Allen Ginsberg on stopping time (“The purpose of art is to stop time” (Bob Dylan)) continues:
AG: So how many here have the ambition to make some proclamation in eternity that will stop time entirely – or have ever had that glimpse, or that desire. something like that ? You can admit it, I mean, if you.. It’s obviously a foolish notion. How many have never had that trip? – Well, it might be an interesting assignment then – could you write a paragraph or so about your experience of the desire, or the fantasy, stopping time orienteering into eternity with your art, or with your poetry, or whatever was you do – just writing out a paragraph describing the first time that thought occurred, got you, or the first experience of it you had, or the earliest inkling of that that you had. I’m suggesting that so as to solidify and clarify the notion. In other words, such notions are things that we… are more fugitive, that is, are fugitive (we think them but don’t account them exactly, not so often write them down). It might be interesting to write either a little prose poem or paragraph, a brief note on your first experience of that thought, or your first experience of that experience, or your first inkling of that ambition, And for those of you who did not ever have that particular inkling or ambition, could you write down, also briefly, what your idea was for writing, what your highest idea was for writing? (because I think there were half a dozen here who wisely never had that mad fantasy of breaking through the wall of time into eternity). So those of you who don’t, could you write a little paragraph about what your original intention was when you wrote? (Now, it’s not good enough to say you don’t know why you’re writing, or, you’re just experimenting around. There must have been some reason somewhere that led you to experiment around. So go back to the original inkling, the first mind, the first thought, as a .. just sort of a little statement, prose-poem statement, as an assignment. Yeah, somebody has… has anybody got any questions?
Audio for the above can be heard here, beginning at approximately fifty-six-and-a-quarter minutes in and concludes at approximately fifty-nine minutes in