Reflecting on the Essence Behind Beat Culture and Hippies
by Blog Contributor | July 13, 2024 | Culture | 0 Comments
Photo by Arnaud STECKLE
The essence behind Neat culture and hippies has left such a profound impact on pop culture that its influence can still be seen even today.
The Beats’ infelicitous circumstances are what gave them their reputation. However, in the same sense, their movement influenced society greatly because they aimed to acquire new knowledge through reading and sharing knowledge. David Solbach, author of First There Was Music, wouldn’t have been able to write his book without inspiration from the movement.
We invite everyone to join us as we examine some reflections on hippie and Beat culture and the ways it transformed pop culture.
Beat Culture’s Impact on Literature
Jack Kerouac’s stream of consciousness and William S. Burroughs’ “cut-up” technique, which involves splicing together a text to generate a new meaning, are two examples of how the Beat Generation pioneered new forms through their inventive and unconventional approaches to literature.
Consider the 120-foot-long scroll that Jack Kerouac used to compose On the Road at the beginning. This was the author’s way of getting around having to reload his typewriter, and it is said that this allowed him to finish the book after three weeks of nonstop typing.
But Kerouac’s experiments weren’t just for the convenience of use; in his “book-movies,” sounds heard around midnight were projected onto the page to create multisensory poems such as “Old Angel Midnight.” The Beats broke through the literary conventions of their day by using various techniques, and their influence may still be felt today.
The Beat Generation Redefined What “Immersion in Art” Means
Inspired by their individual instincts, the pioneers of the Beat Generation chose an infinite journey over a traditional and sedentary existence, which would later prove crucial to their creative output. They were, therefore, constantly on the go.
For example, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Lucien Carr first met at Columbia University before relocating to New York to enter a world of drugged-out, inebriated larceny, and small-time crime through a trapdoor of extravagance and celebration.
At various points, Kerouac, Ginsberg, Kenneth Rexroth, and numerous others visited Burroughs’ flat in Mexico; on one of his frequent visits, Kerouac is said to have composed his novel Doctor Sax while using the restroom. Ginsberg also had his notorious reading of “Howl” there.
Beginning in 1957, Paris emerged as a hub for the Beat movement, with many of its members lodging in the Hotel Rachou—aptly dubbed the “Beat Hotel” today.
In the end, though, theirs represents a very American custom: years of traveling back and forth both domestically and overseas followed, and hitchhiking, romantic relationships, and all in between inspired their works.
The Beat Generation Even Had an Influence on Music
One of the essence behind beat culture and hippies is their impact on music. Jazz became “more than a music; it evolved into an attitude toward life,” according to John Clellon Holmes, and this perfectly captures the Beats’ undeniable affection for everything impromptu.
As we continue our reflections on hippie and Beat culture, we can see Beat culture’s reach in pop culture. The Beats adopted jazz’s free-form improvisational style and grew to be both inspired by and influential in the music industry.
Thanks to the different ways that the Beat Generation transformed pop culture, David Solbach, author of First There Was Music, got into their culture. A culture that led him to live a life that nourished his soul with experiences, knowledge, and peace.
Beat Culture’s Impact on People
When finding inspiration, the Beats were unapologetically introspective, darting in and out of each other’s zones of influence. Several of Jack Kerouac’s characters were infamously based on his friends and acquaintances. A major character in On the Road, the rebellious and uncontrollably irrepressible Dean Moriarty, was the second coming of Kerouac’s longtime buddy Neal Cassady.
Jack was so enraptured by Cassady’s unique, free-flowing speaking style that he used it to develop his distinct style, which he calls “Stream of consciousness.”
Now That We Know the Essence Behind Beat Culture, It’s Time to Celebrate It
Everyone will have different opinions about the Beat Generation and their created culture. However, nobody can argue that their legacy has indeed transformed pop culture. And it’s good that in today’s reflections on hippie and Beat culture, we can understand how impactful the Beat Generation was.
We thank you so much for reading today’s article. If you want to learn more about beat culture, hippies, and similar topics, then David Solbach’s book First There Was Music is for you. Click here to visit his website and buy a copy today.
Check out our other articles, too, and read more about the effects of music on the body!
