Various (Ring, Kevin (Editor); Bauer, Todd; Cooper, Colin; Ferlinghetti, Lawrence; Ginsberg, Allen; Huncke, Herbert; Kerouac, Jack; Krassner, Paul; Reeves, Pauline; Rogers, Jon et al.)

Beat Scene No. 26

Warwickshire, England: Beat Scene Press, 1996. First Printing. Stapled Wrappers. This early issue of Kevin Ring's exceptional Beat Scene Magazine from 1996 begins with an obituary for Herbert Huncke, titled "Huncke the Hipster;" it continues in a somewhat different format for those familiar with the later, or more recent issues of the celebrated Beat-&-Beyond quarterly. We have a "Beats and Co." compilation of recent publications and news related to Beat Generation figures as well as a hodgepodge of recommendations from the list's compilers, Pauline Reeves & Todd Bauer. Following this is a similar, although more bibliographical, list of recordings featuring Allen Ginsberg compiled by Jon Rogers. While scholarship may have caught up regarding this lost mystery and this author may not be familiar with the findings, we find mention of "The BBC Archive Recordings," from early Beat commentator Thomas Parkinson's "...series on American poets," for which Ginsberg "...started recording his five minute section, then the programme (sic) director rushed in asking if he'd record the whole of HOWL and A SUPERMARKET IN CALIFORNIA. Parkinson called it a great recording. Unfortunately the BBC has no record of this reading." Notably, Rogers' compilation states that the recording took place on February 3, 1958--in the Stanford University Manuscripts Division section of the Online Archive of California (OAC.cdlib.org), there is a date for the HOWL recording attributed to Parkinson from March 18, 1956, but we have yet to see confirmation that Parkinson captured Ginsberg reading HOWL that early. Even if he did capture Ginsberg reading HOWL before publication, in Winter 2008 Reed College came out with the news that "...in a plain gray archival box in the basement of Reed's Hauser Library...lies a single reel of audiotape...marked simply but evocatively with two names and a year: 'Snyder and Ginsberg 1956.'" According to John Suiter's article "When the Beats Came Back" from Reed Magazine Vol. 87, No.1 (February 2008), it was Mid-February of 1956 that Ginsberg and Snyder were invited to read, and it has been suggested that Ginsberg only read HOWL at Snyder's prodding. Either way, history seems to have been made--as it is currently, to the best of this author's present knowledge, the earliest known recording of HOWL. The issue continues with an exceptional interview of the criminally-overlooked Paul Krassner, who traveled with Lenny Bruce and started doing stand-up in Greenwich Village after Bruce had inspired him. His adult-humor magazine, "The Realist," was read by Jack Kerouac among many other notables. A fun exchange in the Krassner article reads: "In the early Sixties (sic) THE REALIST interviewed Alan Watts where Watts stated 'Kerouac has Zen flesh but not Zen bones.' Kerouac upon reading the interview wrote a letter to THE REALIST saying "I do too have Zen Bones!" There is as ever much more in this issue, including a notated manuscript poem-in-progress by the iconic Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) & contemporary reviews. Despite the difference in format in this early issue to the later issues, there are still treasures to behold, and treasure maps to be tantalizingly offered in this early number of Ring's Beat Scene Magazine, which has never failed to live up to its front-cover motto: "This is the Beat Generation." In near-fine condition with mild rubbing, scratching & faint creasing to front, back covers & stapled spine; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases to edges & corners of same; one very small area at lower right corner of front cover with loss of paper; staples beginning to rust (at interior only, & without discernible bleeding). Interior fine with only slight rubbing to mostly blank lower margin of recto first page leaf (contents page); tiny bumps, faint creases at corners of leaves. Near Fine. [Item #4991]

Price: $30.00