Philomene Long’s The Beats – An Exisitential Comedy

November 18, 2017Simon Pettet

We continue our spotlighting of video now available via the digitalization of Allen’s Stanford University archives.

Today – Philomene Long & (Jay D Kugelman)’s LA-based documentary from 1980,  The Beats: An Existential Comedy

The video is available – here

[Stuart Z Perkoff appearing on Groucho Marx’s tv show, You Bet Your Life – from The Beats – An Existential Comedy]

Initially conceived as a tribute to the poet Stuart Z Perkoff (1930-1974), it developed into, significantly, more – much more.

As one reviewer had it, “The film is not so much a historical documentary of the period as a recreation … 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

Remembering Pasolini

November 2, 2016Peter Hale

pasolini_h1

Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975)

Our earlier (2013) posting on Pier Paolo Pasolini, due to a technical error, was unfortunately, and unintentionally, deleted. On the occasion of the anniversary (now the 41st year anniversary) of his assassination, we now restore and republish it here. Today marks the date (the 38th year anniversary) [now 41st – sic] of the assassination of Pier Paolo Pasolini. Following the recantation of his confession in 2005 by Pino Pelosi (“Pino the Frog”), the precise details of his homophobic and racist murder still remain unclear. Andreas Pichler’s recent documentary (made as a co-production for French tv, … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round Up – 48

November 4, 2011admin

This week’s Friday Round-Up begins once again in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. Here’s Eric Drooker‘s on-site slide presentation (and a spirited recital of the Moloch section of Howl). Andy Laties is on saxophone, Eric Blitz is on percussion (“playing a piece of foam-core because the cops shut down his drums”). Filming is by Rebecca Migdal.
For earlier (sunnier! – tho’ no less impassioned) on-site Zuccotti footage we recommend here, Laki Vazakas‘ impressionistic portrait of October 17 2011.
Johnny Depp fans? Johnny’s been doing the rounds (well, doing a little press) for his Hunter S Thompson … Read More

Remembering Bob Kaufman

April 18, 2011admin

[Bob Kaufman 1925-1986]

April 18 is the birthday of the late great Bob Kaufman  Cranial Guitar, his Selected Poems from Coffee House Press, is certainly a good place to start – and check out in there the very useful (28-page) introduction by poet David Henderson (in fact, check out, if you can find it, Henderson’s 1991 NPR documentary (co-produced with Vic Bedoian), “Bob Kaufman, Poet”, it’s a remarkable work in and of itself). Another useful secondary source is A.D. Winans memoir, posted here. Jack Hirschman, at the “Does The Secret Mind Whisper?” celebrations, a

… Read More