Beating the odds.
I remember reading Kerouac’s On The Road (again) on a plane to the US a few years ago. Some find it a depressing read, others are inspired by it. Over the years of reading it various emotions came to me for each different time. This time I got a feeling of optimism, not for how life is or the way things are in this world (no hope of that,) but for the future of what we know as the Beat Generation.
The are numerous schools of thought when it comes to defining this generation. They have been called agitators, malcontents, leftists, the list goes on. Where, to a point they were some of these things , they did bring a freedom and freshness to the world of writing and reading. As the decades passed they became less relevant to some because of the pressure on people to conform, or harmonize if you like. The material lifestyle gained strength, and as it did the Beat life lost some of it’s momentum. As a result the Beat Generation was, and to a lesser extent still is faced with the dilemma of the conservative rock and the literary hard place. But thanks to the likes of Beatdom the Beat is alive, well and on the up, encouraging the junior beats to grow and new Beat talent to unfold.
I believe quality of writer and not quantity is the key to keep clawing back the times of great prose and poetry, all be it with a modern twist. The biggest factor in maintaining the rise is the small but dedicated group of self-publishers constantly grafting, pounding the streets, and beating a path through the internet, doggedly getting their message across, reaching out in a quiet but successful effort to keep the Beat Generation energized. This is of huge importance in keeping this literary soil fertile, all for little or no profit.
One of those publishers would be Kevin Ring of Beat Scene Magazine. Kevin’s publication has being going for over 20 years and has played a huge part in keeping the Beats alive. You can see his site here.
The publisher I’m focusing on here is David S. Wills. DS as I call him is the founder and editor of Beatdom, a magazine dedicated to The Beat Generation and it’s ilk. The reason I’m going to focus on DS and Beatdom is to bolster my points made above.
DS is a twenty something, Scottish school teacher living in Korea. His passion for the Beat word is admirable. Apart from being an avid reader he is another self-publisher of a Beat Generation magazine. Since 2007 he has succeeded in gathering a group of writers and poets of all ages, all talented in their field with varying histories. Some just starting out and some experienced. His methods are key to keeping the Beat momentum going. A mixture of youth, energy and experience are the key. The hiring and utilizing of youth and energy to bring a neoteric flavour to the scene and experience to give a foundation. To give you an idea of the Beatdom reach here are a few stats…
It has over 30 contributers, 5 different folks concerned with art and graphic design. It has interviewed such folks as….
Merry Pranksters Ken Babbs and Paul Krassner.
Carolyn Cassady.
Barry Gifford.
Zane Kesey.
Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman (Directors of Howl) and many more..
Beatdom is not profit driven, it’s mission is to drive Beat literature into the future with new and passionate talent while keeping the significance of Kerouac, Ginsberg and all the others. Not an easy task, but to the outsider looking in, DS and his cohorts do it with apparent ease and agility. My two cents? The only way the Beat ilk will keep a foothold in these times of information overload, and game console distraction is if folks like David S. Wills and Kevin Ring keep the interest going. I suppose modern times call for modern measures.
The Issue.
Issue 5 of Beatdom hit my hall carpet yesterday morning complements of Edaurdo Jones. I managed to unwrap 
the mangled package that was jammed through my letterbox, complements of a careless postman with anger problems.
Edaurdo (the voice of the doomed) is on the Beatdom staff as art director and regular contributer. He’s 34 but writes like a old-timer with a grudge. He has been through more crap in his 34 years than most people would care to think about. He is a caustic writer for the most part but he also has the ability for what I’d call straight writing. I told him the other day that he was a writer in the poetic sense where I am more of a commentator (straight writer) and limited within the scope of news, reviews, reporting etc, although with a twist of satire and mockery. Jones is lucky that he can do both (I believe.)
Anyway in issue 5 his piece is Deep Fried Duct Tape and Sushi Knives. It is a memoir of sorts detailing some quite unsettling experiences of a life led not so long ago in biographical terms. The piece is written with an honesty some folks would prefer to leave in the closet.
Another interesting article is Lady Beats by Hanna Withrow. An interesting, decent sized article about ladies of the Beat Generation. Covering Diane di Prima, Hettie Jones, Joyce Johnson and more.
Also some interesting news on the battle for Kerouac’s estate. And a great feature on Burroughs’ 50th anniversary of Naked Lunch.
The Poets.
There are some great poems in the magazine. Words from Josh Chase, J.S. Mitchell, Michael Shorb, and George Wielgus. Great reading in this section by talented poets.
In General.
All told with the fantastic artwork, great setup, great writing and glossy cover with brilliant artwork by Isaac Bonan of Allen Ginsberg, issue 5 is full of entertainment. I must stress though that Issue 6 is already out, when I get a copy I’ll shout.
The Links.
Here are some of the links connected with Beatdom, just click on the names.. Beatdom, Beatdom on Facebook, Twitter, The Beatdom Blog, Edaurdo Jones, Kyle Chase, City of Recovery Press the publisher of Beatdom.
