Here’s a hilarious fresh, sharp interview with Merry Prankster/Marine vet/farmer/writer and *the* Intrepid Traveler Ken Babbs talking about his new book “Cronies, a Burlesque” with basketballer/Deadhead Bill Walton (dialed up to 11 as usual) on a Powell’s (Portland) Book Store show with a cute young host holding on for the ride.
{Sorta continuation from my “hero dossier / meet the beats” video a while back with namechecks & stories with Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Grateful Dead, Merry Pranksters on Furthur bus, Acid Tests etc et al & more#plug #notaplug.}
Note: I bought from Tsunami Books/Press in the “super early support pre-release” to score a signed copy… but the shipping to Japan is rather expensive, so I get stuff sent to a friend in Olympia who is/was planning to visit – I’ve sent so many books to him (I did a lot of support of the Beat Museum and Ken Sanders Rare Books during the pandemic that I’ve amassed a small medium-sized library at his house – so eventually will ask him (and another friend in Pacifica, CA) to send out via M-bag if the borders remain closed for another year or so. This is just a long way of saying “no I haven’t actually read the book but eventually I will“.
Aside: I’m just finishing up a literary critical biography of Hunter Thompson (David S Wills’ “High White Notes”), and a series called “Letters of Note“ which is compiled by Shaun Usher (beautifully in a hardback book) interesting correspondence from throughout history. [more: books recently] and its companion “Lists of Note”.
Update: Tuns out, I have *sort of* read (some of) it as, whilst going through my bookshelf to freshen up the bedside stock, I found an advance copy chapbook called “We Were Arrested” with one of the chapters, printed on hemp paper(!) and signed to me from Mr. Babbs himself along with a doodle of his face.
Was made by Tsunami Books/Press to generate interest/attention for the now finished book. It’s about Babbs (Intrepid Traveler), Kesey, Cassady, George Walker and others starting the Acid Tests, formation of the Warlocks>Grateful Dead and (obviously) getting arrested. It was really nice little artifact and journey that led me to finding it.
Couple more interviews from Ken’s promo efforts (Grateful Dead biographer Dennis McNally is his publicist for the project and keeping him busy):
KLCC Interview: Ken Babbs discusses “Cronies”, a fun and wild counterculture flashback
Vaguely related: Came across a pre-order for Doug Peacock’s new book, order soon to get it signed. I know it’s just an “signature” but I think about that signature 50 or 100 years from now and there’s solid chance that it is the only one in existence in Japan. example: Seeing the Jack Kerouac On the Road exhibit in Kobe last year – and seeing all these early editions of important books – reminds me of the significance of the artifacts knot just the contents / thoughts therein.
{I mean all this computer *stuff* isn’t permanent, you even think about all the love letters and correspondence he wrote on some “previous email address/program” and that’s all lost forever now. Hooray for paper.}
Anyhow, he’s (Peacock) also doing an in person reading/event at Ken Sanders rare books new location at the Leonardo Museum in Salt Lake City in March, gosh would love to be there.
Pardon brevity, just making sure i note the notes.