Ginsbergian Zeitgeist – We’re, admittedly, a little late in putting this up – but here‘s (recently-deposed) Russian power-broker/politician, Vladislav Surkov reading Allen Ginsberg (in English!) – “Sunflower Sutra” (the English begins approximately two minutes in) – [thanks too to “Cloudpine” – we should point out, entirely unrelated – for his fantasy Alexander-Rodchenko-inspired Howl cover!]
“No hope Communism/No hope Capitalism” – Here’s another surprising sighting, Gary Silverman’s “I saw the best taxes of my generation..”, [sic], an extended Ginsbergian metaphor in..(of all places) The Financial Times!
So, looking back on last week, birthday week… First, the New York Allen Ginsberg – Richland College reading – part 1
Another gem from the Stanford Archive – Allen reading at Richland Community College, Dallas, Texas, in 1980. Video technology was in its infancy, and the performance (with student musicians) typically impromptu, so bear with the amateur nature of this tape, but it more than makes up for it, with memorable renditions of “Sunflower Sutra”, “America” ( with improvised contemporary additions), and the recently-composed “Plutonian Ode”, (not to mention, spirited interpretations of Blake songs (Allen’s settings of William Blake)
It is with Blake that the tape begins – a rather ramshackle version of “My Pretty … Read More