Skip to Content
Details

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

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

A Trucker’s Oasis For Peruvian Chicharrón Sandwiches, Leche de Tigre, and Camote Donuts In Vernon

Their chicharrón sandwich is the best $10 you can spend in the beautiful city of Vernon. This mom-and-pop shop opened by a couple of retired truck drivers is a bonafide strip mall gem in Los Angeles, overlooking the L.A. River, too.

December 17, 2024

Street Food Defender Edin Enamorado Still In Jail, One Year Later. This Is the Latest

His lawyer, Damon Alimouri, said Enamorado is “staying strong, and he's going to fight at every turn.”

December 16, 2024

Performative Justice: Nearly 2 Years After Launching Unit to Free Innocent People in Prison, Attorney General’s Office Hasn’t Reviewed A Single Case

Joseph Trigilio, executive director of the Loyola Project for the Innocent, says he doesn’t know why it’s taken the attorney general so long to start reviewing cases. But he could see limited staffing being one of the main factors. “I don’t know that they have that many lawyers and the small amount of lawyers they do have are tasked with creating this unit from nothing,” he said

December 16, 2024

This Weekend: Lamb Heart Kebabs Open Until 2 AM, Mapo Tofu Fries, and Free Villa’s Tacos

Plus, Malay-style wings, a collaboration pizza-topped with Philippe The Original's French-dipped beef and hot mustard, and more in this week's roundup.

December 13, 2024

Rare, Pit-Roasted, Zacatecas-Style Birria —Estilo Moyahua—Is Being Revived In This Inglewood Backyard

This isn’t your average, made-for-Instagram birria. The estilo Moyahua dish is available in goat and also a beef version, for the chiva haters.

December 12, 2024
See all posts