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"The Underground Comix Movement" with Dave Moriaty
"The cartoons never made any money, in my opinion… we became the default printer for the revolution from the beginning. We printed family dog posters, we printed straight theater posters. I still have all the pamphlets that we did for the Berkeley Revolution, various types and, we also printed lots of pamphlets and books for people that were frankly either schizophrenic or bipolar, that were very amusing, even though somewhat confusing." (Dave Moriaty)
This episode of Austin Roots features Dave Moriaty, a key figure in the 1960s-70s Texas counterculture who bridged Port Arthur, Austin, and San Francisco. Moriaty co-founded the influential Underground Comics publisher Ripoff Press and later became managing editor of the Austin Sun newspaper. The conversation explores his journey from Port Arthur's surprising cultural scene, through University of Texas Austin's early counterculture, military service during Vietnam, founding Ripoff Press in San Francisco with fellow Texans, and his return to Austin to work on the Austin Sun. The interview reveals the interconnected web of Texas creatives who shaped both coasts' counterculture movements.
Content Warning: adult themes, references to drug use Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.
Chapters: 03:00 - Port Arthur, how the petrochemical industry attracted professionals during Depression 05:00 - The "hood intellectuals" cohort: Jim Langdon, Janis Joplin, and others 06:00 - Louisiana bar scene and early creative friendships 08:00 - Arriving at UT in 1959 for aerospace engineering 09:00 - The Ranger humor magazine parties 10:00 - Jim Langdon 12:00 - Threadgill's and the beatnik scene 13:00 - Early Austin counterculture figures like Powell St. John 14:00 - Beatniks before Hippies 17:00 - European travel with Jack Jackson before being drafted in 1966 19:00 - Marine Corps experience during Vietnam escalation 20:00 - Typing skills saving him from combat deployment 22:00 - Moving to San Francisco and joining underground newspaper scene 25:00 - Founding Ripoff Press with Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Jack Jackson 26:00 - The "Texas Mafia" in San Francisco's counterculture 28:00 - Technical challenges: fires, relocations, equipment disasters 31:00 - Printing underground materials and establishing national distribution 38:00 - Working with Robert Crumb and other cartoonists 41:00 - Final visit with Janis Joplin 44:00 - Coming back to Texas in 1974 as underground scene changed 50:00 - Rescuing the Austin Sun from financial collapse 51:00 - Managing editor role and keeping the paper afloat 54:00 - The Sun's influence on the Austin Chronicle 59:00 - Austin's evolution from a place people left to a destination
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Guest List: Dave Moriaty, founder of the Underground Comix, Ripoff Press, and key figure in the paper, the Austin Sun.
Production Team: Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard Editor, Renee O'Connor Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709 Executive Producer, TSSI Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir Production consultant, Katey Psencik
