San Francisco Rent a Car and San Fran Beat Culture
Are you a part of the beat? Since the late 1940s, San Francisco has supported what many consider to be the nations first modern subculture, attracting millions of down and out artists figures with its upbeat attitude and musical on the beat association. The term, which was first coined by Jack Kerouac in 1948, was used to describe a small group of bohemian libertines dedicated to spontaneous, and sometimes messy, creativity. Driven by the need to produce controversial written work for its non-conformity and originality, the Beat Generation represented the beginning of a new trend, analogous to the contemporary Lost Generation. Followers began to flock to California during the 1950s and 60s to better associate themselves with the growing beat culture, which was centered most in the streets of San Francisco and along the North Beach. Remnants of this Beat Generation are still present in and around the city, proclaiming a culture impact and longevity that simply shouldnt be ignored by car rental San Francisco customers!
San Franciscos beat culture would quickly consume the nation, as individuals began to question traditional values and mainstream culture after the conforming period of World War II. By the 1960s the entire nation was alive with lifestyle experimentation as well as public protests and anti-authority presentations, a trend that would later transition into the Sixties Counterculture and the Hippie generation. But in order to be of the Beat Generation one had to fall into a certain criteria as outline in Allen Ginsbergs A Definition of the Beat Generation published in Friction, 1 during the Winter of 1982. The quotation reads that the Beat Generation artistic movement requires the following terms:
- Spiritual liberation, a sexual revolution (i.e. gay liberation)
- Liberation of the world from censorship
- The evolution of rhythm and blues into rock and roll as a high art form examples include the Beatles and Bob Dylan
- Opposition to the American War Machine
- Return to the appreciation of idiosyncrasy against state regime
The Beat Generation did in fact bring about many of these reforms, especially in regards to censorship as artists like Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs created works like Howl and Naked Lunch, two books that would become the focus of wide ranging obscenity trials in the United States. Car rental San Francisco customers may also be familiar with Jack Kerouacs novel On the Road, which chronicles an almost autobiographical account of beat culture throughout the nation. Car rental San Francisco customers interested in learning more about Jack Kerouac and On the Road should definitely consider visiting the San Francisco Public Library as it currently houses Kerouacs original On the Road manuscript. The manuscript, which was purchased by Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts in 2001, is currently on a 13-stop four-year national tour of museums and libraries, culminating with a three month stay at the New York Public Library in 2007.
The Beat Museum
If youre interested in learning more about the Beat Generation and beat culture during your upcoming car rental San Francisco vacation, Super Cheap strongly recommends visiting one of the citys newest museum attractions, The Beat Museum. This one-room museum is housed in a former art gallery, just steps from City Lights Books the literary heart of San Francisco. Artifacts in the museum currently consist of numerous autographed photographs as well as a signed, annotated copy of Ginsbergs poem Howl. Opened just over a month ago, The Beat Museum has experienced almost instant success, attracting hundreds of car rental San Francisco customers who are dissatisfied with the current government control and ongoing war in Iraq. To learn more about the Beat Museum, or to plan youre upcoming adventure into beat culture, please contact the museum by phone at 1-800-KEROUAC or 1-831-372-4911. The Beat Museum also maintains an online resource page at www.thebeatmuseum.org.
|
