As the son of an artist who lived in the so-called "Beat" world, I had the first-hand experience being in such a world, yet years later, one realizes that such a world was being mocked and made fun of by the establishment - both in the entertainment media and in the press. I lived with my family at the height of the "Beatnik" era at the most iconic "Beat" location - San Francisco. Eventually, my dad and mom had to move out of that city, due to the consistent harassment of the tourists who came to San Francisco to see "Beatniks." At the time, there was a very popular TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" which featured the most famous Beat(Nik) at that time, Maynard G. Krebs, played by the wonderful Bob Denver. It didn't help my father at the time who was trying to live a private life in San Francisco.
One of the by-products of the commercial world is an album by America's number-one poet Rod McKuen's "Beatsville." It's McKuen reciting his poetry with jazz music in the background. On a cultural level, this is far away from Jack Kerouac's recordings with Steve Allen. In fact, it's very much a knock-off of that theme and idea from an actor, poet, and songwriter. Still, "Beatsville" offers specialty charms, such as a snapshot of that era and how the sub-culture was treated in the mass media. McKuen's poetry reflects on the Beat landscape but seen through the eyes of corporate America, which in that Situationist stance, appreciates the spectacle of looking at the Beat culture from a safe distance for the average listener to this album. Clearly, no one in the Beat world would be seen within a mile of this album.
McKuen is a terrible poet, but his saving grace is that he had the good taste to admire Jacques Brel and introduced him to the English speaking world. The way he was portrayed in the TV world is that he was a sensitive voice (due that he's a poet) and had a handsome face and appearance. I'm a fan of his clothing sense, and I also like his voice, when he reads and when he sang. I remember when I worked at Book Soup, McKuen was shopping at the store, and a few minutes later, David Bowie walked in. Both were, of course, huge Brel fans. McKuen actually was a pal of Brel, and in my mind, I wanted to introduce McKuen to Bowie just for that reason alone. Of course, I didn't because I didn't know these guys, and in no fashion did their body language acknowledge one to the other. In fact, I don't think either of them was aware of the other that afternoon at the shop. Still, I feel it was a lost opportunity on my part - on the other hand, one couldn't possibly ignore McKuen in the 1960s. I remember buying "Axis Bold as Love" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience when it first came out. To my surprise when I put the disc on the turntable, it was a huge orchestra. I thought "wow this is a very strange direction for Hendrix" and then I heard McKuen's croon, and went 'oh-oh.' Both shared the same label, so in the factory, they put the wrong album into the wrong jacket.
The other day I found "Beatsville" in my favorite local record shop, Mono Records in Glendale, and couldn't pass up the chance of buying this rarity. In an odd way, it brought back memories of hanging out in The North Beach in San Francisco with my Dad, although the McKuen recording is a total Disneyland version of that location. I imagine McKuen been there and maybe even lived in that town, but clearly, his interest in that world was more commercial than the reality of the location. Still, "Beatsville" is very much a spectacle in the Guy Debord sense, and it's an interesting by-product of that era. And the album cover, of course, is the real masterpiece. A beautiful album cover!
On the other hand, I strongly recommend Bob McFadden and Dor's "The Beat Generation," which is written by our Rod. Richard Hell turned this song into "The Blank Generation." So McKuen not only made his presence in the Beat world, but also on the Punk planet as well.
