Counter-culture, “obscenity” and Oz Magazine

In radio, happy accidents are often the best. Originally expecting to have a chat with Psychedelic artist Roger Foley-Fogg about his upcoming retrospective at 107 Projects, this presenter (Julian) has a whole tide of questions about his work with Aboriginal communities, his ‘lumino-fluorescent’ works as well as India as an inspiration for him spiritually and artistically.

Ten minutes before air-time, and Mr Jim Anderson and Francesca Emerson-Foley show up in Roger’s place. I had done a little bit of research on Jim – the 50th anniversary of his OZ Magazine was one of the many events as part of Foley-Fogg’s retrospective – but not enough to warrant the whole show. So, I took a deep breath as the ‘On-Air’ sign flashed, and simply asked the man to tell me all about OZ.

And he did.

This is definitely one of the highlights of working in radio, and one of the highlights of our show in recent times. Jim shone as a guest, telling us all about the 60′s, censorship and the longest obscenity case in UK history, all with a twinkle in his eye. For those who may not have heard of it, OZ is still regarded as an influential counter-culture publication which ran from 1967- 1971, both in Australia and the UK.

Jim was a fascinating guest and spoke in depth – we need a three hour show! Francesca Emerson-Foley is a counter-cultural icon herself, the first ever “chocolate” Playboy Bunny, and an organiser of the Tales of the Fogg exhibition at 107 Projects in Redfern which we spoke about in detail including Andrea Kindred’s ‘From Slavery to Star Trek’ performance work and the 50th anniversary celebration of Oz Magazine.

To stream this podcast with music for a limited time, go to the Eastside website and head to March 28

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