Sounds of Silence

A friend of mine had a colloquial but (I think) powerful version of the old "There but for the grace of God go I." After a troubling exchange with a troubling third party who went away less angry than he had arrived, my friend turned to me and said, "Did you happen to notice how close God came to letting me be that guy?"

I really hope that this is about human interaction, not P&R.

Cheers,
Henry

To pick a meaningful nit...

"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls"

"I really hope that this is about human interaction, not P&R."

It is, Henry. Thank you for responding. Good story,

Don

To pick a meaningful nit...

VERY good point, Steve.
Thanks,
Don

To pick a meaningful nit...

You did indeed speak well, however.

I always loved Paul Simon's songs of the 60s and 70s. Not only a great song writer, but a lovely poet (and I sure was not in my adolescence!).

Ergo, Thoreau didn't know spit

Sitting around out in the middle of nature with no one around to influence him. My, oh, my, what a shame. Just watching his pond reflect back to him.

Silly twit was a mere surveyor.

Ergo, the 'road' led Thoreau to the pond.

afterall, he traversed through life in Concord, Boston and NYC before settling in Walden for a short time. he was mostly a teacher,tutor and writer. It was after walden that he became a surveyor and it was after being a surveyor tha the became political. Interesting.

P & R Is Everywhere Don

Some prefer to close their eyes and scream, some accept and confront it.

Just consider this, "Every one else was put on Earth as God's way of testing You."

Also a crucial part was left out of that song;

"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, tenement halls and bathroom stalls"

Paul in PA

I was an adolescent in the NYC area when this song was released.
As a teen in NY, I always thought that it had to do with the nascent of the anti-war and counter culture movement in the 60s. The words one saw on tenement walls in the lower east side and subways were of this message. But who knows...

P & R Is Everywhere Don

> "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, tenement halls and bathroom stalls"
>
> Paul in PA

I heard recently somewhere that people do not write on bathroom stalls these days but instead they get the it inked on their body.

You are probably right, Robert

You are probably right, Robert. I spent some time on the lower East Side during the 60's. I lived on East 11th street between Avenue B and Avenue C, not far from Tompkins Square Park. There was a bar across Avenue B from the park called the Annex. It was a crazy, junkie bar where everyone looked up when you opened the door.

Allen Ginsburg was living on East 14th Street at the time. I never met him, but a friend and I went to his building once. He wasn't home.

Don

P & R Is Everywhere Don

"Every one else was put on Earth as God's way of testing You."

Slightly solipsistic, what?
But sometimes I believe it.
🙂
Don

You are probably right, Robert

> You are probably right, Robert. I spent some time on the lower East Side during the 60's. I lived on East 11th street between Avenue B and Avenue C, not far from Tompkins Square Park. There was a bar across Avenue B from the park called the Annex. It was a crazy, junkie bar where everyone looked up when you opened the door.
>
> Allen Ginsburg was living on East 14th Street at the time. I never met him, but a friend and I went to his building once. He wasn't home.
>
> Don

I am not sure that I am right.
If you lived on the lower east at the time, it was very strnge and scary to me as a teen personally.
My father grew up in Paterson NJ. Allen's father Louis was my father's HS english teacher at central hs next to the Paterson Falls. My father could recite some poems he learned in HS as a senior citizen that he learned from Louis.
The only 'beat' that I ever met was Burroughs. Someone I knew was chaperoning him around N.O. when he was in town to do a reading in the 70's. She brought him to a used bookstore I was managing and he signed a 1st ed. of Naked Lunch for me.
I talked to him briefly about ."and the Hippos Boiled in their Tanks". He was a very mysterious in all ways in talking to him but liked talking about Jack.
This is a good documentary of Jon and Lou Webb of new Orleans. a few old acquaitnances are interviewd.
I know Gypsy Lou and have their loujon books and some her art work.
I learned printing in the french quarter from the printer/character who helped them get going. He is mentioned briefly in the film

Loujon Press

[flash width=420 height=315] http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/d18vEgYIIUA?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0 [/flash]

Nice thread.

Love. Love. Love.

You are probably right, Robert

The Webbs seem to have been wonderful old characters. I haven't seen the film but I know their circle must have been equally unique and colorful. They were the first to publish Bukowski? Very special credentials.

The "Jack" that Burroughs enjoyed so much talking about, I assume is Kerouac, no?

Just to continue my Ginsburg connection a little (not nearly as unique as yours): After my friend and I had knocked on Allen's door with no response, we said a little Hari Krishna chant in the hallway and left.

Years later, I came to California where that same friend had been living in the Santa Cruz Mountains for some time. He had also frequently told the story of how he and I had chanted with Allen Ginsburg in New York. He was slightly embarrassed when someone brought it up in my presence, but I didn't let on that it had never happened.

Among my friend's acquaintances, I'll call him Mike, among his acquaintances, were two of the children of Carolyn Cassady, Neal's wife, who lived nearby. They, of course, had heard Mike's story, but I don't think he had told them directly because he knew that Allen was a friend of their mother.

One day they came to see us, all excited with the news that Allen was coming to visit them soon. They were sure that Mike would be equally excited to see him again. On the day of the visit, Mike claimed illness and was unable to attend.

The next day, one of the Cassadys came over and gave Mike a handwritten note from Allen Ginsburg:

"Dear Mike,
 I'm so sorry that I missed you.
         Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
 Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare.
 Your friend,
          Allen"

What a sweet guy Allen was. Obviously, Mike treasures that note to this day.

Don

Ergo, the 'road' led Thoreau to the pond.

> It was after Walden that he became a surveyor and it was after being a surveyor than the became political.

After becoming political he dumped transcendentalism and became more traditionally religious.

Unfortunately very few people were aware of this because, as was the custom at the time, discussions of both politics and religion were frowned upon at the tavern that served as a gathering place for surveyors in Concord...Ye Olde Ale Leg. 😉

You are probably right, Robert

I never met Jon but knew gypsy Lou.

They made some beautiful books that were hand made on an old letterpres like I owned.

They are responsible for bringing Bukowski to the attention of the american litarati.

The French quarter was full ofbBohemian characters . Low rent, warm winters etc.
I am glad I lived though the end days of that era before tourism and out of state investors took over.

Ditto. Warms my heart and soul.

To pick a meaningful nit...

> Updated to:
> "For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall.../Concert hall/And echoes with the sounds of salesmen" by that Canadian trio of rock-philosophers.
> But am with ya on the original post D.

you know, I never noticed that connection before! I must be dense. thanks Gavin.