Kerouac, nothing but brick, a butt, and a book
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One of the early works that dug deep was On the Road, by the beat generation bandit himself, Jack Kerouac. He was young, but Jack’s words spoke of experiencing the honest, raw, and unglorified existence of America in 1953. There was a draw to the cities for work and survival. The blend of humanity, the human density, the meeting of the most basic needs, the need for a man to sleep, eat and defecate. Factory work. No rules and no regulation. Each for his own.
But Jack would have none of it. He saw the world as a crazy place, a raucous dance, a hoot, and a dreary day to follow. He loved it all and hated it all. Jack embraced and expressed both sides of his coin. One of his early blowouts stayed near the surface….“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”
In the first few reads, of which there have been many over the years, he so enjoyed the description of the westward trek toward Chicago. Hitchhiking in the rain out of NY, and struggling to find rides. His writing describes the desire to leave, and the resistance of the universe to free him. So when he finally hooks up with his buddy Dean in the windy city, anyone from these parts would have had to laugh……
"Great Chicago glowed red before our eyes. We were suddenly on Madison Street among hordes of hobos, some of them sprawled out on the street with their feet on the curb, hundreds of others milling in the doorways of saloons and alleys... ...We let out the hobos on this street and proceeded to downtown Chicago. Screeching trolleys, newsboys, gals cutting by, the smell of fried food and beer in the air, neons winking--'We're in the big town, Sal! Whooee!'
First thing to do was park the Cadillac in a good dark spot and wash up and dress for the night. Across the street from the YMCA we found a redbrick alley between buildings, where we stashed the Cadillac with her snout pointed to the street and ready to go, then followed the college boys up to the Y, where they got a room and allowed us to use their facilities for an hour. Dean and I shaved and showered. I dropped my wallet in the hall. Dean found it and was about to sneak it in his shirt when he realized it was ours and was right disappointed...
...But we forgot that and headed straight for North Clark Street, after a spin in the Loop, to see the hootchy-kootchy joints and hear the bop. And what a night it was.
'Oh, man,' said Dean to me as we stood in front of a bar, 'dig the street of life, the Chinamen that cut by in Chicago. What a weird town--wow, and that woman in that window up there, just looking down with her big breasts hanging from her nightgown, big wide eyes. Whee. Sal, we gotta go and never stop going till we get there.
Jack Kerouac On the Road 1953
