Tag Archives: brian hassett

Writing Life

Jack Kerouac 100: memo and mixed media artifact round-up

Jack Kerouac 100 Centenary
Mixed Media Artifact Round-up

Memo, March 11, 2022: *Happy* 100 birthday Jack Kerouac. Died in 1969, just before I was born ~ i’ve stumbled as a lonesome traveler on the road with your books stuffed in dharma bum rucksack for decades with dreams, visions, blues & haiku. Somehow, almost accidentally, lived longer than you *&* I’m (trying to be) a great dad – you still always win at the prose though.

Did you know in those last years that half a century later we would all know and still care, possibly even more? Maybe you did.

Of course here at my “creative life archive“ I have loads of videos, podcast, riffs, snap etc. about old Ti Jean, but rather than posting invisible links for further digging,

I’ll leave it to your exploration (you know how to search). Daveostory dot com and invite you (those *thirthy/fortyish* or under &/or otherwise unaware) to ask me questions as I’m working on some projects to turn “the youth“ onto the erstwhile beat generation.

Im no biographer (goodness knows they are possibly *too many* of those) but I am an enthusiast and dareisay have “lived beat“ much of my life {all that hitchhikin, all that railroadin, all that coming back to… } & have the scars, stories and notebooks as evidence.

Curiosity encouraged and welcomed.

Jack Kerouac 100 Centenary
Mixed Media Artifact Round-up

Artifacts, riffs, essays, interviews, etc – specifically about, or generally close to – Jack Kerouac’s 100th birthday. {Obviously not complete so kindly let me know if something to add}

One preview from Brian Land:

And speaking of love between Beat brothers, after the post-show groove-down ended, my German compadre Thomas Kauertz had lined up a video-chat with fellow Canadian Beat Dave Olson who’s now living in Japan following in the Gary Snyder tradition, and unlike back in the Beat-old-days, we were able to talk live on screen in that real Star Trek world we find ourselves — and let’s never forget how frickin wild this all is.  Within seconds, we’ve got Dave on the screen in our hands, 14 hours into tomorrow on the other side of the world, as we share live the visual buzz back-and-forth in real time.  Beat that!

Dave’s built a crazy directional sign post in his front yard for all wandering Japanese to stop and wonder about.  He only puts cool locations on it, and the next day he sent a picture of his next addition . . .

via Brian Land:Kerouac’s 100th birthday celebration in Lowell
Beat Sushi, Records

Beat Sushi: Jack Kerouac spins for “Brian Land”

Video

From a kura barn in provincial Japan, DaveO kicks off “Beat Sushi” by sending greetings to Beat / Deadhead / Prankster / Political fixer(?) Brian Hassett with a meandering answer to a simple question about a Jack Kerouac vinyl box set.

Along with spinning Velvet Underground and Jack’s “Western Movies” with Al Cohn and Zoot Sims from “The Last Word” disc, your rambling host talks about:

  • * JK’s recent centenary & events in Lowell, Mass etc
  • * a phone call from Lowell with Brian and Thomas the German architect
  • * plus namechecks for: Beat Museum’s event in San Francisco; Jim Irsay and Mr. Canary’s sc/rol etc adventures in LA and beyond
  • * bit of SxSW flashback (missing pals & hi/jinks)
  • * and a look around the Giggling Piglet Studio with records, books, typewriters, flags, ephemera and whatnot

Dig Jack Kerouac festivities in Lowell roundup riff at Brian Land: https://brianhassett.com/2022/03/kerouacs-100th-birthday-celebration-in-lowell/

Much more Beat & counter-culture literary goodness, fill yer boots!

Beat Sushi, Social + Culture

(Brief) Intro to The Beat Generation #video

Video

A rollicking rapid-fire, mixed-media introduction to The Beat Generation – made especially for youth (specifically, a 11th grade lit class at a DoD base school) – with topics including:

  • what made The Beats, the beats (ergo: time, place, circumstance, intentions, global mindset, searching for “holy”)
  • characteristics of style (freeverse, spontaneous prose, collaboration, diversity, art + craft + integrity)
  • notable writers and characters including: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg William S. Burroughs, Gary Snyder, Neal Cassady, Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • roots and branches extending from the Beats like: Merry Pranksters, folkies, hippies, yippies, punks, DIY and even “digital nomads”
  • riffs about censorship, “obscenity” trials, sexuality, religiosity
  • call to action about the importance everyone with something to say “saying it” – including YOU
  • plus more notable writers: Gregory Corso, Richard Brautigan, Ruth Weiss, Diane DiParma & currently working Ron Whitehead and Anne Waldman
  • namechecks and cameos for: The Clash, Tom Waits, Jello Biafra, Ken Kesey, Wang Ping, Masa Uehara, Nanao Sakaki many more…

Presented from a historic barn in provincial Japan with vinyl records, artifacts, ephemera, loads of books, postcards etc – by storymaker Dave Olson who invites you to ask questions via postcard (address included within).

Lists, Artifacts, and Asides from Intro to The Beat Generation ~ with daveo in Japan
Continue reading (Brief) Intro to The Beat Generation #video →
Japan Cottage Musings

Connecting Generations with Letters, Books & Ferments – Japan Cottage Musings

Pausing in the Kura barn from arranging dongles, cables, tripods – trying to upgrade tech aspect of telling stories – Dave starts with Kiana Brassest singing in the background while adding notes about decades of story making & thoughts about continuing with vigor.

Then into a recent Osera magazine cameo from a fermented foods tour (including saké, beer, cheese, wine, miso, shoyu…) in Maniwa, Okayama (which is also sorta son Ichiro’s first publication). 

oh! a curious cameo of us in Onsera magazine learning about saké making from a handsome gent in Maniwa, Okayama

Next onto recent books by post including:

“Waiting for Now” world-traveling “Scarborough dude” Ken Bole *often very* candid letters from Japan, Nigeria, Thailand, Canada etc to friends and family (with numerous coincidences and intersections with my own life).

connecting generations and traditions with letters, books, postcards and rambles

“Waiting for Now” available via Blurb (part 2 available for preorder) & Check Scarborough Dudes DicknJanes pod diary etc.

“High White Notes” – David S Wills’ brand-new literary biography of Gonzo writer/journalist renegade Hunter S Thompson – available from his Beatdom publishing imprint + riffs include namechecks for Dr. HST’s book of letters “Proud Highway” and references to Joseph Conrad (re: Importance of dedication to art),  Henry Miller (re: Big Sur etc), and Jack Kerouac (re: enemy of my enemy is my friend – if he could get write about drugs and get published…)

“First Third” – beat, prankster, railroader, hero “Adonis of Denver” 50th anniversary of Neal Cassady’s partial autobiography, inscribed by his daughter Jami Cassady on behalf of Neal Cassady Estate –including postcards with noted photos of, and by, the elegant poet, photographer, lover and muse Carolyn Cassady – with the aim of “Keeping the legacy alive” ++ a bit about Ken Kesey & the Merry Pranksters Further bus.

Oh yeah a reference to Brian Hassett’s cool “Hitchhiking to Kerouac” book in there too with stories about Carolyn Cassady…

Be like your heroes of something… photo by Wang Ping (screenshot from a FB post obv)

Finally, a whole rundown of poets Gary Snyder and Wang Ping spending time together at Kitkitddizze in Sierra Nevada –working on translation, amplification and edification including coffee, Han Shan poems, Hanko stamps, sons Gen and Kei, Lagunitas IPA and gyoza dumplings and cowboy steaks, the history of Axe Handles poem (and translation thereof), Snyder’s new book “This Present Moment” and me at “home” (finally) in a red velvet robe with coffee cup by potter Marty Thurston Kendall of Utah knowing while our journey is our own, there is precedent for path before (like I can be 91 hanging out with my son Ichiro, living well and making poems in a barn).

Gary Snyder and sons Gen and Kei kicking back at Kitkitddizze homestead with Lagunitas IPA and dumplings by poet Wang Ping (who took the photo)

See more at @Ping Wang’s Youtube – especially this video about Axe Handles: and website: http://www.wangping.com/ and see also translated “Flander’s Field” (Canadian) John McCrae to Chinese.

More Kiana Brasset at (I guess, sorta need better link or…? anyhow) met her on the Tracks on Tracks trip.

Moo cards / various sizes and styles, each can be unique = get some https://refer.moo.com/s/gravellybeach

Also, a postcard from a friend wandering in London, a new batch of Moo “friendship” cards [get yer own]

Always more more more projects coming along…

Fondly, dvo/uw