Handbill printed by Richard Brautigan and Chester Anderson using the John Dillinger Computer room at the Invisible Circus celebration.
[SF: Communication Company, 1967].
Item #SKB-17813
4to. At Brautigan's request Communication Company founders Chester Anderson and Claude Hayward hauled the Com/Co Gestetner equipment to the Invisble Circus event at the Glide Church where Brautigan dubbed one room The John Dillinger Computer Complex. Their intent was to crank out a stream of spontaneous handbills featuring "news flashes" from the event right as they were happening, including snippets of stoned conversation overheard from the hippie crowd many of whom drank the LSD-spiked punch, random surreal texts, readings from the "I Ching," and more. They dispatched "reporters" to roam the event and report back to "Dillinger" headquarters and immediately issue a handbill. This handbill prints the following text (in full): why? is the John Dillenger [sic] Computers filing thier [sic] copy for posTERity when eveything they say doesn't count after now? Let's DEMAN THE FILES---so we can smoke them. RAID THE JOHN DILLINGER COMPUTERS! N*O*W." Then reproduced below in bold holograph: "Smoke the Files Raid the John Dillinger Complex NOW." The evening featured music by The Orkustra, readings by Michael McClure and Lenore Kandel, and various types of Happening-style events spread throughout the many rooms of the church. Originally intended to last three days, the Circus was cancelled by the church after eight hours due to naked, tripping hippies running amok including copulating on the altar. Handbills printed at this short-lived, landmark Summer of Love hippie gathering are among the scarcest paper items from the Haight-Ashbury scene. Fine (minute speck at top).
Price: $300.00