User:TheInfiltrator7

(the) Infiltrator Magazine
(The) Infiltrator was a New Wave/alternative music and arts magazine that was published in the Washington, D.C. area from 1978-1981. It was started by Mary Leary (aka Marie Provost; Mary Levey).

Inception
Involved with the burgeoning alternative music scene from its inception, and included in the music programmers who lost their outlet when Georgetown's president shut WGTB FM ,down; Leary sensed the need for a bridge between the radio station and the community - something that would help keep alternative sounds alive while promoting new music that in the late 1970s relied primarily on college radio for exposure. More established local publications, such as The Unicorn Times and Washington Post, were not yet devoting space to local musicians, other than occasional articles about more popular bands, such as (the) Razz. Nor was there much in the way of local coverage of the explosive independent and alternative music movement happening around the world. The first issue of (The) Infiltrator was published in 1979,several months after WGTB was taken off the air. The name "Infiltrator" was chosen by Leary as a symbol for journalists going into unusual places for stories. The parenthesizing of (The) in the name was a hommage to Razz vocalist and artist Michael Reidy, who used the same style for the band's name, "(the) Razz."

Subject Matter
(The) Infiltrator covered local and international artists including The Urban Verbs, The Bad Brains, DeCeats, The Cramps, Klaus Nomi, John Cale, (the) Razz, NRBQ, Evan Johns, Tina Peel, The Shaggs, The Nerves, Evan Johns, Sly Dunbar, Judy Nylon, Plastic People Of The Universe, The Slickee Boys, Phil Manzanera, The B-52s, Peter Tosh, Chrome, Ian Gomm, The Clash, Wire, The Ramones, The Chumps, Mars Everywhere, Human Sexual Response, John Cipollina and The Contortions. At least in the beginning, there was an effort to include everything that had been covered at WGTB, such as articles on jazz, progressive music, art, photography, culture and reggae. The first issue featured "In Search of a Silver Lining... An Observation On The End of WGTB," by Christopher Thompson. The second issue featured a centerfold article on Voyager 1.

Contributors
(The) Infiltrator was formed as a volunteer-based cooperative, with Leary at the helm. Visual artist Kevin MacDonald (deceased) was essential to its formation, contributing days of exacting work. Neither he nor Leary had laid out a publication before. They approached the project in the spirit of "DIY" so prevalent in Punk and early New Wave. Other contributors included Bob Boilen, David Arnson of Insect Surfers, Caki Kalas, Robert Kennedy, Julia Brooke (aka Queenie), Michael Layne Heath, Bruce Rosenstein, and Steve Lorber. Hank Numb provided aid with graphic design when Kevin MacDonald was unavailable (issues 2-5). Michael Tanner (deceased) helped set the magazine apart by providing dramatic cover and show photos.

Format
The first two issues were offset printed. The next three were done in the newsprint tabloid format. The final issue, No. 6, was photocopied. Runs were either 500 or 1,000 copies.

Demise
The Infiltrator ceased publication when Leary could no longer afford to publish. In 1980, a group of small business owners met with her to suggest ploys such as selling ads to record companies in return for covering their artists, an idea she rejected as being against the magazine's purpose and ethos. She moved to New York City in 1983.