Jack Kerouac - Reluctant Icon | Biographical Documentary

I live in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where Jack spent the last few years of his life. He has become quite an icon here in the city. The flamingo bar on mlk, where he used to hang out regularly, has become quite a shrine to him, and they have events throughout the year in celebration of him. Recently, his last remaining house that he owned while living here was made into a historical landmark, and I'm proud to say that I was one of the local voices that led to it being made into that.

I loved Kerouac in high school, then stopped reading him. In my mid 30s, I picked up "On the Road" in a bookshop and started reading random passages and realized quickly how much the book shaped my consciousness. Thanks for the video. I loved it.

Kerouac changed my life and has led me to great joy and great sorrow but I have always been ALIVE. Thanks, Jack, for the kick in the face. I love you.

Excellent video. In 1979, when I was 19, I flew on Laker Airways from UK to New York and hitchhiked across the USA as far as Seattle and down into Mexico. That's how much Kerouac influenced my life. I still cherish the memories of that trip.

Dr.Yorston, my parents were neighbors of Jack in St.Pete.My dad was a Beatnik and great admirer. He would mow Jack's lawn and then they would sit in the yard drinking beer. When I was 2 ( a few years after his death) I wondered off and Stella found me and played with me in the front yard until my parents came looking for me.

Truman Capote famously referred to On the Road as not being writing, but "typewriting". Yes, I believe Jack was a loner who didn't enjoy being alone. This may have been part of his struggle. His main flaw for me was not taking responsibility, especially for himself and his life choices. With this said, I love his writings. You seem to miss that most of his works were meant to be free form word jazz. He adored Bebop jazz and musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and I think he tried to emulate them with his use of words. You do mention his readings with Steve Allen, this is what he was all about. Close your eyes and listen to "The moon her majesty". Simply beautiful. Free flowing.

I found On the Road and Easy Rider very inspirational as a young man. I bought motorcycles and traveled back and fourth between the coast of the U. S. I still love the look of this country. Thanks for the nice summation of Kerouac. I've read a few of the books and enjoyed them all, during my college years I took a class on Beat Literature, which was lots of fun. Thanks again for posting!

I’m here for professors and academics doing YouTube docs.

My father played High School football with Jack. He didn't think much of his skill. Maybe bc my father's coach always referred to (my father) as "that Greek boy." He didn't think much of his writings either, but I did. I really liked the book and have read it several times. I too took the wrong message that he claims many did. I did my share of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Disagreed with the Vietnam War, but went in the Army anyway. My wayward friends and I really adored his sense of freedom. I was also a loner, but with friends. I read many beat writers. I'm 77 now and I miss those days, but I feel my generation, the Boomers, brought a certain negativity to this country. This was a great biography. I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you!!

Kerouac defined the beat generation, and taught many outcasts and discontents, including myself, how to live in a world that doesn’t give a damn about us. I love that man.

He did change the reading habits of a generation and opened the door to literature for a lot of people

I was going through an Air Force technical school in Denver when I read this book. I was 18 and it inspired me to seek out adventures on Larimar Street when it was still the rundown area, not some yuppie hangout. I left there in June, 1965 on a Greyhound bus heading to St Louis. When I got on the bus, I found a seat next to a young Mexican woman who was leaving her husband. We talked all the way to St Louis and to this day I regret letting her continue to Ohio. It was a Keroauc experience. I later would hitchhike thousands of miles looking for adventure.

Aside from everything else i'm still baffled by the shear readability of his work. It just seems to read itself and wash over you, much like the bebop he loved so much.

Probably the best documentary of Jack Kerouac ever been made! It was very pleasurable to listen to and watch! I have the most stimulating 30 minutes for a long time. Thanks very much!

Kerouac found me, I didnt find him, as said by many who have been swept up by his genius. Ken Kesey once described the Grateful Dead in a way that I would describe Kerouac. Dead fans are willing to sit through a lot of mediocre or even bad music until you get to that one moment, where it pops and everything makes sense and you feel nothing but pure joy. This was Kerouac. If you could handle his meandering you would eventually get to a point of pure astonishment at the combination of narrative and poetry. He was an icon for sure, larger than life and unable to handle his fame. I like the way you point this out and I think this happens to some famous people, which is understandable. There is a lot of pressure to live up to the stature of defining a generation. Bob Dylan struggled with similar things. He didn't want to be the leader of a movement, he really just wanted to be an artist with some really poignant things to say. I think Kerouac felt the same, but he was exalted. I liked your portrayal. I appreciated the academic quality of it but I am sure you can understand that there is side to this man that is hard to capture in documentary form. You have to feel it to truly understand it. I dont think his work helped me become who I am, but it definitely helped shape the final product. I still read him today as I have yet to find any author who delights me like Kerouac. Thank you

Thanks Prof- I enjoyed watching that; I was an 18 y-o ‘student’ in Paris in 1961, and Kerouac and Ginsburg were very much part of our young lives - I still remember the cover of On the Road with Kerouac and Dean Cassidy; when I got back I had to write away to import Bob Dylan and Nina Simone records cos you couldn’t get them. Happy memories of a mis-spent but not wasted youth 🙃

Absolutely great. I knew a lot about Kerouac from reading him, and general interest. This was a masterly description and analysis of Jack. It was Truman Capote who said > >that's not writing it's typewriting < ... Well, I can still pick up " On the Road" and have a huge emotional attachment. I also felt kin to Jack Kerouac in that I was a moody and angry alcoholic drinker for most of my life > Now a moody and angry non-drinker,

You really are an exquisite storyteller. I’m so happy to have stumbled upon your channel. I appreciate that you treat each subject with the humanity and compassion that each of us deserves.

I fricken love Kerouac's writing. He was really special.

Great overview of Jack, his 'lives' & characters. I read On the Road back in the late 60s during my high-school years & having listened to your dissection, there are quite a few similarities which I share with Jack. I too have tasted from the many aspects of life & for over 40 years, preferred the company of my cats, music, art & various writings, poems, observations & stor8es, than the busy gathering spots, which so many are attracted to. No chemical dependency has ever chained me down, even though I enjoyed flirting with a number of them. In today's world, the often vacuous friendships which abound, hold no interest for me, so life has prepared me well in coping with excluding those who add nothing of true value to my learning on this 'Road of Life'. I wish you you all a safe & interesting journey on your's. Just don't waste precious time on worthless endeavours. Check everything out, but abandon that which drains you. 😊❤