If you are lucky in your life, you come to know one or two people who made you who you are other than your parents who gave you the extraordinary gift of life. Edwin Fancher, who it is my sad duty to inform you died last Wednesday in his apartment on Gramercy Park at the age of 100, is one such person in my life. He was one of the three founders of the Village Voice, the Greenwich Village weekly that became known as the nation’s first alternative newspaper. The Voice, and he, were so much more than that.
The Voice was like a (friendly) siren seducing me down into the city where a young boho could freely blossom from where I grew up and was college educated upstate. It was a required weekly read during my over 14 years as a resident of the city. Though my byline didn't appear in the VV until years later (sadly, the New Times ownership years), its influence was still obviously felt at its upstart competition, The Soho Weekly News, where my first significant professional pieces appeared. It was where I learned so much from so many, especially about what a scumbucket grifter Donald Trunp is long before he slimed his way onto the national stage (thanks to the also late, great Wayne Barrett).
So I bow my head in honor to Ed Fancher, impressed that he made it to 100 and by the life he lived. And am thankful, Lucian, that I subscribe and got to read this warm and affectionate tribute to a man who created a groundbreaking paper – I never would have been a Senior Editor/Writer at an alternative newsweekly if there hadn't been a Village Voice, as I see it. So I owe thanks and tribute to Fancher for bettering my life among all the good effects from his life well lived indeed. If there is an afterlife, maybe there's some version there of the Lion's Head where he is now being welcomed and toasted as one of America's great newspapermen.
I love your personal stories about bygone days in NYC. This one is especially moving. Makes me long for that era. It is somewhat comforting to read your comment about writing anything you want today on Substack, just like you did at the Village Voice. We’re fortunate to have you here.
Thanks for sharing! I do miss the Village Voice! I live on 13th and 7th and very familiar with the venues you mentioned. Right near the New School! I love this neighborhood!
Thank you. When I worked in downtown Lancaster, I would get the latest Village Voice at skinny store that sold magazines and out of town newspapers. (Long gone, of course.) I loved the comics and I like to pride myself on knowing who Matt Groening was long before "The Simpsons" aired.
Best small town newspaper ever printed.
Favorite memory -- the people I worked for hired a salesman who was a sweet soul, adamantly naive and a devout Christian. (He wore a "Jesus Is Lord" tie clip, which irked my Jewish employers no end.)
Roy was fascinated by the Voice personals. "Marjorie, what do they mean when they say 'discreet'?" "Means they're married -- does the ad specify tne time of day?" "It says afternoons." "Yup -- they're married." "Oh, my GOODNESS..."
And "Marjorie, what's S&M?" "Sadism and masochism." "But what are those things?" "Sadists get off on hitting people and masochists get off on being hit." "Oh my GOODNESS..."
And "Marjorie, what's bi?" "Well, it isn't having sex with a bicycle." (nervous giggles from Roy) "It's when someone is sexually attracted to men AND women" "Oh that's a SIN..." "Oh, I don't know Roy... it's very democratic when you think of it..." "So Republicans wouldn't be that way...?" "Roy, that's NOT what I meant..."
Wherever I go, I like to scatter little gems of information.
Love the reminiscences. It's good to be reminded that the fun stuff does occasionally happen.
lol, wonder what Roy would make of Raymond Smullyan's discussion here, in the form of a dialogue between a "Mortal" and "God," his views on "Sin and sinning" are about as provocative (and I suppose, "heretical") as it gets!
And therefore, O God, I pray thee, if thou hast one ounce of mercy for this thy suffering creature, absolve me of having to have free will!
God:
You reject the greatest gift I have given thee?
Mortal:
How can you call that which was forced on me a gift? I have free will, but not of my own choice. I have never freely chosen to have free will. I have to have free will, whether I like it or not!
God:
Why would you wish not to have free will?
Mortal:
Because free will means moral responsibility, and moral responsibility is more than I can bear!
God:
Why do you find moral responsibility so unbearable?
Mortal:
Why? I honestly can't analyze why; all I know is that I do.
God:
All right, in that case suppose I absolve you from all moral responsibility but leave you still with free will. Will this be satisfactory?
Mortal (after a pause):
No, I am afraid not.
God:
Ah, just as I thought! So moral responsibility is not the only aspect of free will to which you object. What else about free will is bothering you?
Mortal:
With free will I am capable of sinning, and I don't want to sin!
God:
If you don't want to sin, then why do you?
Mortal:
Good God! I don't know why I sin, I just do! Evil temptations come along, and try as I can, I cannot resist them.
God:
If it is really true that you cannot resist them, then you are not sinning of your own free will and hence (at least according to me) not sinning at all.
Mortal:
No, no! I keep feeling that if only I tried harder I could avoid sinning. I understand that the will is infinite. If one wholeheartedly wills not to sin, then one won't.
God:
Well now, you should know. Do you try as hard as you can to avoid sinning or don't you?
Mortal:
I honestly don't know! At the time, I feel I am trying as hard as I can, but in retrospect, I am worried that maybe I didn't!
God:
So in other words, you don't really know whether or not you have been sinning. So the possibility is open that you haven't been sinning at all!
Mortal:
Of course this possibility is open, but maybe I have been sinning, and this thought is what so frightens me!
God:
Why does the thought of your sinning frighten you?
Mortal:
I don't know why! For one thing, you do have a reputation for meting out rather gruesome punishments in the afterlife!
God:
Oh, that's what's bothering you! Why didn't you say so in the first place instead of all this peripheral talk about free will and responsibility? Why didn't you simply request me not to punish you for any of your sins?
Mortal:
I think I am realistic enough to know that you would hardly grant such a request!
God:
You don't say! You have a realistic knowledge of what requests I will grant, eh? Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do! I will grant you a very, very special dispensation to sin as much as you like, and I give you my divine word of honor that I will never punish you for it in the least. Agreed?
In case you have not heard of him, this is Wiki's summary, and yes, that's my (one and only) Wiki contribution/ edit about one of Smullyan's notorious logic puzzles.
Thank you for this wonderful letter. I also had to read it twice to reconnect with our shared times in the 60’s. Bless you for telling the truth and bringing this history to our collective attention. I appreciate your perspective.
This is not about your remembrance of Ed Fancher, but about a previous column of yours: the one where he went to, shall we say, an out of the way, but symbolic gun store. Well, here's what Jack Smith had to say about that: "But as the special prosecutor’s reply brief pointed out, the video itself showed Trump holding, i.e., “receiving” in the language of the law, a firearm. Smith pointed out the conduct is a “separate federal crime.” The irony of Trump, who as a person under indictment cannot receive a firearm, violating a provision of the same law—18 USC 922—that got Hunter Biden indicted, is rich. No word yet on whether Smith will take any action under 922(n), the provision Trump is alleged to have violated." If someone ever needs to illustrate the saying "Too smart by half," a picture of Trump will do nicely.
Reading these very descriptive segments of you life Lucian is like watching a movie, the reader is like a silent observer watching these events take place.
Your friend was one of those rare, very special people. (I said was, but in my understanding, he still is.)
When I read of his death, I knew he must have been the first editor to hire you. I did not know Norman was part of the founders' troika. (Poor Adele.) It is said "You always remember your first."
If it was the editor who hired you and polished you, that is the truth, so condolences on the occasion of losing the man who shaped your career and showed you kindness. It is a loss that some of your subscribers can surely relate to.
Thank you for that deeply felt, emotionally rich homage. There's a tale within your tribute that needs comment. I was a happy pothead -- which for me was really just an excuse for pizza and beer at the Ninth Circle in the Village. I tried acid once, at a house on the Hudson near Bard. My experience was terrifying, awash with demons and dark shadows; I remember hearing rumbling laughter from deep within the earth. It might have been worse -- but I was lucky enough to upchuck the monster hamburger I inhaled at a bar near Bard. I have no doubt a fair amount of the drug went with it. I spent the rest of the trip listening to The Beatles, over and over again. I know too many people who took acid -- and never came back from their alternative reality. An old school joint and a beer were fine with me.
Thank you, LKT4, for recreating your vivid & affectionate memories of Ed Fancher, understandably one of your most significant mentors. So much of what you wrote highlights the values we’ve lost since the mid-20th century: truth, respect, public service, and the common good, among others. Also--the details you included about Ed Fancher’s hard-working parents and their relatively modest circumstances reminded me we once had a thriving middle class that served as the backbone of our flourishing post-WWII democracy. How times have changed, now that corporations, obscenely wealthy people, and the almighty dollar have ascended to ever more power, replacing the intangible values we once held dear. I’m beginning to think that “the love of money” is, indeed, “the root of all evil” (or “Radix malorum est Cupiditas”). Anyway, Ed Fancher represented the opposite of all these destructive forces, and you’re so very fortunate that his caring hands & heart touched your life in such a meaningful way. Thank you for sharing this story with all of us.
The Voice was like a (friendly) siren seducing me down into the city where a young boho could freely blossom from where I grew up and was college educated upstate. It was a required weekly read during my over 14 years as a resident of the city. Though my byline didn't appear in the VV until years later (sadly, the New Times ownership years), its influence was still obviously felt at its upstart competition, The Soho Weekly News, where my first significant professional pieces appeared. It was where I learned so much from so many, especially about what a scumbucket grifter Donald Trunp is long before he slimed his way onto the national stage (thanks to the also late, great Wayne Barrett).
So I bow my head in honor to Ed Fancher, impressed that he made it to 100 and by the life he lived. And am thankful, Lucian, that I subscribe and got to read this warm and affectionate tribute to a man who created a groundbreaking paper – I never would have been a Senior Editor/Writer at an alternative newsweekly if there hadn't been a Village Voice, as I see it. So I owe thanks and tribute to Fancher for bettering my life among all the good effects from his life well lived indeed. If there is an afterlife, maybe there's some version there of the Lion's Head where he is now being welcomed and toasted as one of America's great newspapermen.
This
I love your personal stories about bygone days in NYC. This one is especially moving. Makes me long for that era. It is somewhat comforting to read your comment about writing anything you want today on Substack, just like you did at the Village Voice. We’re fortunate to have you here.
Very fortunate!
Wonderful remembrance and homage, Lucian. We need more men like Ed today.
Thanks for sharing! I do miss the Village Voice! I live on 13th and 7th and very familiar with the venues you mentioned. Right near the New School! I love this neighborhood!
Thank you. When I worked in downtown Lancaster, I would get the latest Village Voice at skinny store that sold magazines and out of town newspapers. (Long gone, of course.) I loved the comics and I like to pride myself on knowing who Matt Groening was long before "The Simpsons" aired.
Best small town newspaper ever printed.
Favorite memory -- the people I worked for hired a salesman who was a sweet soul, adamantly naive and a devout Christian. (He wore a "Jesus Is Lord" tie clip, which irked my Jewish employers no end.)
Roy was fascinated by the Voice personals. "Marjorie, what do they mean when they say 'discreet'?" "Means they're married -- does the ad specify tne time of day?" "It says afternoons." "Yup -- they're married." "Oh, my GOODNESS..."
And "Marjorie, what's S&M?" "Sadism and masochism." "But what are those things?" "Sadists get off on hitting people and masochists get off on being hit." "Oh my GOODNESS..."
And "Marjorie, what's bi?" "Well, it isn't having sex with a bicycle." (nervous giggles from Roy) "It's when someone is sexually attracted to men AND women" "Oh that's a SIN..." "Oh, I don't know Roy... it's very democratic when you think of it..." "So Republicans wouldn't be that way...?" "Roy, that's NOT what I meant..."
Wherever I go, I like to scatter little gems of information.
Love the reminiscences. It's good to be reminded that the fun stuff does occasionally happen.
lol, wonder what Roy would make of Raymond Smullyan's discussion here, in the form of a dialogue between a "Mortal" and "God," his views on "Sin and sinning" are about as provocative (and I suppose, "heretical") as it gets!
https://www.mit.edu/people/dpolicar/writing/prose/text/godTaoist.html
EXCERPT from "Is God a Taoist?:
Mortal:
And therefore, O God, I pray thee, if thou hast one ounce of mercy for this thy suffering creature, absolve me of having to have free will!
God:
You reject the greatest gift I have given thee?
Mortal:
How can you call that which was forced on me a gift? I have free will, but not of my own choice. I have never freely chosen to have free will. I have to have free will, whether I like it or not!
God:
Why would you wish not to have free will?
Mortal:
Because free will means moral responsibility, and moral responsibility is more than I can bear!
God:
Why do you find moral responsibility so unbearable?
Mortal:
Why? I honestly can't analyze why; all I know is that I do.
God:
All right, in that case suppose I absolve you from all moral responsibility but leave you still with free will. Will this be satisfactory?
Mortal (after a pause):
No, I am afraid not.
God:
Ah, just as I thought! So moral responsibility is not the only aspect of free will to which you object. What else about free will is bothering you?
Mortal:
With free will I am capable of sinning, and I don't want to sin!
God:
If you don't want to sin, then why do you?
Mortal:
Good God! I don't know why I sin, I just do! Evil temptations come along, and try as I can, I cannot resist them.
God:
If it is really true that you cannot resist them, then you are not sinning of your own free will and hence (at least according to me) not sinning at all.
Mortal:
No, no! I keep feeling that if only I tried harder I could avoid sinning. I understand that the will is infinite. If one wholeheartedly wills not to sin, then one won't.
God:
Well now, you should know. Do you try as hard as you can to avoid sinning or don't you?
Mortal:
I honestly don't know! At the time, I feel I am trying as hard as I can, but in retrospect, I am worried that maybe I didn't!
God:
So in other words, you don't really know whether or not you have been sinning. So the possibility is open that you haven't been sinning at all!
Mortal:
Of course this possibility is open, but maybe I have been sinning, and this thought is what so frightens me!
God:
Why does the thought of your sinning frighten you?
Mortal:
I don't know why! For one thing, you do have a reputation for meting out rather gruesome punishments in the afterlife!
God:
Oh, that's what's bothering you! Why didn't you say so in the first place instead of all this peripheral talk about free will and responsibility? Why didn't you simply request me not to punish you for any of your sins?
Mortal:
I think I am realistic enough to know that you would hardly grant such a request!
God:
You don't say! You have a realistic knowledge of what requests I will grant, eh? Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do! I will grant you a very, very special dispensation to sin as much as you like, and I give you my divine word of honor that I will never punish you for it in the least. Agreed?
******
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Smullyan
In case you have not heard of him, this is Wiki's summary, and yes, that's my (one and only) Wiki contribution/ edit about one of Smullyan's notorious logic puzzles.
Marjorie, what a delight to read of your Village Voice illuminations with “Roy”
“where I can write anything I want, the way I did at the Village Voice.” Beautiful.
Truly beautiful.
Thank you Lucian. I had to read this story twice to fully appreciate the history and spirit of the Village Voice.
I have an original copy of the final 9/21/17 printed edition of the Voice. I assume you have a copy. If not, I will
happily give mine to you.
Thank you for this wonderful letter. I also had to read it twice to reconnect with our shared times in the 60’s. Bless you for telling the truth and bringing this history to our collective attention. I appreciate your perspective.
This is not about your remembrance of Ed Fancher, but about a previous column of yours: the one where he went to, shall we say, an out of the way, but symbolic gun store. Well, here's what Jack Smith had to say about that: "But as the special prosecutor’s reply brief pointed out, the video itself showed Trump holding, i.e., “receiving” in the language of the law, a firearm. Smith pointed out the conduct is a “separate federal crime.” The irony of Trump, who as a person under indictment cannot receive a firearm, violating a provision of the same law—18 USC 922—that got Hunter Biden indicted, is rich. No word yet on whether Smith will take any action under 922(n), the provision Trump is alleged to have violated." If someone ever needs to illustrate the saying "Too smart by half," a picture of Trump will do nicely.
Actually that's what *Joyce Vance* had to say, albeit citing Jack Smith.
Reading these very descriptive segments of you life Lucian is like watching a movie, the reader is like a silent observer watching these events take place.
Your friend was one of those rare, very special people. (I said was, but in my understanding, he still is.)
When I read of his death, I knew he must have been the first editor to hire you. I did not know Norman was part of the founders' troika. (Poor Adele.) It is said "You always remember your first."
If it was the editor who hired you and polished you, that is the truth, so condolences on the occasion of losing the man who shaped your career and showed you kindness. It is a loss that some of your subscribers can surely relate to.
Thank you for that deeply felt, emotionally rich homage. There's a tale within your tribute that needs comment. I was a happy pothead -- which for me was really just an excuse for pizza and beer at the Ninth Circle in the Village. I tried acid once, at a house on the Hudson near Bard. My experience was terrifying, awash with demons and dark shadows; I remember hearing rumbling laughter from deep within the earth. It might have been worse -- but I was lucky enough to upchuck the monster hamburger I inhaled at a bar near Bard. I have no doubt a fair amount of the drug went with it. I spent the rest of the trip listening to The Beatles, over and over again. I know too many people who took acid -- and never came back from their alternative reality. An old school joint and a beer were fine with me.
That's one helluva wonderful story, Lucian! And I have no doubt that it's true. RIP Ed Fancher.
Thank you, LKT4, for recreating your vivid & affectionate memories of Ed Fancher, understandably one of your most significant mentors. So much of what you wrote highlights the values we’ve lost since the mid-20th century: truth, respect, public service, and the common good, among others. Also--the details you included about Ed Fancher’s hard-working parents and their relatively modest circumstances reminded me we once had a thriving middle class that served as the backbone of our flourishing post-WWII democracy. How times have changed, now that corporations, obscenely wealthy people, and the almighty dollar have ascended to ever more power, replacing the intangible values we once held dear. I’m beginning to think that “the love of money” is, indeed, “the root of all evil” (or “Radix malorum est Cupiditas”). Anyway, Ed Fancher represented the opposite of all these destructive forces, and you’re so very fortunate that his caring hands & heart touched your life in such a meaningful way. Thank you for sharing this story with all of us.
I knew mailer and “one or two others” founded the Voice, but I didn’t know much,, if anything, about the “one or two others.” Now I do. Thanks.
What an amazing life…may his memory forever be for a blessing