Allen Ginsberg – Richland College reading – part 1

September 30, 2017Simon Pettet

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

Allen Ginsberg & Peter Orlovsky in Warwick (England) 1979

January 7, 2017Simon Pettet

440px-allen_ginsberg_und_peter_orlowski_arm

[ Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, 1978]

Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky read and sang a selection of their poetry at Warwick Arts Center on November 6th, 1979. The performances were recorded (along with a further performance at the University of Warwick that night, featuring English poet, Tom Pickard). Steven Taylor was also on hand to provide guitar accompaniment.

The recording from the Arts Center is our feature this weekend and may be listened to – here

The reading begins with a performance by Allen (on harmonium) of two songs by William Blake – “My Pretty Rose Tree… Read More

Friday Weekly Round-Up – 129

June 7, 2013Simon Pettet

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

… Read More

Allen Ginsberg Reading in Olomouc in the Czech Republic 1993

January 14, 2012admin

David Hrbeck has just uploaded to You Tube footage of Allen in 1993 (November 12, 1993) reading in Olomouc in the Czech Republic at a high school gymnasium (in Hrbeck’s home town, and where Hrbeck was, at that time, teaching). “This is a real treasure”, he, accurately, declares. “The classroom was full of students, and it was a big success, (an) amazing event.”
The recording is broken down into four sections. The first has Allen giving a rendition of his version of (William) Blake’s “The Tyger” (accompanying himself on the harmonium). The second, features a reading of “Sunflower Sutra”… Read More

Allen on Literary Censorship and Other Matters 1997 Canadian TV

October 22, 2010admin

Recently posted, this sweet video of AG, just a few months before he died, talking with Allan Gregg, Canadian tv interviewer (from TV Ontario). Always good to hear Allen’s always-timely and always-reasonable opinion on such issues and Gregg proves to be a sympathetic ear. [2015 update – the video for this interview is no longer available, the audio, however, may be heard – here]

While we’re on the subject (we’ve been meaning to post this one for quite a while!), C-Span, in their video archive, have an extraordinary illuminating debate, “What’s Indecent? Who Decides?” a recording of … Read More