Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 314

May 5, 2017Simon Pettet

Very pleased to note that the Allen Ginsberg Archive at Stanford University has just recently gotten around to providing, for on-line study, a digitalized copy of the iconic “Howl” manuscript/typescript ( an endlessly fascinating document, featuring Allen’s various autograph corrections and annotations)

Allen sent the first six pages of this manuscript to Jack Kerouac, and Kerouac later sent them on to John Clellon Holmes. Holmes notes receipt on the top right-hand-corner, first page – “sent by Kerouac to me, Aug. 30, 1955 / JCH.”

[Jimmy Page and William Burroughs]

Jimmy Page, legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist just recently … Read More

Instigating the Howl Trial – March 25, 1957

March 25, 2017Simon Pettet

Sixty years ago today, the US Customs, in the person of Collector of Customs, Chester MacPhee, confiscated five-hundred-and-twenty copies of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”  – a pivotal moment  

From Bill Morgan‘s  Howl on Trial – The Battle for Free Expression:

“The Collector of Customs, Chester MacPhee, confiscated 520 copies [of Howl ] because, as he said, “The words and the sense of the writing is obscene…you wouldn’t want your children to come across it.”   U.S. Customs Law required a Federal Judge, upon application of the U.S. Attorney,  to grant permission to destroy the books. But, as [City Lights publisher, … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 307

March 17, 2017Simon Pettet

[Am I Going Anywhere? – artwork, 1990, by Allen Ginsberg  (courtesy of Steve Silberman)]

Michael Schumacher‘s revelationary collection of fugitive pieces, First Thought, Conversations With Allen Ginsberg, out just this month is a must-read.  Here’s an excerpt (Allen on the necessities of drug legalization) – but there’s so much more.

[Allen Ginsberg Campaigning For Drug Reform, New York City, 1963 – Photograph by Benedict Fernandez]

Lawrence Ferlinghetti will celebrate his 98th birthday next week. Here he is interviewed by Penelope Bloom Aprile a student at San Francisco’s  Yick Wo Elementary School.

From the interview:

PBA: … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 300

January 27, 2017Simon Pettet

[“Ground Zero for the Beat Generation” – Unidentified Woman reading from “Howl” inside the 7 Arts Coffee Gallery in New York City, c.1957 – Photograph by Dave Heath]

No Friday-Round Up last week, so a little catch up today, starting with Sean Elder’s Gary Snyder interview, “National Treasure,” in Lion’s Roar.

 [Gary Snyder at the Center For Interfaith Relations’ 2014 Festival of Faiths: Sacred Earth, Sacred Self]

GS: “The first time I met Allen Ginsberg was at Rexroth’s house—Allen had just come up from Mexico. The first time I saw  Kerouac was when Allen brought him to … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 292

November 11, 2016Simon Pettet

screenshot-2016-11-11-08-30-06

It’s been a monumental week.   Here at the Ginsberg blog now on Ginsberg.org we’re transitioning (as you see) from our old site to our new presence (part of the spruce-up of the entire site). Some work remains, protecting and reconstituting our archives, (not to mention, other aspects of the site), meticulously going through old posts one-by-one, so bear with us.

Meanwhile, like the rest of the world, still reeling, Here’s the ACLU’s statement.

Not enough that a madman is handed keys to the world.   The death, yesterday, aged 82, of poet-troubadour legendary rock star, Leonard Cohen.  R.I.P.

Rolling … Read More

Terry Gross Interview, 1994

October 8, 2016admin

 

Terry Gross. 1987 in the studio on NPR’s “Fresh Air”

   

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn, looking for an angry fix”

TG: Allen Ginsberg, reading his now classic poem “Howl”. Ginsberg was a cultural hero to several generations. He was one of the leading Beat poets in the (19)50’s, in the (19)60’s he was an icon of the counterculture, through the (19)70’s and (19)80’s, he continued to write and to explore Eastern religions. By the (19)90’s, he was an inspiration to up-and-coming … Read More

Saturday September 17 – William Carlos Williams

September 17, 2016admin

                                                 [William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)]

Today we celebrate William Carlos Williams birthday, born September 17, 1883   

We’d like to draw your attention to the extraordinary resource of the William Carlos Williams page on PennSound 

Here’s a key text of Williams. His 1955 introduction to Allen’s “Howl & Other Poems” – “Hold back the edges of your gowns, Ladies, we are going through hell” – 

“When he was younger and I was younger, I … Read More

Studs Terkel 1959 Radio Interview – Part 5

September 14, 2016admin
Studs Terkel‘s 1959 radio interview transcript (courtesy PennSound)  continues. See previous transcripts here, here, here and here

ST:  While the discussion goes on in the background. I was trying to whisper to the audience that I think there’s a seriousness and semi-seriousness, but we’ll see if you can sort of discern the chaff from the wheat.

AG:  No, I’ll talk over him (Gregory Corso)., I’ll talk over him. Now, the end of the poem [“Howl”] – which is where – “I’m with you in Rockland”, (which is a bug-house). I’m saying, “I sympathize, I … Read More

Studs Terkel 1959 Radio Interview – Part 4

September 13, 2016admin
 [Peter Orlovsky – Photograph by Allen Ginsberg]
courtesy the ever-extraordinary PennSound Studs Terkel interview continues .
For earlier segments see here, here and here 
ST: Peter Orlovsky, what were you about to say?
Peter Orlovsky: The Howard Johnson’s..when we were going along the highway, we stopped at the Howard Johnson’s. And they had (have) these little cards, you know – What’s your waitresses number? Did you like the way she served you? What did she serve you? Was it enough? Was it too small? Was it too large? Do you have any comments about Howard Johnson’s? (the inside … Read More