Tom Forcade
Encyclopedia
Thomas King Forçade aka John Thomas Moore and Kenneth Goodson Jr., was an American
underground journalist and activist in the 1970s. For many years he ran the Underground Press Syndicate
(later called the Alternative Press Syndicate), and was the founder in summer 1974, along with several anonymous associates, of High Times magazine. High Times ran articles calling marijuana a "medical wonder drug" and ridiculing the US Drug Enforcement Administration
.
. His father, hot rod
enthusiast Kenneth Goodson Sr., died in a car crash when Forçade was a child.
Tom graduated from the University of Utah
in 1967 with a degree in business administration. He went into the United States Air Force
but was discharged after a few months, after which he moved to New York City
. In 1970, Forcade became one of the first people to use pieing
as a form of protest, hitting Chairman Otto Larsen
during the President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.
According to the 1990 nonfiction book 12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America, by Noel E. Monk and Jimmy Guterman, Forcade and his film crew followed the Sex Pistols
through their chaotic January 1978 concerts of the U.S. South and West, using high-pressure tactics in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the band's management and record company to let him document the tour. He committed suicide in November 1978 in his Greenwich Village
apartment after the death of his best friend, Jack Coombs. Forcade bequeathed trusts to benefit High Times and NORML.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
underground journalist and activist in the 1970s. For many years he ran the Underground Press Syndicate
Underground Press Syndicate
The Underground Press Syndicate, commonly known as UPS, and later known as the Alternative Press Syndicate or APS, was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines formed in mid-1966 by the publishers of five early underground papers: the East Village Other, the Los Angeles Free Press, the...
(later called the Alternative Press Syndicate), and was the founder in summer 1974, along with several anonymous associates, of High Times magazine. High Times ran articles calling marijuana a "medical wonder drug" and ridiculing the US Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
.
Life and career
He was born in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. His father, hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
enthusiast Kenneth Goodson Sr., died in a car crash when Forçade was a child.
Tom graduated from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1967 with a degree in business administration. He went into the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
but was discharged after a few months, after which he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1970, Forcade became one of the first people to use pieing
Pieing
Pieing is the act of throwing a pie at a person or persons. This can be a political action when the target is an authority figure, politician, or celebrity and can be used as a means of protesting against the target's political beliefs, or against perceived arrogance or vanity. Perpetrators...
as a form of protest, hitting Chairman Otto Larsen
Otto Larsen (sociology)
Otto Nyholm Larsen was an American sociologist at the University of Washington specializing in social psychology. He served as Chair of the Department of Sociology and as Director of the Institute for Sociological Research....
during the President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.
According to the 1990 nonfiction book 12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America, by Noel E. Monk and Jimmy Guterman, Forcade and his film crew followed the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
through their chaotic January 1978 concerts of the U.S. South and West, using high-pressure tactics in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the band's management and record company to let him document the tour. He committed suicide in November 1978 in his Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
apartment after the death of his best friend, Jack Coombs. Forcade bequeathed trusts to benefit High Times and NORML.
External links
- Biography of Forcade from World War 4 Report
- Thomas King Forcade profile on NNDBNNDBThe Notable Names Database , produced by Soylent Communications, the same entity that produces Rotten, Daily Rotten, Dr. Sputnik's Society Pages and Penny Postcards, is an online database of biographical details of over 36,000 people of note...
- The Early Years of Tom Forcade via YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....