''Los Angeles Reader'' was a weekly paper established in 1978 and distributed in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, United States. It followed the format of the (still-active) ''
Chicago Reader
The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by ...
''. The paper was known for having lengthy, thoughtful reviews of movies, plays and concerts in the L.A. area.
James Vowell was its founding editor. Among its writers were Keith Fitzgerald, Nigey Lennon, Lionel Rolfe, Lawrence Wechsler,
Mick Farren
Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground.
Early life
Farren was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and af ...
,
Richard Meltzer, Heidi Dvorak,
Chris Morris,
Jerry Stahl
Jerry Stahl (born September 28, 1953) is an American novelist and screenwriter. His works include the 1995 memoir of addiction ''Permanent Midnight''. A 1998 film adaptation followed with Ben Stiller in the lead role.
Stahl has worked extensive ...
, Steven Kane, Andy Klein, Allen Levy,
Jim Goad
James Thaddeus Goad (born 1961) is an American author and publisher. Goad co-authored and published the zine ''ANSWER Me!'' and ''The Redneck Manifesto''.
Personal life Early life
Goad grew up in Philadelphia, describing himself as a loner, mi ...
, Kirk Silsbee, Henry Sheehan, Samantha Dunn, Natalie Nichols, Steve Appleford, Eric Mankin (also editor), Paul Birchall, Eddie Rivera (who wrote the paper's first cover story), Amy Steinberg, Henry Sheehan,
Dan Sallitt, Myron Meisel, David Ehrenstein, Tom Davis, Dave McCombs, Mark Leviton, Bruce Bebb,
Stuart Goldman
Stuart Goldman is an American journalist, author and screenwriter. A former critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' and the '' Los Angeles Daily News'', he later penned a column for the ''Los Angeles Reader''.
Career
Goldman's early career ini ...
, Ernest Hardy, Kevin Uhrich,
Erik Himmelsbach, David L. Ulin,
Lance Loud,
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ...
,
and Laurence Vittes (Classical Music Critic, 1991–1998).
It is famous for being the first newspaper to publish
Matt Groening's cartoon strip ''
Life in Hell'', on April 25, 1980. James Vowell hired Groening as his assistant editor in 1979. Groening was also originally a ''Reader'' music critic. It also ran a cartoon strip by
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
(director of
''Blue Velvet'') called ''
The Angriest Dog in the World'', a strip notable for having exactly the same drawing panels for its entire run. James Vowell and his wife Codette Wallace bought the ''Reader'' from the ''Chicago Reader'' in February 1989. They sold the ''Reader'' to
New Times Media in 1996, which merged it with the ''Los Angeles View'' to form ''
New Times LA''.
References
External links
An archived article from the L.A. Reader
Newspapers published in Greater Los Angeles
Weekly newspapers published in California
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