Oral History Archives at Columbia
 

Bill Weinberg sound recordings, 1992-2021, bulk 1992-2011

Summary Information

Abstract

Bill Weinberg is a journalist, political writer, activist, and radio personality. His work and activism has focused on human rights, indigenous movements, drug policy, the environment, the Middle East, and opposition to war and authoritarianism. The Bill Weinberg sound recordings feature 57 episodes of the show Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (MORC), which was broadcast on WBAI radio from 1988 to 2011. The collection's recordings date from Bill Weinberg's period as part of the show's collective from 1992 to 2011. Throughout its run, MORC covered a wide range of political, cultural, and spiritual topics. Some major themes addressed in the collection's episodes include ecology, indigenous movements, anarchism, the War on Drugs, United States imperialism, Latin America, North Africa, religion, New York City political and social movements, sustainable transportation, and gardening. The collection also contains an oral history interview with Weinberg that was taken by the curator when the collection was donated to the Oral History Archives at Columbia.

At a Glance

Call No.: OHAC
Bib ID 15428123 View CLIO record
Creator(s) Weinberg, Bill
Title Bill Weinberg sound recordings, 1992-2021, bulk 1992-2011
Physical Description 57 audiocassettes (1 box)
Language(s) English .
Access You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Access: Open

Arrangement

Arrangement

Collection is arranged chronologically.

Description

Content Description

The Bill Weinberg sound recordings feature 57 episodes of the show Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (MORC), which was broadcast on WBAI radio from 1988 to 2011. The collection's recordings date from Bill Weinberg's period as part of the show's collective from 1992 to 2011. Throughout its run, MORC covered a wide range of political, cultural, and spiritual topics. Some major themes addressed in the collection's episodes include ecology, indigenous movements, anarchism, the War on Drugs, United States imperialism, Latin America, North Africa, religion, and gardening. Some specific international topics covered by the collection include Cuba, Chiapas in Mexico, Mauritania, and the Uighurs in China. Several episodes address the Critical Mass protests and other bicycling and sustainable transportation issues. Activism and community in New York City are also major topics. Other episodes document internal affairs and conflict at radio station WBAI. Music is consistent feature across episodes, and shows feature eclectic rock, folk, and pop from around the world. The collection also contains an oral history interview with Weinberg that was taken by the curator when the collection was donated to the Oral History Archives at Columbia.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Conditions Governing Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Access: Open

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright by Bill Weinberg or other creators. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold a non-exclusive license to enable library activities.

Related Materials

Columbia University Libraries has preserved several websites related to Bill Weinberg and the Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade show (MORC). These are:

Bill Weinberg's personal website https://wayback.archive-it.org/2766/20211206212709/https://www.billweinberg.info/

Bill Weinberg's descriptions of MORC shows. These sites could be particularly useful for researchers exploring the Bill Weinberg sound recordings https://wayback.archive-it.org/2766/20211206212711/https://www.morc.info/MORC_Archives_Page-1.2.html https://wayback.archive-it.org/2766/20211206212703/https://www.morc.info/MORC_Archives_Page-2.2.html

Bill Weinberg's website on MORC https://wayback.archive-it.org/2766/20211206212711/https://www.morc.info/

A website on MORC and the Moorish Orthodox Church of America (MOCA) by J. Christian Greer https://wayback.archive-it.org/2766/20211207200906/https://morcarchive.squarespace.com/

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Bill Weinberg, Gift, 2021

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Collection processed by David A. Olson and Mollie Echeverria. Collection was processed concurrent with digitization as part of Columbia University Libraries' Mellon Foundation-funded Audio and Moving Image Project, 2021.

Revision Description

2021-12-21 Links to digitized audio added. kws

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"
"CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"
"Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Audiocassettes Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

Subject

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"
"CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"
"Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Anarchism Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Cycling -- Political aspects Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Drug control -- United States Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Human ecology Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Indigenous peoples -- Civil rights Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Latin America -- Politics and government -- 20th century Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Radicalism -- New York (State) -- New York -- History Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Radio programs Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Self-determination, National Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Social movements -- New York (State) -- New York -- History Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
WBAI Radio (New York, N.Y.) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Bill Weinberg is a journalist, political writer, activist, and radio personality. His work and activism has focused on human rights, indigenous movements, drug policy, the environment, the Middle East, and opposition to war and authoritarianism. He is the author of the books Homage to Chiapas: The New Indigenous Struggles in Mexico(Verso, 2000), War on the Land: Ecology and Politics in Central America (Zed Books, 1991), Avant Gardening: Ecological Struggle in the City and the World (Autonomedia, 1999), and other books on politics, the United States' international interventions, and cannabis. Weinberg has been an editor or regular contributor to Native Americas, High Times, The Guardian (New York-based left-wing publication), Project CBD, Cannabis Now, and The Village Sun. His work has appeared in numerous other publications and won awards from the Native American Journalists Association. His online news site CounterVortex covers issues related to human rights, ecology, democracy, peace, and the rights of indigenous peoples. Weinberg started CounterVortex as World War 4 Report following 9/11 and the United States' initiation of a new form of warfare in the Global War on Terror.

Weinberg was a co-producer and on-air personality for the radio show Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (MORC) from 1992 to 2011. MORC was started in 1988 by Peter Lamborn Wilson, and was broadcast late night on WBAI, inheriting a timeslot held by Bob Fass' Radio Unnameable and James Irsay's Primary Sources. MORC's name was derived from a 1960s radio show from members of the Moorish Orthodox Church of America (MOCA), a small mystical sect based on the Upper West Side. In 1992, Weinberg joined Wilson on MORC. The two had met through the Libertarian Book Club, a longstanding anarchist group. Weinberg's participation brought an increased focus on political issues. International affairs, left anarchist thought, and local politics became prominently featured. Ann-Marie Hendrickson joined as a co-host in 1995. Between 1995 and 2001, the MORC collective expanded further to include Sharon Gregory as co-host, Bob McGill as engineer, Dave Smith as technical engineer, and Max Schmid as producer. In March of 2011, WBAI took MORC off the airwaves following conflicts about premiums and the views of figures at WBAI. The show continued online for a brief period before ending.

After clicking 'Submit Request', users will login with their UNI and password (Columbia affiliates) or their special collections account (external users). Appointments are required and will be arranged according to each individual repository's policy.


Bill Weinberg sound recordings, 1992-2021

57 audiocassettes


Box 1 Alternative Voices on Cuba, 1992 July 6, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Cuba's Bicycle Revolution, 1993 May 4, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 ¡Viva Zapata!, 1994 April 18, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Darryl Cherney & the Stuggle for the Redwoods, 1996 November 26, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Washitaw: American Captive Nation, 1997 November 4, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 St. Patrick's Day Special on Nicaragua, 1998 March 17, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Bikes for Chiapas, 1999 March 30, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Reclaim the Streets! II, 1999 June 13, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Reclaim the Streets! IV, 1999 November 30, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Reclaim the Streets! V, 1999 Decemeber 7, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 ¡Viva Esperanza! II, 2000 January 11, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Anarchist Roots of Pacifica, 2001 March 13 and March 14, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Casa del Sol, 2001 May 15, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 From Chiapas to Morocco, 2001 June 6, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 NI Vavilov Remembered, 2001 July 10, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 ¡Viva Charas!, 2000 July 17, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 More Gardens!, 2001 July 26, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Aftermath of Terror II, 2001 September 25, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Adam Purple and the Garden of Eden, 2002 January 1, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 WBAI Liberated!, 2011 January 15, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 From Chiapas to Morocco IV, 2002 July 16, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Return of the Dope Squad, 2002 August 13, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 World War III Illustrated IV, 2003 January 7, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Anti-Zionism & Jewish Liberation IV, 2003 March 4, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Shamanism and Resistance in the Chiapas Rainforest, 2003 April 15, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Jeanette Rankin Remembered, 2003 June 10, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Report Back from Jayyous, 2004 February 10, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Dissident Voices from Iraq III, 2004 July 20, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 From Colombia to Algeria, 2005 May 17, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Struggle in Mauritania, 2005 August 9, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 From Baghdad to Tokyo, 2006 February 7, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Frogs Matter, 2006 April 4, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Struggle for St. Brigid's Church, 2006 August 22, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Warlock Asylum, 2006 September 5, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 From Darfur to Mauritania, 2006 September 19, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Critical Mass Under Attack IV, 2008 May 8, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Struggle in Mauritania II, 2007 May 29, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 From Baghdad to Tokyo II, 2007 June 14, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 William Blake's Revolutionary Vision, 2008 January 8, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Struggle for Chinatown, 2008 April 29, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Chris Carlsson's Nowtopia, 2008 June 3, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Homage to Matoub Lounes II, 2008 June 24, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Tompkins Square Riot: 20 Years Later, 2008 July 22, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Yes We Did. Now What?, 2008 November 4, 2 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Struggle in Mauritania III, 2008 November 11, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Free Somaliland, 2009 April 21, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Lessons From 1649, 2009 July 14, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Solidarity with Uighurstan, 2009 January 21, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Politics and the English Language, 2009 September 1, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Red Noir, 2009 December 1, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Report from Port-au-Prince, 2010 January 19, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Michael Jackson & the Secret of the Vegetable, 2010 June 29, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Mosque Controversy in China, 2010 August 31, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Struggle for North Africa—and WBAI, 2011 January 25, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Elephant Talk, 2011 February 1, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 The Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade Fights Back, 2011 February 8, 1 audiocassettes


Box 1 Against George Galloway, 2011 March 15, 1 audiocassettes


Oral History Interview with Bill Weinberg, 2021 May 6

In this oral history interview conducted by Kimberly Springer, Bill Weinberg discusses his life, activism, and work as a journalist and author. Weinberg describes his upbringing and youth in Jackson Heights, Queens. He describes the attraction of the Lower East Side, attending punk shows in the city, and his introduction to activism. Entry points to activism included anti-draft activity, Rock Against Racism, and attendance at the Black Hills Survival Gathering in South Dakota, an American Indian Movement-sponsored event protesting uranium mining. He discusses his introduction to anarchism, the Libertarian Book Club, and his personal approaches to anarchism. Weinberg also speaks to his career as a journalist and author of books. He discusses his travels in Latin America, particularly Chiapas, and his reporting for High Times and Native Americas. He discusses the dynamic at High Times in the 1990s as well as the founding of his blog CounterVortex. Weinberg also describes his involvement with the WBAI radio show Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (MORC). He details how he got involved with the show, other members of the show's collective, and the character of the show. He discusses the show's name and the initial influence of the Moorish Science Movement, and muses on different varieties of "Moorish" identity. He discusses the influence of Bob Fass and his own experiences as a WBAI listener as a youth. He discusses the activities of co-host Ann-Marie Hendrickson, including her anti-nuclear activism, her contributions to MORC, and her WBAI show Mansion for a Rat. He also details his rift with WBAI over political issues that ultimately led to MORC's removal from the station. He gives an analysis of factions of the anti-imperialist Left that took unnuanced, contradictory, and anti-Semitic stances in the years following 9/11. He also discusses these contradictions in the context of United States involvement in Syria. The interview also addresses Weinberg's involvement in activism on the Lower East Side. Specific topics include the 1988 Tompkins Square Park riot and its impact through early 1990s, squatters, gentrification, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, and activism around community gardens in the late 1990s through early 2000s.