Jack Kerouac, Thanksgiving Day, football

During his senior year at Lowell HS, according to Kerouac legend, Jack scored the winning touchdown against rival Lawrence in the "Turkey Day Classic" on Thanksgiving Day 1938. In researching this little tidbit of trivia, I found this website, which is a concise compilation of details about Jack: Jack Kerouac: Safe in Heaven Drunk.

That's all for today. We are giving thanks in our household for family, friends, love, health, food, warmth, shelter, and the freedom to assemble and give thanks unfettered by government interference in the first place. Not everyone on this planet can say that. My heart goes out to them.

I hope your holiday is everything you wish.

Living the answers - Kerouac style

In Gerald Nicosia's wonderful 1994 biography of Jack Kerouac - Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac - he says:

"The liberal-radical quest to 'find the answers' would get one irretrievably lost. Jack's way, like that of pioneer America, was to live the answers" (p. 155).

As I state at the outset of The Beat Handbook: "Jack Kerouac was a man of action. When in doubt, he did something (p. 10).

Live the answers! The road beckons! There are people to meet and places to see and adventures to live. And every single bloody juicy second is an adventure. Do you see?* It's not about materialism at all.



It's about DIGGING THE RIDE!

I'll close with some of my favorite quotes.

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."
~Albert Einstein

"To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle."
~Walt Whitman

"May you live all the days of your life."
~Jonathan Swift

*A creepy line from a great movie. Figure it out if you can. It has to do with William Blake, poet/painter extraordinaire.

Six Degrees of Jack Kerouac

This is the first in an occasional series of posts (occurring on a variable ratio schedule) wherein I will be linking Jack Kerouac to another person in 6 or less steps. This is based on the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which is based on the theory of Six Degrees of Separation.

We will be establishing Kerouac numbers, similar to Bacon numbers. A Kerouac number quantifies the separation a person has from Jack Kerouac.

The difference is, we will not be limited in our connections as in the Kevin Bacon version. That is, any connections I think of are fair game - they are not limited to people, but could be events or things. At the same time, I will be connecting Jack to unlikely people, as you will see. And the connections cannot be trivial (for example, having read a Kerouac book does not give you a Kerouac number of 1). Maybe it will be fun. Especially if it becomes interactive and you suggest some unlikely people to connect to Jack.

For our first subject, we will be taking up professional wrestler Kevin Nash.

1. Kevin Nash resides in Venice Beach, CA.
2. My son Jason is streethawking copies of The Beat Handbook at Venice Beach.
3. The Beat Handbook is a daily reader devoted to Jack Kerouac.

So, Kevin Nash's Kerouac number is 3.

Okay. That was kind of lame. But it struck me this morning while watching TNA Wrestling on television* and they introduced Kevin Nash as being from Venice Beach. So I went with it.

I wonder what Barack Obama's Kerouac number might be. Anyone want to tackle that?


*If all you can think of right now is why does Rick watch professional wrestling, get over your bad self. "And ye harm none, do what ye will." Wiccans have it about right.

Report from LCK!: Kerouac Park

While attending Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! 2008, Crystal and I made the necessary pilgrimage to Kerouac Park.













The park has a memorial to Jack consisting of pillars with engraved passages from his books about Lowell. Crystal liked the quote from Lonesome Traveler, "Am known as 'madman bum and angel' with 'naked endless head' of 'prose.'" This is my shadow (photo by Crystal) on that passage.













When you're in Lowell, definitely visit Kerouac Park.

Report from LCK!: Meeting someone who knew Jack

This is a short entry. You'll see why.

On the Saturday pub crawl during Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! 2008, we stopped by Major's, a bar that Jack Kerouac frequented. We learned that a man at the bar was a regular there, and actually hung out there at the same time as Jack!

I felt compelled to talk with him. His name is Phil. Here's a picture by Crystal:



He told me that when he knew Jack, he wasn't aware that he was a famous writer. I asked him what he remembered most about him, and this is what he said:

"He was nice to the shoeshine boys."

*******End of transmission*******

Report from Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!: Marathon reading of The Dharma Bums

At the Cafe Paradiso on Sunday, starting at 10 AM, Kerouac lovers participated in an oral reading of The Dharma Bums, start to finish. We were there early for breakfast, given that our hotel, The Doubletree, had no electricity and showering was too dangerous in the dark bathroom, not to mention that my car battery was dead when we went out to load up - a result of leaving the interior lights on all night and resulting in a call to AAA and me running back from the Cafe to meet the guy for a jump start. No harm done as I was there for the beginning reader, Ray (from Maine!).


I read Chapter 2.


Crystal read Chapter 3.

I can't remember the name of the young man who read Chapter 4, nor do I have a picture.


Dennis read Chapter 5 (my favorite - about yabyum).


And Jim read Chapter 6 (a lonnnggggg chapter).











At that point we sadly headed back to Maine, to responsibilities and such.

Report from Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!: The new Kerouac documentary

So far I've reported about visiting Kerouac's grave and the open mike at Cafe Paradiso on Friday night. In between, we drove over to UMass-Lowell and watched a screening of the new documentary film, One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur. It hit all the right notes, combining interviews with Kerouac contemporaries (e.g., Carolyn Cassady, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, David Amram) and current celebrities (e.g., Donal Logue, Tom Waits, Sam Shepard) at actual Big Sur locations. Beautiful camerawork. Touching stories. Perfect musical score. An actor, John Ventimiglia, read passages from Big Sur as part of narration. I thought it was Jack. Spooky.

Afterwards, the director and producers answered questions from the audience. (Side note: lots of beats in that crowd!)

I highly recommend this film whether you are a Kerouac fan or not. Outstanding!

Here's the link with trailer and other information: Kerouac Films.

Report from Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! : The graveside event

This is the second in what will be a series of installments from our absolutely wonderful weekend in Lowell, MA, attending Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! It was so freaking cool hanging out with other Kerouac fans and celebrating his writing in a variety of ways and settings. If you're a Kerouac fan, mark your calendar for next October. Stay tuned for a report on Friday night's screening of a brand new documentary film, One Fast Move Or I'm Gone (about Jack's time at Big Sur), Saturday's adventure at B & N, Saturday night's pub crawl, and Sunday's marathon reading of The Dharma Bums (and book sales!). Already told you about Friday night with David Amram (wow!).

But first, the graveside visit. I've been there before and regular blog readers will remember that I got the idea of leaving my book there in December 2005 from another fledgling author who was writing a novel. Plus, my practice is to visit my favorite authors' graves, read their work, and drink some Bushmills in their honor.

This trip I had a copy of my book, The Beat Handbook, along with a copy of The Dharma Bums and a bottle of 21-year-old Bushmills. And Crystal was along, making it all the more special!

We left for Lowell Friday morning and checked into the Doubletree. Then we headed right out to the grave in Edson (my given middle name - how about that for a coincidence?) Cemetery. It was sprinkling, reminiscent of my trip three years ago.

We both read outloud from The Dharma Bums - see video at Rick reading at Kerouac’s grave, drank Bushmills, took pictures, and just generally reveled in the fulfillment of a promise made three years earlier. I've got goose bumps writing this.

Here's a picture:

That's me reading from The Dharma Bums. You can see the copy of The Beat Handbook - specially inscribed - that I left at the grave inside two plastic ziploc bags (that was for rain protection - for this picture we let it get a little wet). And the bottle of Bushmills. And other things people had left. Two flags with written elegies, and a handwritten poem.

More to follow.

David Amram & other Lowell musings

Musician David Amram knew Jack Kerouac. He wrote the title song for and acted in the film, Pull My Daisy, written and narrated by Jack. Here's a picture of him (his hand by his mouth) with Kerouac on the immediate left and Allen Ginsberg on the right.



Well, as part of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, happening all weekend, Cafe Paradiso hosted a reading last night with David (and some others) providing back-up music. People read Jack Kerouac or original poetry or prose. There was a sign-up sheet. Crystal - thankfully as it turns out (I'm so glad she has more guts than I) - convinced me to read from The Beat Handbook. My ego and fears tried to get the better of me, but I decided to sign up. I got slot #23! How mystical is that? When I signed up a guy tried to give me his slot, #10, and I refused, bowing to the power of the number 23 (see the Jim Carrey film).

While waiting, Crystal was working the crowd, handing out my bookmarks (they feature the book cover and the website and the teaser, "If you've ever wanted to know the answer to the question, "What would Kerouac do?'..."). She even gave one to the producer of the documentary film, One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur, shown at UMass-Lowell earlier in the evening and chronicling Jack's 6 weeks at Big Sur (title of his very dark book). (Sidebar: what an awesome documentary film!)

During a break in the readings Crystal gave a bookmark to David Amram and got his business card! Soon after that I was on. Late. So the crowd had thinned from earlier, but I think I represented myself well and got some good feedback during (you know, body language and such), and after (you know, handshakes and such), and, well . . .

. . . it was a major highlight (in more ways than one thanks to the Manhattans we'd been drinking in honor of Jack) night in my author journey to date.

Wow! Plus, I haven't yet regaled you about our trip to Jack's grave. We have pictures and video and stories about that coming soon. Not to mention the beat character from NH at last night's reading who was sending around a petition to save the "Jack Kerouac Bridge" from destruction, who sat next to us at the bar, who with his beat friend who played guitar and sang just awful stuff were counting out their bills and change trying to make their tab, who finally looked at me and asked for $10! "Sure," I said. "Just make sure you buy my book" (thrusting bookmark into hand). He said he would. We'll see.

Today is the pub crawl to Jack's old haunts. YAIR!

What is a beat?

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'"

~Jack Kerouac, On The Road


The above is one of Kerouac's most oft-quoted passages. It's the subject of Day 23 (not deliberately but now that I think of it, the Jim Carrey movie has a point about the mystical qualities of that number) in my book, The Beat Handbook. But what else can be said about beats?

-Beats write (that's why my book has many writing assignments and space to write)
-Beats exude passion about life (they spontaneously break into song and dance in public places)
-Beats live green (they recycle and reuse)
-Beats barter (they eschew the use of money to get things)
-Beats live simply and cheaply (they hitchhike)
-Beats embrace spirituality (they meditate)
-Beats listen to music (they never miss a live music event)
-Beats live spontaneously (they live in the now)
-Beats party (they use any excuse to assemble food, drink, and friends)
-Beats go go go (they always seek the next horizon)

Beats do all of this and more. For 100 examples, get my book! It answers the question, "What would Jack Kerouac do?"

Book signing news

As a new author, and a self-published one at that, marketing my book is a learning experience for me. Book signings seem to be a common marketing venture, yet I know nothing about the business side of arranging one. Undaunted by my lack of prior knowledge, it seemed a good idea to visit a local bookstore and introduce myself and ask if they support local authors, perhaps via a book signing.

I started with Devaney Doak & Garrett at 193 Broadway in Farmington, Maine, home of my employer, University of Maine Farmington. I talked with the owner, Kenny. Without much convincing on my part (if any), he agreed to hold a signing! I think the fact that I teach at the local university was a help.

Details remain to be worked out because I do not have copies yet (and my book is not available yet for wholesale purchase by a bookstore), but it looks like a Thursday evening in late October or early November is going to happen. I would read for about 20 minutes and then sign copies (hopefully!) for customers.

I'll keep you posted. Hope to see you there!

Elegy for Paul N.

Paul. Dead.
Not the one of rumored deaths and mystical gossip, but
the hard-boiled egg-eating champeen
who yelled at god (don't we all in our own way?),
"Love me, hate me, kill me, anything. Just let me know it."
Like lieutenant day-un
screaming from the crow's nest in an atheist-eliminating sea squall
"You call this a storm?"
But you gotta know movies
And love a character cuts off parking meter heads
sings plastic jesus pickin' the banjer
calls his mom byes her first name
A true beat character
Oh but there is too much to tell
about just one role, one move-ie
Let alone one LIFE.
I'll be watching you and Dragline soon
And likely cry for doing so

Speaking of gravesite visits

Yesterday's posting reminded me that I have now visited the graves of three famous authors (Jack Kerouac, Robert Frost, Edwin Arlington Robinson). It has become a routine. I visit the grave with a bottle of Bushmills and some of their writing. While there, I read - out loud - some my favorite passages and drink a shot in their honor.

Here I am at Robert Frost's grave in Bennington, VT.


Visit your favorite authors' graves. It's a beat thing to do!

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!

The annual hometown tribute to Jack Kerouac will be taking place Oct. 2-5. You can find details at Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!.

Yes, I'll be there. C & I already have hotel reservations. We'll be partaking of festivities (the Saturday afternoon pub crawl looks very beat) throughout the weekend, but the main attraction is that I am leaving a copy of The Beat Handbook at Jack's grave. When I visited his grave in late 2005, I met a couple at the gravesite. They were on their honeymoon. The husband was writing a book and mentioned that he was going to leave one there when he published it. I vowed to do the same and now it is time to adhere to my vow.

The really interesting news is that I have been in contact with a reporter from the Lowell Sun newspaper and she expressed an interest in meeting me at the grave for a story. Talk about P.R.!

I also would like to contact a Lowell bookstore about a signing, but I still don't know if I'll have copies by then.

Here's a picture of me from my first pilgrimage to the gravesite:

Update on The Beat Handbook

Just now I noticed that - finally - my Amazon details page has been populated with the Editorial Description and About the Author sections, as well as the Search Inside feature. It is really weirding me out to be able to Search Inside my own book on Amazon! In a good way . . . .

Oh, by they way, as of this posting 3 books have sold on-line (I assume at Amazon). Thanks C, K, and . . . ?

I received my "complimentary copy" from BookSurge yesterday (it had been sitting at the post office since Saturday but I was too beat Saturday morning to get there in time). The only difference from my "proof copy" is that this one doesn't say "Proof" on the last inside page.

C and I made definite plans to go to Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! the weekend of Oct. 3. I'm going to leave a book at Kerouac's grave and try to stir up some publicity. Maybe even sell a few books if my copies come in time. I invited the Kerouac reporter from the Lowell Sun to meet me at the grave, and she said she would! How cool is that?

I'm printing bookmarks myself. Got quotes of 25 cents a piece and said fuggedaboutit. A ream of cardstock is only 5 bucks. Add in some ink and electricity and labor (I have scissors blisters), and I can make them for next-to-nothing.

If you want some bookmarks, e-mail me with your request and a snail mail addy. I'll send you enough for your own bookmarking purposes in return for your promise to put the extras I send inside all the Kerouac books at libraries and bookstores in your area. Deal?

Beat Karma

That's my cat, Karma, in his favorite pose (staring at a picture of The Beat Handbook cover that Crystal framed for me). He's a real beat, as evidenced by his sleeping habits (among other things).

Karma (my cat) is the subject of the Day 72 Kerouaction in The Beat Handbook. The entry is titled, "On Cats."

One of my favorite pictures of Jack is on a little photo/essay book titled, The Kerouac We Knew. The cover photo is of Jack in his trademark "lumberjack" shirt holding a cat in his arms.

Kerouac loved cats. I love cats. What more needs to be said?

The Beat Handbook is on Amazon!

My first book, The Beat Handbook, is now available on Amazon! Some information (e.g., description) has yet to be populated into the product details page. That should happen soon - it's a process. Also, for now the only way someone can find my book by searching is to type in the entire title - The Beat Handbook: 100 Days of Kerouactions - or my name as follows: Rick Dale, D.Ed.

I had no input into the latter, but hope to figure out how to change things so searching for "The Beat Handbook" or "Rick Dale" will bring up my book. I'm sure it's a simple fix - it's just one I haven't figured out. As a first-time author, this is all new to me and it's an exciting learning experience.

By the way, if you want to go directly to the Amazon page for my book, here is the link: The Beat Handbook. The links on my website for buying the book at Amazon aren't hot yet, but that should happen in a couple of days.

Patience is something I'm (re)learning through this process!

The Daily Beat Test Post

This is a test post on The Daily Beat, my blog that links from my new website - http://www.thebeathandbook.com/. My website and my blog are all about promoting my first book, The Beat Handbook, published by BookSurge. My book should become available at Amazon.com in a matter of days. At that point, I will begin blogging here in earnest. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

And thanks, Jack, for the inspiration.