The Digger Papers (August, 1968)
Memo to the Reader
Realist Edition, Cover Page
The only difference between the Free and the Realist editions of The
Digger Papers was the cover. The large graphic of the Hopi Indian
Running Man symbol, which dominated the Free cover, was shrunk to one
corner. The Realist's logo, return address block, and colophon all
occupied the other three corners. The most interesting difference
between the two editions, though, was the Memo to the Reader which, from
a historian's perspective, provides vital clues to the influences that
the Diggers acknowledged.
When Time magazine decided to do a cover story on the hippies
last year, a cable to their San Francisco bureau instructed researchers
to "go at the description and delineation of the subculture as if you
were studying the Samoans or the Trobriand Islanders."
Thus were they supposed to remain--a frozen fad for posterity.
But a few months ago, police rioted on Haight St. Next day, at a town
hall meeting in the Straight Theater, the spectrum of reaction ranged
from "Let's have another be-in" to "We gotta get guns!" A compromise was
reached: bottles painted Love were thrown at the cops.
And yet, the question remains--What is being defended?
This issue of the Realist, therefore, has been created entirely
by The Diggers, in an attempt to convey the flavor and feeling-tone of a
revolutionary community.
An inadequate list of the brothers and sisters whose work is
represented in this document:
Antonin Artaud, Richard, Avedon, Billy Batman, Peter Berg, Wally
Berman, Richard Brautigan, Bryden, William Burroughs, Martin Carey, Neil
Cassidy, Fidel Castro, Don Cochran, Peter Cohon, Gregory Corso,
Dangerfield, Kirby Doyle, Bill Fritsch, Allen Ginsberg, Emmett Grogan,
Dave Hazelwood, George Hermes, Linn House, Lenore Kandel, Billy Landout,
Norman Mailer, Don Martin, Michael McClure, George Metesky, George
Montana, Malcolm X, Natural Suzanne, Huey Newton, Pam Parker,
Rose-a-Lee, David Simpson, Gary Snyder, Ron Thelin, Rip Torn, Time Inc.,
Lew Welch, Thomas Weir, Gerard Winstanley, and Anonymous.
The contents herein are not copyrighted. Anyone may reprint anything
without permission. Additional copies are available at the rate of 5 for
$l. The Diggers have been given 40,000 copies to spread their word:
free.
The 10th anniversary issue of the Realist will be out in June.
Colophon
The Realist is published monthly except for January and July by The
Realist Association, a non-profit corporation. Publication Office: 595
Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10012. Editor: Paul Krassner, Box 379,
Stuyvesant Sta., New York, N.Y. 10009. Subscribtion rates: $3 for 10
issues; $5 for 20 issues. Application to mail at second class postage
rates is pending at New York, N.Y.
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