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| International Times | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Times |
| Type | Underground newspaper |
| Foundation | 1966 |
| Founders | Tom McGrath; John Hopkins; Jeff Nuttall; Barry Miles |
| Language | English |
| Political | Counterculture; avant-garde |
| Headquarters | London |
International Times is a London-based underground newspaper founded in 1966 that became a central organ of the British and international counterculture, connecting figures from the Beat Generation, British psychedelia, American avant-garde, and radical art circles. It provided early platforms for writers, poets, musicians, and activists affiliated with movements and institutions such as the Beat Generation, Royal College of Art, Open University, BBC, and festivals like the Isle of Wight Festival. The paper's pages intersected with networks around venues and publications such as the Roundhouse, ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), Queen Elizabeth Hall, NME, and Melody Maker.
Founded in 1966 by a collective including Tom McGrath, John Hopkins, Jeff Nuttall, and Barry Miles, the paper emerged during the same milieu that produced projects linked to King's College London alumni, St. Martin's School of Art graduates, and contributors from the circles of Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. Early issues ran alongside events tied to the Notting Hill Carnival, the International Artists' Week, and benefit concerts at the Roundhouse and Royal Albert Hall. During 1967–1968 the paper reported on protests and happenings connected to the Vietnam War, the Prague Spring, and anti-establishment actions near the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Through the late 1960s and 1970s it weathered police raids that mirrored confrontations faced by publications such as Oz (magazine), Pen networks, and radical presses allied with groups like the Students for a Democratic Society and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Editorial collectives included artists and activists with ties to the Beat Generation, Situationist International, and British experimental theatre practitioners from the Royal Court Theatre and Living Theatre. Key contributors and associates ranged from poets influenced by Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso to critics who later wrote for The Times and The Guardian. Musicians and scenesters connected to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones appeared in coverage or contributed interviews, while visual artists linked to Yoko Ono, Richard Hamilton, Derek Jarman, and Peter Blake supplied artwork. Writers with affiliations to City University, London, the University of London, and international campuses such as the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University contributed essays, reviews, and manifestos.
The paper mixed investigative journalism with poetry, manifestos, gig listings, and experimental art, paralleling publications like Rolling Stone and Melody Maker while maintaining closer affinities to avant-garde journals such as Granta and Encounter. Recurring themes included coverage of psychedelic research linked to Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley; reportage on squatting movements related to Liberty Hall and the Notting Hill squat scenes; and interviews with figures from the Happenings and Fluxus movements, including connections to Nam June Paik and Joseph Beuys. The paper ran features on film and theatre that engaged with works by Jean-Luc Godard, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ken Loach, and Peter Brook, and reviewed records by artists associated with Island Records, Harvest Records, and Apple Records.
Distributed through chains and independent outlets including stalls at Portobello Road Market, shops in Camden Town, and stalls near the British Museum and Trafalgar Square, the paper circulated across London and various British cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, and Glasgow. International distribution extended to hubs like New York City, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Paris, and Berlin, with exchanges via networks tied to the Peace Movement, the Student Movement, and Leftist publishers in Italy and West Germany. Print runs varied widely; special issues and festival supplements were sold at events including the Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury Festival, and benefit concerts organized by the Anti-Vietnam War Committee.
The publication faced multiple legal challenges, including obscenity and licensing disputes reminiscent of high-profile prosecutions against Oz (magazine) and clashes involving the Post Office and police forces. Raids by officers associated with Scotland Yard and seizures tied to statutory provisions used against radical presses prompted legal defense fundraisers and support from literary figures affiliated with London Review of Books and civil liberties groups like Liberty (UK). Allegations of incitement in some coverage drew criticism from MPs across parties represented at the House of Commons, while copyright disputes involved artists and record labels such as EMI and Decca Records.
The paper influenced subsequent alternative media, underground radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and pirate stations around Pirate Radio, and inspired collectives that published titles in the 1970s and 1980s linked to Rough Trade, Independent Radio Network, and anarchist presses in Spain and Greece. Archival material has been used in exhibitions at institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, and the British Library alongside retrospectives focusing on the Swinging Sixties, the Counterculture, and the history of alternative press in Britain. Alumni went on to careers connected to The Guardian, The Observer, BBC Television, academia at Goldsmiths, University of London, and film work tied to festivals such as the Berlinale and Edinburgh International Festival.