Ginsberg Fanatics

This is a great resource for all of you Ginsberg fans:
http://www.allenginsberg.org/

Here you can see original City Lights readings by Ginsberg, read blogs, see photos of original writings, search his works, and selected letters written by Ginsberg.

I would have to agree with Matt that this film isn't half bad...



As "Howl" just seems like a somewhat liberal poem today, but this film helps illuminate how controversial "Howl" was to the general public.



I particularly liked Ginsberg's poem,
Crossing Nation:

Under silver wing
San Francisco's towers sprouting
thru thin gas clouds,
Tamalpais black-breasted above Pacific azure
Berkeley hills pine-covered below--
Dr Leary in his brown house scribing Independence
Declaration
typewriter at window
silver panorama in natural eyeball--

Sacramento valley rivercourse's Chinese
dragonflames licking green flats north-hazed
State Capitol metallic rubble, dry checkered fields
to Sierras- past Reno, Pyramid Lake's
blue Altar, pure water in Nevada sands'
brown wasteland scratched by tires

Jerry Rubin arrested! Beaten, jailed,
coccyx broken--
Leary out of action--"a public menace...
persons of tender years...immature
judgement...pyschiatric examination..."
i.e. Shut up or Else Loonybin or Slam

Leroi on bum gun rap, $7,000
lawyer fees, years' negotiations--
SPOCK GUILTY headlined temporary, Joan Baez'
paramour husband Dave Harris to Gaol
Dylan silent on politics, & safe--
having a baby, a man--
Cleaver shot at, jail'd, maddened, parole revoked,

Vietnam War flesh-heap grows higher,
blood splashing down the mountains of bodies
on to Cholon's sidewalks--
Blond boys in airplane seats fed technicolor
Murderers advance w/ Death-chords
Earplugs in, steak on plastic
served--Eyes up to the Image--

What do I have to lose if America falls?
my body? my neck? my personality?


The illustration of Northern California and the description of happenings that surrounded the Vietnam time period paint a vivid picture with few words. Very dark, but awesome.