Skip to Content
Details

On Eve of LA Weekly’s 40th Anniversary, Here’s an Amazing Digital Archive of Old Covers

12:00 AM PST on December 4, 2018

    This cover came out in the 80’s/

    [dropcap size=big]R[/dropcap]emeber when the LA Weekly was a voice to be reckoned with? There was once a time that you'd sit at the barbershop with all the old veteranos who were reading some Spanish-language rag, or old copies of Time, and you'd be there with this large, dirty tabloid painting the insides of your fingers in cheap ink.

    Well we've hit the motherload. We found an archive of old covers of the LA Weekly put together by J. J. Englender over at ADSAUSAGE. The Weekly was actually founded in December 1978 as a free alt-weekly by publisher Jay Levin. The magazine quickly became a voice for L.A. street and youth culture, and frequently challenged the status quo before crumbling last year and firing 95 percent of its staff.

    This cover is from Jan. 27, 1988.
    This cover is from June 29, 1999.
    This cover is from 1999/Photo by Whoever.
    This cover is from Dec. 12, 1980.
    This cover is from June 12, 1979.
    This cover is from March 14, 1980.
    This cover is from Oct. 11, 1991.
    This cover is from Dec. 29, 2001.
    This cover is from April 29, 1983.
    This cover is from Nov. 19, 1982.
    This cover is from Sept. 3, 1982.
    This cover is from Jan. 15, 1982.
    This cover is from Dec. 4, 1981.
    This cover is from Nov. 20, 1981.
    This cover is from Oct. 2, 1981.

    See the full archive here.

    RELATED: The L.A. Taco Interview ~ Brian Calle, Publisher of L.A. Weekly, Answers Critics

    Stay in touch

    Sign up for our free newsletter

    More from L.A. TACO

    Swarm of Police in Riot Gear Destroy Peaceful Pro-Palestine Encampment At UCLA During Early Morning Raid, Over 200 Arrested

    At 4 AM, CHP broke through the fencing on the other side of the encampment and set up a police line, consistently firing flash-bang grenades into the air. They also fired on protestors with “less-lethal” munitions and rubber bullets, causing an injury to one protester’s face that required stitches. 

    May 3, 2024

    Ten Palestinian-Owned Restaurants to Support in L.A. and O.C.

    Supporting our local Palestinian restaurants not only allows you to experience excellent cooking and recipes from a culture and people who have been making these dishes for generations, but it also helps to broaden our worldviews on a culture some forces seek to bury and erase. 

    May 2, 2024

    New Date for TACO MADNESS 2024 Event Confirmed: June 15th at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes

    After getting rained out, our new date promises to be our biggest and most fun festival to date. Come out and eat all the tacos, drink all the micheladas, dance to the best DJs in L.A., and support our independent journalism! Of course, L.A. TACO members get in for free. Tickets on sale now.

    April 29, 2024

    An Update On Our Membership Drive: Some Bad News, and Good News

    Some bad news, and some good news on our pledge to survive and stay sustainable.

    April 26, 2024
    See all posts