Allen Ginsberg live in London
Uploader: jonwy
Original upload date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Sat, 04 Dec 2021 19:28:04 GMT
A clip of Allen Ginsberg - Beat poet, Father of 'Flower-power', US cultural icon, anti-war protester, human rights activist, reading his anti-war poem 'Hum Bom!' , live on stage at Heaven nightclub,
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London UK October 19 1995, at the zippy underground club-night 'megatripolis' (thursdays 1993-1996) in archive film, to an audience of about 1000 people. Sadly this was Ginsberg's final UK live stage reading - an awesome performance. Please note this is archive film filmed on a hand-held camera.
booked and introduced by Lee Harris of Alchemy.
Hum Bom! was re-written and updated for the two Iraq wars. Part I codifies a longer improvisation in a Southern church at an antiwar rally marking U.S. carpet-bombing in North Vietnam, from the early '70s. The bombing of Iraq prompted another seven stanzas'. Gog and Magog are mirror-image mad puppets of war, prophesied to appear before the world's final destruction, Biblical Armageddon, (see Ezekiel and Revelation). The poem and performance obviously resonates still , all this time after he originally wrote it and will probably keep resonating through time knowing the habits of the human race.
Ginsberg was performing on the 2nd birthday anniversary of megatripolis, an underground club-night held on thurdays nights in Heaven nightclub, London which celebrated dance and many other forms of music, the environment, philosophy, the internet and much more. An audience of around 1000 people turned up. It was a great evening, Allen being on amazing form despite being 72, his many years of experience giving readings showing his absolute mastery of performing his own poems.
The full performance was captured for posterity on Diva Pictures film 'Allen Ginsberg Live in London' (also archive footage) (see below).
The film has prompted a plethora of poetry activity and film-making including 'Howl' (Epstein/Friedman starring James Franco) 'Kill Your Darlings' (John Krokidas starring Daniel Radcliffe) and more culminating in The Poetry Reincarnation 50th anniversary 2015 London Roundhouse.
We released it as a political commentary and memory of the event and tribute to Allen.
Allen Ginsberg was reading as part of his penultimate trip to the UK.
Thanks to British poet Tom Pickard, assisting Allen Ginsberg, turning pages.
Big thanks to, filmed and edited by Steve Teers of Diva Pictures, who shot many hours of shows at megatripolis in order to preserve them for posterity. www.divapix.co.uk
The archive film, 'Allen Ginsberg Live in London' , of the full performance is available on amazon.
There is a little promo website for the archive film at www.allenginsbergdvd.com with some clips, poetry and Allen Ginsberg photos.
another short archive clip from this reading (of 'Fifth Internationale') on youtube is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRbWqXjj8Rg
This archive clip with courtesy of The Wylie Agency (UK) Ltd c Copyright 1995 by Allen Ginsberg, Steve Teers, Diva Pictures (UK).(www.divapix.co.uk)
Thanks to all Heaven nightclub crew and to all megatripolis club crew who made this evening happen.