Hep Cats & Beatniks - Part 3

In case you're wondering where my current fascination with Beatniks comes from, I just finished reading the novel "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.  "On the Road" is a largely autobiographical account of the counterculture lifestyle of the writers, poets and musicians whom became know as the Beat Generation.  Kerouac and his circle of friends, which included the poet Allen Ginsberg and writer William S. Burrough, documented and inspired the Beat Movement which advocated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity. 

Kerouac wrote "On the Road" in only 3 weeks (reportedly with the aid of caffeine and Benzedrine), using one long roll of paper in his typewriter so he wouldn't have to stop to change the sheets.  He believed his first thought was always his best thought - no editing and no revisions.  This led to a very free flowing, spontaneous prose that paralleled the experimental jazz of that era.  Often, the two mediums were combined and the Beat Generation (or Beatniks as they were later called) would gather in coffee houses to read aloud their poetry to the accompaniment of jazz musicians.

The movement grew to eventually become a media parody of itself with the stereotypical goateed and turtlenecked beatnik spouting nonsensical poetry and outrageous lingo (see Hep Cats & Beatniks - Parts 1 & 2)  Although perpetrating the stereotype has been a whole lot of fun ('cause it's coolsville to dig the hep cat beat, Daddy-O) I'd now like to share with you to the real deal, Himself.  So here, on a clip from the Steve Allen Show is Jack Kerouac reading from his novel, "On the Road." 

Dig it!