Monday, June 18, 2007

...and kind king light of mind

Some of you might wonder...why Ashcan Rantings? It seems like a quite bizarre blog title. My blog actually was called "Confessions of a Psychedelic Mess" for a while (hence the URL http://psychedelicmess.blogspot.com/) but that didn't really grab me. At the time, I was intensely reading the brilliant Allen Ginsberg poem "Howl" and I came across this passage:

Peyote solidities of halls, backyard green tree cemetery
dawns, wine drunkenness over the rooftops,
storefront boroughs of teahead joyride neon
blinking traffic light, sun and moon and tree
vibrations in the roaring winter dusks of Brook-
lyn, ashcan rantings and kind king light of mind,
who chained themselves to subways for the endless
ride from Battery to holy Bronx on benzedrine
until the noise of wheels and children brought
them down shuddering mouth-wracked and
battered bleak of brain all drained of brilliance
in the drear light of Zoo


I'd wanted my blog's title to have some sort of meaning..."Howl" is my favorite poem, it was written by Allen Ginsberg, who was friends with many of the old celebrities that frequent my blog (as in my writing about them, they don't actually come to my blog), plus, hey, I do rant on occasion (though I've held back on Beyonce and JT as of late, I don't know how much longer I can - "You can't wait to fall in love with me" is the most obnoxious, pretentious and cocky thing a guy can say to a girl!! GOD HELP US ALL)


Anyway, for you visual (cough) pleasure, here is Allen Ginsberg, naked as the day he was born, advertising for my beloved Merry Pranksters and their acid test.

I know what you're thinking and, no, I don't have a crush on him. He was really pretty very gay.

20 comments:

Emma said...

You are a very smart girl. Which makes me sound like I'm some old crazy lady grabbing people's faces shrieking "WHAT A SMART GIRL YOU ARE! COME GIVE AUNT EDNA A BIG KISS! I BAKED YOU SOME RUGELACH!" Or like I'm talking to a dog, you know, "Who's a smart girl? YOU'RE a smart girl! You're the smartest girl! Go fetch! Fetch! Fetch!"
But yeah. There it is. Allen Ginsberg? Sheesh, teach me the ways of your brilliance. I love him, and that is such a cool way to get a blog name.

Anonymous said...

I have always found ashcan rantings brilliant, now that I know it is Allen Ginsberg, it is beyond brilliant. Next best choice would have been toiletrim gaggings.

Anonymous said...

wow, so that's where it comes from! i've always wondered, that's a amazing poem! it's so fluid and the wording, "tehead joyride...." j'adore! it's cool that you read ginsberg, i didn't even learn about him until this year in American History and I've never thought of reading him. It's just refreshing to see a teenager reading something other than Sarah Dessen. It's just refreshing to see a teen who has an actual interest :) ok, i will stop insulting teens (after all I am one!), but i'm just so sick of the lack of originality, so even if i cannot stand prince or bob dylan, it's way better than JT! basically, what this all boils down to molly, is your pretty awesome!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

ok i'm a dorky person who proofreads my comments only after posting them, and i'm sorry but i have to be a grammar nazi here haha

it's "teahead"

&

"you're pretty awesome" not your

ok, enough of me being really anal, i am just clarifying that im not an idiot

ok done ;)

Jen (MahaloFashion) said...

YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED!

See my page for details

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Susana Rodrigues said...

ahhhh ;)
very very good

luv xoxo
Su

Emily said...

you have been tagged - c website
xxx

Tru said...

I love the title personally I think it is very unique and totally fits your blog

a said...

oh wow, I don't know nearly enough about poets and poetry. We did some william blake in english, but that's basically it. I'll find an allen ginsberg book and wolf it down. with my eyes.

Carolina Lange said...

Great post!

TheClocktowerForest said...

I read about him in a book simply titled "Hippie" it was informative of the counterculture because it was written by someone who was once a flower child.

WAT said...

I must read and delve more into this Allen Ginsberg! Heard about him so much here and there, but not too informed yet. Thanks for the heads up!

stilettoheights said...

I love the title and Allen Ginsberg is white hot f-ing cool....

Ella Gregory said...

i actually had wondered why it was called that
interesting title

Anonymous said...

Supercool blog, would you like to trade links?!

-S said...

so THATS where your blog title came from. i always wondered. and know, i am informed.

Jen (MahaloFashion) said...

Now I understand your title;)
it's creative and personal, I dig it :)

Anonymous said...

I love Howl so much. San Fransico prrrrrride! ha, I first about it via Gilmore Girls and the unforgettable JESS which makes it better. :D

Anonymous said...

Since I named my blog Ashcan Rantings too, as an homage to Ginsberg, I thought I'd point you to this documentary, if you haven't already seen it.