Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Jack Kerouac's speech at Hunter College Playhouse in 1958


If you click here and scroll down a little bit, you can listen to a speech Jack Kerouac gave at New York's Hunter College Playhouse (sponsored by Brandeis University) in 1958. I learned about this from Al Hinkle on Facebook, and it is awesome.


In the clip, Jack riffs for over 6 minutes in his own inimitable way, and references the genesis of the term, "Beat Generation."


There are also links to Jack's essay about his speech (there are no known transcriptions) as well as a book chapter by James Wechsler (a fellow panelist at the debate) in which he recalls the evening with Kerouac.


Spend some time listening to the audio and reading the linked information. It's an important part of your Beat education!

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