While browsing through the incomplete holdings of Friends/Frendz in the British Library I found an advert for the new ‘British Rock Paper’ Strange Days. As luck would have it the library did have the entire run, which unfortunately only amounts to 4 issues that were kicked out at the fag end of 1970. The paper promised to give serious coverage fo the rock scene, offering an alternative to the just launched Sounds, funded by Rupert Murdoch, and the dreary MM and NME. Mimicking the fold over cover of Rolling Stone, the first issue put Elvis in gold lame suit on the front and ran with the first of two lengthy features on the IOW festival. Alongside whatever band was currently in the frame, The Who, Humble Pie, P.J. Proby (one for Nik Cohn), The Pretty Things, Eric Burdon, and the Mighty MC5, it also so covered things like god-rock, kids-rock, black rock and white soul, and reggae as the true underground music. Other aspects of youth culture got a good shake, most especially motorbikes. In the first issue you can find out where to get your bike chopped, 2nd ed has an article on speedway, and in the last issue the distaff side of things is given space with a photo essay on ‘Sister in Leather’:
Supplementing, a no doubt, meagre return on sales and advertising space, the editorial team also ran a m’cycle despatch company. Editor Mark Williams had previously looked after the rock section MusicIT at International Times, he later wrote the first book on road movies: ‘the complete guide to cinema on wheels’ published by Proteus in 1982, which I bought back in the day and have had ever since. In the author’s blurb he describes himself as having rode Harley-Davidsons all over the place, having seen Two-Lane Blacktop six times and once owned the same model Mustang as McQueen drove in Bullitt. He lives, it is written, mainly in airport lounges. A tip of the old chapeau to Mr. Williams for being so cool and for being well ahead of the curve with Road Movies and Strange Days.
Given that the politics of the rock festival loom large in the editorial content it was no surprise to see the thoughts of Mick Farren given space. After all he had had a hand in the organising of Phun City and did help pull down the fences at the IOW. What took me by surprise was the picture that sat above the article’s headline. Here was Farren and a motley crew having just raided a theatrical costumers (or maybe Ron Asheton’s house). I’ve not seen this picture before, but would be interested to know if it has circulated much since and just what the story is.
Th einside story of the paper’s demise . . .