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T H E

BEAT-

NIK EDITION

GENERATIONALS m a g a z i n e

Defining the Sub-Culture That Changed Attitudes & the Written Word

WHAT IS

BEAT?

LIFESTYLE&

MUSIC

LANGUAGE:DECODED

I N S I D E :

Curated by Aley Underwood

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3-5 introduction

6 origins

7-8 defining appearance

9-10 social media

12 values + relationships

13 language

15 infograph

16 conclusion

17 references

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

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Beatniks hanging at the famous Gaslight Cafe in New York

Jack Kerouac on life.

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PRE - VIEW

intro -

duction The beat generation is known to have originated within the creative genius of the most prolific writers to ever have put ink to paper - a trio consisting of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. However, it is easily debatable to say that three men do not make a generation. What they endowed with the written word created a new society, a new way of thinking, a utopia for the likeminded who were seeking a rebellious outlet which soon became synonymous with c o u n t e r a c t i n g t h e c u r re n t movements and vibrations of modern society. The word “beatnik” was soon conjured up by the media to accurately describe the poetic style of the writers, however, Allen Ginsberg rejected the idea that he could be summed up by a word that meant nothing to him. “ I f beatn iks and not illuminated Beat poets overrun this country, they will have been created not by Kerouac but by industries of mass communication which continue to brainwash man,” said Ginsberg to the New York

Times in 1958 just after Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle coined the term. At that point, the beatnik culture was birthed and began t r e n d i n g i n N e w Y o r k neighborhoods and quickly found itself surfing the coast of California not before long. The men served as idols for the emerging sub-culture, but their anti-materialistic views became severely misconstrued once beatnik had surpassed being a counterculture movement and became a trend.

Soon, black turtlenecks, bongos , bere ts , mar i juana cigarettes, and a culmination of off-color jazz records on hand became the outfit of choice for these pseudo-intellects in coffee shops nationwide. The beat poets’ vision of A m e r i c a h a d r i g h t e o u s l y undergone conversion into a land of wannabes. The rest of this magazine will explore every intricacy of the epic sub-culture that altered the literary and living world forever.

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4“If beatniks and not

illuminated Beat poets overrun this country, they will have been created not by Kerouac but

by industries of mass communication which

continue to brainwash man."

Allen Ginsberg

THE ORIGINAL TWITTERYoung beat gal chattering with a bird.

IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION ON HOW “BEATNIK” WAS CREATED

ENTERTAINMENT: MUSIC, MOVIES, LITERATURE, +

MORE

THE EVOLUTION

OF BEATNIKS IN THE

MODERN ERA

DRESS

LIFE-

STYLE

R E L AT I O N- S H I P S

+historyTranspiring just after World War II, the Beat Generation had found itself in a necessary battle against conformity. War rations were still being replenished and redistributed, fashion became fuller and jubilant, and society’s outlook much more narrow with hopes of a brighter future. In a sea of vibrant colors and lackadaisical attitudes, the beatniks sought for depth of mind, body, and soul.

+authors of a generationInspired by the Romantic era, the authors originally known as the “beats” offer some of the most indelible pieces to the literary world.

Allen Ginsberg is the author of Howl, an epic poem that became his greatest known work. It was his criticism of his modern America that upset him and contributed to a feverishly curated dialogue between him, his home, and fellow artists.

Jack Kerouac is famous for his autobiographical work “On The Road,” in which he narrates the adventure of a road trip amongst friends, whose names also became synonymous with the Beat Generation shortly thereafter. Today it is recognized as one of the most prolific pieces of literature to exist from that era, and the defining body of Kerouac’s art. In his readings from “The Beat Generation” Kerouac explains the meaning of “beat” on a track called “Desolation Angels”:

William S. Burroughs spent his time as a beat in the depths of Tangier where he wrote his critically acclaimed epitome “Naked Lunch.” He dove into a new style of poetry by deconstructing his sentences and pasting words with no care towards the narrative.

+etymologyAs previously mentioned in the introduction, the word “beatnik” was created by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Herb Caen in the late-1950s to serve as a label for the emerging literary movement. Caen’s innovation happened by grafting the Russian suffix “-nik” (inspired by Sputnik 1 that launched six months earlier) onto the Beat Generation label.** It is also rumored to have something to do with the Yiddish suffix as well denoting someone or something that acts in a particular way.

+beyondBeyond literature, the sub-culture movement was embodied by ideas of individualism, anti-materialism, exploration of drugs and sexuality, politics, and intellectual debates on existentialism. This part of the sub-culture became extremely trite. All of the elements that the beats had procured for themselves became a part of a costume for aspiring beat poetics. Finger-snapping, beret-wearing, French-speaking pseudo-intellects became the image of the Beat Generation, while the literary minds remained the voice.

ori - gin

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“It’s the beat to keep, it’s the beat of the heart, it’s being beat and down in the world...”

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MEN WOMEN

black + white palettesmokes cigarettesdrinks coffeejazz recordspoetry books

black + white stripeshorn-rimmed glassesbutton-up shirtfisherman caps

long hair in pony tail or short + slicked back

bongos

berets

simple makeup: cat-eye liner or red lips

high-waisted mini skirts w/tights or skinny slacks

ballet flats, chelsea boots or t-strap sandals

tailored blazer

loafers

well-fitting trousers

oversized sweaters w/ cowl neck

statement earrings, if any

bangs with 20s style bob or long hair

polo shirt

tight pencil skirts

cardigansuspenders

occasional bow-tie

plain white tee w/ rolled up sleeves

in shape waif-like form

facial hair: goatee

chelsea bootsoxfords

defining /// appearance

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social - mediaWhen utilizing social media to

create a current conversation, it quickly becomes obvious that the modern beatniks stay true to the fac t tha t be ing bea t was conceived through a literary movement.

While there are few posts on Instagram and Pinterest creating a visual inspiration of what a beatnik looks like, exploring platforms such as Tumblr take you on a journey of exploring the current Beat Generation expressing themselves through poetry, song, and natural curiosity.

These are the types that must have existed during the era of K e r o u a c , G i n s b e r g , a n d B u r r o u g h s - t h e p s e u d o -intel lectuals asking burning questions of existentialism, feeding their ego with likes, reblogs, and responses of their work.

However, the response these artists receive exists on a much more closed off social network.

In researching, it was rare to see the 16 year-old from Brooklyn vomiting beat-esque prose over his page actually going to poetry readings or live jazz clubs, or living

any part of this self procured life in any way outside of his online realm or perhaps in his literature course in high school.

T h e s e i m p r e s s i o n a b l e American teenagers have created a safe haven within their Tumblr community to explore their curiosities without the repercussion of having to endure real-life public opinion, deleting or retaliate within a few key strokes.

Perhaps that is why the visual media tags are less dense, however there are Pinterest boards

and Tumblr pages dedicated to reporting visual cues of the movement whether it be through fashion or art.

There is an air of mystery that surrounds some of these budding twentieth century writers, one in tune with the Beat Generation. They bare their soul and minds to an audience willing to soak up every digital cross of the “t” and dot of the “i”.

They create personal pages to create networks that then weave an intimate bond of virtual reality.

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#beatGENERATION#beatnik

#literature#poetry

#onTHEroad#travel

courtesy of keyhole.co 12

#beat GENERATION

13Jack Kerouac turning on, tuning in, and dropping out.

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public

private

secretself

indifferent intellectual capacitymoodyjudgmental

carelessdancinglust for life

heartachecowardiceignorancestruggle

values +relationships

The lackadaisical nature of the beat’s relationships towards one another all culminates from the relationship they have with themselves: mind, body, and soul. Politics, art, and literature, as well as their own sexuality filter through their personal relationships creating an open environment of love.

The free form way of their chosen written word inspires their love life. A quintessential beatnik lives for spontaneity so it does not matter if he’s got a girl at home whom he loves dearly; if the kitty cat at the club is of his moment’s desire, they will instinctively act on it. The same will go for the ladies, although relative to say that they stay together.

A male to male beatnik relationship possesses masculine and flirty vibrations and this is

partly due to being so in tune with their own wants and needs. The women have a similar spirit of wanton disregard about them as they perpetuate the ideal femme fatales inspired by the French culture of a woman being more powerful than a man. M o s t b e a t n i k s h a v e powerful relationships with their families, whether they come from wealth, a broken home, et al by using them as inspiration for their work . They cher ish every relationship because it could inspire a writing opportunity, to learn about oneself or life. Spiritually, Allen Ginsberg began practicing Buddhism because it was an enlightening religion that promoted self-awareness which was essential to a beatnik’s ideals. It soon became a popular trend to believe in this self-gratifying focus. They were also very in tune with politics and sought out progressive maneuvers that would rebel against the present system. They would create riots for equality amongst race and women, therefore fighting against the l ega l sys tem became eponymous for the soc ia l movement.

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Beat girls reading poetry for crowd in NY.

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lang - uageBeatniks created their own language not before long, morphing words together and using them to create a snappy way of exclaiming their point. Their language gets straight to the point. It is also decorated with idioms to be fancy and poetic, but with meaning. In our modern-world, we still use certain words derived from them such as “built” to describe a well-made physique, people “bug” us, and we get “bent out of shape.” However, there are still plenty of lesser known slang terms that are worth mentioning, and you can find them in the beat dictionary provided here.

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b e a t D I C T I O N A R Y

a shape in a drape: a well-dressed personbright disease: to know too muchclaws sharp: being well-informed on many subjectsdixie fried: drunkeverything plus: better than good-lookingfocus your audio: listen carefullygin mill cowboy: a bar regularhanging paper: paying with forged checksinterviewing your brains: thinkingjungled up: specific living arrangementsknow your groceries: be aware, do things welllead sled: a carmason-dixon line: anywhere out of bounds noodle it out: think it throughoff the cob: cornypearl diver: person who washes dishesquail hunting: picking up chicksred onion: a hole in the wall or a crappy barslated for crashville: out of controlthrew babies out of the balcony: a big successused-to-be: an exvaricose alley: the runway in a strip clubways like a mowing machine: sexual techniquex-ray eyes: to understand somethingyard: a thousand dollarszonk on the head: a bad thing

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conclu - sionIt was the snap heard ‘round the world. The Beat Generation proclaims its fame as one of the most profound movements in the history of literature. This went on to spawn an entire lifestyle, complete with its own fashion trend. Today, many people see this dress as either a classic or a costume, depending on the exploitation of its banal nature, and attitudes can be seen in a similar way. A beatnik’s disposition acts as a force field unable to penetrate the full meaning of a person unless they endow their private self unto the looker. It is comparable to today’s hipsters, and in fact, the Beat Generation is where the term hipster originated. However similar, they possess many differences, but just the same, those who are the true genuine procurers of hip-dom typically abolish any activity that groups them with people that are of a lesser enlightened realm. Nonetheless, is important to understand the Beat Generation as it has contributed an indelible amount to art and history, and can still be seen today in current counterculture and subculture movements. Enlighten yourself with some of the most brilliant minds of our time.

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Hollister, K., & Willis, D. (2007, January 1). What is Beat? Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.beatdom.com/?page_id=391

The Beatnik Generation - Voices of East Anglia. (2010, October 1). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2011/10/the-beatnik-generation.html

Weber, L. (2010, April 4). Vintage subcultures: The Beatniks - Queens Of Vintage. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.queensofvintage.com/vintage-subcultures-the-beatniks/

Wilentz, S. (2010, August 13). Bob Dylan, the Beat Generation, and Allen Ginsberg’s America - The New Yorker. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/bob-dylan-the-beat-generation-and-allen-ginsbergs-america

references

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