James Haynes, commonly known as Jim Haynes (born November 10, 1933), was a leading figure in the London "underground" and alternative/counter-culture scene of the 1960s. He was involved with the founding of the paper International Times and the London Arts Lab in Drury Lane for experimental and mixed media work.
Jim Haynes was born in Haynesville, Louisiana, U.S. After spending several years in Venezuela, he attended university in his hometown. In 1956, his military service brought him to Scotland and he decided to stay there afterwards. He attended Edinburgh University and, among other writing and musical activities, helped in the foundation of the Traverse Theatre and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He ran the Paperback Bookshop in George Square ("at the sign of the rhinoceros head" - there was a stuffed trophy head on the pavement outside), which he boasted was "Britain's first paperback only bookshop", until the University redeveloped the Square and he lost the premises.
In 1966 he relocated to London in the middle of the "swinging 60s" and became heavily involved in the underground cultural scene, co-founding the pivotal alternative paper International Times, known as "I.T.", along with others including Barry Miles and John Hopkins.[1]
In September 1967, Haynes co-founded the Drury Lane Arts Lab space for mixed-media (it closed 15 months later).
In 1969 in Amsterdam he co-launched Suck newspaper for sexual freedom. It was also obtainable in the United Kingdom. The first issue contained a long and unrestrainedly descriptive erotic poem attributed to W. H. Auden and an explicit photo of Germaine Greer.
Haynes then taught Media Studies and Sexual Politics for 30 years at the University of Paris 8. Over this time he has held open house on Sundays in Paris, and published an irregular newsletter about his life and times. In addition he has written an autobiographical memoir, titled Thanks for Coming, and frequently attends annual arts festivals such as the Edinburgh Festivals.
In Christmas 2009, Haynes and his open house parties featured in British television advertisements for multinational foods company Nestlé: "When the coffee and 'After Eight' mints come out, Jim's always got a story to tell."[2]
Various footage of Jim Haynes has recently been included in a documentary 'Echoes of the underground' which also features Lee Harris Brian Barritt, Henk Targowski and Youth. The score for the film was written and performed by The Moonlight Convention.
August of 2011 found Jim in Glasgow Scotland for travel to the Edinburgh Film Festival. While departing the train he is felled by a heart attack and then spends several weeks in Hospital. He is apparently doing well, but is taking a handful of pills every day. His newsletter is found at http://www.jim-haynes.com/letters/index.htm .
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