.
.
In the Spirit of Jack — a spontaneous love ode that just flowed out …
to that thing they do in Lowell . . .
What’s cool about LCK is — everybody’s there for Jack . . . but all on their own terms.
Everybody has a completely different relationship with their family member.
You’ll hear a hundred different stories
all by people beaming in front of you
radiating energy;
coming from England or Germany or France or Canada
or Indiana or Kansas or Florida or Texas
because of On The Road or Maggie Cassidy or Dr. Sax
because of Walt Whitman or America or Dr. Thompson
because of wanderlust or adventure or a Doctoral thesis.
There’s all the guided firsthand tours you wanna ride,
and historians and scholars next to you wherever you roam,
and playful people off the clock just riffin in the beauty of all the assembled happiness.
There’s nonstop jamming and goofing and hugging interaction.
And there’s a million places to go — both on maps and not.
Dr. Sax’s woods
the Merrimack’s banks
the cobblestone streets and brick building labyrinths.
And all the local Lowell Jacksters come out from their hidings —
for the weekend they can let their freak flag fly.
And everybody’s got stories.
And you hear Jack lines you’ve read play back in your head,
as you walk with a krewe of your new best friends
from one scene to another
in places you’ve only imagined
and some you haven’t even!
.
And it goes on for days … and days …
From the setting sunlit Worthen afternoon of Thursday —
leading into the epic “bar crawl” of Jack’s joints that climaxes at Cappy’s with David Amram riffin’ Pull My Daisy . . .
Until homeboy Bill Walsh’s final walking tour on Monday thru the secret lairs of Pawtucketville
which weaves back into our Worthen clubhouse
where the worthy who made it all the way
hoist and toast until the jam is done.
It’s Jack in the now.
Not in books.
Not online.
In person.
In front of you.
Right now.
Live it
or
lose it.
.
.
=========================================
.
Here’s a playlist of “Brian Hassett’s Road Show” at The Old Worthen Tavern . . .
.
=========================================
.
Here’s another Satori In Lowell — a day at Jack’s grave.
Here’s the story of Jack’s 100th birthday weekend in Lowell in 2022.
Here’s a story from last year’s Lowell Celebrates Kerouac.
Or here’s the 2015 Adventure of getting into the Pawtuckville Social Club.
Here’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jack Kerouac” that I read from at my show on Saturday and with David Amram on Sunday.
Here’s what some people think of the book. Or here’s what more people think.
Here’s a piece I just wrote on Jack’s book “Pic” — which I performed a chapter from at the Worthen on Saturday.
Here’s a Facebook photo album of the LCK 2016 Adventure. Or here’s 2015.
.
Or here’s the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jack Kerouac” performance from Sunday at The Old Worthen with David Amram and Kevin Twigg —
.
Or here’s a 6-minute movie by Philip Thomas with some of Saturday’s “Brian Hassett’s Road Show” including the Wizard of Wonder’s introduction —
.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
by Brian Hassett — karmacoupon@gmail.com — BrianHassett.com
Or here’s my Facebook account if you want to also follow things there —
https://www.facebook.com/Brian.Hassett.Canada
10 responses so far ↓
1 Marc Spilka // Oct 31, 2016 at 9:08 AM
Nice way to start a Monday morning — great stuff!
2 Stephen D Edington // Oct 31, 2016 at 9:49 AM
Thanks Brian–As a twenty year plus member of the LCK Committee it’s great to read this!
3 Horst Spandler // Oct 31, 2016 at 10:14 AM
Written with the blood of the poet.
4 Kenneth Morris // Oct 31, 2016 at 11:44 AM
As good a testament/ad for LCK and those on the fence to make that commitment to come in ’17. Looks like early Oct. is taken from here on out, Jester. And more Pranksters a comin’. ;):)
5 Philip E. Thomas // Oct 31, 2016 at 2:16 PM
Appreciated Bill Walsh’s comment that our group injected some spirit into LCK. 😉
6 Jean Bélanger // Oct 31, 2016 at 3:24 PM
Merci. That is a wonderful tribute.
7 Roxanne Leinhauser-Brennan // Oct 31, 2016 at 5:54 PM
I totally dig this!
8 Jeffry Gardner // Oct 31, 2016 at 7:24 PM
Outstanding poem, Brian Hassett, really captures the spirit of JK and written in the here and now. Well written––wish I had been there!
9 John J Dorfner // Nov 1, 2016 at 9:43 AM
‘Everybody has a different relationship…’ and some, a very, very personal one. As I like to call it ‘just jack and me.’ Nice piece. B.H.
10 Clay Schofield // Nov 1, 2016 at 11:07 AM
Nice – it has been a while since I spent time in Lowell (Lowell Tech grad) but you painted some memories.
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