Day 72 in The Beat Handbook was inspired by the above passage from On The Road.
Jack Kerouac loved cats. His angst at the death of his pet cat, Tyke, was the subject of several pages in Big Sur. A famous picture of Jack shows him flannel-shirt clad and holding a cat (it adorns an excellent book, The Kerouac We Knew by John Montgomery).
Being a cat lover myself (and being suspicious of those who aren't), my affinity for Jack increased geometrically when I learned that he dug cats.
Bottom line: cats are cool. They epitomize beatness because they follow their own path.
I've mentioned cats here on The Daily Beat on several occasions:
September 22, 2008
October 23, 2008
November 2, 2008
November 7, 2008
November 14, 2008
November 25, 2008
January 6, 2009
January 9, 2009
Get yourself a couple of cats and treat them well (unlike Old Bull Lee). It's good for the soul.
Todd wanted to bring his cat to the Kerouac fest this year, in honor of Jack and Tyke, because, as he often reminds me, "Jack liked cats!" Whenever I catch him being embarrassingly mushy with Brielle (the cat) he provides a "Kerouaction"-esque retort.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, tell Todd I love his idea. And Brielle is a great name for a cat!
ReplyDelete