Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac began the series of cross-country adventures that would later become 'On
The Road'. They raced aimlessly across the U.S.A. and Mexico, with Cassady setting the
agenda. Kerouac began writing about their adventures even as they were taking place, but he
could not find a style that fit the content, and put the project away in frustration.
He picked the project up again later, after a series of letters from Cassady gave Kerouac the idea
to write the book the way Cassady talked, in a rush of mad ecstasy, without self-consciousness
or mental hesitation.
It worked: 'On The Road' became a sensation by capturing Cassady's
voice.
The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began.
There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of the bus to Nevereverland'
('The Other One' by The Grateful Dead)
Or go to Ginsberg's "Howl"...
He first read that at Six Gallery in San Francisco with Kerouac thumping a beat on a jug of Red, chanting "GO" as it got momentum and gained power... Ginsberg started it while sitting on the can, leaving and walking out reading... Or that's what Wally Hedrick, super painter and co-founder of the Six Gallery, said...
More on Ginsberg...
Kerouac based The Dharma Bums on Poet Gary Snyder...
The photos of Kerouac and Cassady bring you to sites about them.
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