beat list 1996

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Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 09:06:58 -0400

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From: William Miller <KenWNC@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Beat discussion in David Donnell interview

Thanks yet AGAIN

to Neil Hennessy (sp.?)

for the Burroughs discussions in this piece.

PS As for that "Jack, he was a....bloody right-winger too" quote, that was

LONG overdue. Thanks for the posts.

William Miller

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Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 09:06:59 -0400

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From: William Miller <KenWNC@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Burroughs quote

"Woodstock rises from Kerouac's pages"

Let's just say that I took this quote to mean something else entirely.

I DID NOT take it to mean that Woodstock happened as a direct result of

Kerouac's writing.

I DID take as an implication that Kerouac's writing was, in a sense, like

Woodstock. It smells the same, sounds the same, FEELS the same, to

Burroughs. And to myself, as well.

"Dharma Bums is all happy, with him meditating on the mountain and

everything.

" (from Neil H.'s last post...)

I get the same feeling from Woodstock (what I know of it) as I do from

reading Kerouac's "happy" pieces, like _Dharma Bums_.

And NO, I wasn't at Woodstock.

Grateful for THAT,

William Miller

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Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 10:57:10 -0400

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From: Neil Hennessy <nhenness@UWATERLOO.CA>

Subject: Re: Beat discussion in David Donnell interview

On Thu, 1 Aug 1996 09:06:58 -0400 William Miller <KenWNC@aol.com> wrote:

> Thanks yet AGAIN

> to Neil Hennessy (sp.?)

> for the Burroughs discussions in this piece.

> PS As for that "Jack, he was a....bloody right-winger too" quote, that was

> LONG overdue. Thanks for the posts.

Thanks for your kind words, and you're most welcome.

I never actually heard Burroughs say the above quotation, but it is

something that he has written before in letters to Ginsberg.

Unfortunately I cannot cite the exact date of the letter because I left

my copy of Burroughs' collected letters (the pre Naked Lunch ones) in a

friend's car and never saw them again (wasn't that how the Hippoes

manuscript was supposed to have been lost? ah what bitter sweet irony,

well not really ;-)

If I remember correctly, Burroughs accuses Kerouac of hiding in his

mother's skirts. Can someone back me up on this one? I haven't had the

heart to buy another copy of the letters, as that would mean I would have

to admit they are lost forever.

The biblio on the book is:

The Letters of William S. Burroughs

Edited by Oliver Harris.

Penguin, New York, 1993

Does anyone know if this is out of print? I haven't seen it around in a

while...

Cheers,

Neil

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Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 10:58:23 +0000

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From: "John W. Hasbrouck" <jhasbro@TEZCAT.COM>

Subject: Reading the Beats

I finally finished my first reading of "Visions of Cody" the other day.

It was enlightening, and represents to me the manner in which Kerouac

began to write after he realized "On the Road" wasn't going to be

published right away, and he decided to write for himself rather than

publishers.

With this reading under my belt I can get back to my project of reading

the Beat canon chronologically.

Kerouac finished VOC in the attic of Neal and Carolyn Cassady's home in

San Francisco on his 30th birthday (3/30) in 1952. Two weeks later Jack,

Neal, Carolyn and the kids began a trip during which Jack was dropped

off at the Maxican border in Arizona and the Cassadys proceeded to

Nashville to visit Carolyn's parents.

When finishing VOC, I was excited to get back into the published

correspondence since there's about a dozen letters between Allen, Bill,

Neal, Jack and John Clellon Holmes crisscrossing the continent during

May, 1952. In a letter from Jack to Allen written from Bill's Mexican

pad dated 5/10/52, Jack mentions his "Odyssey" traveling from the border

to Bill's place. This letter is in "The Selected Letters of Jack

Kerouac, 1940-1959", and editor Ann Charters has a footnote for this

passage mentioning that Kerouac wrote a piece about this adventure

called "Mexican Fellaheen" which appears in "Lonesome Traveler".

Upon reading this footnote, I leaped from my desk and ran to my

bookshelf. Sure enough, there it was on page 21 of LT. Sixteen pages

covering Jack's movement from the border to Bill's. (Dating Jack's trip

is problematic. He begins his letter of the tenth telling Allen that "it

took 10 days" for he and Bill to find a nice new typewriter. Later in

the letter, Jack discussed some friction between he and Neal, mentioning

a specific incident that occurred "last week". I tentatively conclude

that Jack's trip took place during the last week of April, 1952.) I

suspect Jack wrote "Mexican Fellaheen" some time after the fact,

possibly using his letter to Ginsberg (in which he describes that leg of

his trip, though more prosaically) to stir his memory.

I'm gettin' my literary kicks.

John Hasbrouck

Chicago

PS: Comments welcome.

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Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 12:16:25 -0400

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From: Jeffrey Weinberg <Waterrow@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Reading the Beats

John (and others):

You are correct in assuming that Jack's trip took place the last week of

April 1952.

In 1991, I had access to Kerouac's 1952 travel notebooks.

We published an excerpt from the notebooks that Jack had titled "Visions Of

America". Visions of America details Kerouac's journey with Neal & Carolyn

Cassady "across the Arizona night"

on the way to Mexico. Jack dated his entry (written while sitting in the back

seat of the Cassadys' car) as April 1952 (no day, however).

Hope this is helpful -

Jeffrey Weinberg

Water Row Press

PS: There are still a few copies of "Visions Of America" available.

EMail for more information. Thanks.

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Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 18:52:02 -0600

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From: Derek Alexander Beaulieu <dabeauli@ACS.UCALGARY.CA>

Subject: Re: Reading the Beats

In-Reply-To: <960801121624_169454264@emout16.mail.aol.com>

jeffrey

i couldn't get through on e-mail so i sought you out here. could you send

me some info about "Visions of America". i'd be very keen on acquiring a

copy. thank you very much

derek beaulieu

dabeauli@acs.ucalgary.ca

On Thu, 1 Aug 1996, Jeffrey Weinberg wrote:

> John (and others):

> You are correct in assuming that Jack's trip took place the last week of

> April 1952.

> In 1991, I had access to Kerouac's 1952 travel notebooks.

> We published an excerpt from the notebooks that Jack had titled "Visions Of

> America". Visions of America details Kerouac's journey with Neal & Carolyn

> Cassady "across the Arizona night"

> on the way to Mexico. Jack dated his entry (written while sitting in the back

> seat of the Cassadys' car) as April 1952 (no day, however).

> Hope this is helpful -

> Jeffrey Weinberg

> Water Row Press

> PS: There are still a few copies of "Visions Of America" available.

> EMail for more information. Thanks.

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Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1996 09:31:47 CST

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From: Bob Jordan <enjordan@ALPHA.NLU.EDU>

Subject: Re: Burroughs quote

Interesting quote, and very timely for me. I am teaching a class on the beat

writers this fall, and in addition to the Charters anthology and a couple of

kerouac novels, we are going to read Wolfe's Electric KoolAide Acid Test.

My purpose is to show these kids in their tie-dyed shirts and Jerry Garcia ties

just how the beats and the sixties connect. I will probably use this quote

and am interested in any further information anyone might have on it.

In fact, if anyone out there has any information, ideas, or insights that might

help me as I structure this class, I would appreciate your sending them along.

You may send me e-mail directly at enjordan@alpha.nlu.edu, or by post to

Robert Jordan, Department of English, Northeast Louisiana University, Monroe,

Louisiana, 71211.

In the past, I have done a couple of interesting projects in this class. We kept

journals, following kerouac's rules for spontaneous prose, for two months. I

also kept a journal. Then, following Burrough's cut-up method, we each submitted

som xeroxed pages from our journals, cut them into individual lines, and re-

arranged them into a long, stream of consciousness poem. One student then typed

the entire poem on a scroll(in tribute to kerouac's first draft of on the road)

and gave a reading at a local coffeehouse. Surprisingly, it was well-received.

At any rate, this is an open ended class. My goal is to tear down as many

traditional educational barriers as I can. Thanks for your time.

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Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1996 11:32:11 -0400

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From: Neil Hennessy <nhenness@UWATERLOO.CA>

Subject: Re: Burroughs quote

> Interesting quote, and very timely for me. I am teaching a class on

> the beat writers this fall, and in addition to the Charters anthology

> and a couple of kerouac novels, we are going to read Wolfe's Electric

> KoolAide Acid Test. My purpose is to show these kids in their tie-dyed

> shirts and Jerry Garcia ties just how the beats and the sixties

> connect. I will probably use this quote and am interested in any

> further information anyone might have on it.

The quotation was taken from the essay entitled 'Remembering Jack

Kerouac' from

The Adding Machine

Calder, London, 1985

First American edition: Seaver Books, New York, 1986

Arcade Books, New York, 1993

In this piece Burroughs also talks about how Fitzgerald in a sense

created the Lost Generation by writing about it. This relates back to

what Burroughs said about his meeting with Jasper Johns (this is from

memory, but it's pretty accurate), "I met him in the 60's and asked him

what painting is all about? He replied, "What is the purpose of writing?"

I said I didn't know, but I know now: The purpose of writing is to make

it happen." By writing about something you can bring it into being.

"The role of the artist is to teach people what they know but don't know

that they know." Burroughs says this quite often and uses Cezanne and

Joyce to illustrate his point. The Lost Generation was there, but it did

not exist in people's minds as a generation with its characteristics and

Zeitgeist until Fitzgerald wrote it into being. In this way he argues

Kerouac portended, and also had a hand in creating the 60's.

My advice is to go to the source, read the essay, actually read all of

_The Adding Machine_. What you get is a collection of thoughts and

reflections, and also a little more _The Job_ type theory. You also get

to read Burroughs' answer to the mysoginist accusations (called 'Women

are a Biological Mistake'), as well as a very insightful piece on Proust

and Beckett.

Anyhow, I gave the above quotations to contextualize the essay with

Burroughs' ideas on the power and purpose of writing.

"Dreaming can make it so."

William S. Burroughs

Cheers,

Neil M. Hennessy

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Date: Mon, 5 Aug 1996 16:29:00 EDT

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From: Bill Gargan <WXGBC@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Subject: Ghost of A Chance

I just finished reading Burroughs' Ghost Of A Chance and found it so

much more rewarding than My Education. Wonder what others out there

think of the relative merits of these works.

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Date: Mon, 5 Aug 1996 13:47:12 -0700

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From: Levi Asher <brooklyn@NETCOM.COM>

Subject: question

Comments: cc: wargue@inforamp.net

Hi Beat-L'ers:

Somebody sent me this question, and I have no clue. Anyone know?

> Several years ago I came across some particularly interesting (to me)

> erotic literature. It stood apart from the run of the mill "grunt and

> groan" pulp to such an extent that I never entirely forgot about it. A few

> months ago, browsing through selections from the old Olympia/Ophelia Press

> I was startled to find myself confronted by an exerpt from this same

> material. Now, however, I had a name to go with it - Tor Kung - and brief

> explanation that he was "neither an Oriental nor a Viking" but that this

> was the pen name of an American poet, born in Pittsburgh around 1929 who

> "participated in the birth of the Beat movement in San Francisco and has

> read his poetry around the world". He apparently spent much of his adult

> life in Europe.

> Despite what appear to be obvious clues I can't make the connection. Any

ideas?

> There doesn't seem to be any reference to his writing under the pen name in

> any of the standard bibliographies one might normally consult, but I'd

> really like to track down some of this old material and it seems my only

> chance is to figure out his real identity.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Levi Asher = brooklyn@netcom.com

Literary Kicks: http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/

(the beat literature web site)

Queensboro Ballads: http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/

(my fantasy folk-rock album)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"don't push me

cause I'm close

to the edge"

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Date: Mon, 5 Aug 1996 20:58:52 EST

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From: "I'M OFF TO THE MOON FOR A CUP OF SAKE." <breithau@KENYON.EDU>

Subject: Re: Ghost of A Chance

It might be interesting to read Burrough's MY EDUCATION along with Kerouac's

BOOK OF DREAMS. I find it kind of hard to read about someone's dreams, but Jack

and Bill make it interesting reading, especially side by side.

And on another topic, does anyone know whatever happened to Kerouac's early

manuscript, THE SEA IS MY BROTHER. (?) Thanks,

Dave B.

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 02:03:15 -0400

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From: Hank Chilton <TRUFFAUT@AOL.COM>

Subject: first time

So, my friends

"As soon as they're outside, they play with the other children. Many

children are playing in the garden-enclosed entryway, some of them are

standing and staring at the upper front of the church at images of angels in

rain dimmed stone.

I bow to all this, kneel at my pew entryway, and go out, taking one last look

at St. Antoine de Padue (St. Anthony) Santo Antonio de Padua. - Everything is

perfect on the street again, the world is permeated with roses of happiness

all the time, but none of us know it. The happiness consists in realizing

that it is all a great strange dream."

I am not the greatest intellect on the subject, but I have read much about

the Beats. With the recent mentioning of Lonesome Traveler", which I am now

reading for the first time, I found the preceeding quote. I love it. You

can find this quote at the end of the chapter called "Mexico Fellaheen."

I think that I love reading Kerouac because of his optimism in the beauty of

the world, his love for the innocent, his ability to appreciate.

Hank

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 07:42:04 -0400

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From: William Miller <KenWNC@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Ghost of A Chance

Hello again.

Bill Gargan wrote:"I just finished reading Burroughs' Ghost Of A Chance and

found it so much more rewarding than My Education. Wonder what others out

there

think of the relative merits of these works"

I have only read each of these works once. I found _My Education_ to be more

rewarding than _Ghost of Chance_. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was that I

thought that WSB was giving me some valuable clues as to how fiction gets to

the paper.

Why did Bill Gargan find _Ghost of Chance_ to be more worthwhile? I got a

few chuckles out of it, but I thought it was sort of a take-it-or-leave-it

text, really.

Regards,

william Miller

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 08:48:23 +0000

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From: "John W. Hasbrouck" <jhasbro@TEZCAT.COM>

Subject: Re: Ghost of A Chance

I'M OFF TO THE MOON FOR A CUP OF SAKE. wrote:

> And on another topic, does anyone know whatever happened to Kerouac's early

> manuscript, THE SEA IS MY BROTHER. (?) Thanks,

> Dave B.

Kerouac left this manuscript in a taxicab in the late forties.

John H.

Chicago

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 12:01:39 -0400

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From: Robert Peltier <Robert.Peltier@MAIL.TRINCOLL.EDU>

Subject: Re: Ghost of A Chance

>I'M OFF TO THE MOON FOR A CUP OF SAKE. wrote:

>> And on another topic, does anyone know whatever happened to Kerouac's early

>> manuscript, THE SEA IS MY BROTHER. (?) Thanks,

>> Dave B.

>Kerouac left this manuscript in a taxicab in the late forties.

>John H.

>Chicago

This story seems apocryphal. I've read many variations on the manuscript

in the cab story (different manuscripts, different authors). Even if this

story can be traced back to Kerouac, I'm not sure I'd believe it.

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 11:19:46 +0000

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From: "John W. Hasbrouck" <jhasbro@TEZCAT.COM>

Subject: Re: Ghost of A Chance

Robert Peltier wrote:

> >I'M OFF TO THE MOON FOR A CUP OF SAKE. wrote:

> >>

> >> And on another topic, does anyone know whatever happened to Kerouac's early

> >> manuscript, THE SEA IS MY BROTHER. (?) Thanks,

> >>

> >> Dave B.

> >

> >Kerouac left this manuscript in a taxicab in the late forties.

> >

> >John H.

> >Chicago

> This story seems apocryphal. I've read many variations on the manuscript

> in the cab story (different manuscripts, different authors). Even if this

> story can be traced back to Kerouac, I'm not sure I'd believe it.

Check the Nicosia bio.

jwh

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 16:02:18 -0400

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From: Neil Hennessy <nhenness@UWATERLOO.CA>

Subject: Re: Ghost of Chance

On Tue, 6 Aug 1996 07:42:04 -0400 William Miller <KenWNC@AOL.COM> wrote:

> I have only read each of these works once. I found _My Education_ to

> be more rewarding than _Ghost of Chance_. I'm not sure why. Perhaps

> it was that I thought that WSB was giving me some valuable clues as to

> how fiction gets to the paper.

I have to agree with Mr. Miller here. I've read _My Education_ twice and

the reason I enjoy it is that you seem to get a glimpse at the process of

writing that Burroughs undergoes. His dreams are one of the most

important tools in his fiction (he's said this many times, in many

places). I would suggest that reading it alongside _The Western Lands_

would be more frutiful than with _Book of Dreams_. I suggested a long

time ago that we delve into the Land of the Dead in _My Education_ and

_The Western Lands_ as a possible topic o' discussion. I never actually

got around to doing a detailed enough reading to have anything

interesting to say (one day I guess). Some passages that appear in _The

Western Lands_ could be, and probably are, straight from the same

material as _My Education_. Autobiography merges with fiction as the old

man by the river becomes indistinguishable from William Burroughs

himself: Burroughs respects no boundaries.

Burroughs himself says that other people's dreams are often very boring

and pointless to listen to. Why? No context. _My Education_ is not for

the uninitiated Burroughs reader. I cannot imagine that I would be as

much of an admirer of Burroughs if that was the first book of his I had

read. Somehow after having read all the Burroughs I could get my hands on,

as well as the biographies and volumes of criticism, Burroughs' dreams do

have context - that of his life and work. So, like W. Miller (I assume),

I find his flying dreams interesting as models for the journeys in space

in _Cities of the Red Night_, and his own journeys into the LOD in his

dreams as the fertile ground for Joe the Dead and company's sojourns near

the Duad.

_My Education_ seems to be like an epistolary book, something you

wouldn't read unless you were already very interested in the author.

_Ghost of Chance_ on the other hand is a work of fiction that stands

alone in and of itself.

> Why did Bill Gargan find _Ghost of Chance_ to be more worthwhile? I got a

> few chuckles out of it, but I thought it was sort of a take-it-or-leave-it

> text, really.

I got a few chuckles out of it also (the Jesus part is hilarious). I also

found it to contain (as did either Miles or Morgan, I can't remember)

some of the most beautiful and almost lyrical writing Burroughs has ever put

to paper. Captain Mission and the lemurs also evokes a very moving

pathos that I didn't know Burroughs was capable of. You see flashes of

it in the intro to _Queer_ or _The Cat Inside_ when his cats are injured

or sick.

One thing I was not impressed with was the reproduction of Burroughs'

paintings in the book. Burroughs had no hand in choosing the paintings

that were included (at least that's what he said). Anyhow, I thought the

reproductions were too small, and black and white just does not bring

forth the power of his paintings, especially after seeing a whole bunch

of them in person. Incidentally, the original Whitney Museum Edition was

illustrated by someone else entirely (whose name I cannot recall right now).

Now that I'm cleaning out the cobwebs, I posted a meaningless piece of

trivia a while ago asking what was the only time Burroughs ever wrote

from a female point of view. No-one ever answered and after 3 months the

contest is over (it never really was a contest, but I could probably have

been persuaded to send the answerer a copy of my chap-book). The answer

is in _Cities of the Red Night_ where we read a diary entry of Hirondelle

de Mer asking what would happen if all of North America were taken over

by the Articulated and the Spanish were to be defeated. Unforunately she

ends by saying that it is probably impossible for the Ariculated to

continue, portending their ultimate defeat. (Those damn women always

ruining things in the Burroughsian universe ;-) The passage is only a

page and a half long and occurs around the 100 page mark. I'd love to

hear that I'm wrong if anyone else can think of a female p.o.v. in a

Burroughs text.

Just some thoughts to pass the time away...

Your Faithful Reporter,

Neil

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Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 21:39:39 -0400

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From: Phil Chaput <Philzi@TIAC.NET>

Subject: Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, Inc

P.O. Box 1111, Lowell, MA 01853

Jack Kerouac: Athlete and Scholar

9th Annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival

3-6 October 1996

"The bus roared on. I was going home. Everybody goes home in October." On

the Road

"L'autobus prosegui rombando. Stavo tornando a casa in Octobre. Tutti

tornano a casa in Octobre." Sulla Strada

"It was beautiful with falling red leaves aching," Vanity of Duluoz

The Annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival is an opportunity for

enthusiasts to gather in his hometown during his favorite month to share the

unique experience of Jack Kerouac's art.

The Festival is organized and produced by Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, Inc.,

an all volunteer, community -based organization. This year is the 9th Annual

Festival. Our goal in planning the weekend, is to capture the spontaneous,

joyful spirit of Jack Kerouac's writing. Although the final schedule for the

weekend does not emerge until late summer. Major events, have already been

identified.

Each year we select a theme for the festival. The theme of the 9th Annual

Festival is "Jack Kerouac: Athlete and Scholar." The featured book is Vanity

of Duluoz.

The Jack Kerouac Literary Prize Announcement and Reception- The 9th Annual

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival will open on Thursday evening, 3 October

with the announcement of the winner of the Jack Kerouac Literary Prize, and

presentation of the winning manuscript at the Lowell Barnes & Noble Bookstore.

Memorial Mass for Jack Kerouac- A memorial mass for Jack Kerouac will be

held at the St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, the parish in which he spent

his earliest years.

Beat Literature Conference- The University of Massachusetts-Lowell will

present an academic conference on Jack Kerouac and the Beat writers on

Friday, 4 October at the University's South Campus. Leading scholars of beat

culture and literature will present papers and ideas in symposia and panels

throughout the day.

Kerouac Quilt. Merrimack Valley poets will present a cycle of poetry

constructed around a theme of Kerouac and quilts. The event will take place

in the New England Quilt Museum, which is planning an exhibition of

specialty quilts sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, and a period

bedroom, much like the one Jack might have slept in.

Kerouac Documentary- Doug and Judy Sharples of Cottonwood Productions, will

preview their film, "Go Moan for Man" during the festival. The movie visits

scenes from "On the Road".

Feature Performance- Performances by well-known beat personalities or

performers will highlight Friday and Saturday evenings. Negotiations for

this year's festival are under way. Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, Gregory

Corso, Herbert Huncke, Ray Manzarek and Michael McClure have performed in

the past.

Small Press Book Fair- The small press book fair is an opportunity to sample

regional small press publications, and pick-up Kerouac books- new and rare.

Poetry at The Rainbow Cafe- Authors read their works in the Kerouacian

ambiance of a neighborhood tavern in "Little Canada." Everyone is welcome to

read their poetry or prose, but time is limited, please reserve a spot ahead

of time.

Symposium- As part of our mission to encourage the study and enjoyment of

Jack Kerouac's art, Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, Inc. sponsors an afternoon

symposium at a downtown location. This year's event will feature Mr. Glenn

Stout who has conducted extensive research into Kerouac's athletic career.

Walking Tours- Walking tours of Kerouac sites in Lowell are conducted

throughout the weekend. The tours change each year, but almost always

include: Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, the Watermelon Man Bridge, the

Merrimack River, and many of the neighborhood sites Jack wrote about.

Bus Tours- Bus tours of Lowell and Nashua, NH provide a more leisurely tour

sites in these two Kerouac cities. Jack Kerouac's mother and father met and

the family, including Gerard are buried in Nashua.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL TOURS. ALL TOURS ARE IN ENGLISH. TOURS IN

FRENCH ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

Open Microphone at the Coffee Mill- Sunday afternoons are reserved for an

open microphone reading and performance at the Coffee Mill in downtown

Lowell. Everyone is welcome to read their work. Sip expresso while waiting

your turn at the microphone. .

Many other activities are available during the weekend:

Exhibits of first edition beat publications and memorabilia.

Jack Kerouac's rucksack and other personal items are on display at the

Working People Exhibit, Lowell National Historical Park.

Edson Cemetery. Jack Kerouac is buried in the Edson Cemetery just south of

Downtown Lowell. The cemetery is open from sun-up to sun-down every day.

Music and conversation- There will be many opportunities throughout the

weekend to share your festival experience and enthusiasm for Jack Kerouac

while enjoying a beer at local taverns and nightspots.

***END***

=========================================================================

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 09:42:28 -0400

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Neil Hennessy <nhenness@UWATERLOO.CA>

Subject: Female p.o.v. in Burroughs <fwd>

Comments: cc: Gary Lee-Nova <a1432@Mindlink.BC.CA>

On Tue, 6 Aug 1996 20:53:48 -0800 Gary Lee-Nova <a1432@Mindlink.BC.CA> wrote:

> Neil, I can't seem to successfully post to the beat list, so;

> At 16:02 06/08/1996, Neil Hennessy typed:

> >I'd love to hear that I'm wrong if anyone else can think of a female

> >p.o.v. in a Burroughs text.

> >Your Faithful Reporter,

> >Neil

> Neil;

> I don't think you're wrong here, but how about "The Literary Techniques Of

> Lady Sutton-Smith" ?

> Gary Lee-Nova * Emily Carr Institute Of Art & Design * Vancouver B.C.

> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Internet: a1432@Mindlink.bc.ca -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I'm at a loss here. Where was the afore-mentioned passage?

Neil

=========================================================================

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 09:10:17 +0000

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: "John W. Hasbrouck" <jhasbro@TEZCAT.COM>

Subject: Dr. Sax speaks

There exists an audio recording of Jack Kerouac reading from *Dr. Sax*.

I believe it was recorded around 1960. It's at least an hour long. Bits

of it can be heard in the movie *What Happened to Kerouac?*

Does anyone know how I might obtain a copy of this recording? I don't

believe it was ever commercially released.

If anyone can copy it for me we could swap tapes. I have numerous hours

of Burroughs reading.

John

Chicago

=========================================================================

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 14:24:02 EDT

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Bill Gargan <WXGBC@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Subject: Re: question

In-Reply-To: Message of Mon, 5 Aug 1996 13:47:12 -0700 from

<brooklyn@NETCOM.COM>

On Mon, 5 Aug 1996 13:47:12 -0700 Levi Asher said:

>Hi Beat-L'ers:

>Somebody sent me this question, and I have no clue. Anyone know?

>> Several years ago I came across some particularly interesting (to me)

>> erotic literature. It stood apart from the run of the mill "grunt and

>> groan" pulp to such an extent that I never entirely forgot about it. A few

>> months ago, browsing through selections from the old Olympia/Ophelia Press

>> I was startled to find myself confronted by an exerpt from this same

>> material. Now, however, I had a name to go with it - Tor Kung - and brief

>> explanation that he was "neither an Oriental nor a Viking" but that this

>> was the pen name of an American poet, born in Pittsburgh around 1929 who

>> "participated in the birth of the Beat movement in San Francisco and has

>> read his poetry around the world". He apparently spent much of his adult

>> life in Europe.

>> Despite what appear to be obvious clues I can't make the connection. Any

> ideas?

>> There doesn't seem to be any reference to his writing under the pen name in

>> any of the standard bibliographies one might normally consult, but I'd

>> really like to track down some of this old material and it seems my only

>> chance is to figure out his real identity.

>-----------------------------------------------------------------------

> Levi Asher = brooklyn@netcom.com

> Literary Kicks: http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/

> (the beat literature web site)

> Queensboro Ballads: http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/

> (my fantasy folk-rock album)

> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

> "don't push me

> cause I'm close

> to the edge"

>----------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a vague recollection that we've discussed this on the list before but I

can't quite come up with the name of the author. I've looked through several p

en name directories and searched various library catalogs hoping for a cross re

ference to the real name but to no avail. I did come up with the title of the

work if that's any consolation: My Mother Taught Me. I'll keep working on it

in my spare time and let you all know if I come up with anything.

=========================================================================

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 11:41:20 -0700

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Whiskey Weird Smith <psu06729@ODIN.CC.PDX.EDU>

Subject: Re: question

Comments: To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List"

<BEAT-L%CUNYVM.BITNET@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>

Comments: cc: Multiple recipients of list BEAT-L

<BEAT-L%CUNYVM.BITNET@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU>

In-Reply-To: <BEAT-L%96080714273682@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>

Could the mystery man be Gregory Corso? Just a guess--but I did read

somewhere in one beat source or another that he wrote erotica for

Olympia. I haven't his birthdate info at hand, but... and that "neither

oriental nor Viking" bit would certainly seem to fit Corso's often impish

wit. And GC did live in Paris for some period, refining the poet maudit

routine. Am I pissing at the stars here?

Best, Steve Smith (Portland State U., Portland, OR)

On Wed, 7 Aug 1996, Bill Gargan wrote:

> On Mon, 5 Aug 1996 13:47:12 -0700 Levi Asher said:

> >Hi Beat-L'ers:

> >

> >Somebody sent me this question, and I have no clue. Anyone know?

> >

> >> Several years ago I came across some particularly interesting (to me)

> >> erotic literature. It stood apart from the run of the mill "grunt and

> >> groan" pulp to such an extent that I never entirely forgot about it. A few

> >> months ago, browsing through selections from the old Olympia/Ophelia Press

> >> I was startled to find myself confronted by an exerpt from this same

> >> material. Now, however, I had a name to go with it - Tor Kung - and brief

> >> explanation that he was "neither an Oriental nor a Viking" but that this

> >> was the pen name of an American poet, born in Pittsburgh around 1929 who

> >> "participated in the birth of the Beat movement in San Francisco and has

> >> read his poetry around the world". He apparently spent much of his adult

> >> life in Europe.

> >>

> >> Despite what appear to be obvious clues I can't make the connection. Any

> > ideas?

> >>

> >> There doesn't seem to be any reference to his writing under the pen name in

> >> any of the standard bibliographies one might normally consult, but I'd

> >> really like to track down some of this old material and it seems my only

> >> chance is to figure out his real identity.

> >

> >-----------------------------------------------------------------------

> > Levi Asher = brooklyn@netcom.com

> >

> > Literary Kicks: http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/

> > (the beat literature web site)

> >

> > Queensboro Ballads: http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/

> > (my fantasy folk-rock album)

> >

> > *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

> >

> > "don't push me

> > cause I'm close

> > to the edge"

> >----------------------------------------------------------------------

> I have a vague recollection that we've discussed this on the list before but I

> can't quite come up with the name of the author. I've looked through several

> en name directories and searched various library catalogs hoping for a cross r

> ference to the real name but to no avail. I did come up with the title of the

> work if that's any consolation: My Mother Taught Me. I'll keep working on it

> in my spare time and let you all know if I come up with anything.

=========================================================================

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 12:49:07 -0700

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Levi Asher <brooklyn@NETCOM.COM>

Subject: Re: question

In-Reply-To: <Pine.PTX.3.91.960807113620.19930A-100000@odin.cc.pdx.edu> from

"Whiskey Weird Smith" at Aug 7, 96 11:41:20 am

> Could the mystery man be Gregory Corso? Just a guess--but I did read

> somewhere in one beat source or another that he wrote erotica for

> Olympia. I haven't his birthdate info at hand, but... and that "neither

> oriental nor Viking" bit would certainly seem to fit Corso's often impish

> wit. And GC did live in Paris for some period, refining the poet maudit

> routine. Am I pissing at the stars here?

Only one problem -- Corso was born in Greenwich Village, not Pittsburgh.

I did get this from one Beat-L'er --

> Just in case my e-mail to the beat-l list doesn't make it (as often

> happens), my guess is that Alex Trocchi (author of Cain's Book) is your

> mystery pornographer. He doesn't match up with all the details--he was

> Scottish, not American, and influenced the Beat scene in Venice, not

> SF--but he wrote a fair amount of cut-above porn and was associated with

> Olympia Press in Paris. The age is about right too, and I've learned

> from trying to track down the facts about him that he had a lot of fun

> re-inventing his own legend. He told his one-and-only biographer an

> incredible number of lies.

Maybe this is right?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Levi Asher = brooklyn@netcom.com

Literary Kicks: http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/

(the beat literature web site)

Queensboro Ballads: http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/

(my fantasy folk-rock album)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"don't push me

cause I'm close

to the edge"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

=========================================================================

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 16:05:30 EDT

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Bill Gargan <WXGBC@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Subject: tor kung

Can see why Trocci was suggested. He did a number of books for Olympia

but not that title as far as I can tell.

=========================================================================

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 10:17:51 -0700

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Levi Asher <brooklyn@NETCOM.COM>

Subject: Herbert Huncke

I just heard that Herbert Huncke died this morning (Thursday). For

those who don't know, Huncke was a close friend of William S. Burroughs,

Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg during the days of their early adventures

together in New York City. He was their prototypical Times Square junkie/

hustler connection, the "real thing" that they (especially Burroughs) often

tried to emulate. He appeared in "On The Road" as the character named

Elmer Hassel (Sal and Dean are always wondering "Where's Elmer Hassel"),

and in "Junky" as the experienced drug-user Herman. According to Kerouac,

who first used the term "beat" to describe his literary generation, it was

Huncke who first introduced him to the word.

Like almost all friends of Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs, Huncke became

a published writer after the beat phemonenon occurred. His story "Elsie

John," reprinted in Ann Charters collection "The Beat Reader," is a raw,

honest and fascinating piece. He also wrote an autobiography called

"Guilty of Everything."

He lived out his last years in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. He

was taken to Beth Israel Hospital a few days ago, and that's where he

died this morning at 7:15.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Levi Asher = brooklyn@netcom.com

Literary Kicks: http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/

(the beat literature web site)

Queensboro Ballads: http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/

(my fantasy folk-rock album)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"don't push me

cause I'm close

to the edge"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

=========================================================================

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 14:09:19 +0000

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: "John W. Hasbrouck" <jhasbro@TEZCAT.COM>

Subject: Re: Herbert Huncke

Levi Asher wrote:

> I just heard that Herbert Huncke died this morning (Thursday).

This is sad news. Huncke was the Beatest of them all and a cool writer

to boot. He also has the dubious distinction of being the man who gave

Burroughs his first shot of junk.

Huncke came to my neighborhood, Wicker Park in Chicago, two or three

years ago to do a reading. I heard he stopped in at a hangout of mine,

Myopic Books, but I missed him. A friend told me he met him that weekend

because he knew the people with whom Huncke was staying. A one point,

the host asked Huncke if there was anything he would like. Huncke

replied, "How 'bout a blow job." This story is from my friend who was

there.

Two years ago I was browsing in an upscale used book store in Houston

when I spontaneously wondered to myself, "Gee, I wonder if Huncke's

autobiography is here?" I gasped as a hardcover edition of "Guilty of

Everything" with dustcover leaped into my field of vision, causing

everything surrounding it to go out of focus. As any bibliophile knows,

there's nothing quite like the rush of finding the rare and obscure

volume you are actually looking for at that moment. I bought the book

for ten bucks.

I've since read and enjoyed tremendously "Guilty of Everything". You

know how when you read Burroughs and you've heard his voice on tape and

you can't get that voice out of your head while you're reading? Well

it's the same with Huncke. His slow smirking drawl is a crucial aspect

of the reading experience.

The book has Huncke's versions of such incidents as his first meeting

with Burroughs, his arrest with Ginsberg in 1949, his time spent living

on Burroughs' farm in Texas, and that ill-fated drive he made with

Cassady and Burroughs from Texas to New York to try and sell Bill's

uncured weed. "Guilty of Everything" is an important volume in my

chronological reading of the published Beat Canon.

John Hasbrouck

Chicago

=========================================================================

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 19:17:24 -0400

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Jeffrey Weinberg <Waterrow@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Dr. Sax speaks

There are two tapes that feature Kerouac reading from Dr. Sax. They have been

circulating the Kerouac "Underground" since 1965.

I. Kerouac/Cassady. San Jose 1952 or 1953. (See Charters Bibliography item

E-5):

a. Neal Cassady Reading from Proust. 3:39

b. "Foggy Day in London Town" 3:20

"Funny Valentine" 2:39

c. Kerouac reads from Dr. Sax 0:20

d. Improvised jazz riff by Kerouac 3:50

e. Kerouac reads funeral section from Dr. Sax; Cassady in background. 3:10

f. Kerouac and Cassady discuss Wm. Burroughs 1:00

2. Kerouac at Northport Long Island - 1964:

a. kerouac reads from Dr. Sax with Sinatra record playing in the background.

b. Kerouac reads from Old Angel Midnight and other poems, humming and singing

along to Sinatra record.

c. Kerouac reads from Dr Sax with Sinatra record playing in background.

(I do not know the length of time of each segment; I never bothered to time

them)

I hope this information is helpful -

Jeffrey Weinberg

Water Row Books

=========================================================================

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 19:36:35 -0400

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: Ted Harms <tmharms@LIBRARY.UWATERLOO.CA>

Subject: Re: Dr. Sax speaks

In-Reply-To: <960808191724_174525208@emout10.mail.aol.com>

> There are two tapes that feature Kerouac reading from Dr. Sax. They have been

> circulating the Kerouac "Underground" since 1965.

Any chance of tape tree cropping up on this list? The Rhino 'JK

Collection' is pretty good but this tape sound even better...

Ted Harms Library, Univ. of Waterloo

tmharms@library.uwaterloo.ca 519.888.4567 x3761

"I got it all when I gave it back." N. Young

=========================================================================

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 16:43:57 -0700

Reply-To: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

Sender: "BEAT-L: Beat Generation List" <BEAT-L@CUNYVM.BITNET>

From: "Timothy K. Gallaher" <gallaher@HSC.USC.EDU>

Subject: Re: Dr. Sax speaks

Great info.

Any info on how to get a hold of this.

I run the Kerouac speaks site and this would be a nice addition.

At 07:17 PM 8/8/96 -0400, you wrote:

>There are two tapes that feature Kerouac reading from Dr. Sax. They have been

>circulating the Kerouac "Underground" since 1965.

>I. Kerouac/Cassady. San Jose 1952 or 1953. (See Charters Bibliography item

>E-5):

>a. Neal Cassady Reading from Proust. 3:39

>b. "Foggy Day in London Town" 3:20

> "Funny Valentine" 2:39

>c. Kerouac reads from Dr. Sax 0:20

>d. Improvised jazz riff by Kerouac 3:50

>e. Kerouac reads funeral section from Dr. Sax; Cassady in background. 3:10

>f. Kerouac and Cassady discuss Wm. Burroughs 1:00

>2. Kerouac at Northport Long Island - 1964:

>a. kerouac reads from Dr. Sax with Sinatra record playing in the background.

>b. Kerouac reads from Old Angel Midnight and other poems, humming and singing