RECEIVED: Erni Baer Beats Me from Britain! (Hamburg, Germany via Coventry, England)

[De Villo Sloan]

Beat Scene zine (published in Britain) from IUOMA member Erni Baer (Hamburg, Germany)

 

August 22, 2011 - Is it mail-art? I don't care. I cannot possibly thank Erni Baer (aka Haptic Werewolf aka Hipster of Hamburg)  enough for sending me a hot-off-the-press copy of Beat Scene magazine with a stunning shot on the cover of Jack Kerouac in his prime (New York, 1957), looking across time and space into our eyes. I bet he'd approve that he found his way back to the United States via the mail-art network. What can I send Erni? Maybe a Tom Clark book would be appropriate ;))) And Beat Scene is not just for pictures, the articles are great:

 

 

The excerpt from "More Notes of a Dirty Old Man" by Charles Bukowski is a big score for the issue. Of course, the article I shall read over and over is:

 

We have discussed Black Mountain College often at the IUOMA. In October 2010, John Held, Jr. curated a mail-art show in North Carolina where the former Black Mountain College has been converted to an archive, research center, and art gallery. Many of us had work in the show. Ray Johnson was among the many artists and writers who attended Black Mountain, so this part of 20th century cultural history is intimately connected to the mail-art movement. Also included in the envelope from Britain was this piece of cardboard. I think it was just meant to provide support for Beat Scene as it traveled through the mail system. To us, of course, it is found art:

 

 

Again Erni, a heartfelt thank you to my favorite Hamburg hipster. Erni hosted a blog post where a group of us taxed our memories to construct a cultural history that covers some of the territory in Beat Scene:

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/billy-the-kid-wanted-in

[Bifidus Jones]

Any thoughts on Ted Berrigan?

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Erni, in Bukowski's poetry (not much different from the prose) there are some pointed things against Allen Ginsberg, I would think Buk would have felt strong affinity to Cassady and Kerouac - hard drinking outsiders. Let's face it, Bukowski can be cruelly anti-gay in places.

 

I also noticed Beat Scene mentioned a guy named Jack Foley who was/is in San Francisco. Jack Foley was very supportive of at least one of the generations of visual poets here at the IUOMA, people in the John Bennett axis generally speaking. You don't see a lot of Beat connections to vispo.

 

I know I heard Jack Micheline read once and thought he was good. You're getting into some Beat-related people - I have to search my memory a bit. There are a lot interesting characters, for sure.

[De Villo Sloan]

Erni, you are a scholar indeed. How could I forget the identity of Gerald Nicosia.

 

Like you, I admire Bukowski a great deal. I am glad Kevin Ring includes him. There are some Bukowski rants against the Beats in print, but overall he has much in common with them. 

[De Villo Sloan]

Erni, I see Kevin Ring spotlighted "One and Only" in his editorial message. Just re-read "On the Road," so I'm familiar with the fictional characters. The story of the Beat women definitely needs to be told. Gerald Nicosia - one of the authors - he's an old hipster but can't remember exactly how he fits in.

 

History is strange - Bukowski is now considered Beat. Might not have always been the case.

[De Villo Sloan]

I mean Beat Scene. How many other typos in my "first thought best thought" comments?

[De Villo Sloan]

Great comments! I do not believe Best Scene is known well in the US. The content is outstanding. Many thanks again to Erni and Kevin Ring. The Black Mt. article, Ed Sanders, Burroughs & Bukowski also made this an ideal fit.

 

Yes Bifidus, Anne Waldman was one of the early Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics founders, along with a guy named Michael Brownstein. Anne Waldman was, I believe, also involved with the St. Mark's Poetry Project in NYC that sort of produced a New York School of its own. Tales of Beatnik Glory for sure.

 

The Kerouac photo on the cover is outstanding!

[cheryl penn]

From the Off Scene Akademie in Hamburg. I'm seeing a beating disco ball, my friend Cherry Blossom and Asemics in techno-color - as Bifidus says - pitch-perfect :-) X

[Bifidus Jones]

It's good to see Anne Waldman's name in the T of C. I like her work--isn't she also the co-founder with Allen Ginsberg of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute? Erni is pitch-perfect about matching his mailings with people. way to go, De Villo.

[De Villo Sloan]

Thanks CP-SA. Yes, more Erni please! Now Beat it!

[cheryl penn]

I hope its ok later to post an Erni-goodie here??? Great blog DVS :-) X