RAI (Italian television)’s hommage to Allen is our focus today. Some of the footage we’ve already featured (here and here) but it’s a tight little piece, and particularly interesting, perhaps, for its focus on several of Allen’s iconic photos (plus – added bonus! – you get to hear a little of Allen’s recitation of his notorious 1986 poem, “Sphincter”!)
Notes: To the background strains of “Do The Meditation Rock“, seen with Fernanda Pivano (naturally), whose comments form the essence of the piece – images of Ginsberg, Huncke, Burroughs, Kerouac, Corso, Orlovsky, etc – audio (“Hum Bom!”) – approximately one-minute-and-ten-seconds in, ‘Nanda on Allen (first sound-byte) – AG: “Candor ends paranoia” – Allen reads “Sphincter” (in the latter half of the poem, voice-over (of ‘Nanda again) & (what was the sound editor thinking?) – more Allen Ginsberg photographs – self-portrait(s), Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Lou Reed, etc – comments on Allen as a photographer – Footage of Allen reading from Saluti Cosmopoliti (the title poem,“Cosmopolitan Greetings”) with unmatched audio (brief selections) – “Stand up against governments, against God” – “Change is absolute” – “Catch yourself thinking” – “Remember the future” – “Advise only yourself” – “The universe is subjective” – “Inside skull vast as outside skull” – “Mind is outer space” – “”First thought. best thought” and, “Candor ends paranoia” – ‘Nanda Pivano gives third (and final) testimonial re Allen and his importance – segment of Allen reading “After Lalon” (intentional ending? – edit? – concludes “What a mess I am, Allen Ginsberg.”)