Larry Fagin (1937-2017)

May 28, 2017Simon Pettet

Larry Fagin, poet, editor, teacher, long-time leading member of the so-called “New York School” of poetry, died yesterday. He was 79 years old. An important co-worker with Allen at Naropa (and, coincidentally, upstairs neighbour in his 12th Street tenement in Manhattan), he was, (though not himself a Buddhist), alongside fellow St Marks poet, Anne Waldman, one of the key figures in the initial years of that on-going experiment. Allen himself was quite unequivocal – “I don’t know of a better editor and teacher of poetry and prose than Fagin”, he once declared. Larry’s early teaching there can … Read More

Corso (& Whitman)

March 26, 2017Simon Pettet

[Gregory Corso, 1993]

More Beat photo portfolios. Today, March 26, would have been the 87th birthday of the rambunctious Gregory Corso.

[Gregory Corso, New York City, 1953 – Photography by Allen Ginsberg]

[Gregory Corso at the Beat Hotel, Paris, 1958 – Photograph by Harold Chapman]

[Gregory Corso, making a call in the White Horse Tavern, New York City, February 1959 –  Fred W. McDarrah – Photo Courtesy Estate of Fred W, McDarrah]

[Gregory Corso in front of the Parthenon, Athens, 1959. Photograph by James Burke]

[Gregory Corso, Tangier, July 1961. Photograph by Allen Ginsberg]

[Gregory Corso at the Royal Albert … Read More

Celebrating Peter Orlovsky

May 30, 2013Peter Hale

[Nude With Onions (Portrait of Peter Orlovsky) by Robert LaVigne (1954)]

Peter Orlovsky, Allen’s long-time partner died on this day in 2010. He was 77 years old. First glimpsed by Allen in the portrait above by Robert LaVigne

Our previous Peter Orlovsky postings include here and here.

Here’s a little photo portfolio. We fondly remember you, Peter

[ Peter Orlovsky and Allen Ginsberg in Lee Forrest’s room, Hotel de Londres, Paris, December 1957 – Photograph by Harold Chapman]

[Peter Orlovsky, Allen Ginsberg, (and Michael McClure) – Photograph by Larry Keenan]

[Allen Ginsberg & Peter Orlovsky, Boulder Colorado 1978. Photo … Read More

Text and Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll

April 27, 2013admin

The recent publication of Simon Warner‘s quaintly-titled, monumental (500+ pages) tome, Text and Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll, had us thinking again about lineage and connections and those issues – “Was rock culture the natural heir to the activities of the Beats? Were the hippies the Beats of the 1960s? What attitude did the Beat writers have towards musical forms and particularly rock music? How did literary works shape the consciousness of leading rock music-makers and their followers? Why did Beat literature retain its cultural potency with later rock musicians who rejected hippie values? How did rock musicians … Read More

Allen and Bob – part 2

May 25, 2011admin

[Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg, San Francisco, 1965, photo c. Larry Keenan]
In 1965 Allen arranged for and fellow student photographer Dale Smith to photograph him and Michael McClure and Robbie Robertson and Bob Dylan in the alleyway behind City Lights Bookstore (originally for possible use on the Blonde on Blonde album cover). The images were never used (tho’ some have turned up in subsequent Dylan projects).

As Keenan, on the Empty Mirror website, recalls:

[Michael McClure, Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg, San Francisco, 1965, photo c. Larry Keenan]
“This session was arranged the night before at a party
… Read More