The Beats

I wrote all day yesterday.  I was writing about how the Beats have had an impact on music (a chapter in my book on experimental fiction)  I was inspired by context 2 class on Tuesday where we discussed lyrics/text.
So, Beats were influenced by bebop jazz.  They applied the principles of bebop playing to prose and poetry 'bob prosody.'  This led me to write about the impact Beats had on more contemporary musicians, in particular, Tom Waits, who has acknowledged the influence Jack Kerouac had on his performance style-a drifter, nomadic, the content of his work: hookers, diners and life after night fall.  Waits says, On The Road 'spoke to him' as 'he made the connection between words that felt like music.'  He wrote Jack and Neal and recorded Primus; a song written by Jack after finishing his novel.  In 1987 Waits was involved with Burroughs and Nick Cave releasing 'Smack My Crack.'  And in 1988 theatre director, Robert Wilson, approached Burroughs to write: The Black Rider: The Casting Of Magic Bullets, based on a German folktale; Waits wrote and performed the music and lyrics.  The play toured the States and Europe. If you don't know of Waits, Wicki him-pure poetry!
The Beats also influenced Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, of course the Beatles; they spelled their name with an 'a' as a Beat reference. Lennon was a big Beat fan, as was Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain, Mick Jagger, David Bowie..the beat goes on...
Jamie got me thinking, when he spoke of the blog he'd been reading.  Yep, images, links...mm...something for the future...but I guess, for now, I'd better get writing, and stop my displacement activity (writing this blog/diary) but it's fun.  But so is today's chapter: Spirituality & The Beats.  Better find my Bhagavad Gita.
Once again, thanks for your emails.  Time to write!
P.S. Master Chef was good last night