02 January 2013

Neck Ties & Tortured Socks



"Pull my daisy
Tip my cup,
All my doors are open.
Cut my thoughts for coconuts,
All my eggs are broken."
Anita Ellis

I gotta hand it to the kids -- This whole internet bag is mighty stuff. Dig, I'm laying in bed, right. It's early morning and I got no where to go so I flip through an old magazine -- From '59 when men were men and knew how to part their hair. Anyway, I read a movie review for a Jack Kerouac short film called, "Pull My Daisy." I'm grooving on the title and assume there's gotta be some wicked sex.

I drop the magazine to the floor where it plops on neck ties and tortured socks. I grab my phone, do a Google search and up pops a You Tube clip for Pull My Daisy. It's B&W, made in '59 and is under 30 minutes. Opening scene of a skinny '50s chick opening windows of a lower east side loft grabs me by the gonads. The photography is outta sight. No small wonder since the man shooting it was Robert Frank.

It looks raw, all cinema verite like. Later I read the whole thing was well rehearsed and planned out but you'd never know, man. The story? It makes no sense. The chick is an artist who shares the flat with her son and husband, a railroad brakeman. I mean, the cat's a brakeman? Don't they all live in Linden? But it's cool 'cause Kerouac narrates and he's all you hear - like you need to hear anything else.

Allen Ginsberg comes over and shoots the shit with Gregory Corso, Larry Rivers and Peter Orlovsky. There's a lotta smoking and drinking. Arguing. Shouting. But you hear none of it, man. Only Jack's poetry. It's a wild little flick. I'm watching.  In bed. On my phone. Secret scatological thought, man.

8 comments:

Mike said...

Fab find. Hip. Strange. Groovy. Far out in black and white.

Anonymous said...

I was diggin' it baby, until Ginsberg showed up, as he always does...

Fun to watch, but something about this short film doesn't totally jive with me. Maybe it's the beats having too much exposure that makes them come across as dorky, pale, skinny white kids trying hard to be like cool black jazz musicians. They're a lot more iconic on 35mm Tri-X.

-DB

tintin said...

Mike- Indeed.

DB- I think they're poking fun at themselves which makes this a whole less pretentious. And i dig the Tri-X reference. Some of the shots are really beautiful.

Unclelooney said...

Don't try to quit smokin while going to the beat exhibit
You will fail.
Three new movies coming out about the gang. The guy on Dexter plays David kammerer

Anonymous said...

Great find Tintin! Frank's the Americans is regarded as a groundbreaking photography collection. I know NOTHINg about photography but I really do enjoy that book. If you do,too I recommend John Cohen's There is no Eye. Certain that you are familiar with Frank's Rolling Stones "documentary" circa 1972? Unprintable title,sorta depressing. It used to shown in NYC and Toronto ( and only in Frank's presence by some arcane court ruling ) 2x a year when I was a yoot.
Douglas from your favorite city

tintin said...

Uncle Looney- Thanks for the heads up...on the movies.

Anon - C**ck Sucker Blues? Featuring Dr. John's, How much Pu$$y can you eat? Never saw it.

Anonymous said...

Tintin, yep that's the one. The title song is even raunchier than Mac's number. Saw the film in the 1980's(?). Sorta dreary. A couple of Frank's photos from 1940's Detroit were the cover and interior gatefold of Exile.
Douglas from the city of brotherly love

tintin said...

Douglas- The catatonic girls on coke are especially depressing. Every Dad should show his college age daughter this film. It would scare the shit outta of them.