Saturday, February 21, 2015

What Happened to Kerouac? (1986, 2012)

Regarding Richard Lerner and Lewis MacAdams' What Happened to Kerouac? (1986, 2012), it's no joke to say this is an "indispensable" cultural library of primary Beat Generation sources. 

Beyond the insights into Jack Kerouac as person and writer, the viewer is treated to the wide range of personalities and dispositions rendering them: from Gregory Corso, a "real pisser," to the more reserved but very serious minded Michael McLure, from the affable priest Spike Morrissette to the most cogent of all, Ann Charters. There is also plenty of archival footage to accompany the literal voice of Kerouac.

Particularly in the expanded 2012 edition, there is an astonishing array of good stuff in here. There is an accompanying website.

Today's Rune: Movement.
     

4 comments:

jodi said...

Erik- Dane had me reading some Kerouac, but I just didn't dig him.

Luma Rosa said...

Hi, Erik!
Fell in love with Jack Kerouac when I read ON THE ROAD which became one of my bedside books. Not very recent, the Brazilian Walter Salles made the film adaptation ... super indicate if you have not watched.
Too bad I could not find What Happened to Kerouac?
Good week !!
beijus,

the walking man said...

Anything in there about king Ferlinghetti?

Personally with few exceptions the whole beat scene in retrospect seems to me that they self granted themselves license to create havoc and harm, in short it wasn't about the literature as much as about the lifestyle.

That is why Buk is my favorite of that era along with the rejected Brautigan.

Analytically Ilook at their work of the late 40 through the 50's and saw the mature, those that didn't turn into alcoholic, junky, momma's boys who allowed the press t finally inflate them beyond their resource. Seriously would Ginsburg have ever reached true literary fame had he no been prosecuted for his POS Howl?

But he was and he was and he used it as license to satiate his own desires. Nope sorry in my mind, I hold much of them in very low esteem. With Burroughs being the epitome of that whole school of self indulgence.

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm afraid I didn't much care for On the Road. I've liked some of his haiku.