Distant Drummer
Encyclopedia
Distant Drummer was a 1960s counterculture underground newspaper
published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
from November 1967 to August 1979. It changed titles twice: from October 2, 1970 to August 12, 1971 (issues no. 105–151) it was Thursday's Drummer, and subsequently it was known simply as The Drummer until its demise in 1979, after a run of more than 500 issues. It was a member of the Underground Press Syndicate
. Printed in a tabloid format and initially biweekly, starting in January 1969 it appeared on a weekly basis. It was founded and edited by Don DeMaio, a former Penn State journalism major and Newsday employee. Contributors included the young Cynthia Heimel
and Mark B. Cohen
. Published in tabloid newspaper format, it cost 15 cents, later raised to 25 cents. Paid circulation was reported in 1972 at 10,000 copies.
After its founding the paper grew quickly, reporting on Philadelphia's radical/hippie community and serving as a forum for commentary on local and national politics and information on the city’s music and arts scene, with particular emphasis on rock and roll and coverage of ongoing battles between the hip and radical communities and the Philadelphia police. Its politics were less militant than its local competitor in the underground press, the Philadelphia Free Press
.
Underground press
The underground press were the independently published and distributed underground papers associated with the counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other western nations....
published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
from November 1967 to August 1979. It changed titles twice: from October 2, 1970 to August 12, 1971 (issues no. 105–151) it was Thursday's Drummer, and subsequently it was known simply as The Drummer until its demise in 1979, after a run of more than 500 issues. It was a member of the Underground Press Syndicate
Underground Press Syndicate
The Underground Press Syndicate, commonly known as UPS, and later known as the Alternative Press Syndicate or APS, was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines formed in mid-1966 by the publishers of five early underground papers: the East Village Other, the Los Angeles Free Press, the...
. Printed in a tabloid format and initially biweekly, starting in January 1969 it appeared on a weekly basis. It was founded and edited by Don DeMaio, a former Penn State journalism major and Newsday employee. Contributors included the young Cynthia Heimel
Cynthia Heimel
Cynthia Heimel is a playwright, television writer, and the author of several satirical books which are aimed primarily at a female readership. To those who have heard of her but have not read her books, her works are probably best known for their unusual titles.Heimel's first book Sex Tips for...
and Mark B. Cohen
Mark B. Cohen
Mark B. Cohen is a Democratic politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Succeeding Eugene Gelfand, he has represented Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 202 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since June 10, 1974, making him the most senior member in the Pennsylvania...
. Published in tabloid newspaper format, it cost 15 cents, later raised to 25 cents. Paid circulation was reported in 1972 at 10,000 copies.
After its founding the paper grew quickly, reporting on Philadelphia's radical/hippie community and serving as a forum for commentary on local and national politics and information on the city’s music and arts scene, with particular emphasis on rock and roll and coverage of ongoing battles between the hip and radical communities and the Philadelphia police. Its politics were less militant than its local competitor in the underground press, the Philadelphia Free Press
Philadelphia Free Press
Philadelphia Free Press was a 1960's era underground newspaper published biweekly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1968 to 1972. Originally launched at Temple University in May 1968 as the monthly Temple Free Press, it separated from Temple and became the Philadelphia Free Press in September...
.