And The Beat Goes On And On

I've been told by two different women this week, that lots of young men go through a Kerouac phase, but not many women do. I know a few woman that do and have. I know I did. I haven't read anything by him in years, but I definitely did my time. I used to skip high school and take the city bus downtown (Orlando), wander down the railroad tracks etc..

I hitchhiked through Europe, and parts of the U.S for a few years. Now I won't pick up a hitchhiker. I still think about those journeys though. I'm not done traveling, but I do play it safer and more comfortable.

The story goes that Jack Kerouac wrote Dharma Bums in the College Park section of Orlando. On The Road was published while he was living there. It's funny, I lived in the house across the street in the early 90's. I was way closer to my Kerouac phase then. I had no idea he used to live in the house across the street. The house that my friends and I used to call the Bob Seger house. The house that had two Trans Ams sitting out front, and seemed to have a constant Bob Seger soundtrack blaring from inside the house and from inside the Trans Ams.

The Kerouac House as it is known now is part of the Kerouac Project. It hosts, I think four writers in residence a year. They do three month stints. They are given a food stipend too. I've never heard about any freight hopping or hitchhiking writers staying there, but I don't everything.

Wednesday March 25th, jazz musician David Amram will be doing a book signing at Urban Think in Orlando. Thursday Robert Frank's film Pull My Daisy will show at Rollins College. Amran will discuss the film afterward. Friday Amran will be at Stetson in Deland. Saturday Pull My Daisy will be shown in Melrose Florida. I think it's all free.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot to mention that Kerouac co-wrote and narrates the half hour film. Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso are a few of the legendary beats that make appearances in the film.