//From Frendz, June 24, 1971//

I’m a fiend for line ads in print media; all human life is contained in the few words demanding the casual reader’s attention.

Leafing through a 1971 issue of British underground magazine Frendz (which had previously been titled Friends) I spied this ad, and wondered whether it might have been placed by the American photographer Joe Stevens. The number has a west London prefix and he was living in that part of town at the time.

I fired off an email and received this reponse earlier today:

Yes. That’s me. Ramen-scarfing “Straight Press” Joe. Looking for work, living on £10 a week, not eligible for the dole.

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Tags: Barney Bubbles, Bay City Rollers, Eric The Tramp, Felix Dennis, Frendz, Friends, Joe Stevens, Jon Goodchild, Malcolm McLaren, Nick Kent, Nicki Hepworth, NME, Pennie Smith., Phil Franks, Portobello Road, Rosie Boycott, Time Out, Tony Elliott, Vivienne Westwood

The Cocoa Song is from the cult British Film Institute-funded multicultural musical Moon Over The Alley, directed by Joseph Despins and William Dumaresq.

Released in 1976 with a score by Galt McDermot, a fellow Canadian who is probably best known for his compositions for Hair, Moon Over The Alley is largely set around London W10; this scene was shot at the top end of Portobello Road market.

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Tags: BFI, Cocoa Song, Duffer, Galt McDermot, Hair, Joseph Despins, Moon Over The Alley, Portobello Road, Sharon Forrester, William Dumaresq

//Roberts, right, tries on a military greatcoat at I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet.//

Look out for an appearance by Tommy Roberts – subject of my new book – in the 1967 documentary Three Swings On A Pendulum, currently available for viewing (in the UK at least) on BBC iPlayer.

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Tags: Arnold Wesker, BBC, Ben Olins, Biba, Carnaby Street, Charlie Simpson, Gear, Geraldine Chaplin, I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet, John Paul, King's Road, Lewis Nkosi, Male W1, Olivier Todd, Oz, Portobello Road, Robert Hughes, Three Swings On A Pendulum