Beat Culture and the New America 1950-1965

This is a catalogue of an exhibition organized by the Whitney museum of American art, New York, 1996. I’m looking for a copy, so if someone has this and it is good condition and would like to sell, I would like to buy….it.

Also other reference material about this exhibition, it also was in San Francisco in the M.H. Young Memorial Museum in 1996.

Morning Fog view from Sausalito

Just send in by my correspondence David Olivier, morning fog coming in from over the hill, view from Sausalito.

Sausalito is a charming waterfront community that lies across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

A contribution from David Olivier, living in San Francisco

Hi. My name is David, I was born and raised in San Francisco, and I’ve been a professional tour guide here for about 25 years. After all this time I must confess that I still love my job. I feel privileged to be able to introduce people–especially first-time visitors–to this most cosmopolitan, most sophisticated, most photogenic of American cities. Simply put, what I get to do for a living is to show people the beauty; not only of this city, but all California and the American west.

It’s no surprise that San Francisco is repeatedly voted by Americans as their ‘favorite city to visit’. For many Americans it’s a bit like traveling to a different country. Europeans constantly tell me that it’s the most European city in the U.S., and the Italians say it’s the most Mediterranean. Apart from the obvious physical attractions–the hills, the water, the light, the homes–I think that’s largely due to the truly unique character and feel of San Francisco. After all, this city was mostly founded by adventurers and gamblers and dreamers from around the world who came in search of gold and a better life. Today there’s still an underlying sense of being on the frontier here, an environment which inspires personal freedom and transformation, and which attracts creativity and opportunity. San Francisco is always on the cutting edge of social change in America. There’s probably no greater proof of the city’s desirability as a place to live than the property values, which happen to be the highest in the nation.

Yes, it’s rather a cliche, but I do indeed leave my heart in San Francisco every time I go out of town. When I come back, and I’m crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to get home, I’m always a little thrilled to see the fog, the Pacific ocean, the city skyline, or that golden sun about which Tony Bennett sings. No, it’s not a perfect city, but I have yet to find one more appealing.

By David Olivier

A sunny afternoon at Yerba Buena

A few weeks ago I was listening to some music, and it brought me back to a walk in the yerba buena gardens a few years ago. i just finished visiting Moma in San Francisco, and was strolling around, when a very sensual sound came into my ears. It was a smooth jazzy melody, which caught my attention. I walked a bit further and came in the open area, where people can meet, do their tai tsji, and just hang out. A podium was set and Patricia Barber had this free concert. And covered ‘light my fire’ from the doors, never before I heard from Patricia Barber, but her performance in this cover, really stimulated my mind…, and it still reminds me on this very nice moment, one of these special moments that you feel very happy to be on this world.

I immediatly bought the cd, and here you have also a live version. But if you like it, listen to the album version it is really cool. A very sensual voice, and some very good jazz artists!

The Wild parrots of Telegraph Hill

A film by Judy Irving.

A very endearing movie about a flock of parrots, staying/living at Telegraph Hill.

Visit the website for more info

The Source

A film by Chuck Workman

When Jack Keroauc, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs met at Columbia University in 1940’s, they spawned a movement, then called the Beats, that set precedents for the political, hippie and spiritual movements of the 1960’s and ’70s. This comprehensive portrait of the Beat Generation icludes interviews with virtually every surviving figure from this period.

This documentary came out in 2000. Available on DVD at Amazon

The Last Beat

“

CORSO – THE LAST BEAT”
The “Beats” are back. Ever “cool”, ever “hip”, this poignant, humorous film will introduce today’s youth market to the inner circle of the American Icons of “the Beat Generation” – Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs and Gregory Corso. “The Last Beat” follows Corso, the most colorful of them. After the death of Allen Ginsberg, his best friend, Corso goes “On the Road” to rediscover himself as the “Last Beat.” … A classic “road movie” is crafted from outstanding documentary work, combined with pacing and entertainment value from the filmmaker’s experiences as a “Miami Vice” contributor and “Crime Story” co-creator (NBC and Michael Mann)… In his “road movie”, Corso travels from France, to Italy, to Greece, retracing the early days of “The Beats.” In high humor he dramatizes how they changed American society, paving the way for youth culture, the sexual revolution and even hip-hop… In an “on the road” discovery, the filmmaker found Corso’s Italian mother who abandoned him as a baby. They are reunited on film… Corso also amazes by visiting prison inmates at Clinton Prison, where at age 17 he was encouraged by Italian mafia prisoners to educate himself. (He ended up at Harvard later.)… After his European odyssey, a revitalized Corso returns to Greenwich Village to work again… Then, in ultimate irony, Corso faces his own mortality with humor and pluck, comforted by Ethan Hawke, Patti Smith and his newfound mother, Michelina.

MCT goes USA - scouting

The technical university Howest - departement PIH - MCT Multimedia and Communication Technology Belgium is leaving on scouting to San Francisco this weekend.

This year Stanford University, Cisco, Adobe, Intel will be hunted to welcome like 100 students. Tourist visits are also on the agenda, like Alcatraz, the golden gate - presidio and the downtown area.

A complete overview will be published soon!

Morning in Fog City

At daybreak, the fog below is a stormy, swirling plain. The sun rises, the fog breaks, and the waters of the bay appear, the outlines of the islands and the headlands, sheaves of skyscrapers. Dew drips from the pines, hummingbirds can be heard whirring in the bushes by the window. The traffic on the roads and bridges increases, a glimmering multitude of microscopic points. Then I, too, join everyone rushing in pursuit of their goals and I become part of the great operation.

Entering ChinaTown and financial district

When you start walking on Columbus Avenue, you will find the Transamerica building, it is also a beautiful landmark of San Francisco, giving the skyline that specific touch. When entering from the Bay Bridge it is spectacular.

While walking up to Columbus Avenue, you will also cross the entrance of Chinatown, this mural painting has been completly repainted with the respect that it deserves, and this is always kind of reference point.

This quarter North Beach, ChinaTown Financial district, touches eachother at a certain point, and slowly your views are changing, this was also the quarter where the beats hang out, you will also find the City Light Bookstore here!