercultural revolution was the use of recreational and hallucinogen drugs such as LSD and marijuana (cannabis). Prior to their blanket criminalisation during the latter part of the decade, there was widespread use in Western countries and, subsequently, resultant active campaigns for decriminalisation. This continued through the 1970s and beyond. A distinct language developed in association with drug use, including terms such as getting high or being stoned. The first periodical to make use of the term high times was an Australian magazine which appeared during 1971-2 and grew out of Revolution, a counterculture publication which had hit the streets of Melbourne a year earlier. Both were produced under the general editorship of Phillip Frazer. This blog tells part of the story of the Australian High Times. It also attempts to unravel the complex, though brief, publication history, based on original research by the author and information contained in David Martin Kent's 2002 thesis The place of Go-Set in rock & roll music culture in Australia, 1966-1974. It also includes information provided by Phillip Frazer, who contacted this writer in November 2015. Prior to that, tracking down information on High Times was no simple task, as a Google search invariably returned references to the American magazine High Times which was launched in 1974 and has remained in print for over 40 years, focussing on the campaign to legalise cannabis. The earlier Australian variant is little known, it is nevertheless significant in regards to the counterculture and Australia's underground press. A study of High Times and similar magazines such as OZ reveals that far from Australians following the lead of the United States and United Kingdom in regards to cultural movements during the 1960s, they found there own way, and in some instances led in reporting and commenting upon the changing times and views of a new rebellious youth culture. They did this through art, print and music, and Revolution / High Times was amongst the vanguard.
Revolution 1970-1
In May 1970 a radical counterculture magazine was published in Carlton, Victoria, Australia by Go-Set Publications. Entitled Revolution, it was promoted as "Australia's First Rock Magazine". This followed on the publication since 1966 of Go-Set, which was initially a pop music magazine aimed at the teeny bopper and youth market. Revolution was a natural progression and would focus on an older audience such as university students and those veering away from traditional Top 40 pop music. It would also move its focus from music into broader areas associated with the burgeoning counterculture, including politics and lifestyle issues. Revolution was the brainchild of former Monash University student Phillip Frazer, one of the founders of Go-Set and owner / manager of Go-Set Publications. This new magazine was edited by John Hawkes. It was also associated with the launch of an Australian edition of the American music magazine Rolling Stone, which initially appeared as a supplement in Revolution issue number 4, August 1970. It was launched as a fully fledged, separate magazine in 1972 by Frazer, and is now the longest surviving international edition of Rolling Stone. Frazer was also behind the creation of High Times - which grow out of Revolution - and the news broadsheet The Digger.
Phillip Frazer's left leanings and embracing of the counterculture initially saw expression within the Go-Set 'Core' supplement from December 1969, and that magazine's ongoing willingness to allow musicians to express their views on a variety of societal issues, beyond the mere musical. Core attempted to emulate the journalistic style of Rolling Stone, with in-depth articles and a higher standard of writing. A separate magazine such as Revolution was therefore a natural extension of this move to broaden the coverage of issues relating to the youth of the day. According to Frazer, this grew out of the success of Go-Set, which was "simple pop stuff, but it established we were a culture, growing in numbers and content year by year."
The success - even if only short term - of the various underground press publications which proliferated during the latter part of the 1960s, in places such as London, San Fransciso, New York and Paris, was also noted. Newspapers and magazines such as the East Coast Other, Berkeley Barb, San Francisco Oracle, International Times and the London edition of OZ, all proliferated around the period 1966-8 and the so-called Summer of Love. For example, OZ was initially edited by Australian journalist Richard Neville and with art direction by his colleague Martin Sharp, having grown out of the Sydney version which had hit the streets on April Fool's Day 1963. Australia's first counterculture magazine, OZ used a mixture of satire, cartoon art, and commentary which sought to inform young people on issues ranging from abortion, drug use, sex, politics and music. When editors Neville and Sharp left Sydney in February 1966 for London, the local version of OZ continued on, but floundered and ceased publication at the beginning of 1969. The London equivalent was banned from entry into Australia, therefore leaving a gap in the market. Revolution sought to fill that gap. It was part of the next generation of underground, counterculture publications, just as Frazer was younger than the original OZ editors, even if only by a few years. The times they were a changing, and OZ was slow to address issues such as politics and women's liberation. Frazer's generation embraced both with vigour.
Beginning with volume 1, number 1, Revolution appeared monthly from May 1970, ending with volume 2 number 4 of August 1971, a crossover edition with the newmagzine High Times. Printed in Carlton by Waverley Offset Printers, there were, according to Kent, 10 issues. Frazer suggests that there were possibly 12 issues, whilst 11 issues have been accounted for by this author, inclusive of the final crossover edition. Frazer's vagueness is due in part to the fact that in 1970 and 1971 he was away from Australia on a number of occasions, visiting the United States, Asia and Europe, before returning for a lengthy stay late in 1971.
In December 1970 Revolution began including copies of Cobber Comix, a subversive comic which was also issued separately. Similar in style to the work of American artist Robert Crumb, this was new to Australia fans of comics, and spurred on by the appearance of similar material in the UK and US as part of the countercultural revolution and rise in the underground press. Crumb panels had appeared in the London edition of OZ and most famously in a sexualised adaptation of Britain's beloved Rupert the Bear within that magazine's June 1970 special School Kids Issue. This led, in part, to the editors being charged with, and found guilty of, obscenity and corrupting the morals of minors. Though the ruling was eventually overturned, the case was notorious and played a major role in the UK'S eventual relaxation of its censorship laws.As Revolution featured more political and social anti-establishment commentary, and less music, it came to the notice of authorities. Issue number 3 of July - August 1970 featured an article by Martin Sharp and David Elfick, critical of Australia's invasive and antiquated censorship regime. The magazine was then subject to regular censorship, which delayed issues and also spooked some retail outlets. The magazine's very future was at stake. Frazer needed to reconsider his publication strategy.
Phillip Frazer's left leanings and embracing of the counterculture initially saw expression within the Go-Set 'Core' supplement from December 1969, and that magazine's ongoing willingness to allow musicians to express their views on a variety of societal issues, beyond the mere musical. Core attempted to emulate the journalistic style of Rolling Stone, with in-depth articles and a higher standard of writing. A separate magazine such as Revolution was therefore a natural extension of this move to broaden the coverage of issues relating to the youth of the day. According to Frazer, this grew out of the success of Go-Set, which was "simple pop stuff, but it established we were a culture, growing in numbers and content year by year."
The success - even if only short term - of the various underground press publications which proliferated during the latter part of the 1960s, in places such as London, San Fransciso, New York and Paris, was also noted. Newspapers and magazines such as the East Coast Other, Berkeley Barb, San Francisco Oracle, International Times and the London edition of OZ, all proliferated around the period 1966-8 and the so-called Summer of Love. For example, OZ was initially edited by Australian journalist Richard Neville and with art direction by his colleague Martin Sharp, having grown out of the Sydney version which had hit the streets on April Fool's Day 1963. Australia's first counterculture magazine, OZ used a mixture of satire, cartoon art, and commentary which sought to inform young people on issues ranging from abortion, drug use, sex, politics and music. When editors Neville and Sharp left Sydney in February 1966 for London, the local version of OZ continued on, but floundered and ceased publication at the beginning of 1969. The London equivalent was banned from entry into Australia, therefore leaving a gap in the market. Revolution sought to fill that gap. It was part of the next generation of underground, counterculture publications, just as Frazer was younger than the original OZ editors, even if only by a few years. The times they were a changing, and OZ was slow to address issues such as politics and women's liberation. Frazer's generation embraced both with vigour.
Beginning with volume 1, number 1, Revolution appeared monthly from May 1970, ending with volume 2 number 4 of August 1971, a crossover edition with the newmagzine High Times. Printed in Carlton by Waverley Offset Printers, there were, according to Kent, 10 issues. Frazer suggests that there were possibly 12 issues, whilst 11 issues have been accounted for by this author, inclusive of the final crossover edition. Frazer's vagueness is due in part to the fact that in 1970 and 1971 he was away from Australia on a number of occasions, visiting the United States, Asia and Europe, before returning for a lengthy stay late in 1971.
In December 1970 Revolution began including copies of Cobber Comix, a subversive comic which was also issued separately. Similar in style to the work of American artist Robert Crumb, this was new to Australia fans of comics, and spurred on by the appearance of similar material in the UK and US as part of the countercultural revolution and rise in the underground press. Crumb panels had appeared in the London edition of OZ and most famously in a sexualised adaptation of Britain's beloved Rupert the Bear within that magazine's June 1970 special School Kids Issue. This led, in part, to the editors being charged with, and found guilty of, obscenity and corrupting the morals of minors. Though the ruling was eventually overturned, the case was notorious and played a major role in the UK'S eventual relaxation of its censorship laws.As Revolution featured more political and social anti-establishment commentary, and less music, it came to the notice of authorities. Issue number 3 of July - August 1970 featured an article by Martin Sharp and David Elfick, critical of Australia's invasive and antiquated censorship regime. The magazine was then subject to regular censorship, which delayed issues and also spooked some retail outlets. The magazine's very future was at stake. Frazer needed to reconsider his publication strategy.
High Times 1971-2
High Times grew out of Revolution and the difficulties with censorship and distribution suffered through the latter part of 1970 and into the first half of 1971. Frazer decided to distance himself from Go-Set Publications and set up a new company called High Times Publications. High Times was primarily a collaboration between Frazer and two women who had migrated to Australia from the United States in the late 1960s - Pat Woolley and Macy McFarland. According to Frazer, "Pat and Macy specialised in cartoonists — ie
finding them and highlighting their original work. Later, Pat published books
on the Wild and Woolley imprint, with her biz partner novelist Michael Wilding." The name High Times obviously made reference to the 'high' achieved by the use of drugs such as marijuana and LSD. This new magazine first hit the streets in September 1971. It was also printed in Carlton by the Waverley Press and bore a logo utilising a similar font to the original Rolling Stone magazine masthead, designed by San Francisco poster artist and cartoonist Rick Griffin.
Volume 1 number 1 appeared in September 1971 and the final edition, volume 3 number 1, was published in January 1972, just 4 months later. Based on the holdings of Australian public libraries the following editions appeared: 1(1) September 1971, 1(2), 1(3) October 1971, 1(4) November 1971, 1(5) December 1971, 2(1), 2(2), 2(3) January 1972, 3(1) January 1972. As was often the case with such underground press publications, they were printed irregularly, though efforts were made to stick to a monthly release date. In addition, the volume and number information was not always present, neither was there clear date of issue information. The precise publication history of the Australian High Times, as revealed by the issues themselves, is therefore confusing. Kent's thesis is useful in presenting a broad overview of its history and societal context, though it does not provide precise publication details. For example, the inaugural issue was neither numbered or bearing a date. It was titled OZ School Kids Issue after the infamous edition of London OZ by that name which was published in May 1970 and whose cover it made use of. Within that edition of High Times there was a copy of Cobber Comix No.1/2, which was a continuation of the support for local radical comics which had commenced with Revolution and, to a degree, Go-Set before that. Present in that first issue was information regarding the team responsible for putting it together. This included:
Editors & Layout - Colin James, Macy McFarland
Editor a la America - Phil Frazer
Advertising - Terry Cleary
Art - Bob Daly
Photography - Ray Strong
Cobber Comix - Pat Woolley
Cosmic Comix - Green Man
Comix Contributors - Mike Halsall, Kit Walker, Bob Daly, Green Man, Ernie Althoff & Ian McClausland.
Volume 1 number 1 appeared in September 1971 and the final edition, volume 3 number 1, was published in January 1972, just 4 months later. Based on the holdings of Australian public libraries the following editions appeared: 1(1) September 1971, 1(2), 1(3) October 1971, 1(4) November 1971, 1(5) December 1971, 2(1), 2(2), 2(3) January 1972, 3(1) January 1972. As was often the case with such underground press publications, they were printed irregularly, though efforts were made to stick to a monthly release date. In addition, the volume and number information was not always present, neither was there clear date of issue information. The precise publication history of the Australian High Times, as revealed by the issues themselves, is therefore confusing. Kent's thesis is useful in presenting a broad overview of its history and societal context, though it does not provide precise publication details. For example, the inaugural issue was neither numbered or bearing a date. It was titled OZ School Kids Issue after the infamous edition of London OZ by that name which was published in May 1970 and whose cover it made use of. Within that edition of High Times there was a copy of Cobber Comix No.1/2, which was a continuation of the support for local radical comics which had commenced with Revolution and, to a degree, Go-Set before that. Present in that first issue was information regarding the team responsible for putting it together. This included:
Editors & Layout - Colin James, Macy McFarland
Editor a la America - Phil Frazer
Advertising - Terry Cleary
Art - Bob Daly
Photography - Ray Strong
Cobber Comix - Pat Woolley
Cosmic Comix - Green Man
Comix Contributors - Mike Halsall, Kit Walker, Bob Daly, Green Man, Ernie Althoff & Ian McClausland.
Within that edition the following publication and printer information was also given:
Published by M.A. McFarland, 217 Canning St., Carlton, for High Times, 217 Canning St., Carlton, and printed by Patrick D. Hegarty for Waverley Offset Printers Pty. Ltd., 33 Railway Parade North, Glen Waverley.
M.A. 'Macy' McFarland was both the publisher and general editor of High Times, with Phillip Frazer having moved on to the United States around that time, or planning such a move. The High Times School Kids Issue also included a letter from the ex-editor of Revolution, John Hawkes, written from Santa Barbara, California and comprising a detailed analysis of the crossover edition of Revolution and High Times.
High Times, 1(5), December 1971.
High Times, 3(1), January 1972. Final issue.
List of Issues
Revolution
1(1) May 1970. Easy Rider / Rock is a four letter word issue
1(2) June - July 1970. Lust or bust / The Moratorium
1(3) July - August 1970. Mick jagger's Death Concert
1(4) August - September 1970. Includes a Rolling Stone Australia 12 page supplement.
1(5) October 1970
1(6) November 1970
1(7) December 1970
2(1) January 1971. Pot
2(2) March 1971.
2(3) June 1971. Chairman Mao
2(4) August 1971. Revolution / High Times crossover issue.
High Times
0 August 1971. Crossover issue with Revolution
1(1) September 1971. OZ School Kids Special
1(2) .....
1(3) No.3. October 1971. Communes
1(4) No.4. November 1971
1(5) Vol.1 No.5. December 1971. Conversation with a Draft Dodger
2(1) .....
2(2) .....
2(3) January 1972
3(1) Volume 3 Number 1. January 1972. Communal Living - Special Issue.
Descriptions
Revolution – 11 issues x 28-36 pages each x broadsheet size, folded in half
High Times – 9 issues x 48 pages each x
A4 size
The Digger - 48 issues x 12 pages x broadsheet size
The Digger - 48 issues x 12 pages x broadsheet size
Addenda
The Digger, volume 1 number 1 (21 August 1972) - volume 1 number 48 (30 December 1975), High Times pty. Ltd., Middle Park, Victoria.
The Digger, launched in 1972, was an alternative-culture fortnightly publication. It was established by Philip Frazer (Go-Set, Gas, Revolution) with Gary Hutchinson and Bruce Hanford. Phil Pinder records that it was the only 'underground' magazine with a collective ownership, and as in the early days of Double Jay, Digger's editorial policy was decided collectively, with any individual member having the right of veto on a story or cartoon. Bruce Hanford, a US draft dodger, has been credited with introducing the 'new journalism' of Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson into Australia through the pages of The Age's "ill-fated venture into dissent", Broadside. The Digger continued Philip Frazer's attempts to create an Australian 'counterculture' publication like Rolling Stone or the LA Free Press, and it succeeded his earlier magazines Revolution and High Times. In 1973, The Digger changed from fortnightly to monthly publication, backed by Community Aid Abroad's 'Light, Powder and Construction Works'. By this time the editorial collective included Frazer, Jon Hawkes, his then partner photographer Ponch Hawkes (now a noted photographer), school teacher and future novelist Helen Garner and the late Terry Cleary, the long-serving Go-Set staffer who had returned to work with Frazer after a stint with Gudinski's abortive rival Planet. As he did at Go-Set, Terry Cleary's work role as sales manager and "vibe" man was a crucial part of the operation, and Pinder says The Digger survived largely on "Terry Cleary's ability to get money from people who didn't have any". The Digger also managed to solve - at least for a time - the perennial problem of getting distribution by creating a 'locked' package deal of Australian Rolling Stone and The Digger, so that newsagents couldn't take one without the other. The Digger was an important outlet for political and satirical cartoons and published the work of many noted artists of the period. Contributors included renowned cartoonist and designer Ron Cobb (who designed the cover of Jefferson Airplane's second LP and was a major contributor to Alien), Ian McCausland (Go-Set, High Times, Planet), Bob Daly, Patrick Cook, Michael Leunig, Neil McLean and Phil Pinder. Problems with content dogged the paper throughout its life. Pinder recalls that a Neil McLean front-page cartoon was rejected because one of the editorial collective (Garner) objected to it on the grounds that it was sexist - because you couldn't tell the gender of one of the figures. Philip Frazer asked McLean to do more cartoons for The Digger but he declined the offer and went to work for Living Daylights instead. In April 1974 The Digger was found guilty of obscenity in a case stemming from two of its articles - one by Beatrice Faust, which was found to have been accompanied by "obscene" illustrations, and another on sex education by Helen Garner. The $1350 fine crippled The Digger, which had operated on a financial knife edge, and it was eventually forced to close some time in 1975. Original copies of The Digger are now undoubtedly very rare - according to the distribution details listed on the Nation Review website only 240 copies of the first edition were issued in Melbourne, and 78 of those were returned unsold. Sales figures from Melbourne and Latrobe universities indicate that later editions only sold a few dozen copies at most at these outlets. Jon and Ponch Hawkes - who taught herself to use a camera while writing for The Digger and had her first photographs published in the magazine - were founding members of the Australian Performing Group (APG) and Ponch subsequently joined Circus Oz, where she was the lighting director for ten years, and she photographed both troupes many times. In a memoir of his time with the Australian Performing Group, performer Mic Conway (Captain Matchbox) said that it a Digger article by Helen Garner spurred him to visit the Pram Factory and led to his long association with APG and the subsequent formation of Soapbox Circus and Matchbox.
References
David Martin Kent, The place of Go-Set in rock & roll music culture in Australia, 1966-1974, Master of Arts in Communication thesis, University of Canberra, 2002.
Phil Pinder, Down Underground Comix, Penguin, 1983.
The Digger, Milesago [webpage]. Available URL: http://www.milesago.com/Press/digger.htm.
Michael Organ
27 July 2016
27 July 2016
