Still recalling the remarkable spirit that was Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Lawrence filmed by Colin Still
Wonderful and evocative video from Raymond Foye and Peggy Biederman (featuring cameos from Gregory Corso and others) – Lawrence’s Ferlinghetti’s 60th Birthday celebration, outdoors in the sun in San Francisco
Bob Rosenthal – Thoughts on Lawrence and Allen:
“Early lesson for me – Each spring there would be the long awaited and much anticipated distribution of royalties from City Lights. Allen would call up Lawrence and ask, “Larry, how did we do this year?” Allen always called Lawrence, “Larry”. So what did I know? The first time I referred to Lawrence as “Larry”, Bob Sharrard was horrified and strongly rebuked me, “Allen always calls him that and he hates it!” From then on I always called him, “Lawrence” and Allen always called him, “Larry”. I don’t know if this relates, but Lawrence always signed his letters to Allen, “Daddy”. Allen and Lawrence enjoyed a cordial but diffident relationship marked by intense loyalty.”
Guess it’s time to mention again (available from City Lights):
Speaking of Ginsberg titles, Billy Mills in his Elliptical Movements reviews the recent The Fall of America Journals
“The primary backdrop to these journals is the Vietnam War, and Ginsberg’s engagement in anti-war activities, and the tone can be summed up in a phrase from ‘Bixby Canyon’, ‘Cosmic Miasma Anxiety’. There’s anxiety about the war, about police surveillance and arrest, both at home and in Italy, about his poetry, a strong thread of sexual anxiety, and a concern with death….
The series of meetings with (Ezra) Pound will, for many readers, constitute the core of the book, partly because of the debate around the older poet’s renunciation of “the stupid, suburban prejudice of anti-Semitism” and his declared discovery that he “was not a lunatic but a moron” But for those of us who want more insight into Ginsberg the poet and his working methods, his wish to have Pound recognize the similarity in method between the poems he was writing at the time and The Cantos is more interesting, and his comment that each canto contains “some condensed perception” that act together as a spine for the work can equally be applied to the Fall of America poems.
Mills notes the way the book belies ” the image of Ginsberg as a freewheeling bop improvisor churning out spontaneous verses, the revisions and reordering show a writer of considerable craft and care.” – and his thoughtful excisions – “his decision making around what to publish and what not show his conscious artistry almost as much as the published poems do.”
The full interview may be read here
and don’t forget The Fall of America Tribute album
For those of you in the US and Canada, the record’s producers, Peter Hale and Jesse Goodman, will be appearing this Sunday on U2X-Radio (Sirius FM) on John Kelly’s Elevation program – 10 am Eastern Time
Sinclair Beiles – there’s a name you should know more about. Fortunately you can, Christopher McMichael‘s informative survey-account in New Frame this week is a timely reminder and must-read – “The enduring relationship between the ‘wandering poet’ from South Africa and peers such as William S Burroughs is not widely known outside literary circles.”, McMichael announces, before filling in the gaps. You can read it here
More on Lawrence Ferlinghetti – (Justified and expected was the world-wide outpouring of love and respect for the man. Obviously too many encomiums to even scratch the surface of what’s out there – but here’s just a scattering (& all of these are in English)):
Jerry Cimino at The Beat Museum
Gary Snyder – Warmly Remembering Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Peter Coyote – In Memory of Lawrence Ferlinghetti
David Amram- Memories of Ferlinghetti
Sandip Roy – An Ode For Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Nadya Williams – Lawrence Ferlinghetti – A Veteran For Peace
David Talbot – Remembering Ferlinghetti
Mark Rotella – Meeting Ferlinghetti for A Few Minutes…
Matt Hanson – Lawrence Ferlinghetti – The Modest Beat
Coleen Fischer – More Than A Bookseller – The Revolutionary Legacy Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Barry Schwabsky – The World Lawrence Ferlinghetti Built
Stuart Mitchner – The Maze and Amaze of Life – Celebrating Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Aaron Poochigian – Lawrence Ferlinghetti – Poet of the People
Rex Weyler – Memories of Lawrence Ferlinghetti Aboard A Greenpeace Ship
Richard Bruns The Passing of A Legend – Long Live The Legend
Here’s jazz legend Charles Lloyd (on Facebook) – “When I was a recluse in Big Sur, I crossed paths with the last of the Bohemians, Lawrence Ferlinghetti. He was living just up the coast in Bixby Creek. I invited him to the Partington Point House for a comida and shared some sounds from my Tibetan oboe with him. He said, “You must come to Sant Cruz, for my next reading.” We had a deep affinity and felt a kinship with each other. We traveled further North to Ken Kesey‘s gathering and many other places together. Bob Kaufman, Gary Snyder, Diane di Prima and Charles Bukowski were also there. We had wonderful times together amidst the chaos of a world gone mad. Photographer, John Colao, who was also living in Big Sur at that time, documented the readings and happenings. Lawrence’s edifice of City Lights remains a North Beach landmark and a beacon in the world of diminishing bricks and mortar. Many years later I later discovered that we shared an important mutual friend, San Francisco native, Ernie Beyl. Lawrence had a long productive life. His words and ideas are scattered around the world like feathers in the wind.”
Iggy Pop reads Dylan Thomas – (perhaps we might fittingly dedicate this to Lawrence) –
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”
to add to the offerings
https://lithub.com/when-lawrence-ferlinghetti-defended-a-tribute-to-allen-ginsberg/