Acid revelations last week and acid revelations this week. Merry Prankster, Ken Babbs, in an extensive don’t-miss-it interview, on his life and times, and on the (November, 1965), very first, “Acid Test”:
“(Richard) Alpert (Ram Dass) wasn’t there, but Ginsberg was there and Robert Stone, the famous writer, and all of us. And after the music died down, we got on the floor and had the microphones and someone asked, “What do you think (happens) when we go to the other side? What’s it going to be like?” And everybody gave their little bit, until someone asked “Ginzy” what he thought and he says, “Well, its like this – There’s a chicken trying to cross the road, and he sees another chicken on the other side of the road, and he yells over, ‘Hey! How do you get to the other side?’ And the chicken yells back, “You are on the other side!” (laughter) –
The Beat Museum, (located in San Francisco’s North Beach, just across from City Lights), like so many small organizations in the face of the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, is desperately fighting to stay alive. As one of a number of strategies, Jerry Cimino, the owner, has instigated a membership program (all funds go to maintaining the Museum). Members get free access to special articles like this – “Sorry, Bay Area, Herb Caen Did Not Coin The Term “Beatnik” – (now there’s a turn-up for the books!) – but, fear not, there’s still plenty of free access on the easy-to-remember Kerouac.com site. Recently, a re-posting of a podcast we noted earlier – Steven Taylor speaking with Ken Jordan about Allen for The Evolver. And how did we miss this one? – Dave Moore‘s fascinating dive into an obscure, truly forgotten moment – Neal Cassady on TV in 1961
More drugs – read of Allen (and Michael Aldrich‘s) involvement in the early legalization of marijuana reform – here
“Diversifying your bookshelf” – Yes indeed. Rachael Pimblett has a brief introductory note on Allen as poet of erotic liberation (and poet of consciousness liberation) written for Palatinate, the student newspaper of Durham University – see here
Anne Waldman‘s recent CD Sciamachy is reviewed by Matt Mottel in the current The Poetry Project Newsletter – here. Also recently-released by Anne, Extinction Aria, a collaboration with poet-shaman, Cecilia Vicuna – here (and with part 2 – here). Also, from Fast Speaking Music, recently released, Among the Poetry Stricken, a Clark Coolidge–Thurston Moore collaboration. For a full list of Fast Speaking Music releases – see here
Marcel Proust‘s birthday today (born July 10, 1871) Here’s the only surviving footage of him: