Naropa 1975 – Trungpa, Waldman, Ginsberg (including Howl) video

50 years of Naropa We often spotlight (and draw from) the Jack Kerouac School Digital Audio Collection  (See here, for example), but today a brief note on one complimentary collection, the Chögyam Trungpa Digital Library, and, in particular, an extraordinary video re-released last month – “a 1975 poetry reading with Trungpa Rinpoche, Allen Ginsberg, and Anne Waldman  (reading) to an audience of over 800 people”

“Poetry At Naropa – The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics”

Allen Ginsberg reading his poem, “Ego Confession,” Naropa, 1975

Leandra Ziegler presents in detail the historical background and the background to the reading – here

The reading itself may be accessed – here

“This recording”, she writes, is more than a performance from three great poets. It was three ground-breaking poets who had a profound influence on each other’s work and changed the trajectory of each other’s writing careers.”
She quotes Waldman (“the only one still alive”) – “I was always excited to read with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and try out new poems… We weren’t together at Naropa by accident or simply invitation, but more of an occasion of ‘tendrel’, or auspicious coincidence.”

“Watching the video of this reading”, she goes on, “you can experience Ginsberg and Waldman’s poetry as performance. Since both of them are very physical, throwing their whole bodies into their recitation, being able to watch and listen is to fully experience their work. Taking full-body breaths, Allen Ginsberg gestures, rocks back and forth on his cushion, and smiles to indicate irony. He sings the Prajnaparamita mantra from The Heart Sutra with his harmonium. Anne Waldman sways and bobs at the podium, her face expressive, her raw charisma drawing in the sea of people, which comes to an apex as she sings and chants her passionate mini-classic, “Fast Speaking Woman.”

“Of note is Ginsberg’s recitation of his magnum opus “Howl,” which had been published almost two decades earlier in 1956. Here, it has been revised to include allusions like “holy Boulder” and “Book of the Dead.”  The beginning of Waldman’s classic “Fast Speaking Woman” includes an unpublished invocation to “female deities, wrathful and compassionate.”…”

Allen’s observations/ comments:
“For this auspicious reading, relating to lineage, I would like to begin my reading with a short poem by William Carlos Williams who was a great American poetry guru – “Thursday”
– (sometime, perhaps, in 1923) – [Allen reads “Thursday” (“I have had my dream like others..”…”and resolve to dream no more”)].  What I want to do this evening… (am I close enough to the microphone? or too close? or too far? Is that just about right?, ok).. is read poems in chronological order, beginning twenty years ago and coming up to this year (1975). One long poem and one short poem, so a shift in time.  Beginning with “Howl for Carl Solomon“, which I want to read because of.. I don’t read it often because it’s too much of a bravura piece and I don’t want to get hung-up on it. On the other hand, as the director of the Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, I also want to present my best, at one time or other during the summer session. And also some ears here have not heard this recitation [Allen reads from “Howl” (“I saw the best minds of my generation…”..”Holy the supernatural extra intelligent brilliant kindness of the soul”)] – Allen concludes his portion of the event with “Ego Confession” (“I want to be known as the most brilliant man in America”… “..with ice ax & crampons & ropes,  over Glaciers”)

– A historic occasion, an extraordinary moment. So remarkable that it’s been captured and preserved on videotape

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