Friends

Friends magazine was launched in London as a rebellious offshoot from the UK edition of Rolling Stone.
The magazine was first published by Alan Marcuson in December, 1969 as Friends of Rolling Stone. It was later retitled Friends and, from May 1971, Frendz. Friends was intimately connected with UK underground media such as Oz and Time Out, and had many contributors who were part of the London underground or avant-garde scene in the 1960s. These included: Barney Bubbles, Pennie Smith, Charles Radcliffe and photographer Phil Franks.
The magazine ceased publication in August, 1972.
== Links To Peel ==
 
In 2022, "1960s Underground Press: A Collection Of Frendz/Friends Newspapers, 1969-1971 (approx. 22)" was among the rare items from Peel's Record Collection and archive that were sold by his family at an auction.
After his return to the UK in 1967, Peel was a supporter of the underground press, mentioning International Times and Oz on his shows, writing a "Perfumed Garden" column for IT, occasionally contributing to other papers and testifying at the Oz obscenity trial. Friends was less well-known than the more established underground papers, but had a more professional approach, a critical tone and strong music coverage, with a focus on artists Peel admired. Initially, it was financed by the same company who launched Brinsley Schwarz, and attracted some writers who went on to notable careers elsewhere. Among them were Jonathon Green, Felix Scorpio/de Mendelssohn, Nick Kent, Al Clark; Bob Harris contributed some record reviews before joining Radio 1. Harvey Matusow and Derek Taylor also wrote columns for the paper in 1970-71. 
By 1971 Peel too had become critical of the underground and expressed his disappointment in an interview with Friends, discussing topics including Dandelion Records, the similarities between Doris Day and Deep Purple, the education system ("Some of the stories I hear about schools on this country are quite terrifying. You can see an entire generation of psychotics being created"), and wanting to push people who said they were "getting something together" under a bus. 
== See Also ==
*Underground Press
== Links ==
*Rock's Back Pages
*beatchapter.com
*Days In The Life - Phil Franks website pages on Friends magazine
Category:Periodicals