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The Last Gathering of Beat
Poets & Artists, City Lights Books. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wanted to document the 1965 Beat scene in San Francisco in the spirit of the early 20th century classic photographs of the Bohemian artists & writers in Paris. The Beats, front row L to R: Robert LaVigne, Shig Murao, Larry Fagin, Leland Meyezove (lying down), Lew Welch, Peter Orlovsky. Second row: David Meltzer, Michael McClure, Allen Ginsberg, Daniel Langton, Steve (friend of Ginsberg), Richard Brautigan, Gary Goodrow, Nemi Frost. Back row: Stella Levy, Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Because this is a vertical image about half of the Beats attending are not shown. |
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Ginsberg, McClure & Conner
Chanting at Ginsberg's Apartment After meeting Ginsberg for the first time, I was not in Allen's Fell St. apartment long before he rolled up the rug, sat down, and chanted mantras for around an hour. During that time Peter Orlovsky, Michael McClure, Bruce Conner and I joined in. With this photograph, I wanted the viewer to have the feeling of what it was like to sit down and join in the chanting with the Beats. |
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Ginsberg/Breakfast in his
Apartment Once when I was visiting Allen in his apartment he asked me if I would like some coffee. Having said "yes," he presented me with a metal bowl with coffee in it. The bowl seemed strange (like a dog dish) and I nursed the coffee to cool it down. Soon he started asking "are you finished with that, man?" I would say "no, not yet" and after awhile I started to feel uncomfortable because the bowl seemed important to him. When I finally said "yes," he grabbed the bowl away—threw the remaining coffee in the sink and sat down with the bowl for his breakfast cereal. I was using his only bowl. |
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Orlovsky, Ginsberg and McClure Orlovsky, Ginsberg and McClure reading the Sanskrit at Allen's apartment. |
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McClure, Ginsberg and Orlovsky McClure, Ginsberg and Orlovsky reading a Zen sutra at Allen's apartment. |