Post by Hippie Tribes on Oct 5, 2010 18:25:03 GMT -5
THE BEATS
From the media stereotypical Beatnik to the Beat Generation's "Beaten Downs" of the Fifties and Early Sixties, they were the progeny of the Bohemians, and the precursors of the Hippies. Writers, poets, non-conformists, and hedonists - the Beats were cool, Daddy-O! Characters like Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, Neal Cassady, Michael McClure, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and many more.
The media, in a caricature style, created the Maynard G. Krebs ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") stereotypical Beatnik. Beatniks were portrayed as wearing berets and turtlenecks, while playing bongo drums and reciting bad poetry. I suppose it was no different than the caricatures that would be created later for Hippies with long, straggly hair, love beads, and flies buzzing around their heads.
However, the Beat Generation gave us a generous amount of writings (i.e. Kerouac), poetry (i.e. Ginsberg), and art (i.e. Jackson Pollock). The Beats' connection to the Hippie movement is an important one, and one that deserves to be studied.
There is a wealth of material on the internet, and written material is available from most book sellers. I would recommend City Lights Books in San Francisco as THE source for things "Beat". They also have a Beat newsletter.
A Beatnik would be a fun persona - either as a primary or secondary character for TRIBES members. They had some cool slang - so get with it cat, digging the beat scene is a blast - like crazy, man!
From the media stereotypical Beatnik to the Beat Generation's "Beaten Downs" of the Fifties and Early Sixties, they were the progeny of the Bohemians, and the precursors of the Hippies. Writers, poets, non-conformists, and hedonists - the Beats were cool, Daddy-O! Characters like Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, Neal Cassady, Michael McClure, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and many more.
The media, in a caricature style, created the Maynard G. Krebs ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") stereotypical Beatnik. Beatniks were portrayed as wearing berets and turtlenecks, while playing bongo drums and reciting bad poetry. I suppose it was no different than the caricatures that would be created later for Hippies with long, straggly hair, love beads, and flies buzzing around their heads.
However, the Beat Generation gave us a generous amount of writings (i.e. Kerouac), poetry (i.e. Ginsberg), and art (i.e. Jackson Pollock). The Beats' connection to the Hippie movement is an important one, and one that deserves to be studied.
There is a wealth of material on the internet, and written material is available from most book sellers. I would recommend City Lights Books in San Francisco as THE source for things "Beat". They also have a Beat newsletter.
A Beatnik would be a fun persona - either as a primary or secondary character for TRIBES members. They had some cool slang - so get with it cat, digging the beat scene is a blast - like crazy, man!