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Jack Kerouac (Jean-Louis Kerouac) 1922-69
American writer
Jack Kerouac coined the term Beat generation' in an interview with Playboy in 1959, and it is as the spokesman for the beatniks, as well as for his groundbreaking novel, On the Road (1957), that Kerouac will be remembered.
Kerouac is an updating of the Romantic wanderer: On the Road is all about searching for freedom in the vastness of America. But the modern Romantic adds the spin of rush: On the Road was written in just three weeks. The booze-fuelled flood of words enthralled a generation of poets, folk singers, mystics and eccentrics, but drew criticism from the literary establishment. Truman Capote said of the book: 'That's not writing. It's typing.'
On the Road, the first of four major — and largely autobiographical — works by Kerouac, tells the tales — in a uniquely formless way — of poverty-stricken youths making frenetic trips across America, indulging in love and beauty, sex, drugs and jazz.
The romantic mythology that has grown up around Kerouac ignores the tragic facts. By the 1960s, he was dying of alcoholism. He had lost faith in his dream and had taken to ranting against the civil rights movement. Plus, he never learned to drive.
Find out more …
Jack Kerouac
www.cmgww.com/historic/kerouac/
Official website with links, a biography and books about and by him.
Kerouac: A biography by Ann Charters (St Martin's Press, 1994) £11.50.
Highly regarded review of his life and work..
John Lennon 1940-80
British singer-songwriter
When John Lennon was 12, he had a vision. A man appeared to him on a flaming pie and told him that he would be a beetle with an 'A'. And he was, along with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and, for a time, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. The Beatles astounding chart success lasted from 1963 until 1969, the year of Lennon's second marriage, to Yoko Ono.
The Beatles' 'divorce' in 1969 was liberating for Lennon. He had always wanted to be more than a Beatle. He dabbled in writing, acting, art and revolutionary politics, but also produced some brilliant solo work as a musician, most notably John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine.
In the early 1970s, Lennon began a downward spiral. He was refused a green card by US immigration because of a previous drug conviction. His drug-taking became worse (he spent much of that time partying with the likes of Elton John, Keith Moon and David Bowie) and his musical output was patchy. His last performance was at an Elton John concert in 1974.
Lennon sobered up in the mid-1970s, following the birth of his son Sean. He released Double Fantasy in 1980, a few short months before his assassination by Mark Chapman.
Find out more …
The Legend ofJohn Lennon
www.legend-johnlennon.com
Fan's site full of everything to do with Lennon — biography, lyrics, pictures, books about him, links. Available in English and Spanish.
Lennon by Ray Coleman (Pan, 2000) £9.99.
Written in co-operation with Yoko Ono, John's aunt Mimi and first wife Cynthia. Gives insights into many aspects of Lennon's life — from his teenage years to his murder in 1980.
Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman) 1941-
American singer-songwriter
Dylan changed his name in honour of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and it is as a poet, just as much as a singer with a highly unmusical cackle of a voice, that Bob Dylan will be remembered.
Allen Ginsberg described Dylan is the greatest poet of the 20th century. It was beat poetry that drew Dylan from Minnesota to New York City in 1961. He performed at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, where he quickly built up a cult following. A talent scout signed him to Columbia Records. His second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was a wake-up call to America. His song 'Blowin' in the Wind', with its strong anti-establishment message, singled Dylan out as a rebel with a cause, an original protest singer for Middle America to fear.
As the 1960s wore on, Dylan moved closer to rock. Condemned by purists for betraying folk and abandoning protest, Dylan moved into the mainstream with Like a Rolling Stone and Highway 61 Revisited. The release of Blonde on Blonde in 1966 confirmed his status as a popular success. A motorbike accident, also in 1966, forced Dylan into seclusion and broke the momentum of his skyrocketing success.
Dylan has toured and recorded over the past two decades, though never with the same impact as in the 1960s. However, in 2000, as he turned 60, he won an Oscar for his song 'Things Have Changed' in the film Wonder Boys — a far cry from the anti-establishment figure of his youth. He is nevertheless cited as an inspiration for a generation of performers.
Find out more …
bobdylan.com
www.bobdylan.com/
Official Bob Dylan site with reviews, lyrics, suggested reading and tour information.
Down the Highway: The life of Bob Dylan by Howard Sounes (Doubleday, 2001) £17.99.
Details of Dylan's life from his early days as poet/folk troubadour through his switch to electric guitar, drugs, films and super-stardom.