Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 339

Never did get around to mentioning Kiyohide Hori’s photo-show of Allen and of the Howl manuscript that took place (sadly now it’s down) in Japan this past summer

More Japanese news… “the Allen Ginsberg-inspired capsule”? – Some fervid debate in the “Comments” section here – “This is everything Allen Ginsberg stood against. These guys obviously know nothing about Allen Ginsberg or what he was all about. The poor guy must be turning in his grave” – (which elicits the response: “Please enlighten us. He was against materialism, which could be related to clothing. But besides that, there’s nothing else in this case that Allen Ginsberg stood against and by far not “everything…”) – Huh?

For a more significant (and indeed profound) spotlight on a Ginsberg Japanese relationship, don’t miss, if you haven’t seen it already,  Allen’s lecture at Kyota Seika University in 1988 –  “What The East Means To Me”

and here‘s footage of Allen in Osaka (from that same year) reading “Birdbrain!” with the great Nanao Sakaki

Canadian poet Alden Nowlan’s Collected Poems  appeared recently from Goose Lane Editions. Here’s a suitably Canadian shot of Allen together with Nolan (in New Brunswick, from back in 1967)

Patrick Toner,  from his biography of Nowlan, If I Could Turn and Meet Myself – The Life of Alden Nowlan  (also published by Goose Lane) – “When Nolan met him in his room at the Admiral Beatty Hotel (in Saint John), (Ginsberg) was reading from the Gideon Bible, “Ecclesiastes“, Ginsberg explained, “One great, long, bitter poem!”

And, on tasting dulse (seaweed) in the local city market – “Ah! New Brunswick marijuana!”

Sometime New York and Connecticut poet (and passionate defender of the grand old mimeo tradition) Tom Weigel passed away last week. He was 69. He will be sorely missed.

Pablo Neruda.  Pablo Neruda did not die of cancer (an opinion we’ve always held – see here)

And the CIA’s involvement in the drug trade? – that’s another thing that, thanks to Allen, hardly comes as a surprise

Jack Kerouac sings, William Burroughs sings, Allen Ginsberg sings – often  (most recently, see Pat Thomas‘ exemplary gathering here)  – Alan Bisbort examines the Singing Beats (part one) on Please Kill Me

Four years since the death of Lou Reed.  Is it really four years?

Fats Domino – remembering Fats Domino –

and today (October 27)’s the anniversary of the birth of Dylan Thomas