Desert Local News - Index

Desert Local News - Desert Local News Print at Home Edition 11 March 26 - Index

28 dhs local reporter’s news history
Mr. Goodbars Review”
By Dean Gray
By March of 1970, I created the
fourth issue of the now “official” student
“underground” newspaper.
Most of the writing and was mine
and I sold ads to pay for the printing
costs. The influence of comic book
genius Robert Crumb is evident from
my masthead illustration. Also, see
a bit of Monte Python in the talking
heads. The irreverence of recognizable
satirical imagery made it possible
to achieve a large following to attract
students to the compelling written
content.
Modern computers have solved
many difficulties of publishing. There
was a high degree of difficulty in
transferring images to mimeographs
then that was even more difficult than
previous ditto image transmission. It
was an unforgiving method of layout
and paste up. By the fourth issue I had
graduated from the AB Dick mimeograph
from my Methodist Church to
a more sophisticated apparatus at the
Unitarian Church.
That transition was costly, increasing
production expenses. This motivated
me to use my ambition to solicit
advertising as a means to not have to
spend my hard earned cash paid from
working at a bus boy at Welches Restaurant.
It was money I’d much rather
be using for entertainment at rock concerts
or otherwise amusing the young
ladies with my hot canary yellow ’55
Studebaker Commander low riding
hot rod.
Long Beach has 5 public high
schools. Each school had an unauthorized
off-campus publication, all
financed by the liberal SDS. Mine was
run as an independent but politically
conservative business, with ideas
larger than the profit. One of my inspirations
was the self published ‘zine…
The Realist by local DHS author Paul
Krassner. My paper was not so much a
job as it was a vocational adventure.
By this time I was elected to the
Jordan High School Student Council
as Secretary of Fine Arts. That placed
me in charge of the bulletin boards and
school signage. I used the concept of
“using” mass media as I’d read “The
Medium is the Message” by Marshal
McLuhan and selected works of Karl
Lenin including quite possibly the
1906 Organisation of the Masses and
Choice of the Moment for Struggle.
My use of the signs was subversive,
entertaining, and useful to convey
ideas ranging from the school
dance to more sophisticated message
management. While my newspaper
was distributed across the street from
the school and written autonomously
by this time it is known by everyone
that I am the author and “rabble rouser.”
My involvement in school politics
causes my writing to take a new
course and I have gained control of the
mass media machine.
To be honest, I am still considered
a “rabble rouser” and that is why the
local Rotary has not invited me to
joint. I’ve also suffered having to resign
from a local museum board and
been threatened by arrest should I step
on the property of a certain local hotel.
While my actions have saved local
business tens of thousands of dollars
and increased revenue to the city for
over more, I am still satisfactorily
disrespected enough by some to be
pleased for my real accomplishments,
none the less.
Back to the narrative. With high
school matters the primary focus of
my hormonal attention, besides dating
girls, my actions eliminated the
need for advocacy and after March my
writing took a more prosaic and introspective
path while I chased skirts and
escapade.
I was also a prolific reader of Jack
Keroak and Jack London. I was also
a summer student of the anarchocapitalist
ideas at LeFevre’s Ramparts
College. Bryan Doherty writes that
“Out west a California Libertarian Alliance
(CLA), with Dana Rohrabacher
(now 9 term congressman Huntington
Beach) as chief organizers, often in
cooperation with Robert LeFevre ran
huge mass meetings and conferences
with names, such as the Left/Right
Festivarl of Mind liberation, and featuring
speakers ranging from Mises to
Hess, to ex-SDSer Carl Oglesby.”
Rohrabacher sang and accompanied
himself with his banjo at college
campuses across the nation to help
turn right-wingers into libertarians.
Rohrabacher is known today to the
residents of Orange County as “the
surfing congressman.”
My close association with Rohrabacher
will be examined in a future
story.
Writing the fourth issue took a toll
on me. Viet Nam got several mentions
but what was really important those
days was the student dress code. Long
hair and short skirts were in fashion
but outlawed by campus policies. It
was the first Earth Day. Some people
really believed that the state was going
to fall into the ocean. Difficult
times, indeed.
Organizing opposition to the
school principal and fighting absurd
policies was a galvanizing thrill. Linking
with the other high schools was a
considerable achievement culminating
with the summit of all the editors
of all 5 high school newspapers. A rad
leadership of all city students evolved.
Our plot focused on the Board of Education
as target for change.
With a series of non-violent protests
exercising our constitutional
rights of free assembly aided by the
rights of the press we petitioned and
achieved a modicum of success.
Issue four generated a new name
“Mr. Goodbars Review” which was
homage to Robert Crumb with a bit
of Fritz the Cat thrown in. Take a
nostalgic ride back 38 years to 1970.
Easy Rider is playing at the neighborhood
theater (1 screen) in North Long
Beach. Your author has just turned
18.
The principle of Jordan High is
Clifton Patterson, notoriously known
as Captain Cliffy. The Activities Director
is Milton McMinimum, also the
Drama Coach and control freak for
the Student government. He is affectionately
known as Uncle Miltie. Nonfiction
with a chilling momentum establishes
an affable affinity. Alas, it is
real, as writing is a curse that cannot
be denied and the results immortal.
Enjoy Mr. Goodbars Review…
my friends! Examine it like a historical
document and connect with
your youth and your own adventure
as much as you would watching the
National Geographic examine an old
Inca text.