Back in the days of the 1960s Underground we were busy living in an alternative universe. It existed next to straight society and it followed completely different rules.
We weren’t in the business of making lots of money.
We were not interested in trashing the planet for profit.
We didn’t think that sex was dirty.
We liked to enjoy ourselves in a hedonistic fashion.
We felt there had to be a greater purpose to life.
We disliked the hypocrisy of the middle classes.
We were egalitarian.
We were opposed to sexism, racism and any other ism you could think of.
We liked loud Rock Music with a message.
We were libertarians who wanted to sweep away the  grey lives of our parents and replace it with colour, vibrancy and fun.
We would go down to buy IT and OZ off our local street vendor – a fellow freak – and lap it up. OZ had come over from Australia and was run by Richard Neville. It was one of the Underground Press’ major papers. We read it avidly and it spoke to us – the freaks. We were building a new world. We were going to change everything.
OZ was a frolic of great libertarian writing for the new age. Sex, drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll – ah we were naïve but glorious.
I read Playpower and still have it on my shelf.
Felix Dennis has already gone in 2014. The generation that set out to change the world is fast disappearing. Their story has been purloined by the State, ridiculed and made safe.
Thank you guys for helping make my life more real. I shall miss you!
You keep yer mitts up, Oph. You never know when just the right “thing” is gonna come along and you’ll knock it on its arse!!! 😉
We’ll see Cheryl. What will the right ‘thing’ look like?
“I shall miss you” – where are you going?
Not me – them – they’re dead! I shall miss them and their irreverence.