“Related or unrelated, if it was a fact, I knew it. Important or unimportant, whether the amount of coffee grown in Brazil last year, or the weight of Trotsky’s brain, I deal with facts.”
— Neal Cassady, in a letter to Allen Ginsberg
When I read this, it struck me as a brick and mortar incarnation of William Carlos Williams’ edict: “No ideas but in things.”
I just finished William Plummer’s biography of Neal Cassady, “The Holy Goof.” Great read. Cassady is one of those figures who always fascinated me. On one hand, he was this brilliant Beat cyclone who didn’t waste his time writing about life. He was too busy living it. On the other, he was a piece of crap who treated women terribly and often took advantage of his friends.
“The Holy Goof” does a good job of presenting both Cassadys, but it’s clearly a sympathetic bio. If you’re interested in Cassady, Kerouac and/or Kesey, this is worth checking out.
Now Playing: Pumpkin Headed Troll Woman from the album The Road Goes on Forever by Cold Beans and Bacon
2 replies on “The Holy Goof …”
Hmmm. I was the acoustic guitar player and one of the singers in that band. I seem to have lost my copy of The Road goes on Forever album. Can you burn me a copy and mail it to me?
Gladly. I’ll send you a separate e-mail to get your address. John Baker is a college buddy of mine. That’s how I ended up with a copy of the CD.