2 favourite. I walked mildly shiftily past what was then the Stella Maris convent, and slipped in through the unlocked gate of Bideford football ground. I got out my cigarettes, a pork pie and a bottle of cider, and settled down to read the music press in peace. Dear Friends, Welcome to another issue of the ever expanding (and I hope ever improving) Gonzo Weekly. I remember back in the Easter holidays of 1977, when I was home from school for the last time (I I remember an article about how all the various was expelled a couple of months later, but that is punk bands were signing to different labels, which another story) I went into Bideford and bought the started off (and I paraphrase, because for heavens three weekly music papers, The NME, Sounds and sake, it has been 37 years) “I was going to start this Melody Maker. The first of these was always my article with the sentence ‘now that The Pistols have 3 IT’S A LEGAL MATTER signed to A&M’, but I have been overtaken by BABY events…” A lot of the time the pictures that we The front cover story was indeed that The Sex include in this publication are unique to Pistols had signed to A&M records and been Gonzo Weekly, and used with the kicked off after about a week. I let out a cheer. This photographer’s permission. However, was the band which spoke to me! The fact that I was this magazine is free, and at least at the a pretentious public schoolboy with a taste for Pink moment only available online, and so in Floyd and things psychedelic mattered not a jot. As our opinion we are covered by a recent I read the list of little bands who allegedly couldn’t decision by the European Courts of play, but had nevertheless signed to record Justice. companies and were about to achieve fame and fortune, I felt a warm glow of pride. I was part of something! Websites can link to freely available content without the permission of the Now, 37 years later I feel much the same. The other copyright holder, the European Court of night I was listening to the excellent new CD by Justice says. The court's decision came Bridget Wishart and Spirits Burning when I heard after a dispute in Sweden between something extraordinarily life affirming coming out of the speakers. “I thought I was the only person journalists and a web company that had mixing acoustic music, rock and dance music in an posted links on its site to online news attempt to make something truly transcendental”. I articles. shouted, but neither the dogs, cats or Lobby the Lobster in the tank in the corner made any A Swedish court had asked the EU comment. court to consider whether this broke copyright law. But its true. Ever since I read John Higgs’ monumentally Fortean book about chaos magick Some of the pictures in this magazine and the KLF, I have been working on a concept of are hotlinked to other websites where fusing all the different things that I like into a 21st they are freely available. It is our Century, English analogue of Gram Parsons’ opinion that we are covered by this Cosmic American Muzic. Many years ago I had a ruling. So there! psychedelically lucid conversation with the late Will Sinnot of The Shamen about this very idea. If Of course if someone objects to our he had lived the band would have gone to some using their material we will be good extraordinary places, and I am unworthily following fellows and take it down, unless (and in his footsteps. It is heartening to discover that Don this is a big unless) we feel that it is not and Bridget are fellow travellers along a very in the public interest to comply. But similar road. Watch this space! normally we shall not stand on ceremony. If you want to read more about this decision go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology- 26187730 4 THE GONZO WEEKLY Dave McMann, (He ain't nothing but a) Newshound-dog all the gonzo news that’s fit to print Orrin Hare, Issue Seventy-one March 29th (Sybarite and literary bon viveur) Mark Raines, (Cartoonist) This is quite simply the best magazine you Davey Curtis, will ever find that is edited by a mad bloke (tales from the north) (and his small orange cat), and produced Jon Pertwee from a tumbledown potato shed on the (Pop Culture memorabilia) outskirts of a tiny village that nobody's Dean Phillips heard of in North Devon. The fact that it is (The House Wally) published with Gonzo Multimedia - Rob Ayling probably the grooviest record company in (The Grande Fromage, the known universe - is merely an added of whom we are all in awe) bonus. and Peter McAdam (McDada in residence) NAMING THOSE RESPONSIBLE This is the nearest that you are ever going to get to a posh weekend colour supplement This issue was put together by me and Captain Frunobulax the Magnificent, (who is, in case from the Gonzo Daily team. Each week we you didn't know, an insane orange kitten on the shall go through the best bits of the week verge of adulthood) ably assisted by: before, and if there aren't any we shall make some up, or simply make our excuses and Corinna Downes, leave (you can tell the editor once did (Sub Editor, and my lovely wife) contract work at the News of the World can't Graham Inglis, ya?) (Columnist, Staff writer, Hawkwind nut) Bart Lancia, This weekly magazine is free, and will (My favourite roving reporter) remain so. It is published by Gonzo Thom the World Poet, Multimedia in conjunction with CFZ (Bard in residence) C.J.Stone, Publications, or is it the other way round? (Columnist, commentator and all round good We’re actually not that sure. Contact us with egg) bribes and free stuff: Kev Rowland, (Kiwi Reviewer) Jonathan Downes, Editor: Gonzo Daily (Music and More) Lesley Madigan, Editor: Gonzo Weekly magazine Photographer par excellence The Centre for Fortean Zoology, Douglas Harr, Myrtle Cottage, (Staff writer, columnist) Woolfardisworthy, Jessica Taylor, Bideford, North Devon (PA and laughing at drunk pop stars) EX39 5QR 5 It is simple; my name is Jon and I'm the editor of the Gonzo Multimedia daily online bloggything, and wot what a long, strange trip it is gonna be… I keep on thinking that I ought to have some sort of a mission statement in each issue, but it is more than a little difficult to do one. You will have certainly noticed that from issue Basically, (if you don't mind me sounding 70 it all changed. In fact there is no certainly more like a wishy washy old hippy than my about it. But if you haven’t noticed I would like haircut in the photograph on the previous page to know what you have been smoking for the would imply) I think that books and music are last seven days, and can I have a large packet immensely important. of it please. I look around and see that we are living in a Yes. It has indeed all changed. Basically I have world where the things that I think are been wanting to upgrade the visuals of the important are valued less and less by society as magazine for some time, but now the a whole; a world where asinine gameshows and technology to do what I have wanted to do for so-called reality TV (which is actually a yonks has finally become within our budget (i.e complete oxymoron, but don't get me started) free) and we are going to give it a go. are of more importance to most people than anything of cultural or spiritual value. If things don’t work out we can still go back to the previous method of putting the magazine I am also very disappointed by much of what together, and we shall still be utilising those the contemporary music press puts out, and I jolly nice fellows at MailChimp in order to decided many years ago, that probably the only send out the subscriber notifications. way I could read the things that I want to read, would be to publish them myself. In fact, now is an even better time than usual to subscribe because, not only is it FREE (yes, So this is what I have been doing for much of Oxford English Dictionary free, not yer usual my life. I am also naive enough to think that publisher free which means that we sell all the music and art can change the world, and as the mailing list emails that we garner to a company world is in desperate need of change, I am trying to flog Viagra and/or Double Glazing. gonna do my best to help. No this is FREE as in Gratis. Not a Sausage. But I digress. Not only is it FREE but there will be some exclusive offers for folk who avail themselves of them, so make an old hippy a happy chappy and SUBSCRIBE TODAY 6 A SMACK IN THE EYE Damon Albarn has 'Siddhartha' at the same venue. READ ON said heroin was "incredibly creative" and helped to change him as a musician. "I hate talking about heroin because of my family," Albarn told Q magazine. "But, for me, it was incredibly creative. It freed me up… A combination of that and playing simple, beautiful, repetitive shit in Africa changed me completely as a musician.