On The Road

A few years ago I was in Venice, California, (crossing Abbott Kinney Boulevard to be precise). On the crown of the road there lay a paperback book, face up, brand new, the title was "On The Road" one of my absolute favourite books. I picked it up and looked around, surely someone had just dropped it. No one came rushing back for it so I pocketed it, I should have left it where it lay I know that, but somehow that book in that place at that particular time was meant for me, so I took it and read it yet again. If you have never tried it, put some nuts jazz on the hi-fi, cook up some proper Joe and strap yourself in, it ain't easy to read. But as I like to say, it will change your life. 

As a result of reading this book in the 80s I replicated one of the journeys that Jack took about 40 years previously and then almost 40 years after that, (kind of at the spot of the book's journey's end) I found this. The cover shows Neal Cassady (another role model) top, and Jack Kerouac at bottom left.

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” Jack Kerouac 1922-1969