Remembering Joanne Kyger

Joanne Kyger

Today we remember poet Joanne Kyger, who died on this date -- March 22 -- in 2017. I don't think she appeared in any of Jack Kerouac's works, but she was married for 5 years or so to Gary Snyder (Japhy in The Dharma Bums).

We wished her a happy birthday on November 19. You can read that post by clicking HERE (it includes a link to some of her poems).

On the synchronicity front, yesterday I received a postcard (actually it came two days ago, but we are letting our mail "percolate" for 24 hours in the mailbox outside before we bring it into the house for fear of exposure to the coronavirus currently plaguing the world) from my friend, Kerouac biographer Gerry Nicosia, and it just so happened to be the Allen Ginsberg picture of Joanne Kyger and Gary Snyder on a dock in the Sea of Japan. Gerry mentioned in his card that he knew Joanne quite well and that she was "lively, witty, + lots of fun!"

The aforementioned postcard on my laptop (BTW, that Google Chrome pic is Salzburg, Austria)

RIP, Ms. Kyger.

Happy 98th Birthday to Jack Kerouac!

Our hero, Jack Kerouac, was born this date -- March 12 -- in 1922. He would have been 98 years old today. Regular readers of The Daily Beat need no introduction to Kerouac, but if you just happened upon this blog for the first time and need some background information, you could do worse than starting at this page from the The Jack and Stella Kerouac Center for Public Humanities at UMass Lowell.

In honor of Jack's birthday, I took to YouTube just now and recited the last paragraph of On The Road from memory. It didn't come out perfect, but it's a heartfelt effort. Happy Birthday, Jack!

Happy Birthday to John Clellon Holmes

Writer John Clellon Holmes, one of Jack Kerouac's closest friends, was born on this date -- March 12 -- in 1926. He appeared in a number of Kerouac's works: as Ian MacArthur in On The Road; Mac Jones and Balliol MacJones in The Subterraneans; Wilson and John Watson in Visions of Cody; James Watson in Book of Dreams; Clellon Holmes in Maggie Cassidy; and, Eugene Pasternak in Doctor Sax.

For an in-depth look at Holmes and his relationship with Kerouac, get yourself a copy of Ann and Samuel Charters' Brother Souls: John Clellon Holmes, Jack Kerouac, and the Beat Generation (note the proper use of the Oxford comma in that title -- thank you, Ann). I must admit that I am recommending this book without having read it on the basis of a glowing recommendation from my great friend, Richard Marsh, whose judgment on books I trust very much. It's on my "to read" list, but I need to acquire a copy first (obviously).

I realize today is also Jack's birthday, but we will take that up in a separate post.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Holmes.

Remembering Philip Lamantia

Poet Philip Lamantia died on this date -- March 7 -- in 2005. He appeared in two of Jack Kerouac's works: as Francis DaPavia in The Dharma Bums and as David D'Angeli in Desolation Angels. Lamantia read at the famous event at the Six Gallery in 1955 that many point to as kicking off the San Francisco poetry renaissance. (He didn't read his own work, but rather that of his dead friend, John Hoffman.)

We celebrated Lamantia's birthday on October 23 here; there's a link there to some of his poetry. Reading some of it today would be a Beat thing to do.

RIP, Mr. Lamantia.

Remembering William Carlos Willams

Poet William Carlos Williams died on this date -- March 4 -- in 1963. Williams was Doctor Musial in Kerouac's The Dharma Bums. We wrote about Williams on his birthday so you can click here for some details on this influential person in the Kerouac world, including his advice to Jack and Allen Ginsberg et al. along with one of his poems.

RIP, Dr. Williams.


P.S. Monday March 2 we neglected to remember Kerouac's close friend, Sebastian Sampas, who died on that date in 1944 from a wound suffered at the Battle of Anzio.Read more about him here. RIP, Sammy.

Gerald Nicosia's Kerouac: The Last Quarter Century reviewed in the Chicago Tribune

Author Gerald Nicosia

FYI, the Chicago Tribune just reviewed Gerald Nicosia's newest book, Kerouac: The Last Quarter Century. Click here to read the review. It appeared in the Sunday print edition.

To secure a copy you can either e-mail the author at gnicosia@earthlink.net, or else send a check or money order for $30 ($25 for book and $5 for postage and mailer) to Gerald Nicosia, PO Box 130, Corte Madera, CA 94976-0130. You can tell him how you would like the book inscribed, if you wish.

Happy Birthday to Lucien Carr

(L-R) William S. Burroughs, Lucien Carr, and Allen Ginsberg

Proto-Beat Lucien Carr was born on this date -- March 1 -- in 1925. He appeared in a number of Jack Kerouac's works: as Damion in On The Road; Sam Vedder in The Subterraneans and Book of Dreams (expanded edition); Julien in Big Sur; Julien Love in Book of Dreams, Desolation Angels, and Visions of Cody; Claude De Maubris in Vanity of Duluoz; Claude in Orpheus Emerged; Kenneth Wood in The Town and the City; Kenneth in The Haunted Life and Other Writings; and, Phillip Tourian in And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks.

We remembered Carr a little over a month ago on January 28 (click here), so we won't repeat biographical details except to say that Carr was an influential member of the early Beat Generation whose name is too often omitted when speaking of same. Carr has a rather extensive entry on Wikipedia in case you want to read more about him. Wikipedia gets a bad rap all the time, but I often find it to be a useful tool in getting the sense of a person, concept, or event. 

Happy Birthday, Mr. Carr.