"The Underground Comix Movement" with Dave Moriaty
"The cartoons never made any money, in my opinion… we became the default printer for the revolution from the beginning. We printed family dog posters, we printed straight theater posters. I still have all the pamphlets that we did for the Berkeley Revolution, various types and, we also printed lots of pamphlets and books for people that were frankly either schizophrenic or bipolar, that were very amusing, even though somewhat confusing." (Dave Moriaty)
This episode of Austin Roots features Dave Moriaty, a key figure in the 1960s-70s Texas counterculture who bridged Port Arthur, Austin, and San Francisco. Moriaty co-founded the influential Underground Comics publisher Ripoff Press and later became managing editor of the Austin Sun newspaper. The conversation explores his journey from Port Arthur's surprising cultural scene, through University of Texas Austin's early counterculture, military service during Vietnam, founding Ripoff Press in San Francisco with fellow Texans, and his return to Austin to work on the Austin Sun. The interview reveals the interconnected web of Texas creatives who shaped both coasts' counterculture movements.
Content Warning: adult themes, references to drug use
Content created during the global pandemic, in the room, and on Zoom.
Chapters:
03:00 - Port Arthur, how the petrochemical industry attracted professionals during Depression
05:00 - The "hood intellectuals" cohort: Jim Langdon, Janis Joplin, and others
06:00 - Louisiana bar scene and early creative friendships
08:00 - Arriving at UT in 1959 for aerospace engineering
09:00 - The Ranger humor magazine parties
10:00 - Jim Langdon
12:00 - Threadgill's and the beatnik scene
13:00 - Early Austin counterculture figures like Powell St. John
14:00 - Beatniks before Hippies
17:00 - European travel with Jack Jackson before being drafted in 1966
19:00 - Marine Corps experience during Vietnam escalation
20:00 - Typing skills saving him from combat deployment
22:00 - Moving to San Francisco and joining underground newspaper scene
25:00 - Founding Ripoff Press with Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Jack Jackson
26:00 - The "Texas Mafia" in San Francisco's counterculture
28:00 - Technical challenges: fires, relocations, equipment disasters
31:00 - Printing underground materials and establishing national distribution
38:00 - Working with Robert Crumb and other cartoonists
41:00 - Final visit with Janis Joplin
44:00 - Coming back to Texas in 1974 as underground scene changed
50:00 - Rescuing the Austin Sun from financial collapse
51:00 - Managing editor role and keeping the paper afloat
54:00 - The Sun's influence on the Austin Chronicle
59:00 - Austin's evolution from a place people left to a destination
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Guest List: Dave Moriaty, founder of the Underground Comix, Ripoff Press, and key figure in the paper, the Austin Sun.
Production Team:
Host, Eddie Wilson - Armadillo World Headquarters founder @Threadgills
Host, Dr. Jason Mellard - Cultural historian @jasondeanmellard
Editor, Renee O'Connor
Music Mixing, Matt Carlson @axemanguitar
Producer, Renee O'Connor @realreneeoconnor
Producer, Sandra Wilson @sandrawilson709
Executive Producer, TSSI
Music by Jake Andrews Music @jakeandrewsmusic
Production assistant, Miles Muir @miles_muir
Production consultant, Katey Psencik
