Some historical context for the curious ones... Ginsberg was writing at a time (mid 50s) when the American counterculture was just beginning to emerge, before the Hippie Generation came full swing, but at a time when people were starting to realize how the conforming and cookie-cutter style morals of the Eisenhower era were hiding darker secrets, and repressed individuality and creativity. Howl is an anthem, a celebration and description of this new counterculture, while also a harsh criticism of the intensely capitalistic and consumerist society that led it to come forth in the first place.

@elvispresley718

9 жыл бұрын

+Cosmic Heruka Yes he was wrote some great poetry. what is the alternative to capitalism? Collectivism has been tried in a variety of ways but people still yearn to be free in NOrth Korea and Cuba. It is easy to tap into young people's unrest, but what is the answer?

@cosmicheruka6251

9 жыл бұрын

elvis presley I'm not exactly sure that there is a definite answer, and as for Howl itself, it doesn't really provide one. For the record, I never said I supported the establishment of a noncapitalist economic system. Just wanted to provide some historical background on the poem.

@elvispresley718

9 жыл бұрын

Cosmic Heruka I understand where it was coming from, it is still coming today. Go to City College in Manhattan and the kids are saying the same shit they said back in 1936! amazing, isn't it

@elvispresley718

9 жыл бұрын

+Cosmic Heruka interesting that Jews want money and status and all of the things which come with that, but condemn the machine which created those good things. I could think of a lot worse things than being an Ike supporter in the mid 50's/ And this all came after American came out of a Depression, defeated the Axis powers and liberated the Jews and other misfits from the concentration camps1 how is that for gratitude

@ConvertAllStar

8 жыл бұрын

+elvis presley King, seems like you're talking to yourself

I just bought a collected works of his at the used book shop on a whim, hearing how good he is. He is amazing. He has the audacity to literally tear down and utterly destroy the walls of comfort and undeviated norms humans have built up around themselves, and burns the secure feelings of everyday societal life. I love him. He is now one of my favorite poets.

This amazing poem sounds like the inside of my head after dropping a couple of blotters. Passing this poem around like a joint to read out loud while you're tripping and thought-looping is one of life's finer pleasures.

@gnosis2871

4 жыл бұрын

@SP Riggs ok conformist

@sexobscura

4 жыл бұрын

@SP Riggs agreed one hundred and fifty three percent

@thedogcatreptileandplantla7169

4 жыл бұрын

There's already an angry anti happy / freedom person. I'll pass this like a joint

@Poemsguitar

3 ай бұрын

This actually sounds like one of Jim Morrison's poems. Hail to the Lizard King!

This is one of the most important poems of the 20th century. It´s not one of his best readings, but it´s still awsome. This is poetry!

"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed...." So true isn't it? The greatest thinkers that ever lived existed in times of trouble.

@marklewis7485

4 жыл бұрын

the best thinkers are defined by trial and tribulation. If we lived in a universe in which slavery never existed we would have never known or needed MLK or Malcolm X.

@jonathanalpart7812

3 жыл бұрын

@@marklewis7485 Wouldn't that be better, though? Not needing them?

@FlagAnthem

3 жыл бұрын

@@jonathanalpart7812 lucky those countries which don't need heroes

@patriciab7297

2 жыл бұрын

I suffer from "madness" from same things... if I've gotta suffer same things I wish to god I'd been there (poet Blake experience = yeah!)... but , natch, born too late. FUCK capitalism.

@richardrowe2615

3 ай бұрын

When haven’t there been signs of struggle in the world?

this is the best damn reading of the poem he ever did. his voice is full and his inflections are all at the first best places for them just like i read it in my head. his pauses are perfect, breath perfectly long just like on the page. the man had RHYTHM all we need is Kerouac in the back passing around jugs of wine going GO GO GO GO GO GO

Allen Ginsberg reads his own poem very well I find.

@DrippyHarryPotterObamaSonic

7 жыл бұрын

well it is his own..

@featherycoffee1401

2 жыл бұрын

How surprising amirite

He reads this even more amazingly than I could ever imagine!

Beautiful, prophetic and a man for all times and seasons. What an exposition `I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness` . Nothing changes.

I know other dislike the poem (and Ginsberg) but every-time I read it I see such a rich, psychedelic description of scenes, prose, with a lexicon unlike any other poem before it. I love HOWL. I think more should behold the power of Allen howling against the false media of his time, against the marginalizing establishment so many were suffering under~

@raekansmyth

8 жыл бұрын

+Isureamned you too eh?

@subplantant

8 жыл бұрын

+Isureamned Haha well if there were none in your first comment you sure as hell made up for it in the second. And should you still require clarification, check the subtext.

@tarjet3867

6 жыл бұрын

tfw no one continues the conversation for two years because you like Bukowski

Listen well.....this is strangely relevant today as it was yesterday, and as it will be tomorrow.

I have finally found my people, and they are all gone.....so I weap.

wow how very insightful. I thought I could just live vicariously through Allen Ginsberg and do nothing ever. Thanks for showing me the light, O bastion of inspiration.

So entrancing... Image after image, with scattered bits of amazing humour. What I wouldn't give to go back and listen.

thank you so much for the download link. Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul!

One of the most astonishing truthers of our time. Bless all of who take this in and getit, for we too are as Genius. I love all of Allen he is the best Beat Boy there ever was.

A powerful poem that I can't help myself to read, again and again.

Such a tender and truthful poem,so personal, so full of intellect and observation of such waste . A man clearly knowing the deepest love , that of his fellow man. I to see the waste of our generation . Dearest and kindest thoughts of Howl remain constant in my life , what a gem of poetry.

I just wanted to say that I think this is one of the greatest songs ever written and Allen Ginsberg was one of the greatest poets and thinkers of all time good he is also great at reading the poems good I wish I could have known him and some of the other beat writers expecially Jack Kerouac. God bless all of them.

He certainly gives you plenty to contemplate. I don't think I've ever heard someone talk about so much in just ten minutes.

My absolute favorite poet of this generation!

I can only wonder at a mind with the capability to describe it's experiences with such vibrant comprehension. ... stream of consciousness or not, l am in awe.

remember , then relocate, then represent and experience the moment as so relevant.

this sound quality is gloriously real

And it can still apply today. That's one of the things I find so cool about it.

great share, thanks for procuring this audio clip

Played this with bebop in the background. Transcendental.

@Ponpontutuss

7 жыл бұрын

Meditation music as well! /watch?v=txQ6t4yPIM0&t=8185s

@brianbousquet2136

5 жыл бұрын

right on Parker,Davis, and my fave John Coltrane

In the late 90's, there was a documentary on A&E called "No More to Say, and Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg." It was one of the best documentaries I've seen on him. It is my hope that someone will post this.

@SuperGreatSphinx

4 жыл бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegy

This poem is the shit, and this reading at naropa is the best version ever... thanks for upping this!

It ever gets old ❤️❤️❤️❤️

The line at 0:20 almost brought me to tears. I literally am not sure why... The only time before this that I've ever heard this man's poetry was in snippets of the film "Magic Trip." But the phrase "starry dynamo in the machinery of night" struck such a chord with me (i believe due to a few particular past experiences). But anyways, WOW. Just, WOW.

this is everything. once you've read works of the beat generation you will never be able to look at literature in the same way… in a good way…

@sugafree2700

6 жыл бұрын

"Everybody likes little kids. … Naked kids have been a staple of delight for centuries, for both parents and onlookers. So to label pedophilia as criminal is ridiculous." - Allen Ginsberg

Such a great poetry and prose. His language will live forever

This type of poetry is so influential and inspiring to me.

There really is no comparison to actually hearing this read out loud instead of just reading it. Especially when you can hear the crowd laughing at parts - it really gives the whole thing a different energy than if you just open the book, thinking "ok, culture time" like some people sadly do.

Whenever I read this book I have Jim Morrison on my mind, two genius minds and because it was his favorite book. God bless their souls

I came here after watching 'Howl' and its amazing how well James Franco captures Ginsberg's way of speaking.

Genius, very unique and honest "FUCK YOU" if you don't get it "SQUARE".

@jamesparthos6811

8 жыл бұрын

+Mikey Macabre i could write a bunch of elaborate nonsense too and youd probably call me a literary genius aswell. idiot.

@mikeymacabre4032

8 жыл бұрын

If you truly believe this to be elaborate nonsense, why waste time on it ? Dumb shit.

@jamesparthos6811

8 жыл бұрын

Mikey Macabre same reason for why youd want to point out the stupidity inherent in my response thats also in yours too. dumb shit.

@mikeymacabre4032

8 жыл бұрын

james parthos Whatever square.

@joefelice5062

7 жыл бұрын

Prove it. You will have fame & fortune.

Thanks uploader.

this man is a GENIUS.

allen ginsberg,a lyrical genius.both tragic and wonderful.i salute you!

Can't wait to see the movie Howl.

The only poem that made me a poet. Hoooooooooooowl!

@SuperGreatSphinx

4 жыл бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl

I like how you refer to our world being ignorant and only concerned with pop culture yet you found out about this through an element of pop culture hah! But this poem could never be lost, this work is a literary benchmark. Pushing the envelope for what is socially acceptable to reference in literature, Ginsberg is, and will continue to be, remembered by our world's literary rich community.

this is youthful energy and passion and confusion made into sour mash by a genius of the word! a sharp Beat whisky of the bespectacled skull, willing to weep at baskets of onions.

WOW! Thanks for that. I never knew.

Allen Ginsberg is one of my favorite poets, he died when I was five but I dont care, discovering him and reading Howl and his poetry has definately encourged me to write my own poetry, he and Sylvia Plath, along with Kerouac and some other writers. And Howl is a great movie, anyone seeing On The Road the movie coming out this year? Any brave souls?

aum mani padme hum. I saw you Mr. Ginsberg, at Berkeley in 1992. What an amazing epiphany and I can say, sir... you and Whitman insisted, positively motivated, MOTIVATED me to make somewhat use of my life. I love you. Wish I could see your thrusting your arms through the peat and dirt toward me. But that's a poem, too. aum mani padme hum.

He was a visionary.

For any reading this who have not enjoyed the exhilarating emotional relief of spewing out a steady stream of pure unbridled unconscious thoughts regarding whatever out of your buzzing mind, putting it down unchanged and unwarranted on paper and then reading it to a crowd should go do it right now. It will help you to understand this poem a lot better than reading useless comments not unlike this one :)

Happy Birthday Allen

this is the best damn reading of Howl ever

Embodied Brilliance.

brilliant. just brilliant

I'd recommend "American Scream" (University of California Press, 2004) by Jonah Raskin. It's got about everything you'd need to know about "Howl" and Ginsberg's life during the Beat era.

Listening to this is a good way to fall asleep.

@DrSmooth2000

5 ай бұрын

You're not there

so beautiful and raw

I saw the greatest minds of my generation destroyed by facebook

@aethikv

Жыл бұрын

And bullshit work😂

@CraigKramer The beat generation wasn't about thinking. it was about talking. Anything that came to mind. Unfiltered, uncensored talking. Whether good or bad. If you don't like it, that's your own choice, but Howl is regarded one of the most respected poems of all time.

poesia = infinito = constante

Awesome stuff. The words that bring me, can bring us, back to an open mind. Still, all the howling is good to come back to basics of the need to build good will among people, as Mondragon Co-op did in Spain under Fascism...."...bleak of brain...."

@SuperGreatSphinx

4 жыл бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

@DarioColon one of the best poems of all time

Allen, allen, alone, you: one of the best liberating/playful minds of my generation, still.

@erikakathleen509

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely not. He is an unimpressive, simple human. Bore.

an American poet and one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the counterculture that soon would follow

@SuperGreatSphinx

4 жыл бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s

Just needs The Doors music playing in the background and it'll be perfect.

@chophel1

9 жыл бұрын

Philip Newman I liked your idea so much I pulled another browser and played the Doors 'Strange Days' at the same time as Ginsberg reading his pome.

@FilNovak1

9 жыл бұрын

***** Like it! Works well with 'Riders on the Storm' too.

@sophiawaterman2504

9 жыл бұрын

+Philip Newman I am a bit late as you posted this months ago but house or rising sun works so well too :)

@bedeo10

8 жыл бұрын

+Philip Newman I disagree this poem is insane on its own

@StephaBlues

8 жыл бұрын

+Philip Newman Yasss!

cool, just saw the "howl" movie, thanks for the rs link :)

He will lead and I will follow

@alwayswinit4real he reads it as he understood it and as he perceives it. your own understanding is a beyond even secondary sourcing and you are obviously free to read it however you like.

allen zoidberg

@alwayswinit4real Yes I totally agree - I've always found Howl a better poem to listen to in your head than to hear being recited aloud. It's one of my favourite pieces of verse, even though I don't think it's actually very good (if you see what I mean !)

holy holy holy holy holy holy holy

incredible.

ROCK AND ROLL

like a powerful tsunami of beautiful words....

im from fucking Mexico and i understan this shit

@SuperGreatSphinx

4 жыл бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico

amazing!

@alwayswinit4real he reads it as he understood it and as he perceives it. your own understanding is beyond even secondary sourcing and you are obviously free to read it however you like.

I'm actually doing a 30 minute presentation on this cant wait

well, tonight, i'll sleep to this. hopefully i don't have a nightmare ...

I feel like screaming just out of excitement and inspiration from hearing this! I'm not even exaggerating!

go away and do not use such inflammatory and offensive language against a man with such a beautiful soul and the most genuine of intention of mere personal expression.

Allen Ginsberg is A Genius .

poem i like

I always read this as if I were in a crazy speed fury.

@MichaelBallack91 I agree with the first part. The part about it being respected has more to do with the decay of high standards in literature than it being good work.

I realy don't know... It would be so incredible to hear it, verse by verse, by those whom heard it the very fisrt time (considering that we wouldn´t hear from Him again)... It is obviously an owesome reading... but I bet, Ginsberg nailed it...

@sheepneverlearn I first read and heard this reading of Howl in university in Canada... but I'm defintely sure there are many schools out there who wouldn't bother to teach his poetry.

love this man to death, initiated interest in poetry, and as far as the assinine comments that insinuate that the "young hipsters" dont understand, that is a far too generalized statement the reality is most of this poem is very specific and relates to very specific experiences of his, however it is poetry and thus the point is that there is an incredible amount to draw from them even just the language.

We who understand this Poem. We must be worthy of this Words we are blessed.We are they who never Surrender.Rest in Peace Allan you are the best guide.that we ever has been.Love You Forever as We All.

@mayukhbhattacherjee4214

6 жыл бұрын

Asseri Makkonen you are a fucking idiot.

Makes no direct sense for those who toils to get certain meanings out of it , but its a poetry where you are free to visualize the senseless sense and to feel it from your own perspective then only you will find it great and dynamic than other mainstream literature.

I agree that it was a 'stream of pure' thoughts, although, it was changed and edited many times :p

i want this read at my funeral

he is NOT a hopeless human being,.. he is 'HOPING" to wake someone up!

Fantastic

howl, you, howl, not just listen, howl, now, always

Timeless

I read heard this when i was... idk, 17? And if you asked me then i would have probably told you i understood it but i failed to appreciate it. 15 years later i have had my chance to see some of what old allen here is talking about first hand.

You should watch the movie howl, it explains it pretty much. Where, off course, it is always open for interpretation.

He was Jim Morrison’s favorite Poet. He read “Howl” at age 10.

He was a member of NAMBLA