John Wilcock (4 August 1927 – 13 September 2018) was a British journalist known for his work in the

underground press The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rec ...

, as well as his travel

guide book A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...

s. The first news editor of the New York ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'', Wilcock shook up staid publishing in the USA. His influence extended to several continents, including Australia and the United Kingdom, where—in his mild-mannered way—he pushed the boundaries of image and speech. An unsung hero of the sixties,Kugel, Seth
"A Budget Travel Pioneer in a Time When $5 a Day Was Real (Frugal) Money,"
''The New York Times'' (26 October 2010). Wilcock also served three years as a travel editor at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''.

Biography

Early career

Wilcock began working for newspapers in his home country, the '' Daily Mail'' and the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

'', as well as magazines in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada.

Underground press

After co-founding the ''

'' in 1955, his ''Voice'' weekly column lasted from 1955 to 1965, when he left to edit New York's first underground paper, the ''

East Village Other ''The East Village Other'' (often abbreviated as ''EVO'') was an American underground newspaper in New York City, issued biweekly during the 1960s. It was described by '' The New York Times'' as "a New York newspaper so countercultural that it ...

''. While at the Village Voice, he founded The Traveler’s Directory, a grassroots mutual hospitality organization (sort of a precursor to

CouchSurfing CouchSurfing is a hospitality exchange service by which users can request homestays or interact with other people who are interested in travel. It is accessible via a website and mobile app. It uses a subscription business model, and while ho ...

). The Traveler’s Directory was published from 1960 to 1984, under various editors. While coordinating the

Underground Press Syndicate The Underground Press Syndicate (UPS), later known as the Alternative Press Syndicate (APS), was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines that operated from 1966 into the late 1970s. As it evolved, the Underground Press Syndicate crea ...

(200 papers worldwide), he guest-edited "underground" papers in London, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, returning to New York to publish his own underground tabloid, ''Other Scenes''.

Guide books

In 1960 Wilcock wrote the first of several travel books for

Arthur Frommer Arthur Frommer (born July 17, 1929) is a travel writer. He founded the Frommer's brand of travel guides. Frommer was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, and moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was 14. He graduated from New York University in 1950 ...

, ''Mexico On $5 a Day'', following up with guides to California, Greece, Japan, and India. During this period he co-edited (with Elizabeth Pepper) ''The Witches Almanac''. Three more books resulted from their collaboration: ''Magical & Mystical Sites'' (Europe); an ''Occult Guide to South America'', and ''A Guide to Occult Britain''. At the invitation of the Venezuelan government he researched and wrote ''Traveling in Venezuela'' in 1979 and, in the 1980s and 1990s wrote/edited 25 books for ''Insight Guides''.

Andy Warhol

During a five-year association with

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

, Wilcock audiotaped the enigmatic artist's closest associates, asking them to "explain" him, publishing the results in 1971 as '' The Autobiography and Sex Life of Andy Warhol''. This $5 biography became a rare book offered for sale on Amazon at prices close to $1,000. A revised edition of the book was released in 2010. Wilcock co-founded ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

'' magazine with Warhol in 1969.

Later life

Relocating to Ojai, California, in 2001, Wilcock began publishing an international monthly magazine, the ''Ojai Orange'', free to his friends in a dozen countries, along with his weekly column and his weekly

public-access television Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...

travel show.

Personal life and death

Wilcock married Amber (Ellen) La Mann (also known as Amber Nomi Lamann) in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan, in December of 1967."Wilcock-La Mann Wedding Feted," ''

Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the "''Freep''", is often cited as the first, and certainly was the largest, of the underground newspapers of the 1960s. The ''Freep'' was founded in 1964 by Art Kunkin, who served as its publisher un ...

'' vol. 5, issue #81 (Jan. 5, 1968), p. 4. They divorced in 1972. Wilcock died in Ojai, California, on 13 September 2018 after multiple strokes, at the age of 91.

References

External links

New authorized graphic biography and interview project with John Wilcock

Interview with John Wilcock

Ojai Orange
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcock, John 1927 births 2018 deaths British male journalists The Village Voice people The New York Times editors Writers from Sheffield