Howl

[Koba]

On a boring night I was thumbing through the offerings of Video on Demand. I was stopped by the entry that read HOWL(unrated). I clicked on the description to find it was a movie about Allen Ginsberg and his best know poem, Howl. I paid my fee and watched the movie.

It was a delight! A mix of Ginsberg talking (an actor), readings from the poem with some neat animation, and readings from the obscenity trial that followed the publishing of the poem. I thought it was very well done! There are not many movies about poets and their work. I guess this didn't play long at the theaters but it is worth seeing. I think it also gave me some ideas for poems. There is a lot of good stuff in it.

One of my favorite scenes is when the prosecutor is asking an English professor on the stand to explain some difficult lines from Howl. His answer was wonderful: "Sir, you cannot translate poetry into prose; that's why it's poetry." Right on!

I hope this isn't considered spam. If it is, then put it between some bread and have a sandwich.

 

[butters]

course it's not spam!

it's interesting, informative, and makes me want to see the film too.

 

[Koba]

Good! I'm glad! Now you don't have to eat a spam sandwich. Ugh!

 

[butters]

Good! I'm glad! Now you don't have to eat a spam sandwich. Ugh!

indeed... i remember the greasy nights of spam fritters from my youth. ugh.

 

[bogusagain]

On a boring night I was thumbing through the offerings of Video on Demand. I was stopped by the entry that read HOWL(unrated). I clicked on the description to find it was a movie about Allen Ginsberg and his best know poem, Howl. I paid my fee and watched the movie.

I saw a rather good review of the film on TV. I think Howl created a commotion in the US at the time. Not being American I might have picked up something in the media that might not have happened. I was a raving beat fan back in the 70s but now I've cooled off somewhat and have Ginsbergs complete works but find him too self indulgent and too eratic to care too much but he has written some gems. Maybe he's just written too much. I feel the same about many of the other beats too. I'm trying to get my daughter and her boyfriend to read the beats because I think it is literature best read when young but their generation seem more into Japanese literature. Still, now you have reminded me I think I'll find my copy of Howl and have another read, maybe I will change my mind again.

 

[EroticOrogeny]

I saw a rather good review of the film on TV. I think Howl created a commotion in the US at the time. Not being American I might have picked up something in the media that might not have happened. I was a raving beat fan back in the 70s but now I've cooled off somewhat and have Ginsbergs complete works but find him too self indulgent and too eratic to care too much but he has written some gems. Maybe he's just written too much. I feel the same about many of the other beats too. I'm trying to get my daughter and her boyfriend to read the beats because I think it is literature best read when young but their generation seem more into Japanese literature. Still, now you have reminded me I think I'll find my copy of Howl and have another read, maybe I will change my mind again.

For me the end of the 60s and start of the 70s.
Not much afterward, but may well be a function of how my life has been.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Good! I'm glad! Now you don't have to eat a spam sandwich. Ugh!

I'm pink therefore I'm spam

 

[twelveoone]

I saw the best minds of my generation become Spam, raving hysterical

driving themselves through niggardly streets turning tea party tricks,

bloated sacks of Limburgers, cigars and golf clubs in pudged rotund hands,

the best minds becoming Glenn Beck.

 

[twelveoone]

Howl

Kaddish

two very powerful long poems, towards the 70's Old Al decided to become a self parody of himself, much the same Rock & Roll did, and I likewise.