The Voice of the Beats

It's more than half a century since Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" landed like a bombshell in the staid world of 1950s America.

The Guardian asks, "What was the poet really like?" Friends and colleagues remember him.

From the piece...

John Cassady

Neal and Carolyn Cassady's son is a musician who grew up around Ginsberg and remained friends with him all his life.

"I call him my second father, but he was more like an uncle. I remember in 1964, the Beatles had just hit [the US] – I was 14 and a huge fan. I was living with my parents in the house in California and Jack [Kerouac] and Allen and everybody was in and out. It was kinda an interesting childhood, as you can imagine. I'm sitting across the coffee table from Allen and he goes: 'Johnny! D'you wanna scoop? You want some dirt?' He looks both ways conspiratorially and goes: 'The Beatles smoke pot!' And I say: 'What's pot?' And Allen looked so crestfallen. He gave me this look like, 'aren't you Neal Cassady's son – whaddya mean "what's pot?"' He was so excited to tell me: so here's Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan turning the Beatles on to pot in the hotel room after the Ed Sullivan Show – how many kids get this story?

One time my mother threw this huge party in 1973, I forget the excuse. Allen showed up with this big cast on his right leg, on crutches. I say what happened and he gives me a wink and a nod and says: 'Chasin' women.' Well, he knew better than that but that gave me a big laugh – he was such a funny, clever guy. When the police showed up at the party – we had cars up and down the street for three miles – they saw Allen and asked for his autograph: the cops were fans. I mean, is this a great world or what?

Allen was always very kind and a real gentle soul, never selfish at all. It wasn't until years later that I realised he was a rock star as far as literary history goes."

If you're wanting to hear him read "Howl," go here.