Gregory Corso Reads The Bill of Rights

October 6, 2013admin

Gregory Corso reads the Bill of Rights? – That’s right. Footage here from Jerry Poynton and James Rasin of Gregory, in April of 1992, atop a New York City rooftop (Roger & Irvyne Richards‘ old building, and Gregory’s old hang-out, on Horatio Street, over in the West Village). Gregory is filmed reading from/commenting on/annotating – in his own inimitable style (sic!) – several choice selections from the (US) Constitution and the Bill of Rights – the Amendments!  – “the Amendments, they’re the big ball-game”.  (Thomas) Jefferson? – “If he’d been in England at that time, he would … Read More

Herbert Huncke’s Birthday

January 9, 2013admin

[Herbert Huncke reading at Cafe Nico, New York, March 12, 1994 – video by Laki Vazakas]

Herbert Huncke – “American hipster” – hustler and saint, poet and story-teller, central source for the Beats, “the man who turned on William Burroughs” –  Today would have been (he made it to his 81st) Huncke’s 98th birthday.

Our 2011 post with comprehensive Huncke links is here.

We’ve featured it before but here again is a link to Francois Bernardi’s film, Original Beats, from 1996 (featuring footage of two quintessential Beat scallywags – Herbert Huncke and Gregory Corso).

and … Read More

Original Beats – Huncke and Corso

July 23, 2011admin

Francois Bernardi’s short film, Original Beats, is this weekend’s film-showing – featuring.. two of the most hard-core (Beats) – Gregory Corso and Herbert Huncke – and a paean to a lost New York – Times Square and the Chelsea Hotel (no longer, the same Chelsea Hotel these days, nor the same Times Square, sad to report).
It opens with footage of Huncke in the back-seat of a taxi-cab – one rainy evening in Manhattan – fish-eye glimpses of the Chelsea (interiors and exteriors) – Huncke’s genial narrative. Gregory Corso first appears about two and a half minutes in:
GC: … Read More

Happy Birthday Herbert Huncke

January 10, 2011admin

Remembering Huncke

Herbert E Huncke, “the original Beat”, “Elmer Hassel” of On The Road, who died August 1996 (despite a life of excess, he lived to the ripe old age of 81) would have been 96 today.

Sadly, Ben Schafer’s 1997 compendium The Herbert Huncke Reader is out of print (tho’ second-hand copies are still available and well worth tracking down). More immediately available are a series of recordings he made towards the end of his life, reading some of his deceptively simple first-person prose recollections, From Dream to Dream (available in its entirety on Ubuweb).

Among the pieces … Read More