Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 372

June 29, 2018Simon Pettet

 

“In a climate of fear and hysteria..” – It’s always revealing and instructive to “get to see the files”. We featured a lengthy post on Allen’s FBI files some years back (courtesy the pioneering work of Shawn Musgrave and Muck Rock). Another tenacious investigator. S.P. Sullivan is to be commended for just recently uncovering William Carlos Williams’ files – “He was one of Jersey’s most famous poets. The FBI worried he was a Communist”.  Sullivan’s full report (just published, by Inside Jersey magazine, and on-line at NJ.Com) may be accessed  – here

[Allen Ginsberg in Uncle Sam … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 225

July 3, 2015admin

 

Sometime since we noted great Ginsberg parodies – Remember Yelp? and Tweet? – even “Peter LaBarbera” (!) – Filip Noterdaeme has taken it one stage further, not just revisiting ‘Howl” (the opening poem) but that entire book! – Growl and Other Poems will be published by Lit Fest Press in the Spring of 2016. Meanwhile, here’s the opening salvo – “Growl” (and Noterdaeme on the thinking behind it) Gary Snyder in the current Newsweek Robert Frank in this weekend’s The New York Times Jonah Raskin‘s curt and-to-the-point interview with Lawrence Ferlinghetti published  … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 191

October 3, 2014admin

Photo by Richard Friedman

[David Meltzer – Photograph by Richard Friedman]

“Poet, musician, critic, novelist, editor, bookseller and educator” – Garrett Caples, in a recent City Lights post, accurately nails it – David Meltzer is “nothing less than a national treasure”. But at 77, following recent surgery (succesful, it would seem) for the removal of a recently-discovered cancerous tumor on his liver, (and, “as a disabled senior citizen with numerous health issues, surviving on social security with no pension..”), things right now are pretty tough. We’re spreading the word about on-going efforts to raise money for him. An on-line fund-raising project has been initiated … Read More

Good Morning, Mr Orwell

January 1, 2014admin

Thirty years ago today (January 1, 1984 – sic), video-pioneer Nam June Paik conceived of  and presented “Good Morning Mr Orwell”, a unique and unprecedented  international live satellite hook-up, linking up the studios of WNET, New York with the Pompidou Center in Paris (as well as hooking up with broadcasters in Germany and in his own home country, South Korea). Allen and Peter Orlovsky (along with Steven Taylor and  Arthur Russell) were an integral part of the program, which also featured contributions from John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Joseph Beuys, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson… Read More

Spontaneous Poetics – 108 (Blues – 3 – Allen Ginsberg)

July 24, 2013Simon Pettet

Student: Are all those (records you played) available on Harry Smith’s anthology?

AG: No – The “James Alley Blues” is, Richard “Rabbit” Brown singing.  The “C.C.Rider” and “Jelly Bean Blues“, both by Ma Rainey, are on a collection of Ma Rainey that may be (on) Columbia (Records), but they’re available (there are about four or five albums of Ma Rainey now re-issued [1976] and they’re available). The “Jacksonville Blues“, I don’t know where that’s from. A friend of mine was looking through this book (The Blues Line) and had a cassette, … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 108

January 11, 2013admin

Next Wednesday, January 16 in New York – Join Allen Ginsberg’s friends, collaborators, relatives and co-conspirators – Lou Reed, Steven Taylor, Anne Waldman, Ambrose Bye, CA Conrad, Andy Clausen, David Amram, the Arthur Russell tribute band, Arthur’s Landing, & others for “a night of poetry and song” in one of the quintessential downtown New York Spaces, the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, to breathe new life into “First Blues”, Ginsberg Recordings new special edition/limited vinyl reissue.

A tad overly tongue-in-cheek, but ultimately “won over” – (“sharp insight and analysis of one … Read More

New Year 2013

January 1, 2013admin

 

[Allen Ginsberg & Neal Cassady, in front Charles Plymell’s 1403 Gough Street Apartment,  leaning on Neal’s Plymouth, San Francisco, Summer 1963.  photo c. Allen Ginsberg Estate]

HAPPY NEW YEAR  (2013) GREETINGS  from The Allen Ginsberg Project

Almost 30 years ago today (well, 29, might as well be exact!), Allen saw the New Year in with Nam June Paik – the fabled 1984 – “Good Morning, Mr Orwell” – Allen and Peter and Steven Taylor and Arthur Russell.. and a whole bunch more – propagandizing meditation! –  Here‘s a link to the whole ground-breaking show. Here’s … Read More

(More) Perfect Wisdom Sutra (for Arthur Russell)

February 9, 2012admin

The Perfect Wisdom Sutra, the Heart Sutra, the Prajnaparamita Sutra – “Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness, not different from form” – We posted, last year, a post spotlighting several readings of this by Allen (notably, this one, at a memorial gathering for Carl Solomon) – along with reproduction of the text (Allen’s own pioneering translation, authorized and validated by Shunryu Suzuki).
We now add another one. This is Allen, at a memorial for Arthur Russell (sic), succinctly and clearly, and compassionately, reciting the sutra (“It’s one that Arthur and I performed, touring, very … Read More

Pacific High Studio Mantras

January 31, 2012admin

After the richness of the vintage Gregory Corso of the past week (and more to come), here’s a little palette-cleanser – more mantra! – Pacific High Studio Mantras (“Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddi Hum“), old Tibetan mantra of Padmasambhava, tuned by Allen, recorded at Pacific High Studios, San Francisco in July of 1971 (subsequently re-mastered and released as the B-side of Arthur Russell and Allen’s collaboration, “Ballad Of The Lights”). Line up is Allen on harmonium (and vocals!), Arthur on cello, Jon Meyer on flute, John Scholle on guitar, Alan Senauke, mandolin, Peter Hornbeck, violin, and … Read More

Nam June Paik (1932-2006)

July 20, 2011admin

[John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, Nam June Paik, Merce Cunningham, New Years Day 1984, at the time of the “Good Morning, Mr Orwell” collaboration, directed by Paik – photo by Hank O’Neal]
Nam June Paik was born on this day, July 20, 1932.
Born in Korea and educated in Japan, he is generally considered the first video artist and the pioneer of all subsequent media art. Exhibited all over the world, a recent retrospective show took place at the Tate, Liverpool, in England. The curator, Sook-Kyung Lee speaks on his significance here, here, and here.
Allen’s involvement with him … Read More