The San Diego Door
Encyclopedia
The San Diego Door, was an underground newspaper that thrived in 1960s San Diego, California
, United States
. Alongside the San Diego Street Journal (formerly San Diego Free Press
), it dominated the underground genre. Both contained anti-war
and anti-establishment
articles on business interests in San Diego during the 1960s. The newspapers encompassed New Left
issues and the birth of the Chicano
and woman's movement.
Founded by publisher Dale Herschler in January 1968 and published on a biweekly schedule, it was initially based in La Mesa
and loosely connected to campus activism at nearby San Diego State University
. After a few months it merged with Good Morning, Teaspoon, a local underground which had been running since late 1966; the united papers were published under the titles Teaspoon and Door and Teaspoon Door for a few issues before reverting to The San Diego Door. In 1969 the paper became Door to Liberation, and after switching to free distribution in local drop boxes, with a 10,000 copy run, it became the Free Door to Liberation. In May 1970, after 53 issues, the Door was rebooted with a staff shakeup; Dale Herschler left and the remaining staff adopted a gentler, more laid-back and hippie-ish look and feel for the paper. A few months later the San Diego Free Press was launched by students at the University of California at San Diego as a more New Left politically oriented paper in the local underground press.
Reference to the long defunct underground newspaper was most recently made in the Cameron Crowe
film Almost Famous
. The film is a semi-autobiographical story of Crowe’s early years writing for Rolling Stone
magazine. Crowe was something of a young literary phenom writing for popular music industry magazines like Creem
and Rolling Stone at a very early age. But before that, he was a contributor to the Door where a clip that he wrote caught the attention of Ben Fong Torres at Rolling Stone. Famous rock and roll critic and Crowe mentor, Lester Bangs
, also has a connection to the newspaper.
Other San Diego underground papers that dealt with related issues included: the OB People's Rag (food cooperatives and housing), State College Railroad (academic freedom and anti-war), Carpetbagger Express (the Miami Republican Convention in 1972), San Diego Wildcat (labor issues), Inside the Beast (third world-oriented articles), and Sunrise and Goodbye to All That (feminist concerns).
The San Diego Door and others are part of a highly interesting group of newspapers preserved in the San Diego Historical Society’s Archives. The archives contain a series of "underground press" newspapers from the late 1960s.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Alongside the San Diego Street Journal (formerly San Diego Free Press
San Diego Free Press
The San Diego Free Press was an underground newspaper founded by philosophy students of Herbert Marcuse at the University of California, San Diego in November 1968, and published under that title biweekly until December 1969, when it became the weekly Street Journal starting with its 29th issue...
), it dominated the underground genre. Both contained anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
and anti-establishment
Anti-establishment
An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine New Statesman to refer to its political and social agenda...
articles on business interests in San Diego during the 1960s. The newspapers encompassed New Left
New Left
The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...
issues and the birth of the Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
and woman's movement.
Founded by publisher Dale Herschler in January 1968 and published on a biweekly schedule, it was initially based in La Mesa
La Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 57,065 at the 2010 census, up from 54,749 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1869 and officially incorporated as a city on February 16, 1912. Its official flower is the bougainvillea....
and loosely connected to campus activism at nearby San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. After a few months it merged with Good Morning, Teaspoon, a local underground which had been running since late 1966; the united papers were published under the titles Teaspoon and Door and Teaspoon Door for a few issues before reverting to The San Diego Door. In 1969 the paper became Door to Liberation, and after switching to free distribution in local drop boxes, with a 10,000 copy run, it became the Free Door to Liberation. In May 1970, after 53 issues, the Door was rebooted with a staff shakeup; Dale Herschler left and the remaining staff adopted a gentler, more laid-back and hippie-ish look and feel for the paper. A few months later the San Diego Free Press was launched by students at the University of California at San Diego as a more New Left politically oriented paper in the local underground press.
Reference to the long defunct underground newspaper was most recently made in the Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
film Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
. The film is a semi-autobiographical story of Crowe’s early years writing for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine. Crowe was something of a young literary phenom writing for popular music industry magazines like Creem
Creem
Creem , "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," was a monthly rock 'n' roll publication first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. It suspended production in 1989 but received a short-lived renaissance in the early 1990s as a glossy tabloid...
and Rolling Stone at a very early age. But before that, he was a contributor to the Door where a clip that he wrote caught the attention of Ben Fong Torres at Rolling Stone. Famous rock and roll critic and Crowe mentor, Lester Bangs
Lester Bangs
Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, author and musician. He wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock 'n' roll criticism....
, also has a connection to the newspaper.
Other San Diego underground papers that dealt with related issues included: the OB People's Rag (food cooperatives and housing), State College Railroad (academic freedom and anti-war), Carpetbagger Express (the Miami Republican Convention in 1972), San Diego Wildcat (labor issues), Inside the Beast (third world-oriented articles), and Sunrise and Goodbye to All That (feminist concerns).
The San Diego Door and others are part of a highly interesting group of newspapers preserved in the San Diego Historical Society’s Archives. The archives contain a series of "underground press" newspapers from the late 1960s.