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In 1963 Allen Ginsberg was introduced to the music of
Bob Dylan by Charley Plymell, a poet from Wichita. The “Freewheelin”
Bob Dylan album had been released that February and on a visit To
Bolinas, Plymell played it for him. Ginsberg listened to “A Hard
Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and wept. He remembers, ‘I thought,
“oh, we got a second generation of Prophets, it’s gonna be great!"
Later that year Ginsberg roomed with the poet Peter Orlovsky at a friend's
house, Publisher Ted Wilentz who had published work of Jack Kerouac
among others.
One of their first visitors at the house was journalist Al Aronowitz,
who showed up one Day with his friend Bob Dylan. Dylan was familiar
with Ginsberg's work and that of The other Beat writers, and Allen
in turn, was interested to meet the author of “A Hard Rain’s A Gonna
Fall” and “Masters Of War". They talked about poetry and got along
very well. Dylan was about to play a concert in Chicago and invited
Allen to fly out with him, but apparently Ginsberg was too busy
Looking for an apartment and getting back to New York, and also too
proud!
“I thought he was just a folksinger, and I was also afraid I might
become his slave or something – his mascot! The meeting with Bob Dylan
had a curious outcome. For some strange reason Dylan Owned the
manuscript of a group of Allen’s rhymed poems from 1948 to 1952 which
Allen had assumed were lost forever. He had neglected to make
copies of many of the poems before he let the folder out of his hands.
He had been unable to get the book published in New York, so when a
friend left for London, Ginsberg gave her the manuscript on the off
chance that she might meet someone who would be interested in publishing
it there. The manuscript passed from hand to hand, and when Dylan
was in London, someone gave it to him, knowing his interest in
Ginsberg and the Beat Generation. He returned it when Allen went
to visit him in Woodstock. Shortly after they met, Ginsberg
went with Dylan to a concert in Princeton. Photographs taken backstage
appeared on the sleeve of Dylan’s album “Bringing It All Back
Home”. Allen was shown clean-shaven and wearing a smart top hat.
Film-maker Barbara Rubin was in one of the pictures, ruffling Dylan’s
hair.
This was to be the beginning of a great adventure for Dylan and
Ginsberg. One day we’ll tour together in a traveling circus
proclaimed Dylan. And they would.. One day I’ll be hung as a thief,
and he’s still waiting for the judge. These two great writers would
experience some times together.. like on the 9th May 1965 when
meeting the Beatles in Dylan’s hotel room at the Savoy in
London. Allen found himself in Dylan’s suite along with Joan Baez,
Albert Grossman and Don Pennebaker. Ginsberg was detailed by Dylan to
escort Marianne Faithfull to the concert at the Royal Albert Hall
that evening. Afterwards a large party gathered in Grossman’s suite at
the hotel. Dylan was in his own suite, entertaining the Beatles and
everyone else was forbidden to go in. Then Allen received a
summons to be present. The Beatles and their wives were all there.
The story goes that the room was completely silent. ‘Just
totally frozen, not knowing what to talk about’. Allen sat down
on the arm of Dylan’s chair, even though there was not really enough
room ‘Why don’t you sit a little closer,’ mocked Lennon. Ginsberg
responded by falling forward into Lennon’s lap. Looking up into
his face, laughing, Allen asked, ‘Have you ever read William Blake?’
‘No, never heard of him,’ snapped Lennon. ‘Oh John, stop lying,’
said Cynthia, and everyone laughed. Ginsberg asked if they were
aware of the relationship between the ‘Beatles’ and the ‘Beats’
and if they knew what the Beat Generation was. He told them about
Kerouac, Neal Cassady and the others.
Dylan had had a friendly meeting with the Beatles the previous year in
America, when he had turned them on to pot for the first
time. But now he was on their territory. Ginsberg remembered the evening
well; ‘Dylan wasn’t giving anything and they weren’t giving
anything. Dylan was laconic with them too, they were all
uptight.’ Dylan must have realized that Allen was the only person
capable of breaking the ice.
The next day, Allen went to visit with Dylan when Pennebaker was filming
the credits for ‘Don’t Look Back’
in an ally at the rear of the Savoy. As Dylan stood flipping the
lyric cards, Ginsberg pottered about in the
background. The same ploy was used by the monks in Neil Young’s
‘Rust Never Sleeps!’
Ginsberg and Dylan would remain great friends for the rest of his life.
They had often discussed the idea of
doing something together. Dylan producing a record of Allen’s mantras
or appearing in a movie or TV
show. This goes back to when Dylan was a guest on the Les Crane talk show in 1965.
Les Crane: ‘Have you ever
given any thought to acting; think you might
enjoy
acting?’
Bob Dylan: ‘Well, I’m gonna try to make a movie this summer,
which Allen Ginsberg is writing. I’m rewriting.’
This ‘movie’ never materialised at the time of course,
but the idea remained. Many years later Ginsberg was invited to join the
‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ by Dylan. He featured
prominently on the tour, and also in the movie ‘Renaldo And
Clara.’ Shortly before Allen’s untimely death, he had been asked by
MTV to record an ‘Unplugged’ show.
Dylan had agreed to
take part along with many other invited guests. Unfortunately Allen
became too ill to record the show.
Allen Ginsberg was one of the few people
who had been invited to visit Dylan up in Woodstock
when he was recovering from the motorbike accident in 1966. Allen
went to spend an afternoon with
him, taking a pile of poetry for him to read. Rimbaud, Blake, Shelley
and Emily Dickinson. And
Bob was writing ‘John Wesley Harding.’
Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan playing mantras!
Way over yonder in the minor key…ain’t nobody
who can sing like me. Ain’t nobody who can sing like me.
Way over yonder in the minor key, way over yonder in the minor key.
Ain’t nobody who can sing like me, no there ain’t nobody who can
sing like me.
Nobody can sing like me.
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