Avatar (underground newspaper)
Encyclopedia
Avatar was an American
underground newspaper published in Boston
, Massachusetts
in 1967-68. The newspaper's first issues were published from the headquarters of Broadside
magazine in Cambridge
. The paper was initially started by a varied group of people from different parts of the Boston countercultural scene, but quickly came to be dominated by the Fort Hill Commune led by Mel Lyman
, a banjo-playing folk musician turned acid guru who led a hippie cult known as The Lyman Family. During its brief existence Avatar was considered one of the best underground papers in the country, largely for its excellent layout, printing and design. Toward the end of its run 6 issues (nos. 18-23) were published in large newspaper format, with a tabloid size magazine insert.
Mel Lyman's group dominated the paper from the start by packing staff meetings with their supporters and winning any issue that came to a vote, and the contents of the paper included large amounts of writing by and about Mel Lyman in his role as self-appointed world savior. Over time disputes between the Fort Hill Commune and other factions involved in putting out the paper led to a violent split which killed the paper. A total of 24 issues were printed bi-weekly from June 9, 1967, through April 26, 1968. In "My Odyssey Through the Underground Press," Michael Kindman wrote: "Issue Number 24 was a kind of declaration of spiritual war by Mel on the others who felt they had some claim to the paper." A 25th issue dated May 9, 1968 was printed by the opposition faction, but all but 1000 copies of the 45,000 copy press run were stolen and destroyed by angry members of the Fort Hill Commune.
There were three brief-lived spinoffs including a New York City edition loyal to Mel Lyman called New York Avatar, edited by Brian Keating out of a Soho loft and featuring contributions by Paul Williams
and Peter Stafford
of Crawdaddy
magazine and underground cartoonist The Mad Peck
. New York Avatar published 7 issues, with a print run of 7500 copies, between March 29 and August 1968. A reorganized Boston Avatar (also known as Avatar Vol. II), edited by Dave Wilson of Broadside magazine and produced by the opposition faction, published 6 issues between July and August 1968. A beautifully printed tabloid magazine version called American Avatar ran for four issues under the direction of Mel Lyman from October 1968 to Summer 1969.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
underground newspaper published in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1967-68. The newspaper's first issues were published from the headquarters of Broadside
Broadside Magazine
Broadside Magazine was a small mimeographed publication founded in 1962 by Agnes "Sis" Cunningham and her husband, Gordon Friesen. Hugely influential in the folk-revival, it was often controversial. Issues of what is folk music, what is folk rock, and who is folk were roundly discussed and debated...
magazine in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. The paper was initially started by a varied group of people from different parts of the Boston countercultural scene, but quickly came to be dominated by the Fort Hill Commune led by Mel Lyman
Mel Lyman
Melvin James Lyman was an American cult leader, musician, film maker and writer.-Musician:Lyman grew up in California and Oregon...
, a banjo-playing folk musician turned acid guru who led a hippie cult known as The Lyman Family. During its brief existence Avatar was considered one of the best underground papers in the country, largely for its excellent layout, printing and design. Toward the end of its run 6 issues (nos. 18-23) were published in large newspaper format, with a tabloid size magazine insert.
Mel Lyman's group dominated the paper from the start by packing staff meetings with their supporters and winning any issue that came to a vote, and the contents of the paper included large amounts of writing by and about Mel Lyman in his role as self-appointed world savior. Over time disputes between the Fort Hill Commune and other factions involved in putting out the paper led to a violent split which killed the paper. A total of 24 issues were printed bi-weekly from June 9, 1967, through April 26, 1968. In "My Odyssey Through the Underground Press," Michael Kindman wrote: "Issue Number 24 was a kind of declaration of spiritual war by Mel on the others who felt they had some claim to the paper." A 25th issue dated May 9, 1968 was printed by the opposition faction, but all but 1000 copies of the 45,000 copy press run were stolen and destroyed by angry members of the Fort Hill Commune.
There were three brief-lived spinoffs including a New York City edition loyal to Mel Lyman called New York Avatar, edited by Brian Keating out of a Soho loft and featuring contributions by Paul Williams
Paul Williams (Crawdaddy! creator)
Paul Williams is an American music journalist and writer. Williams created the first national US magazine of rock music criticism :Crawdaddy! in January 1966 on the campus of Swarthmore College with the help of some of his fellow science fiction fans...
and Peter Stafford
Peter Stafford
Peter Stafford was an American writer and author of the Psychedelics Encyclopedia . Stafford is also co-author with Bonnie Golightly of LSD: The Problem-solving Psychedelic, as well as other books on psychedelics. He was the editor of Crawdaddy! from 1969 to 1970...
of Crawdaddy
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
magazine and underground cartoonist The Mad Peck
Mad Peck
The Mad Peck is an American underground cartoonist. His work first appeared in underground newspapers like the East Village Other and the Chicago Seed in 1969. Consisting mostly of manipulated clip art from old ads, they advertised items like "GIANT INHALER" and "FREE CIGARETTE PAPERS", hippies and...
. New York Avatar published 7 issues, with a print run of 7500 copies, between March 29 and August 1968. A reorganized Boston Avatar (also known as Avatar Vol. II), edited by Dave Wilson of Broadside magazine and produced by the opposition faction, published 6 issues between July and August 1968. A beautifully printed tabloid magazine version called American Avatar ran for four issues under the direction of Mel Lyman from October 1968 to Summer 1969.
External links
- Avatar from A Chronological Collection of Works by and about Mel Lyman and the Lyman Family.
- "Judge Convicts Two in Avatar Trial: 'What Justifies Words Like These?'" Harvard CrimsonHarvard CrimsonThe Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
, December 9, 1967.