Decius wrote:

A telling moment comes at the end of the segment, when Kerouac turns to Sanders and declares, “Say, Ed, I was arrested two weeks ago. And the arresting policeman said, ‘I’m arresting you for decay.’” There’s a flash of cognitive dissonance: Did he really just say that? The crowd laughs, but it’s an edgy laughter, tempered by the shock of Kerouac’s self-awareness, by the sense that they’ve just caught a glimpse behind the curtain.

I'd nominate Kerouac as the patron saint of MemeStreams.

I'd second the nomination. As cliche as this sounds, reading "On the Road" was a life changing moment in my life. It inspired me to discover an entire legion of beat poets and folk music. Let me add my recommendation for reading Dharma Bums to anyone who enjoyed OTR.

Thanks

Longlive the beautiful frenzy.

RE: 50 years after On the Road

A telling moment comes at the end of the segment, when Kerouac turns to Sanders and declares, “Say, Ed, I was arrested two weeks ago. And the arresting policeman said, ‘I’m arresting you for decay.’” There’s a flash of cognitive dissonance: Did he really just say that? The crowd laughs, but it’s an edgy laughter, tempered by the shock of Kerouac’s self-awareness, by the sense that they’ve just caught a glimpse behind the curtain.

I'd nominate Kerouac as the patron saint of MemeStreams.

50 years after On the Road