I heard San Francisco was a (maybe still) intellectual city when I was in high school. My other reason was to move to Bay Area other than Tech right after college.
Everyone heard the hippie movement, but I just recently discovered the “Beat movement.” Their leaders are Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, and many more. These two names were familiar to me. I saw a couple of alleys under Kerouac while living near the SOMA part of San Francisco. A couple of days ago, I went to our local library to check out the Poetry section. Unfortunately, my English poetry knowledge is very limited with my two all-time favorites, Leonard Cohen and Charles Bukowski.
While checking the books on the poetry section, I found Mexico City Blues by Jack Kerouac. As I told you, Kerouac’s name is familiar to me. So I sat down and read a couple of pages of Mexico City Blues which has 242 choruses. I was shocked and speechless. Why nobody didn’t tell me this book before? It is a mind-blowing masterpiece. Most beat and hippie movement members think Mexico City Blues is religion. It’s hard for me to describe it.
The best way for you to listen/watch. Choruses readers include Allen Ginsberg, Carl Solomon, Michael Scholnick, Barbara Barg, Charles Bernstein, Vincent Katz, and many more. (Already checking their works too. I fall down to Mexico City Blue rabbit hole) Everyone stood up and read their favorite parts and shared their connection. (recorded live Dec 1988)