Thorne Dreyer, Alice Embree, and Richard Croxdale, editors of Celebrating The Rag: Austin's Iconic Underground Newspaper, will speak and sign books at Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet Street, Houston, on Thursday, May 18, at 7 p.m.
Celebrating The Rag, published by the New Journalism Project, tells the remarkable story of the legendary underground newspaper that sparked a political and cultural revolution and helped make Austin weird -- and also had great impact in Houston.. The book features more than 100 articles from The Rag’s 11-year history (1966-1977) – plus contemporary essays and eye-popping vintage art and photography, including Gilbert Shelton’s fabled Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comic strip, which started in The Rag, and Jim Franklin’s surrealistic armadillos.
The editors will speak, lead discussion, and sign books.
Thorne Dreyer, a Houston native and the original “funnel” of The Rag, now edits The Rag Blog and hosts the syndicated Rag Radio program that originates on KOOP-FM in Austin. Dreyer was also a founder of Houston’s Space City! and managed the Pacifica radio station, KPFT-FM, in the early ‘70s.
Alice Embree, a writer, peace and justice activist, union member, and veteran of the women’s liberation movement, was part of the original Rag staff.
Richard Croxdale, an economics professor and educational filmmaker, worked with The Rag in its later days.
The editors will also discuss the impact the paper had in Houston. From its inception, The Rag was widely distributed in the Bayou City, and for several years was published out of both cities. Later, veterans of The Rag were among the founders of Space City!, Houston’s first underground paper, and were very active with the city’s thriving underground movement. Dreyer will also talk about Houston’s ‘60s-‘70s “culture wars” -- when a notorious group of right-wing vigilantes terrorized the local countercultural community. The Ku Klux Klan blew up the KPFT transmitter (twice!), and terrorized Space City! with bombings and drive-by shootings.
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