And here I am talking about Jack Kerouac’s “On The Road”. The scroll of course is the roll of paper that the first draft of “Road” was written on. You probably know the legend – here is the shorthand – three weeks, not a lot of sleep, coffee, probably drugs (most likely amphetamine of some sort). This was really an attack on the whole writing process. No “pages” just writing in a pure and thoughtless approach.
On The Road: The Original Scroll, has been published by Viking. It is different than the edited versions in the way that all early drafts are – I expect most drafts are a little bit more precious – proper spacing, serious proofreading, paragraph indention’s or at least paragraph breaks. This is not to be found here. What is found is a autobiography that uses real names, and seems for the most part less aware of the writer even though the writer is also the narrator and main subject. Also the Jazz that Kerouac had so deeply in him is evident – I would not call this musical or even lyrical – but it gets close at points.
When push comes to shove – the standard things about “Road” become less evident and the larger issues of the book (in my opinion) start to shine. Forget about the restless generation stuff – the issue that comes to the forefront to me is really simple and clear. It starts to become a living document on how to live. I like the idea of “Road” as a living document.
Postnote:
With Kerouac dead a large number of artists have continued the legacy of “Road” beyond writing, here are a few:
Robert Frank, Dwight Yoakum, Bob Dylan, Gary Winnogrand, Charles Gatewood, Paul Westerburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Kienholz, and hundreds of others.
HERE DOWN ON DARK EARTH
Before we all go to heaven
VISIONS OF AMERICA
All that hitchhikin
All that railroadin
All that comin back to America
Photo from Emdot – found on Flickr, used without permission.