Writer, critic and translator Pivano ,interviews Jack Kerouac on BEATITUDES 1966. Kerouac is more than a wee bit shitfaced.
Fabulous live portrait of a freewheeling Kerouac.
Pivano was known for her insightful and freewheeling interviews of American beat writers, including Ginsberg, Corso, Bukowski and Burroughs. She had a knack for getting on the wavelength of writers being one herself. And she enjoyed drinking with them. Her published interviews with Bukowski are worth seeking out. Her longstanding friendship with Hemingway certainly prepared her for dealing with a bunch of drunk poets.
You never have to drink alone again, because now you can drink with your cats. At least in Japan you can, because a Japanese company called B&H Lifes has begun selling wine made specifically for cats.
This special feline libation is called “Nyan Nyan Nouveau.” As Kotaku reports, “nyan nyan” is the Japanese equivalent of “meow meow.” (Oh hey, remember Nyan Cat?) This cat wine doesn’t really contain any alcohol, but it does contain juice made from Cabernet grapes, along with catnip. So just accept it. It’s wine. For cats.
Nyan Nyan Nouveau costs 399 yen (or $4) for a bottle, and the company is only producing a thousand of them, so you should probably act fast.
John Prine is one of my favorite singers. He was a favorite of Dave’s too.
Saturday night was our party night. We’d sit at our fifties kitchen table with candles lit, incense going and the cd player playing. The scene was set as we settled in for a long night. We shared a bottle of vodka and Dave drank beer and I drank wine. We would record our weekly internet radio show “The Can Man Says Goodnight show on luver.com. We had a great time getting really blasted and high doing the occasional snort here and there. Yes we were hippies, boozers I suppose and potheads, and good at it. I am not ashamed, we did exactly what we wanted to the fullest extent. It was, we agreed the best time of our lives, and the most productive years.
A short poem of mine
WALLS
these walls sometimes scream with frustration
Other times heave with the passion of love
Sometimes these walls become glacier white
With the distortion of drugs
These walls hold our existence-books and
Manuscripts piled into pyramidal corners
Balancing on cardboard boxes and metal shelves
These walls with it’s controversial posters
And flyers with cryptic messages make others
Curious
These walls would embarrass our children
And parents-
They do not understand the expressiveness
Of filled space and open minds.
Ana Christy “Beatnik Blues”
John Prine Biography
JOHN PRINE AND IRIS DEMENT-IN SPITE OF OURSELVES
JOHN PRINE-ANGEL FROM MONTGOMERY
JOHN PRINE -THAT’S THE WAY THE WORLD GOES ROUND
Singer, Guitarist (1946–)
Quick Facts
Name John Prine Occupation Singer, Guitarist Birth Date October 10, 1946 (age 67) Place of Birth Maywood, Illinois Full Name John Prine Zodiac Sign Libra
Synopsis
Early Years
Recording Career
Cancer Scare
John Prine is an American singer-songwriter who has issued a prodigious number of albums. His work has been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash and George Strait.
Synopsis
Singer-songwriter John Prine was born on October 10, 1946 in Maywood, Illinois. Born into a music-making family, Prine began playing guitar at age 14. By his early 20s, he was living in Chicago and entrenched in the city’s folk music scene. In 1971, Prine put out his self-titled debut album, which earned critical praise and helped pave the way for a career that has spanned more than four decades.
Early Years
The grandson of a musician, singer-songwriter John Prine was born on October 10, 1946 in Maywood, Illinois. His grandfather was a guitar player for country-western star Merle Travis. His grandfather’s talents were evidently passed down to Prine, who began playing guitar at the age of 14.
Following a two-year stint in the Army, Prine moved to Chicago, where he immersed himself in the city’s folk music scene. His sound and style eventually caught the attention of Kris Kristofferson, who helped his new friend land a record contract.
Recording Career
In 1971, Prine released his self-titled debut album, which features the critically lauded song “Sam Stone,” an account of a drug-infused Vietnam. The album was adored by critics, but never enjoyed much commercial success. The same held true for his follow-up albums, Diamonds in the Rough (1972) and Sweet Revenge (1973).
In 1975, Prine released Common Sense, which offered his fans a heavier sound than they were accustomed to with his music. Backed by the popular song “Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard,” the record cracked the Billboard 100 chart. In the years since, Prine’s career has continued on a similar trajectory. His albums haven’t been overwhelming sellers, but they’ve managed to attract a dedicated following of fans who adore his music and songwriting.
Along the way, Prine has shown an ability to adapt and change. In the early 1980s, after getting dropped from his label, Asylum Records, Prine picked up the pieces and started his own recording company, Oh Boy Records. In 1991, he released the Grammy-winning LP The Missing Years, with guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Bonnie Raitt, among others. The album went on to sell more than 250,000 copies.
In recent years, Prine has maintained a steady recording career. His 2005 album of new material, Fair and Square, earned Prine a Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album. Prine’s 2007 release, Standard Songs for Average People, recorded with guitarist Mac Wiseman, offers his fans a collection of country and folk classics. In 2010, Prine put out In Person and On Stage, an album of live performances of his songs.
Cancer Scare
In 1998, Prine received a serious health scare—he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer that had formed on the side of his neck. Surgery and radiation treatment soon followed. Prine made a full recovery and was able to complete his 1999 album, In Spite of Ourselves.
John Prine resides in Nashville with his wife, Fiona Whelan.
