Learning from Allen Ginsberg
Beat-icon Allen Ginsberg is getting a resurgence of attention, 13 years after his death at the age of 70. A movie based on the story behind Ginsberg's signature poem, "Howl," opens this Friday. It stars James Franco as the young poet embroiled in a 1957 obscenity trial over the poem, which ended in a landmark win for free speech. The movie is already garnering praise for animated sequences (made partially in Thailand) that put images to Howl's words. Director Rob Epstein noted that Ginsberg, a fan of Eastern religions, "would appreciate us outsourcing to a Buddhist country."
And an exhibition of Ginsberg's photography, "Beat Memories," played to enthusiastic crowds all summer at Washington-D.C.'s National Gallery of Art. Ginsberg had both a unique eye and unique access to a generation of literary heroes, snapping classic portraits like Jack Kerouac smoking on a fire escape and William Burroughs standing next to a sphinx at the Museum of Natural History.
Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie looks at why Ginsberg-a champion of gay rights, free speech, nonviolence, and drug legalization-still has a lot to teach us.
Approximately 2.30. Produced by Jim Epstein and Nick Gillespie
Scroll down for HD, iPod and audio versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.
