Charles Gatewood, ed.

The Flash [seven issues; signed]

New York and Woodstock: The Flash, 1976-1979. Sizes vary slightly, all at or under 11 ¼ x 16 in. folio. Unpaginated. All very good to near fine. Item #6273

Seven issues of underground photographer and artist Charles Gatewood’s irregularly published newspaper, with contributions from Spider Webb, Annie Sprinkle, Marco Vassi and others. Though several issues are unnumbered and bibliographic history of the paper is unrecorded, this is the largest run we have seen assembled and is believed to be all published.

This run includes the tattooing issue published by Charles Gatewood with Spider Webb, signed by both, as well as the issue dedicated entirely to Marco Vassi, writer, thinker and eroticist known for coining “metasex” to define any sex outside heterosexual marriage. He would pass away a decade later from AIDS-related pneumonia, under the care of his former girlfriend Annie Sprinkle. Other issues include an exhibition catalog for a show at the Catskill Center for Photography, a photo essay about Mardi Gras, and another series by Gatewood and Toby Old focusing on nightlife.

The paper includes contributions from George Febres, David Broda, Karl Baden, Jack Fulton, Elaine Mayes, Jon Reis, Ramon Muxter, George Gardner, Toby Old, Annie Sprinkle, Jay Seeley, George W. Gardner, Tony Mendoza.

Charles Gatewood (1942-2016), was known for his documentation of bikers, sex workers, tattooists, body piercers, and fetishists, among others. Gatewood got his start by working as a photographer for newspapers and music magazines after earning a degree in anthropology. These issues capture the work of the artist in collaboration with friends, lovers, and creative partners.

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