A month shy of 62 years in print, The Village Voice published its last paper edition on Sept. 20.
The iconic tabloid newspaper, once a symbol and avatar of both the counterculture and New Journalism, went out in style with a 177-page issue. The photo-heavy finale was dedicated to the many individuals — from the famous writers and photographers, to the advertising reps and design and production staffs — who contributed to and produced the Voice through the years.
The late Jerry Tallmer, the Voice’s first associate editor, and part of the paper’s founding core, is pictured on Page 7, standing outside the Voice’s first offices, at 22 Greenwich Ave., with Publisher Ed Fancher and Editor Dan Wolf. Coming full circle, Tallmer, who went on to become a legend in New York City journalism, in his later years was a mainstay of The Villager.
The cover photo for the issue is of a young Bob Dylan giving a salute, shot by none other than Fred McDarrah, the paper’s famed lensman.
Stephen Mooallem, who was named the Voice’s editor this past December, penned a sendoff, headlined, “You’re Probably Reading This on an Electronic Device,” alluding to the obvious fact that the Internet has forever changed journalism — not to mention the world. Plans are for the paper to continue publishing online.
Mooallem noted that the Voice’s archives are not digitized. On the other hand, thanks to the staff at the Jefferson Market Library branch, The Villager’s archives, extending back to 1933, are now online.
In a final note, the editor said of the Voice’s red plastic street boxes, “I hope they find a peaceful, environmentally friendly resting place – or wind up as part of an Ai Weiwei installation.”
It was hard to come by a final issue of the paper, and many of the empty news boxes were seen around town knocked over onto their sides. Now collector’s items, copies of the final issue are also being sold on eBay.
Tallmer penned several pieces about the Voice’s early days, some of which ran in The Villager. In one, he recalled how the paper got its name.
“Norman [Mailer] later said The Village Voice was his name,” Tallmer wrote. “I thought — still think — it was mine. The truth probably is that we both hit on it at the same time. I do know that the long-running masthead tagline — ‘A weekly newspaper designed to be read’ — was mine. Until it was killed by some later regime.”
