Hello! I’m Willy X – Who are you?

(Updated 2025)

Here is some of my backstory. I’ve been living in Camden and Primrose Hill for over 50 years. I’ve been vegan for 45 years now; I do not drink alcohol or smoke tobacco, and I have no serious drug problems.

Festivals and Art

I was involved in starting the Stonehenge Free Festivals. Please visit these websites:

I was also involved in starting the 2nd Glastonbury Festival and have known the Eavises for many years. The artist Banksy has collected my old poster art for about 45 years now and is an old friend. My old Stonehenge posters sell as collector’s items on the internet; they are even on sale in a San Francisco hippy shop on Haight-Ashbury, though unfortunately, I don’t get royalties! All in all, I did over a million flyers and stickers for Stonehenge.

Influences and Connections

My backstory includes knowing Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious briefly before they went punk in 1975/76. I also knew the late playwright Heathcote Williams. He encouraged me back in 1975/76 regarding my advertising campaign for the Stonehenge Midsummer Solstice Free Festival. He said to me, “You’re doing the right thing with Stonehenge.”

Heathcote Williams was the second person to prove that animals can speak to each other, in about 1973. (Note: Jack Cousteau, the French filmmaker and inventor of the Aqua-Lung, proved that dolphins talk to each other using a clicking sound, a bit like Morse code). A few years later, Heathcote accidentally discovered that elephants talk to each other and recorded 16 words in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. He published this in his book, which is now a collector’s item. I knew Heathcote in the mid-1970s in Primrose Hill and he let me browse his book; he influenced me a lot with his encouragement.

Inventions and Tech

Many years ago in Berlin, I was with Mel Gibson and Joe Rush when they came up with the Mad Max film idea. Joe Rush is a great artist with his Mutoid Waste Company.

This is the only time I’ve applied for a job in art. I’ve been involved in a lot of inventions, but I’m very much a concept inventor and a technician. For example:

  • The “No More Rubbish” cartoons: These were done by me to help explain the concept of smart skips outside supermarkets (reverse vending). I unfortunately lost control of this idea years ago, and it’s already in use in some countries, but I’ve included some sketches in this portfolio.
  • Early Computing: I was involved in the early days of the Windows program with Steve Jobs and Microsoft etc., a long time ago.
  • Google Maps: I was involved from the very beginning in 1999.

Legacy

Slim Dali (the famous Salvador Dalí’s nephew) was a regular visitor to my flat. I know Mark from Spiral Tribe; we started hardcore techno.

I could name-drop forever, though I’m not famous myself. I’ve been around for a long time. I’ve been parodied in Withnail and I (the Camberwell Carrot), the film Eyes, and Derek Jarman’s Jubilee. I was an early punk. I’ve been on the front cover of NME and The Face, and recently (2025) in The Orienteer magazine.

WX etc.

Older biography Circa 2007

Hello! I’m Willy X – Who are you?

From an old campaigner, 20 Years since the battle of beanfield, 20 Years since the 1984 Stonehenge Free Festival. This would be the 20th London to Stonehenge walk, but it didn’t happen this year, although a group of at least 9 of us met at the Pagoda in Battersea Park on June 1st as usual. I think I will walk next year, but a shorter route. For 18 years I walked from London to Stonehenge. Sometimes 40 people walked, sometimes a handful. Once thousands in 1988 joined in the London walk. Often we met up with other walks from Oxford, Brighton, Chelmsford, Glastonbury, Wales amongst others. We were harassed allot by the state. This year a walked left from Glastonbury Tour on the 13th of June 9 (The Battle of the Beanfield anniversary, least we forget) up to June 23rd , from Stonehenge to Stonehenge, taking in many of the ancient sites in the area. It starts at Stonehenge sometimes after noon. Watch this space. Also, the Stonehenge to the Pyramids Pilgrimage is still ongoing, contact jesterdam@hotmail.com

After 30 years of going to the midsummer’s solstice every year, through good and bad times. The original barbed wire put up to stop us in 1974 is long ago rusted away. When I was 17, I was there with Zonk Star, who sadly passed over last Xmas, R.I.P. We met Wally Hope and shared his vision of free festivals at Stonehenge. We stayed for months, until the Windsor free festival in August, when 30, 000 of us got evicted in a big battle with the police. In the repression afterwards, that good man Wally Hope was incarcerated to stop him putting on the 2nd Stonehenge Free Festival. He passed over as a result of his political incarceration. So me and some friends printed and distributed 30,000 leaflets around the big squatters scenes, and I got the polytantric stage and generator, scrounged up more stage lights, tarps etc and hired a ten ton truck. Me and mate scavenger Pat got a bus out of the scrap yard for £60. Good weather helped, and the London squatting scene went quiet for a week as 5000 + turned up in 1975 and plenty of bands played. Each year after that I printed 30,000 free festival lists plus thousands of posters and stickers etc. Up to 1985, I’ve printed and distributed over a million festival lists & stickers) Added to this, in 1986 alone, Stonehenge Campaign did half a million stickers allot of advertising. Red Ice Brian (Brian Cathcart) R.I.P. Helped allot as the festival grew. He ran the free food kitchen and free crash tent, Big Yellow Teepee, for several years to cater for the large crowds. We used to get up to 80,000 by 1984 & lasting weeks. After the battle of the beanfield in 1985 we formed the Stonehenge Campaign in London, Thanks to John and Sue our hosts at their poetry meeting rooms at 99 Torriano Ave, Camden and I started walking. Its been a hard fought campaign, a long road to travel. We were harassed at almost every juncture by state repression. Let’s enjoy what we’ve won, but now we have to resist the uniformed druid hierarchy and the damn motorway as well as get our free festival back and establish a national park around the stones. LOVE N PEACE! Willy X…

A big apology from me for not keeping up to date on my e-mails.
Thanks for them all, Lots of Love. WillyX

I was born in Stepney, East London (I am a Cockney). I grew up in my mum’s busy Hackney pub “The Old Ship”. I now live in Camden, North London, near the popular Camden Fashion Market, etc. I’ve been resident in Camden for 30+ years

I’ve been a vegetarian or vegan for about 30 years.

I’ve helped to invent many things, including the “Festival Lists” of the 70’s and 80’s.

By the High Court ruling in 1990’s, I’m banned for life from attending festivals/rave parties in Hampshire.

Just a few weeks ago (2006) I’ve been injuncted and banned from walking around lots of Oxford town, because my views on animal experiments are considered “extreme”.

Obituary
Dan R.I.P.
Died Friday 2nd September 2005
Heroin Over Dose
Dan was a regular at Slimelight
Stan R.I.P.
Died August 2005
Morphine Overdose in New Deli
Dan was recently Buried in Ireland
He was a regular a “The Royal Exchange” Hartland Road, Camden.
Cookie R.I.P.
Died August 2005
Cookie was a well know Old School New Age Traveler, She was Dazzer’s X
Cookie left us after a week in Hospital in Holland, She had long term chest complaints.
She will be sadly missed

Because I haven’t read my emails for a while, to contact me, write to:

Willy X
Flat 1
50 Fitzroy Road
London
NW1 8TY