Brianland

the Best in Kerouac & the Beats, Adventure, Politics, Music, Movies, Poetry & other Lifejoys

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Johnny Winter: Down and Dirty movie review

October 19th, 2014 · 17 Comments · Movies, Music

Up and Clean – How “Down & Dirty” Captured Johnny Winter’s New Spring . . Johnny Johnny Johnny … where for art thou, Johnny? In the long strange lineage of tragic rock n roll irony — see: Keith Moon sitting in the “Not To Be Taken Away” chair on his last album cover — Johnny […]

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Don’t be Denied — “Young Neil” book review

October 5th, 2014 · 22 Comments · Music

  I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time! As a teenager in Winnipeg in the ’70s, Neil was a god to us. We drove the 500 miles to Minneapolis during grade 12 at Kelvin to see him for the first time — and to our great dumb-luck fortune, it was the Rust […]

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Makin’ Movies — Carolyn Cassady, On The Road, and the Pranksters at Woodstock

September 21st, 2014 · 23 Comments · Kerouac and The Beats, Merry Pranksters, Movies, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me

. Here’s some early songs in sound and light . . . My tribute to the late great Carolyn Cassady on the one year anniversary of her passing … . Or “The Pranksters Invade the Woodstock Museum” . . . . Or here’s opening the Marry Prankster Reunion weekend in 2016 . . . . […]

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Woodstock with The Pranksters

August 26th, 2014 · 40 Comments · Grateful Dead, Kerouac and The Beats, Merry Pranksters, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me

The Prankster Woodstock . “I’ve got to get back to the land and set my soul free … “ Two of the coolest events of the ’60s just came together in the 21st century — and I lived it from start to finish. The Merry Pranksters’ Bus, which pulled out of Ken Kesey’s house in […]

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Seinfeld and The Beatles and The Beats and such

July 29th, 2014 · 9 Comments · Movies, Music, New York City, Weird Things About Me

. Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld were the Lennon & McCartney of comedy. That’s the way I see it, anyway. Larry was a Lennon — mercurial, opinionated, sharp tongued, bull-headed, idea generating, creatively uncompromising, a supremely gifted artist born to his medium, with an enormous elaborate expansive vision. And Jerry was the McCartney — an […]

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Jerry Garcia Band in Toronto

June 16th, 2014 · 27 Comments · Grateful Dead, Music, Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me

 Not Fade Away — Birthday Adventure 2014     The start of the Adventure.   Just home from the 5-show birthday blow-out!  Sheesh!  Started with New Orleans’ Soul Rebels outdoors in a park with my New Orleans Soul Brother Ross Perlmutter.  The funky brass-n-drums combo were joined for some songs by Toronto’s own frontline horndogs […]

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Spring Peace piece

May 27th, 2014 · 14 Comments · Grateful Dead, Poetry

  Spring Peace piece . Gonna ring a big ding Calling out from Sing-Sing Gonna have a spring fling Kinda have an inkling Everything is gonna sell Comin’ out the dripping well Middle East a burning hell Clanging morning warning bell. The toast is up, the jam is done Twisted people think it’s fun Blowin’ […]

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Johnny Clegg concert in Toronto

April 20th, 2014 · 22 Comments · Music, Real-life Adventure Tales

“It’s Your World, So Live In It” . . Note:  Years ago when I picked the best musical performances I ever saw after watching thousands and reviewing hundreds for RockPeaks, it was a Johnny Clegg clip that I considered the greatest single musical performance I ever saw. *          *     […]

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Shakespeare’s Globe Adventure

March 29th, 2014 · 17 Comments · Real-life Adventure Tales, Weird Things About Me

“The Taming of The Shoobeedoobie” . . “Next stop, Shakespeare’s Globe,” says the driver downstairs on the red double-decker bus winding its way through the narrow South Bank streets of London. I went early so I could do the official tour of the theater, and of course the guide was extremely well-versed, among other things […]

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Kerouac Birthday Bash in London

February 15th, 2014 · 11 Comments · Kerouac and The Beats, Real-life Adventure Tales

Roaring at The Lion . He’s Ninety-Two Let’s Hoist a Few The Jack Kerouac Birthday Bash On The Road in London March 12th, 2014, 9 PM The Red Lion www.red-lion.info Starring:  Brian Hassett — from New York City  John Cassady — from San Francisco  Sam Hammond — Swiss Lips bandleader  Julian Joyce — Jam Junkies […]

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