Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell on America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders S2
    • Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle and Milan Carter Talk FUBAR 2
    • THE WATERFRONT CAST: Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary
    • BLIND MELON Rises Again: Guitarist Christopher Thorn
    • Adam McArthur: The Voice Behind Anime’s Biggest Hits
    • PLUMES Sings For The Animals
    • Finding Truth in Chaos: Jake Ryan on LEMONADE BLESSING
    • HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Movie Minute Review
    AMFM Magazine.tv
    • Features
    • Movies
      1. Movies – Indies
      2. Movie Reviews
      3. Movies- Wide Release
      Featured
      June 11, 20250By christine

      FUBAR: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carrie-Anne Moss Bring Action and Laughs to Netflix’s Hit Series Season 2

      4 Mins Read
      Read More
      Recent
      June 19, 2025

      Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell on America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders S2

      June 18, 2025

      Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle and Milan Carter Talk FUBAR 2

      June 18, 2025

      THE WATERFRONT CAST: Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary

    • Photography
      1. Event Photos
      Featured
      August 23, 20240By christine

      JANE’S ADDICTION At The 713 Music Hall, Houston August 19, 2024

      1 Min Read
      Read More
      Recent
      May 1, 2025

      DISTURBED, DAUGHTRY and NOTHING MORE Photo Collage for 25th Anniversary Tour of “The Sickness”

      November 26, 2024

      ARIZONA Opening For Yellow Card and Third Eye Blind at Dickie’s Arena, Nov. 15, 2024

      November 26, 2024

      CHARLIE CROCKETT At Dickie’s Arena, Nov. 15, 2024

    • ABOUT US
    • Music
      1. Indies
      2. Majors
      3. Reviews
      Featured
      November 25, 20240By christine

      Asia’s #1 Rock Guitarist Tak Matsumoto Talks New Supergroup TMG Release “Crash Down Love” (Interview)

      4 Mins Read
      Read More
      Recent
      June 17, 2025

      BLIND MELON Rises Again: Guitarist Christopher Thorn

      June 16, 2025

      PLUMES Sings For The Animals

      June 11, 2025

      Resurfaced Interview with Brian Wilson, John Cusack and Director Bill Pohlad for biopic LOVE & MERCY

    • The Wire
    • Literarians
    • Great Conversations Reprised
    • Movie Minute Reviews
    • AMFM Studios LLC
    AMFM Magazine.tv
    You are at:Home»Authors»Bob Rosenthal On Allen Ginsberg

    Bob Rosenthal On Allen Ginsberg

    0
    By christine on December 17, 2018 Authors

    John Wisniewski: What research went into writing your book on Allen Ginsberg?

    Bob Rosenthal: Straight Around Allen: On the Business of Being Allen Ginsberg does require some old fashioned research. I visit the archives at Stanford U. and study the checkbooks. In fact the checkbooks are off limits except to executors of the Ginsberg estate. I make a moving timeline of the office with detailed information on who works when and how long. There are a lot of details on expenses that trigger memories of specific events. The checkbooks provide me an authoritative grounding and add veracity to the entire account. I also obtain copies of all my letters to Allen, which are mainly business related but also contain emotive messages. I had saved all of Allen’s notes to me, I study them and make scans.

    John Wisniewski: Did you have to Recall the time that you spent with Ginsberg?

    Bob Rosenthal: After Allen dies, people ask me if I miss him. I realize that I don’t miss him because he is still with me. I don’t need to recall Allen; I need to tame him. I had the problem of having too much to say. After several drafts and several years, a poet friend, E. Claman, agreed to become my editor. Through my work with E., the information sorted itself into a main text with a running ancillary commentary to gather all my thoughts and answer questions they pose for future readers.

    John Wisniewski: What was he really like? You knew him well.

    Bob Rosenthal: Truly, it takes a book to answer this question. For me, working for Allen is a giant blessing. He is a great wise man of the kind rarely found in this world. His life needs to be treasured. My book lacks hubris; it is like what a “schlub like me” learns from Ginsberg. The book is subject organized to become as much a how to book as memoir: How to find the Bodhisattva in everybody. How to keep a writer alive in Ankara’s prisons. How to make an ironclad argument. In short, he fills me with awe.

    John Wisniewski: how important a poem was Howl to a generation of poets and artists?

    Bob Rosenthal: First, let’s refine this question. How does one measure the importance of Howl to succeeding generations of readers? Howl is a liberating poem. In the 1950’s, it shocks with simple words — who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy, — Joy insidiously frees the hearer. By transforming the expectation of pain, a little wiggle room of change is created in the brain. These are the seeds of liberation. Listen to the poem and you feel the chimes of freedom. Howl liberates one to become what they really want to become instead of what society’s expectations for them are. It is not about imitating Ginsberg. Going to LES. Renting a dump. Writing poems. Rather, the poem builds an ever-expanding community. I am with you. Howl is experienced in many high school classes. In a class of thirty or more students, one or two will be stirred up inside by the poem. Many weighty ideas over the last 60 years have been hatched this way!

    Straight Around Allen:On the Business of Being Allen Ginsberg,
    Bob Rosenthal
    • ISBN-10: 0993409946
    • ISBN-13: 978-0993409943
    Bookstores: Ingram, Amazon for individuals

    Bob Rosenthal

    Bob Rosenthal (b. 1950); Straight Around Allen: On the Business of Being Allen Ginsberg, Beatdom Books 2019, Cleaning Up New York, republished Little Book Room, 2016. Books of poetry: Morning Poems, Lies About the Flesh, Rude Awakenings, Viburnum, and Eleven Psalms; plays co-written with Bob Holman: The Cause of Gravity, The Whore of the Alpines, Bicentennial Suicide, Clear The Range.

    Poet Activist: Publisher of Frontward Books. Organized eleven international poetry festivals. Urban homesteader in LES. Teacher at City Tech, CUNY. Retired faculty from Abraham Joshua Heschel High School.

    Allen Ginsberg Beat get Bob Rosenthal Howl The Business of Being Allen Ginsberg
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleMovie Minute Review: MORTAL ENGINES
    Next Article Ella Hunt of Anna And The Apocalypse
    christine

    Related Posts

    Authors

    Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup For The Soul) And Children’s Book Author Miriam Laundry On “I CAN Believe In Myself”

    Read More
    Authors

    Astrophysicist, Author and Social Entrepreneur Alan Lightman On Achieving Goals And Non-profit Harpswell Work in Southeast Asia

    Read More
    Authors

    Wrongfully Imprisoned For 36 Years, Judy Henderson Talks About New Book “WHEN THE LIGHT FINDS US”

    Read More

    Comments are closed.

    SEARCH BY CATEGORY
    • MOVIES
    • Music ICON
    • AUTHORS
    June 13, 2025

    Director Dean DeBlois: Bringing HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON To Life In Live Action

    June 11, 2025

    FUBAR: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carrie-Anne Moss Bring Action and Laughs to Netflix’s Hit Series Season 2

    June 6, 2025

    Kevin Smith on DOGMA: A Career-Defining Hail Mary

    April 9, 2025

    Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup For The Soul) And Children’s Book Author Miriam Laundry On “I CAN Believe In Myself”

    April 8, 2025

    Astrophysicist, Author and Social Entrepreneur Alan Lightman On Achieving Goals And Non-profit Harpswell Work in Southeast Asia

    April 3, 2025

    Wrongfully Imprisoned For 36 Years, Judy Henderson Talks About New Book “WHEN THE LIGHT FINDS US”

    AMFM INSTAGRAM
    Recent Posts
    • Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell on America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders S2
    • Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle and Milan Carter Talk FUBAR 2
    • THE WATERFRONT CAST: Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary
    • BLIND MELON Rises Again: Guitarist Christopher Thorn
    • Adam McArthur: The Voice Behind Anime’s Biggest Hits
    Archives
    Dallas
    June 19, 20250By christine

    Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell on America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders S2

    4 Mins Read
    www.Netflix.com/DallasCowboysCheerleaders Synopsis: From Emmy Award-winning director Greg Whiteley and the team behind Cheer and Last Chance U, the fan-favorite series will return to continue giving viewers unfiltered access into this iconic team and franchise. Season 2 will follow the 2024-25 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad from start to finish — kicking off at auditions and training
    Read More
    Movie Reviews
    June 18, 20250By christine

    Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle and Milan Carter Talk FUBAR 2

    1 Min Read
    Arnold Schwarzenegger, Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle, Fabiana Udenio, Aparna Brielle, Guy Burnet, Andy Buckley, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jay Baruchel, Barbara Eve Harris and Scott Thompson Synopsis: Luke Brunner is a veteran CIA operative who, up until recently, was on the verge of retirement. After his last mission in saving another operative
    Read More
    Movie Reviews
    June 18, 20250By christine

    THE WATERFRONT CAST: Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary

    2 Mins Read
    Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary talk with Paul Salfen about starring in the Netflix show THE WATERFRONT: Show Synopsis: For decades, the Buckley family has ruled Havenport, North Carolina, dominating everything from the local fishing industry to the town’s restaurant scene. But their fishing empire has started to crumble as patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt
    Read More
    Featured Music
    June 17, 20250By christine

    BLIND MELON Rises Again: Guitarist Christopher Thorn

    6 Mins Read
    As the summer sun heats up, so does the anticipation for Blind Melon’s return to the stage. In an exclusive interview with AMFM Magazine, guitarist Christopher Thorn shares his excitement for the band’s upcoming tour, their creative process, and the moments that have defined his remarkable journey in music. With a bucket-list performance at Red
    Read More
    Copyright AMFMSTUDIOS LLC
    • About
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (US)
    Copyright AMFMSTUDIOS LLC
    • About
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (US)

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.