Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)

Subject: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 03 Sep 18 - 10:15 PM

Just heard this over the National Public Radio (which thankfully is still with us). The Village Voice is to end publication in all media. The only encouraging thing I could take from the news was that an effort will be made to provide the archives online (but suppose they can't be made to pay?)

The radio article explained that while it was understood that print as a medium had seen its best days, the counter-cultural angle of The Village Voice had been 'subsumed' (yes, he really used that word) by web sources as well.

This put me in mind of the many small journals one could find in any sizable metropolis which could be found, often for free, on the street in their own dedicated colorful often graffiti marked boxes.

Boston had at least two circulating weeklies, "The Phoenix" and "The Real Paper". I believe both are long gone.

Anchorage still has a paper, not so much counter cultural as counter cultural adjacent. "The Press."

Our regular daily paper is on the bubble. I am subscribing to it because I like to do the puzzles in pen, not in type. Also you can use a fresh newspaper as a base for certain cooking operations, including serving fried fish the old-fashioned way.

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: EBarnacle
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 11:28 AM

It's been in financial trouble for several years. Their biggest challenge occurred when they went entirely advertising supported , providing the paper for free in street boxes. [I rarely saw it available after Thursday in the boxes.] Their competition came from the throwaway papers handed out daily as well as other hyperlocal weeklies. Hail and farewell.

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 02:39 PM

I still need a printed newspaper at least once a fortnight
to soak up a full mug of tea knocked over on the living room carpet...

Glossy magazines are uslessly non absorbent...

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: GUEST,paperback
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 04:14 PM

offhisrocker^

counterculturefanboysgentrification

The Village Voice, silenced, by the bluebird of Internet happiness, sad.

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 04:45 PM

I left this in the music section because it has been my impression that the Village Voice always had a close relationship with music, especially the Greenwich Village folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. But I have to say that I don't know much about it. Can anybody tell us about the Voice and folk music?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 05:25 PM

Well, Joe, I recall vividly a performance review, and a pithy appreciation and summary, written by a Village Voice journalist.

The idiom was the flamenco cante jondo,
and the artist went by the name Agujetas
(elsewhere, I learned that that word
refers to a symptom of arthritis -- stiff cramped joints or something)

He turned up in New York City, this man from Andalusia,
and sang after hours in someone's small premises,
and word of mouth in advance brought in all these
North American "aficionados" in order to hear the real thing.

Agujetas, if I recall right, has by now been dead for some time.
But the article, which was decades ago, ended with the two sentences:

"Agujetas is still young.
When he sings,
you can measure his age in centuries."

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 05:49 PM

The journalist is named Brook Zern,
and he is still alive;
but his webpages had to be changed, I hear.
He had his own site for years;
now I hear that the site shut down recently
and his written work
has been accommodated at the website of a non-profit project.

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Sep 18 - 11:23 PM

Here's an example of the excellent coverage of music that came from the Village Voice:

https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/07/21/bob-dylans-1965-newport-folk-set-proved-he-was-the-greatest-poet-of-his-generation/

Or look at this one:

http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=2381

And this looks interesting:

http://www.academia.edu/12973746/The_Folk_Problem_The_Village_Voice_Takes_on_Folk_Music_1955-1965

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: Mark Ross
Date: 05 Sep 18 - 07:57 AM

I always thought that when I was a young'un playing in The Village that I would have made it if I got a review in VV. It only took about 8 years. And then I left town.

Mark

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: GaryG
Date: 05 Sep 18 - 09:43 AM

Does anyone remember the East Village Other? It only lasted from the mid-60s to the early 70s. The EVO was so bizarre that it made the Village Voice look like the New York Times.

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Sep 18 - 01:05 PM

I'm sorry to see this thread moved out of the music threads, that's all.

---

Note to Mods: as noted above on Sept 4, I had intentionally left this thread in the music section because of the place this newspaper held in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 07 Sep 18 - 03:55 PM

The Village Voice generally tended not to write well about music imo. (My idea of a good '60s writer about music is Paul Williams.)

Subject: RE: Obit: The Village Voice (1955-2018)
From: GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 07 Sep 18 - 03:56 PM

The EVO was entertaining!