Director Michael Polish and Kate Bosworth at The Beat Museum. (Kerouac’s jacket in background)

I was meeting with movie director Michael Polish on a long, sprawling road called Highway One, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The road had been absolutely devoid of automobile traffic for the previous thirty minutes. That never happens in real life, and I found that warped reality to be a little unnerving.  All that could be heard was the sound of the Pacific as Polish’s crew set up the shot where Jack Kerouac was attempting to hitchhike without much success up to San Francisco. The California Highway Patrol had stopped all traffic along the Coastal Highway so the director could get his shot for his upcoming film Big Sur, which is based on Kerouac’s novel of the same name.

But it was what Polish said to me at that precise moment that was even more unnerving than the empty road I was witnessing along that great ocean highway.

“Eighty-five percent of Big Sur will be voiceover narration.”

Did I just hear him right? I wondered. I tried not to let my face show my surprise. I’m sure I said something like, “Really?” as my mind instantly started sorting through every movie I’d ever seen and tried to remember which, if any, were 85% voiceover.

I tried to give Michael Polish the benefit of the doubt. He makes movies. You don’t. And then I tried to rise above it all. Allow the filmmaker his vision. But deep down I couldn’t help but give in to my concern. I hope he knows what he’s doing…

As it turns out, Michael Polish did, indeed, know what he was doing. Big Sur is an absolutely stunning film. The performances are terrific. The scenery (as you might expect) is unrivaled. All the little details that a true Kerouac fan might hope for are included, from the little spiral notebooks in Jack’s shirt pocket, to interior shots of Vesuvio, Tosca and City Lights. We see ‘Alf the Sacred Burro’ walking the cold and lonely beach at Bixby Canyon, and watching the scene where Jack plays hide and seek at the hospital with his friend Albert Saijo (Trip Trap) was just as much fun as it was the first time I read it in the book.

I really think Polish nailed it. As mentioned, I’ll freely admit I was extremely wary when he told me on set that day along Highway 1 that the majority of the film would be voiceover narration. I’m not aware of any other movie I’ve ever enjoyed that relied so heavily on VO but as so many of us know much of Jack’s impact comes from the language he uses. No screenwriter could ever possibly hope to match Jack’s words, so in my opinion Polish made the right choice here. He made that point perfectly in the film as well, when Jack & Michael McClure are in the cabin and Kerouac says to McClure, “You’re a big idea man. I’m a language spinner.” In my opinion, that simple statement in Jack’s own words validates the voice-over decision.

There were a lot of other elements I really liked about the film:

• The clip from Kerouac’s performance on the Steve Allen show at the very beginning (in black & white, very effective) to introduce us to Kerouac (in shadow), then John Marc Barr suddenly appears on screen.
• The visual imagery was absolutely stunning—as anyone who has ever been to Big Sur would expect it would be. Such an important part of the story (a man in the most breathtaking place in the world, taken down by his inner demons). When I saw the shot of the fog swirling into Bixby Canyon it took my breath away! I’ve spent a lot of time in Bixby but  I’ve never seen that.
• Josh Lucas was masterful as Neal Cassady. The scene where he’s recapping tires was worth the price of admission all by itself! He captured Neal’s energy so brilliantly.
• Radha Mitchell plays a terrific Carolyn Cassady and comes off as the perfect, prototypical 1960s wife sitting in her Las Gatos home.
• Jean Marc Barr was superb; an excellent choice for the role of Kerouac. To see his portrayal of a sad faced Jack amidst the exuberance of all his companions came across as heartbreakingly real for those of us who know the story well.
• Kate’s Bosworth’s portrayal of Billie was wonderful. When she was first cast I thought she might come off as too gorgeous for the role, but her vulnerability and down to earth demeanor shined through.
• I think one of the most effective moments of the film was toward the end: Jean Marc Barr delivers his narration in such a rapid pace, I could just picture Jack pounding out those words on his typewriter at lightning speed as he neared the end of writing the book, still hoping and believing in the Golden Eternity he loved and knew ties us all together. The pace of it held the audience mesmerized as it all played out into the ending of “There’s no need to say another word.”

All in all, and in all sincerity, I’m very impressed by what Michael Polish and his team delivered, and I’m glad to see Jack’s legacy get such a positive boost (and from a story that could have easily drifted into an extremely dark place). This movie does all of us Kerouac fans proud.

Michael McClure (left) with Ray Manzarek (right)

Ray Manzarek, best known as the innovative keyboardist for The Doors, died Monday, May 20th, after a long battle with cancer. He was 74.

Manzarek and Jim Morrison formed The Doors in 1965, later recruiting John Densmore (drums) and Robby Krieger (guitar). Manzarek’s Vox Continental keyboard arrangements epitomized The Doors’ sound, setting the band apart from the rest of the psychedelic music scene in the mid-to-late Sixties. He also played bass parts on a Rhodes piano, accommodating for The Doors’ lack of a bass player. When The Doors broke up after Morrison’s death in 1971, Manzarek mounted several related projects, which were instrumental in keeping the band’s music and legacy in the public consciousness.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him,” Robby Krieger said in a statement.

Manzarek also worked extensively with San Francisco Beat poet Michael McClure (pictured). The two recorded There’s a Word! and Love Lion, which capture some of their live performances together, while The Third Mind, a documentary film by Tyler Smith, focuses on their collaborations.

From his autobiography, Light My Fire:

I suppose if Jack Kerouac had never written On the Road, The Doors would never have existed. It opened the floodgates and we read everything we could get our hands on — Howl, Allen Ginsberg; Gasoline, Gregory Corso; A Coney Island of the Mind, Lawrence Ferlinghetti; Peyote Poem, Michael McClure…

All mind-benders, soul-twisters, heart-openers, foot-tappers, bone-crushers, eye-wideners… and general fine things. I suggest you read them all.

McClure-Manzarek.com

Broadway and Columbus is like some magnificent vortex. You never know who will come sweeping in off the street. We get ‘em all—from the down and out homeless person to up-and-coming supermodels visiting from overseas.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

One such model is Greta Bellamacina. She came in about six months ago, had an air about her that you could not ignore—she called herself “The Model Poet.” And she proved it to us—showing us her poetry, living the life. A week ago Greta sent us this piece that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar—it’s a Love Song to San Francisco. The Beats influenced everyone—and that’s pretty great.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The interview takes place during the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah, 2013.

Production by: Visual Creativ

Interview With Jean-Marc Barr “BIG SUR” from Visual Creativ. on Vimeo.

Some stills from the interview:

• Jean-Marc Barr as Jack Duluoz
• Kate Bosworth as Billie
• Radha Mitchell as Carolyn Cassady
• Josh Lucas as Neal Cassady

More info at Internet Movie Database

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

by Jerry Cimino

The publicity machine for the US release of On the Road is starting to kick into full gear. Walter Salles, Garrett Hedlund, and Kristen Stewart have been making the rounds along with Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a thing of beauty to witness because, in my opinion, these folks are doing it for all the right reasons. Certainly their efforts may boost box office revenues, and any buzz about Academy Award nominations doesn’t hurt either. But from my perspective, the real reason these good people are working so hard to get the word out (they’re all flying coast to coast to coast, making appearances, doing TV and print interviews, going to screenings) is because they all have a true love of Kerouac and the movie they created together. Any true Kerouac fan can see they enjoy their friendships, and find strength and support in each other.

We caught up with them Friday night (December 7th) at an On the Road screening sponsored by Vanity Fair and Hugo Boss at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Man, talk about a magnificent facility! It’s like walking on to a fantasy land. The state of the art 300-seat movie theater is one of the greatest movie theaters I’ve ever been in. There was a reception that began at 6pm, but everyone was late because traffic was brutal on the 101 on a Friday night. Normally a 25 minute drive for me from North Beach it took an hour and a half to get there – and I left early!

Passing the magnificent grounds, with Shetland ponies and other exotic wildlife, we all found ourselves ensconced inside the facilty—myself, John Allen Cassady, his two sisters Cathy and Jami, Al Hinkle with his daughter Dawn, and Gerry Nicosia, author of Memory Babe. The first person I spotted was Garrett Hedlund, who had apparently just concluded a press photo-op with Kristen Stewart. After handshakes and hugs I said, “Garrett, introduce me to Kristen tonight when you get a chance, will you? I’ve never met her.” “Sure, man, sure,” he assured me. I was able to spend a few minutes with Walter Salles. I turned around to talk to Al Hinkle, and saw he was at a table deep in conversation with Francis Ford Coppola. It was obvious that Francis didn’t want to be disturbed, he was enjoying his time with Al so much. A few people barged in and asked for photos and Francis was gracious in taking them but you could tell he just wanted to talk to Al.

Three hundred people walked into the movie theater as the show was about to commence. Francis started things off, explaining to the audience (made up mostly of movie people) how the making of On the Road had been a long and arduous journey, and how for decades he had been trying to figure out exactly how to make the film. Then, he explained, he saw The Motorcycle Diaries and arranged to speak to Walter Salles about it. Francis then brought Walter up on stage to continue the discussion, explaining how even though he loved the book as a young man, he knew he wasn’t ready to attempt its adaption, so he embarked on his own multi-year journey across the USA to see and learn and talk to people about Kerouac and On the Road. Just before he brought Garrett and Kristen up on stage, Walter graciously gave a shout-out to Al Hinkle, the three Cassady kids, Gerry Nicosia, Anne Marie Santos (Luanne Henderson’s daughter) and then me and The Beat Museum, saying how we were all so important in the making of the film. That’s the kind of guy Walter is, so generous in sharing all the glory.

So, the audience responded in all the ways you’d hope during the screening, laughing at the right places, giggling, even gasping. When the film was done, Kristen, Walter, and Garrett came on stage for a Q & A that lasted about 45 minutes. Then 300 people made a beeline for the restrooms. When our crowd finally made our way back inside the theater after most everyone else had left, we were a little disappointed our celebrity friends were nowhere to be found. So me and John, his sisters and Gerry talked amongst ourselves, and then a few people asked to get photos of the Cassady kids together, and a few minutes later Walter Salles walked out to say hello, followed by Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund.

Francis Coppola had left early, I was sorry to see, as I’ve never met him, and he’s been a hero to me for thirty years. The rest of us all started talking in one big circle, Cathy and Jami giving their impressions, having just seen the film for the first time, and then we all broke into little groups of 2 or 3 and discussed various issues. I kept looking at Garrett with a “when are you going to introduce me to Kristen?” look, but he wasn’t reading my mind, and at a certain point when I was talking to Walter about something to do with Howl (I’m embarrassed to say I don’t even remember what!) I noticed Kristen Stewart was standing alone for a moment and I said, “Excuse me Walter, I’ve got to introduce myself to Kristen.” (Why I didn’t ask Walter to introduce me, I don’t know.) So, I walked over and said, “Hi Kristen, I’m Jerry, we’ve never met, and I want to take the opportunity to introduce myself.” And she was great. “Oh, Walter and Garrett talk about you all the time. I’ve been wanting to visit The Beat Museum for the longest time.” She was very gracious and kind, and I reached in my pocket and gave her a promotional museum business card that happened to be stamped “Two for One Admission” to The Beat Museum. “Well, we normally charge an admission but I’ll make sure you get in for free,” I joked to the girl who is one of Hollywood’s highest paid actresses. She posed for a few photos and was very patient, even after the flash miscued in the dark theater. In all, a delightful young person who carries herself extremely well for being only 22, and whose every action and word is reported by tabloids the world over. I think I like her because she seems very genuine and authentic, two traits Ginsberg, Neal, and Jack would admire.

On The Road premieres in New York and Los Angeles on December 21st. General release in the US is in January.

by Jerry Cimino

The silver screen has not always been kind to Jack Kerouac.  While there have been many exceptional documentary films made over the years, a really good feature film either about Kerouac, or based upon one of his works, has somehow eluded Hollywood.  Think The Beat Generation (1959) by Albert Zugsmith, The Subterraneans (1960) based upon Kerouac's novel of the same name, or HeartBeat (1980) based upon Carolyn Cassady's book, Off the Road.  All three of these films broke the hearts of Beat Generation fans the world over, to the point you'd be hard pressed to find a DVD copy of any of them anywhere—and for good reason.  A case could be made that the first two had a lot to do with why old Jack drank himself to death in 1969.  I jest, of course, but the joke is not far from the truth.

Given this history, the casual observer might understand why there's been so much consternation among lifelong Kerouac fans about the making of On the Road into a feature film.  The film has literally been "in the works" since 1958, when legendary Hollywood producer Jerry Wald started a correspondence with Kerouac about a screen adaption of On the Road.  The two bounced many ideas off one another for quite a while, including the possibility of Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) dying at the end of the movie in a fiery car crash similar to what had recently occurred with James Dean. Jack rejected that idea by telling Wald, "In real life Dean can never crash, he's too great and mystical a driver." Jack did allow for an intentional crash, though, a sort of would-be suicide, so the audience could wonder whether the crash was accidental or deliberate. Needless to say this version of the movie was never made, and these original letters reside in the Berg Collection at the NY Public Library and have never been published.

So, with that background and legacy begins the story of why the making of On the Road into a film is such a personal story for legions of Kerouac fans.  At the Beat Museum in San Francisco, we've heard these concerns voiced by literally thousands of individuals for many years.  "No one can adapt On the Road into a film.  It can't be done."  "Kerouac's writing style can never be successfully conveyed in a movie."  "I won't go see it.  I don't want my heart broken again."  "It shouldn't even be attempted.  It's a sacred text."  "I've had my own personal version of this movie playing in my mind for twenty years.  I don't want anyone else to mess with that."

But attempted it was.  In spades.  Francis Ford Coppola secured the rights to the film in the late 1970s.  He had eight scripts written over the years.  None of them worked for him.  Some of us took great solace in the fact that it was Coppola who was the steward of this project.  He just seemed to be the kind of filmmaker who wasn't going to attempt the project until he knew he could do it well.  I believe all Beat fans owe Francis Coppola a debt of gratitude for having the discipline and awareness and brilliance to recognize that he did not personally possess the clarity of vision necessary to bring On the Road to the screen in a proper fashion and that, perhaps, another filmmaker did.  That’s confidence.  That’s surety of self. 

The filmmaker Coppola ultimately chose was Walter Salles, fresh off the success of The Motorcycle Diaries, which premiered at Sundance in January, 2004.  Salles had read the book as an 18-year-old in Brazil and, growing up under a military dictatorship, appreciated the concept of 'freedom' in a whole different way than we do here in the US.  Salles was intrigued by the project, but he too knew that he was not yet prepared to attempt to make the film.  So, he went on his own journey in search of America, in search of Kerouac's voice, and his love affair with the country and the land he loved.  Salles was also searching for the characters that populated Kerouac's novels—the people who were a part of his life.  He filmed his own documentary about it, "Searching for On the Road," which I imagine will be released at a future date.

Everyone knows a  book is not a movie and a movie is not a book.  The genius of Jack’ Kerouac's novels is his prose. It's not the story, it's not even the relationships, it's the prose with the language that he uses to sketch the scene to move the story and to describe the relationships.  Jack could write like no one else before or since.  He invented an entire new way of writing that worked for him and called it “bop spontaneous prose.”  To convey the frenzy of Kerouac’s writing style on screen was the challenge Walter Salles took on.

The US version of On the Road weighs in at a brisk two hours and four minutes.  It is fast out of the gate and we're deep into the story from the moment the film starts to roll.  We’re introduced to a magnificent group of players - household names like Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi and Kristen Stewart.  Amy Adams, Alice Braga, Elizabeth Moss, and Terrance Howard all receive prominent screen time and deliver terrific performances.  Rounding out the cast are the four boys of the story: Tom Sturridge (Allen Ginsberg/'Carlo Marx'), Danny Morgan (Al Hinkle/'Big Ed Dunkel'), Sam Riley (Jack Kerouac/'Sal Paradise') and Garrett Hedlund (Neal Cassady/'Dean Moriarty'). Like Salles, many of these actors first read the book when they were teenagers.  Some of them, it is said, aggressively went after the roles for which they were cast.  Some of them took massive pay cuts to act in this film.

The true Kerouac fan is going to delight in the deep Beat Generation lore that is instantly on display in this work—the way Carlo and Dean sit nose to nose on a bed swearing undying allegiance to each other’s souls. Sal and Terry (Alice Braga) ending their love affair as they turn at a dozen paces…“for love is a duel.” The three famished visitors in the ’49 Hudson barging into Sal’s family Christmas in North Carolina where Danny Morgan steals the scene with his antics involving the turkey dinner.  The 1949 New Year’s Eve celebration that comes alive on the screen as the dingledodies “burn, burn, burn” singing and dancing and partying to the sound of “Salt Peanuts” and other tunes of the day.  The way the cops can smell “jailkid” attitude on Dean when the group is stopped for speeding and shaken down for the fine.  And Steve Buscemi at his creepy, lecherous best, about whom Dean quips, “Offer them what they secretly want and they panic.”

I truly love the international flavor of the film.  Many people think of On the Road as an American story, but it truly is a universal/everyman story and that feeling comes through in both Eric Gautier’s cinematography and Gustavo Santaolalla’s musical score.  On the surface they appear to be love songs to America, but they are really, like Kerouac’s words, love songs to Life.

Sturridge is remarkable as a young Allen Ginsberg, his “shining mind” coming forth.  The early relationship between he and Cassady is critical in helping us realize we are not witnessing two legends of The Beat Generation, but rather two young men discovering themselves and each other at the age of twenty.  Kirsten Dunst breaks your heart as the long suffering and aggrieved wife (Carolyn Cassady) staying home with the children while her ne’er do well husband lives life on his own terms. Viggo Mortensen is beyond convincing as William S. Burroughs (Old Bull Lee) fiddling with his guns, his works and his orgone accumulator.  And Kristen Stewart (LuAnne Henderson/’Marylou’) felt safe enough to break the mold from her previous work and take risks as an actor she’s never taken before—the wild child with a mind of her own - to the point her young fans from her previous work may be quite surprised. 

The one thing that really stood out for me is what an incredible job Garrett Hedlund did with the character of Neal Cassady.  His performance just leapt off the screen.  I remember the first time I met Garrett (back in 2007, when he first stopped into The Beat Museum to do some research) I said to him, “For a young actor, I’ve got to believe this is a career making role."  He responded, “I know it is, and I’m determined to do it right.”  I truly believe Garrett lived up to that commitment to the point where, in my mind, he literally embodied Neal on that screen.  And, to tie a bow around that image, I was sitting with John Allen Cassady (Neal Cassady's son) at the screening the other night and his comment as the film ended was, "For a guy who was born fifteen years after my dad died, Garrett sure did a terrific job of bringing him to life." 

Some professional critics have pronounced the movie aimless and wandering, but in fact that's the point. The book was accused of the same thing. The true fan knows that the story of On the Road is not to go from here to there and back again, but to take the inner journey of the soul. On the Road is a spiritual quest, a search for "kicks," a search for "it" - however you define them. And in the end, when Sal meets Dean on the streets of New York—"ragged in his moth eaten overcoat" - Salles allows the audience to see the futility of the outward journey Dean has so desperately been traveling. On the Road is a cautionary tale designed to help us avoid the pitfalls of life, and Salles, like Kerouac before him, avoids making that point too boldly. Instead, they pull us into the story and the lives of the characters allowing us to make this discovery on our own.

I absolutely love the post-ending during the credit roll. As the screen goes black and we hear the voice of the real Jack Kerouac singing we see Garrett Hedlund walking along the railroad tracks with back to the camera. For those of us familiar with Neal Cassady’s story, it's a foreshadowing of what we know must ultimately come in San Miguel de Allende years down the road when Neal ultimately dies along the railroad tracks in 1968.  It's a very poignant post-conclusion to a very powerful work. A little bitter-sweet bonus the casual viewer or critic might never understand.

The true Kerouac fan is going to want to watch this film over and over.  There are so many secret moments to delight in you simply can’t assimilate them all in one viewing.  This is On the Road as it should be brought to the big screen and these film makers got it right.  Despite the fears and uncertainties and angst in the hearts of so many, this film not only works on every level—it shines.

To echo Gilbert Milstein’s book review from The New York Times September 5, 1957—“On the Road is a major film”—and fans are gonna love it.

You can read the article itself online, but for the full effect you’ll have to get your hands on the rather hefty print edition, where we’re nestled between full-page, full-color spreads announcing such exhibitions as Edvard Munch’s Scream (MoMA, NYC) and the work of pop-artist Roy Lichtenstein (National Gallery of Art).

I’ll be honest—it’s profoundly validating to be amongst such respected and well-established institutions—but moreover, recognition is more than just good press. The Beat Generation, too, had humble beginnings and limited resources, yet their work had little regard for material limitations. Jack Kerouac aspired to write the Great American Novel, and Allen Ginsberg sought the greatness of Walt Whitman as a man of letters. Our purpose at The Beat Museum is not only to preserve their works, but to elevate these visionaries to a place their genius deserves.

Read John Hanc’s article, “At Shrine to Beats, Squares Are Welcome, Too” »

Arthur Winfield Knight passed away on September 7, 2012, of liver cancer. He was 74.

Allen Ginsberg, Kit Knight & Arthur Knight, June 1980.

Arthur was an educator, having spent over thirty years teaching English and Creative Writing. To Beat Generation fans he will always be remembered as a scholar and publisher who kept the Beats alive with his anthology, Unspeakable Visions of The Individual.

“Arthur died on his own terms and in his own home. He didn’t want to go out in a hospital or a hospice. He wanted to die as he lived. Arthur and I would often sit and watch the dawn break together. We didn’t do it every day but we did it often. His last morning we sat in our home and watched the day come alive together.” – Kit Knight

Below are some examples from Knight’s vast repertoire:

More photos can be seen at Dave Moore’s Flickr page »