The San Francisco Express Times had roots in Berkeley and was a presence on Telegraph Avenue in 1968 and 1969.
Marvin Garson and Bob Novick were the co-founders of the paper. Garson had taken part in the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley and had taken part in earlier journalistic efforts.
Marvin Garson
Also representing Berkeley at the Express Times were Todd Gitlin, Greil Marcus, David Lance Goines, Alice Waters, and Nacio Jan Brown. It was a solid paper, maybe less edgey and less prone to shock-value gimmicks than the Barb, but dead-on serious about politics and cultural change. Here are some front covers:
In April 1969 it changed its name to Good Times.
Good Times lasted until 1972. Most of the editorial staff went on to do great work.
Garson wrote a great book about the hopes and fate of the decade, writing under an assumed name.One staffer, Richard Gaikowski, was identified as a suspect in the Zodiac Killer case. Another was estalbished to have been a paid FBI informer.
I showed my friend these photos. He in turn showed me two images that he was pondering. First:
And then from the Grateful Dead:
His point was simple. In a few years we went pretty far. Ice cream to ice cream.
That’s well and fine. How about the Express Time covers?
