John Wilcock

John Wilcock (4 August 1927 – 13 September 2018) was a British journalist known for his work in the underground press, as well as his travel guide books.

As the first news editor of the New York Village Voice, Wilcock shook up traditional publishing in the USA. His influence extended to several continents, including Australia and the United Kingdom, where—in his mild-mannered way—he pushed the boundaries of image and speech. An unsung hero of the sixties, Wilcock also served three years as a travel editor at The New York Times.

Biography

Early career Wilcock began working for newspapers in his home country — the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror — as well as magazines in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Underground press After co-founding the Village Voice in 1955, his Voice weekly column lasted from 1955 to 1965, when he left to edit New York's first underground paper, the East Village Other.

While at the Village Voice, he founded The Traveler’s Directory, a hospitality exchange service for offering free homestays. The Traveler’s Directory was published from 1960 to 1984, under various editors.

While coordinating the 200 papers of the Underground Press Syndicate, established in 1966, he guest-edited "underground" papers in London, Los Angeles, and Tokyo; returning to New York to publish his own underground tabloid, Other Scenes. Wilcock interviewed Warhol's closest associates, asking them to "explain" him, publishing the results in 1971 as The Autobiography and Sex Life of Andy Warhol.

Despite its small initial printing, the $5 book later became sold for upwards of $75 at some of the world's top art museums. A revised edition of the book was released in 2010.

Wilcock and Warhol co-founded Interview magazine in 1969. They divorced in 1972.