Legendary poet and naturalist and my personal hero, Gary Snyder in rare one hour+ conversation and reading with free registration via {online streaming service provider}
Photo by Wang Ping // the poet with sons Gen & Kei at Kitkitdizze, 2022(?)
You may know Mr. Snyder from the San Francisco poetry Renaissance, the transpacific poetic connection, sparking various coliving/commune experiences in Japan, translating the Han Shan poems, travels through India and Nepal, homesteading in the Shasta bio-region of California at Kitkitdizze, Pulitzer prize for poetry, dozens of collections of essays – and of course – poetry, oh and working as an oiler on freight ships, as a timber puller, mountain top fire lookout, trail builder, activating with the “wobblies” not to mention fixing all manner of machines, hosting nekkid sauna parties & bringing two intrepid children (now remarkable adults obviously) Gen & Kai into the world with Masa Uehara #AxeHandles
“How to start a revolution”
As well as collaborating with &/or inspiring Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Phillip Whalen, Joanne Kryger, Masa Uehara, Carole Koda, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Neal Cassady, Peter Coyote, correspondences with Wendell Berry and Edward Abbey et al and reading at the legendary “Six Poets at Six Gallery” event in San Francisco w/ aforementioned Ginsberg, Whalen + Michael McClure, Phillip Lamanthia, hosted by Kenneth Rexroth (I have a video about this historic event), & most recently his sublime convos & translations with Wang Ping.
Unsurprisingly, dozens of mixed media artifacts concerning the goodly Mr. Snyder exist throughout this archive including “Postcards from Gravelly Beach” podcast, various Beat lit/trans specific poetry Renaissance video dispatches, musings and meditations about his poetry etc.
{Various photos of the poet with friends follow, uncredited – with apologies – and unannotated, for decorative purposes only, govern yourself accordingly}
Anyone in New York City able to go catch the auction? Lots close on Dec. 8th as i understand… Would make a heck of a Christmas present ?
Anyhow, Dharma Bums has a $240K USD opening bid with $300-500K estimate {my guess is $650K+ USD}
Including: “a green quarter morocco slipcase and chemise.” {best feature!}
Any of you in the area to go document the proceedings? (and say “hallo” to the new custodian)
Kerouac Big Sur Postcard
There are a whole bunch of other Kerouac artifacts up on this auction block including many typed letters including to Allen Ginsberg and other notable characters.
While most items, starting obviously with the original rolled typescript of “Dharma Bums” are a couple $,000 beyond me, can’t help but notice this original Kerouac Postcard from Big Sur which seems like it should *really be* in my kura studio – I mean it hits all of my marks right?
The price is not as eye-watering and the postmark is lovely. Estimate 1,000 – 2,000 USD Starting Bid 600 USD
Jason welcomes under-qualified window-washer Dave Olson & his fantastic beard & beautiful hands for a natter about punching or hugging Dostoevsky, see-through loincloths, meeting REM, borrowing mustard from Allen Ginsberg, dodgy Greyhound stations, working out the writing life math, and how cheerleaders are people too. There's ropey Egyptian history, a savage polemic, the details of hippy teacher Mr Boris's new motorized home, a few bits & Brother Bobs of Dave's early poetry & prose, & Jason getting his King Tut timeline wrong by only 3700 years. An unnerving—if not terrifying—time is guaranteed for all. Music by the outrageous DJ Max in Tokyo. Many thanks, wherever & whoever & however you are, for listening.
PPS more should be said about this wonderful conversation and yes, I have scans of more of the artifacts {and about Jason & my correspondence} so pardon brevity, I’m in a fog
Preamble from Oct. 31: My sweet goodness, what a topsy-turvy buncha days out in the world. So much sadness, so much hope, so much everything happening all at once. Peace to the memories of the lost ones. Not quite sure how to react except to go wash dishes and fold laundry.
Meanwhile, Nov. 6: Usually, usually usually usually: i like to put a little monthly recap for the previous month – with a picture of a calendar – for some sort of a mental reset routine amidst the anomalies of chronology which, frankly doesn’t make sense (the concept of a calendars and the reasons i recap).
Though, i changed all the calendars (Japan is a great place to live if you love free calendars), i didn’t take a snapshot (my handy pocket robot camera has stopped working) but the photo with me in various hats feels kind of like a calendar and well, the last day of October is a day for dressing up in various disguises so voila!
Note: I don’t care for scary stuff or spooky stuff or horror stuff but you know I’m a fan of hats, costumes and disguises.
So, while we’re well into November, the darling wife and adorable son are off at tea ceremony after a day out a Kurashiki jazz street yesterday in the gorgeous historical Bikan district, and I’ve folded the laundry, still have a few dishes to do and a pot of rice to put on and, for consistency, here are a few notes about October.
my great pal Banghi made this amusing meme with me and hero Tintin, i love it!
Books: Currently reading Tanizaki Junichiro’s “The Makioka Sisters” – story of a once-prominent family in Osaka/Kobe in the (dreamy) Taisho era and enjoying so much. Kind of Tolstoy-esque it’s pleasant pacing & details of family life. Previously read his “Naomi”. Did you read either?
Also reading Murakami Ryu (not Haruki)’s “69” / I usually have three or four books on the go at once in different locations. Right now keeping stacks handy for glances of poetry for inspiration while I work on my book project.
Ichiro has learned the wonders of Tintin books so we’re reading Tintin in Tibet over and over again and we both love it. Also “old farm, new farm” as well as “toot and puddle” – all most excellent.
Also posted a review of Amy Chavez’s book, trying to do this for more books (and have a plan to write something about the new record from The Matinée)
Anyhow, October featured two big “buckets of things”
1) Loads of creative projects wound up, especially:
the Kerouac in Kobe video and related coverage in Rock and Beat Generation and Allen Ginsberg project and loads of dossiers send out into the world / note: followed along with coverage of “Lowell Celebrates Kerouac” event but made sure to not feel blue about missing out
poetry anthology “Muriel’s Journey” and the online reading – which sort of help me reconnect with my former home of Vancouver as well as meet some interesting poets, some of which also have a connection with Japan
interview / convo with Jason Emde for his “Writers Read their Early Sht” pod, coming soon-ish / provided opportunity to surface all sorts of archeology
2) Loads of “life admin” stuff wrapped up, including:
various passports, citizenship and tax matters in several countries
into new medical programs, detailed elsewhere
paperwork for schools & pensions
tickets purchased for a big trip next year (more later)
Next up for November:
the big one is trying to focus on this poetry book that I keep yapping about (its kinda project which is hard to start and stop and start… momentum and pacing is key)
but also:
one more round of absurd disability paperwork for Canada, completely intimidating
getting ahead of the New Year’s card production routine, (I love this but scaling back a bit this year, trimming the list)
doing a big picture hanging funtime (gonna be really fantastic)
a few more things around the yard and garden (did a few already)
plans for festive get together and possible Santa Claus appearances
Bonus: me in fifth grade Prince Charles elementary school in Surrey science fair, and full costume with a (sorta) scale model of Tutankhamun’s tomb complete with gold painted treasures inside, a back light, and a sign saying “see what Howard Carter saw” / also a mimeographed and-out with an essay explaining “the daily life of the young king”
So happy to be included in this fantastic Allen Ginsberg Project news round-up with my Kerouac in Kobe project // catch more goodness via @ginsbergpoem on Twtr &/or Allen Ginsberg on Fb. They do a truly incredible job of archiving, amplifying and curating so much poetic goodness.
(from Allen Ginsberg Archive, round-up} Allen Ginsberg at the April 1973 “Tribute to Jack Kerouac” at Salem State College – for more images from that historic occasion – see here
Kerouac Centennial. In case anybody missed it. Here’s our two-part posting on the legendary (very first) Kerouac Conference, back in 1973 in Salem, Massachusetts – here and here
Note: For the all the influences of Japan on the wider Beat community – especially Zen and haiku – this was the first comprehensive exhibit. While centered around Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” typescript, was really reflective of roots and branches of Beats in Japan with loads of ephemera (esp from Kazu-san at http://www.flying-books.com/ including: chapbooks, posters, editions, maps, passports, records from dear Allen as well as Nanao Sakaki, Gary Snyder + Phillip Whalen and others.
Encourage anyone with an interest about this unique viewpoint to dig in to the interview with Prof Matt Theado with loads of riffs and topics and laughs, plus the “Rock and Beat Generation” interview with Simon Warner and even a spontaneous video from my historic barn studio in provincial Okayama with topics from car crashes to Television (the band not the communications medium) to namechecks for poets Marc Zegans and Ron Whitehead and pods from Ken Bole.
Please investigate all of the above and add your sparks to the tinder to keep the creative goodness flowing from these notable poets, scholars and renegades, ergo from Jerry:
My friend Dave Olson is a Canadian living in Japan who sends out periodic riffs on all things Beat. He has a tremendous breadth and depth to his knowledge and his delivery style is authentically engaging. You should check out his page and dig into the work he’s doing – I always learn something from Dave.”
“The Beats aren’t frozen in amber. What these writers wrote about and inspired us to do is go out and live life intentionally and deliberately and full-on and photgraph your tears…”
~ Dave Olson
+ What the Poets are Saying
Poet / creative project advisor Marc Zegans, shared his kind words (adding tinder to the little flame)
Marvelously rich and detailed interview. I was particularly struck by Dave’s account of how he kept adapting his plans to the ever-changing situation with respect to the Kobe exhibition. His laid back adaptations in the moment would, I imagine, make Gary Snyder smile. Also loved the bit about choosing the Red Norvo track for the film. it does resonate strongly as something Sal and Dean might have been listening to in the big old Hudson. Thoroughly enjoyed Dave’s account of his journey to, from, and back to Japan. Wonderful questions Simon, and thoroughly engaging responses.
grab your passport, map and suitcase and let’s go Go GO!
A rollicking mixed-media revue of a groundbreaking exhibit in Japan featuring a stunningly-reproduced facsimile of the taped-together sc/roll manuscript of what became Jack Kerouac’s seminal, counter-culture-sparking novel “On The Road.”
Blurb: A lively conversation between storymaker Dave Olson and with Professor & President of Beat Studies Assoc., Matt Theado of Kobe City University Dept of Foreign Studies, at BB Plaza Art Museum in Kobe, Japan, summer of 2021 after the event was delayed for a year for *public health conundrums* and re-imagined to include a truly remarkable collection of ephemera, chapbooks, broadsides, posters, typewrtier, records, various editions of On the Road, related book, maps, Japanese language glossary and much more – most provided by Kazu-san of Flying Books of Tokyo.
The fast-placed video includes many artifacts from the exhibit and from the host’s life of travels and evidence of “living beat” to connect the experience to *anyone’s* life (that means “you” if you choose).
Oh so glad you stopped by for “Kerouac in Kobe”
Riffs:
Logistics of creating the”authorized forgery/reproduction” of the noted taped-together original manuscript & how the original plan of bringing the original manuscript (and Mr. Jim Canary) was thwarted
The symposium of writers, scholars, translators held at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (YT archive)
Observations about Jack’s process in writing the work (and dispelling the myth of a benzadrine-induced manic type-athon) including the importance of “working with you got,” notebooks, list taking, knowing where you are going
How he immediately re-typed on “regular paper”, changing names and making ready for publication
Scenes of life of America in transition at the time, the embrace of bohemian culture
Curiously Punctuated (and Ready) ~ Beat Sushi with Jason Emde
Spontaneous riffs and readings from world rambling renegade letter writer with a new master’s thesis, Jason Emde who, as it goes from his home in Gifu also makes a podcast called “writers read their early sh!t”.
oh Hi, let’s try on hats and listen to records
From the Kura barn studio, Dave meanders about Japan geography and “things not done” and hat selections for Kyoto before reading Jason’s letter to Molly, then rambles on about similarities in geography, points of view, adventures whilst recounting how he came across Jason’s work stretching over a decade or more (and including naval officer Bob), oh then 2 freeverse poems (after Gary Snyder) with Jason’s streams about “usual days” in Gifu and Vernon.
Beat Sushi with Jason Emde at daveostory (art by Ichiro Stanley)
Plus name checks for James Joyce’s Ulysses, Christopher Trottier, Marshall McLuhan, Ken Babbs, Ken Bole, music bits from Bachman Turner Overdrive Live at Budokon, John K Samson (of The Weakerthans etc), hooray for ampersands and em-dashes! Also Amsterdam, London, Vancouver, Bali and most points in between, except Africa, haven’t gone there.
Thanks to Dan for the package of friendship, ephemera, artifacts and goodness
Taking a break from chainsaw noise cutting down bamboo, DaveO rambles on about the importance of community and correspondence (yes spelled incorrectly) – especially while in a rough patch with a chronic and complex illness #MECFS – and shares a remarkable package sent by Kerouac enthusiast Dan Bacon in Massachusetts including: scrapboook, artifacts, ephemera and memorabilia from Lowell, Jack Kerouac’s 100th birthday, and other events including the impending Town and the City music festival which inspires playing of lovely blue Tanya Donelly and Parkington Sisters vinyl record.
Also shows new-ish Cascadia passport and meanders about Gary Snyder in Japan years ago and his recent convos with poet Wang Pang ++ love of maps, letters, stories, and how we’re all part of the erstwhile Beat tradition if we are living intentionally, respecting others’ voices and creating goodness.
Happy to be your fan, fondly etc. from Giggling Piglet Studio in a historic Kura storehouse in Tsuchida, Okayama, Japan.
(in reply to a deadhead’s note): 1991 was a heckuva summer for me – turning 21, retiring the fake ID, at shoreline. Squaw Valley, Ell river, Cal Expo, hostage incident in Taos New Mexico, been crashed by Bachelor party gone horribly wrong in Salt Lake City, all the reggae in Albuquerque, tripping in Arches, Telluride music festival learning to become invisible with Allman brothers & Blues Traveler, house parties in Boulder with emerging cheeseball rockers, meeting Allen Ginsberg, busking with the ghost of DH Lawrence , a rotating cast of hippie girls in the 74 turtle top bus, Arcata co-op, Seattle “grunge” at the offramp and living punk in U district, the hippie boys going to the dark side in the Haight, so many shakedowns by forest rangers, cops or just being parked where we really shouldn’t have. c/ Sooby Ahmed
{question accepted within reason}
PS soon after was east coast (such different) back to west, fixing mtn bike job, hitchhiking and grapes in Europe, somehow Miami post-hurricane, drive-away car to Dallas (danger!), SLC, Seattle, Vancovuer, (DLR at Marble Arch) and magically Tottori in the snow… some mushroom months, and then…
mixed-media art library, global diary, project dossier and whole life documentation
