Walter Bowart, an "alternative journalist," died at 68 yesterday. At first, we weren't sure what an alternative journalist was, but then we finally remembered! A brief history: there used to be a whole array of "publications," printed on paper, that different people wrote (LA Free Press, Rat Subterranean News). They weren't paranoid about pissing off advertisers or publishers, which often led to interesting, if not always lucid, writing. (It didn't lead to much advertising, though!) Bowart, for his part, founded the East Village Other in 1965, publishing until 1972. The paper was "so countercultural that it made The Village Voice look like a church circular," writes the NYT. An East Village Other report on an event called "Woodstock ‘69" follows.

... all I can say is that this has been the highest trip ever. We're too high and in such a different place. There are many, many stories still in all of us, but you'll just have to wait for them. Too hard to sort out and describe right now. We all want all our families and friends to be here and secretly hoped every head in the world would join us. The regular music thing is nice, but straight. The Hog Farm is just too much. We are home and at peace with each other and ourselves. I think you will find we have changed and grown. I don't want to leave, but I guess we must. The only thing is, how can I come back and do the old things? This is how we should live. Can we?————— Peace - John