OFFtheWALLTM: Wes Wilson's Magazine on the Poster Scene
by Michael ErlewineIf you love posters and poster collecting and don't know about "Off The WallTM," the short-lived (but wonderful) tabloid-sized publication, created by Wes Wilson, who is arguably the father of the Psychedelic poster, you should. Although it only ran for nine issues, "Off the WallTM" was devoted to rock art posters and postering.
I kept hearing 'Off the WallTM' referred to with reverence by rock-art fans and wanted to see what this magazine was all about. I managed to track down Wes Wilson, who had a few complete sets of the magazine left. I ordered a set.
What a treat it was to look through them. The list of authors reads like a who's who of posterdom, with authors like Eric King, Jacaeber Kastor, Walter Medeiros, Ben Edmonds, Dick Wentworth, Paul Getchell, Paul Grushkin, etc., and of course Wes Wilson - all writing about the poster scene.
Here you will find different kinds of articles and essays on collecting posters, handling them, caring for them. Articles on Ben Friedman, Rick Griffin, Bill Graham, Chet Helms, Levon Mosgofian and about venues like the Grande Ballroom, the Seattle scene, Los Angeles and more. Also included are fascinating interviews with artists like Alton Kelley and early poster printers like Frank Westlake.
Wes Wilson not only pioneered the psychedelic poster, but also was the first to create a journal devoted to poster artists and poster collecting. In addition, Wilson has organized and put on some of the most important poster shows. He is kind of a man for all seasons, when it comes to posters.
If you are finding, like I am, that you love posters, their art, how to care for them, and how they look on the wall, you may find it worthwhile to seek out some of the old issues of 'Off The WallTM' or check with Wes Wilson. He may still have a set or two.
Chet Helms & the Family Dog logo
Early in 1966 Chet brought me both the picture of the ‘dead-pan’ Indian wearing the top hat and with his pipe - and this great ‘motto’ “May the Baby Jesus Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Mind” Chet may have found it as graffiti in some public place. Where ever it was that Chet found them - this combination of ‘Indian and motto’ was both humorous and at the same time Profound.
Using these two elements Chet asked me to design the logo for the Family Dog Company. I knew there wasn’t lots of money to be made nor time to spend on this nor was my design very difficult so I quickly sketched out what would soon become the official Family Dog logo for all time. I included this logo on the second poster I designed for Chet.
Chet apparently liked the logo - but he so disliked the rest of that poster design that he demanded that its production be halted - although some handbills were already printed - and a new poster design be produced. Chet expected me to design and draw up an entire new poster overnight. Consequently he wasn’t at all happy when I declined. Chet became quite angry and I felt that this had likely ended our relationship. I then suggested that in light of the ease of such a task like to do this one himself. There not being a wide variety of options open to him at that time - Chet decided he would do his own poster.
The following morning Chet arrived at the print shop with his associate John Carpenter. They spent the entire day focused on spacing, aligning and pressing down filmy letters from curled transparent plastic sheets of alphabets onto the picture of an aging orangutan. By late afternoon however - when they still had not yet managed to achieve a fully lettered poster - Chet asked if I might add one last little bit by hand - the title. I then quickly hand lettered for the top right section “King Kong Memorial Dance.” Chet liked the new logo from the rejected design so it was added to the top left portion. Humor was a big part of Chet’s Family Dog enterprise. So it was that the Family Dog logo made its very first debut on the shoulder of an ape.
Chet really liked this logo. Later he decided to ‘introduce’ the stoic top hatted pipe smoking Indian to the public - by featuring him center-stage on a later poster announcing the first Blues Project dance-concert at the Avalon Ballroom. Chet smiled big when he first saw it.
Several more FD posters - like these - would later be produced which primarily depicted the Family Dog logo in different settings.
- Wes Wilson
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