Disclaimer: The following biography was written to the Classic Jazz hit, "All of Me", by Louie Armstrong, in a somewhat admirable attempt to re-create Kerouac's legendary writing style.
The Life of "Wacky" Jack Kerouac
A French Canadian boy, born to a father and mother in Lowell, Massachusetts, types away with pleasure on his typewriter, like it’s some kind of sport to him. As his mother makes him breakfast, the crows caw to young “wacky Kerouaky” and the boy writes to the tempo between the calls, unbeknownst as to how he’d grow in life, or what he’d achieve with his craft. This was the inquisitive nature of Jack Kerouac; it was his gift. Raised to speak Joual, a French Canadian dialect, for not less than 6 years of his life, Kerouac’s family were of the select few companions he could “connect” with, since it was such a rare language in the United States. The boy’s mother, Gabrielle-Ange Lévesque, played a significant and arguably unhealthy role in the both Jack’s childhood and later life. Raised in a Catholic world, the surrounding nature of Kerouac’s early life was strict in many ways. This would prove to bless Kerouac’s life, but also bewilder him with an overwhelming amount pressure, for to Kerouac’s mother, sin was more than a petty crime and, to young Jack, Ms. Kerouac was his arbiter. The boy’s childhood wasn’t completely foreboding with innocence and pleasure; his idol, his influence, and older brother Gerard became Kerouac’s most cherished memory, when he died at the tender age of nine. Years of his life would pass, but from the very date of his older brother’s tragic death, Jack was fully aware of weight it would hold on him. For, years later, he would dedicate one of his most introspective and personal novels on the outlook of life his brother, by titling it, “Visions of Gerard.”
Although some see little Kerouac as a sheltered “mama’s boy”, he’s had a kindred connection his mother, from the earliest time in his life. Despite eventually of hearing these pestering accusations from his childhood throughout his adulthood, Kerouac continued to care for his mother during the death of his father, second brother, and up until his own inevitable death. However, once Kerouac learned English, he soon endorsed the idea of becoming outspoken and extroverted. Yes, sir, little Kerouac was growing up and was even awarded a scholarship to a University, because of his superb athletic skill on the field for and in the field of American football. Poor Kerouac couldn’t and refused to mingle and accept the path of life that he was taking. The life he thought he desired soon became what he considered a rouse, a sham, a misleading path, and because of this, ol’ “wacky Kerouaky” dropped out of college to join the military. Ah, life at sea… It was, only his wildest dreams, where he planned to be. He was lucky enough to eventually make that a reality for, at least, a short duration of time. Burdened and discharged from the military only after a few short weeks, because of a little inconvenience called, “Schizophrenia”, Kerouac was now without a path and, for the first time in his life, a free man.
Soon he met his partners in crime and spiritual brethren, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsberg. Jack and Neal eventually took on the entire nation of America, state-by-state. All grown up, but still a child at heart, Mr. Kerouac stopped following the life of others and soon followed the pace of his own foot’s movement. Little did he know, he and Neal were behind the track thousands of pioneers, and even Lewis and Clark every step of the way. In a sense, his travel experiences with both Cassady and Ginsberg matured him rapidly and immensely. Through his time as a vagabond, Kerouac was turned on to Buddhism along with, which was an immediate interest of Kerouac’s, due to his mother religious influence on him as a young child. Much of the religious beliefs eventually helped to pave the way for another one of Kerouac’s “Cult classics”, ‘Dharma Bums’, which reflected heavily upon Kerouac’s “search for enlightenment” through the Buddhist faith. Kerouac would soon be exposed to the varying opinions regarding the debate between Communism and Capitalism. At this time in his life, Kerouac would take many different substances, all of which he claimed to “hone” his spirituality and writing style; however, all of which also decayed his lifespan rapidly. Jotting down each experience with immense detail, Kerouac was able to process ‘On the Road’ in a few short weeks, even though it took him years to gather those experiences. The theme of Jazz music was a necessary “tool” that inspired Kerouac’s writing style in this classic, ‘On the Road.’ Since Jazz music is a form of music that prides itself on improvisation, it set him in the “appropriate” mood. Kerouac’s philosophy is and always has been, “The first thought is the best thought.” This quote goes hand-and-hand with the way Kerouac has written the majority of his novels. It was his job to retain that spontaneous feel of wonder and childlike exuberance that was expressed on his original and seemingly endless scroll.
Fueled on the likes of Buddhism, Jazz music, caffeine, and occasionally a few “huffs” of Benzedrine, Kerouac has managed to write what some would declare his best work in an impressively short amount of time. His “stream of consciousness” writing style and the means of his writing utensils, in specific, a 50ft. scroll which he originally used to draft his novel “On the Road”, have become his trademarks and have both intimidated and inspired many other authors throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. Unfortunately, with his fame and success came a lot of critique and a lot of enemies from both right, and left wing political views. Kerouac’s political and religious views soon became public knowledge after his constant public appearances, which he often stated how much he despised the fame and public interest. His enemies on the right saw him as a “drugged-up left-wing immoral hipster”, where he had just as many left wing enemies because he hated Communism and blamed it on the Jews. This was due partially to the prejudice upbringing he had from his father and even his mother. Kerouac even once declared that his father pushed a Rabbi into a street because he wouldn’t move for a Catholic man on a sidewalk. Kerouac did make “anti-Semitic” comments with little, to no remorse, as it was very common during the time. Nevertheless, he did associate himself with the underground jazz culture, and because of this, he mingled with many people of different ethnicities; for example, people of, African, Mexican, or Puerto Rican descent
In a sense, Jack Kerouac was like a “hamster on a wheel”; constantly moving to power the nation he lived in. But was he actually truly liberated? Millions of young minds admired and desired the same emotions and thought process Kerouac conveyed in his work, for he brought about the deepest, darkest questions, the questions that asked, “What is the meaning of life?” People didn’t want to look back 50 years into their life and ask, “Could I have done anything different?” However, Kerouac took this into consideration during the production of his work and found out that it was in his best interest to try to get people to ask these questions about themselves. Kerouac was a writer who did more than just compose the experiences of his trips across America; he tried to show people his perspective, in which he and his friends believed that life is what you make of it.
Kerouac was the wildest “beat” of the bunch; some even call him the “original hipster”, a revolutionary, but those that knew him closely enough would tell you, “Kerouac was always on the lookout for material, which he would record in a tiny notebook until he slowed down enough to pull the fragments together.” (Carolyn Cassady). The people who understand his work are the ones that understand him, and according to fellow author Gerald Nicosia, “There is no understanding Jack Kerouac without understanding the power his brother Gerard had over his heart and his imagination.” A misunderstanding of Kerouac caused a misrepresentation of Kerouac’s intentions. It wasn’t until ‘Visions of Gerard’ was on shelves that people finally began to understand; they began to understand the true context of ‘On the Road’; they finally began to understand Kerouac from his earliest days in life, to his demise in 1969. ‘Visions of Gerard’ was dramatic change of pace from Kerouac’s usual novels; it was the personal work of Mr. Kerouac. Jack Kerouac had incredible range as an author, and will always be remembered for his cunning innovations in the field of literature and for his impact on the “Beat Generation.”
Although some see little Kerouac as a sheltered “mama’s boy”, he’s had a kindred connection his mother, from the earliest time in his life. Despite eventually of hearing these pestering accusations from his childhood throughout his adulthood, Kerouac continued to care for his mother during the death of his father, second brother, and up until his own inevitable death. However, once Kerouac learned English, he soon endorsed the idea of becoming outspoken and extroverted. Yes, sir, little Kerouac was growing up and was even awarded a scholarship to a University, because of his superb athletic skill on the field for and in the field of American football. Poor Kerouac couldn’t and refused to mingle and accept the path of life that he was taking. The life he thought he desired soon became what he considered a rouse, a sham, a misleading path, and because of this, ol’ “wacky Kerouaky” dropped out of college to join the military. Ah, life at sea… It was, only his wildest dreams, where he planned to be. He was lucky enough to eventually make that a reality for, at least, a short duration of time. Burdened and discharged from the military only after a few short weeks, because of a little inconvenience called, “Schizophrenia”, Kerouac was now without a path and, for the first time in his life, a free man.
Soon he met his partners in crime and spiritual brethren, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsberg. Jack and Neal eventually took on the entire nation of America, state-by-state. All grown up, but still a child at heart, Mr. Kerouac stopped following the life of others and soon followed the pace of his own foot’s movement. Little did he know, he and Neal were behind the track thousands of pioneers, and even Lewis and Clark every step of the way. In a sense, his travel experiences with both Cassady and Ginsberg matured him rapidly and immensely. Through his time as a vagabond, Kerouac was turned on to Buddhism along with, which was an immediate interest of Kerouac’s, due to his mother religious influence on him as a young child. Much of the religious beliefs eventually helped to pave the way for another one of Kerouac’s “Cult classics”, ‘Dharma Bums’, which reflected heavily upon Kerouac’s “search for enlightenment” through the Buddhist faith. Kerouac would soon be exposed to the varying opinions regarding the debate between Communism and Capitalism. At this time in his life, Kerouac would take many different substances, all of which he claimed to “hone” his spirituality and writing style; however, all of which also decayed his lifespan rapidly. Jotting down each experience with immense detail, Kerouac was able to process ‘On the Road’ in a few short weeks, even though it took him years to gather those experiences. The theme of Jazz music was a necessary “tool” that inspired Kerouac’s writing style in this classic, ‘On the Road.’ Since Jazz music is a form of music that prides itself on improvisation, it set him in the “appropriate” mood. Kerouac’s philosophy is and always has been, “The first thought is the best thought.” This quote goes hand-and-hand with the way Kerouac has written the majority of his novels. It was his job to retain that spontaneous feel of wonder and childlike exuberance that was expressed on his original and seemingly endless scroll.
Fueled on the likes of Buddhism, Jazz music, caffeine, and occasionally a few “huffs” of Benzedrine, Kerouac has managed to write what some would declare his best work in an impressively short amount of time. His “stream of consciousness” writing style and the means of his writing utensils, in specific, a 50ft. scroll which he originally used to draft his novel “On the Road”, have become his trademarks and have both intimidated and inspired many other authors throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. Unfortunately, with his fame and success came a lot of critique and a lot of enemies from both right, and left wing political views. Kerouac’s political and religious views soon became public knowledge after his constant public appearances, which he often stated how much he despised the fame and public interest. His enemies on the right saw him as a “drugged-up left-wing immoral hipster”, where he had just as many left wing enemies because he hated Communism and blamed it on the Jews. This was due partially to the prejudice upbringing he had from his father and even his mother. Kerouac even once declared that his father pushed a Rabbi into a street because he wouldn’t move for a Catholic man on a sidewalk. Kerouac did make “anti-Semitic” comments with little, to no remorse, as it was very common during the time. Nevertheless, he did associate himself with the underground jazz culture, and because of this, he mingled with many people of different ethnicities; for example, people of, African, Mexican, or Puerto Rican descent
In a sense, Jack Kerouac was like a “hamster on a wheel”; constantly moving to power the nation he lived in. But was he actually truly liberated? Millions of young minds admired and desired the same emotions and thought process Kerouac conveyed in his work, for he brought about the deepest, darkest questions, the questions that asked, “What is the meaning of life?” People didn’t want to look back 50 years into their life and ask, “Could I have done anything different?” However, Kerouac took this into consideration during the production of his work and found out that it was in his best interest to try to get people to ask these questions about themselves. Kerouac was a writer who did more than just compose the experiences of his trips across America; he tried to show people his perspective, in which he and his friends believed that life is what you make of it.
Kerouac was the wildest “beat” of the bunch; some even call him the “original hipster”, a revolutionary, but those that knew him closely enough would tell you, “Kerouac was always on the lookout for material, which he would record in a tiny notebook until he slowed down enough to pull the fragments together.” (Carolyn Cassady). The people who understand his work are the ones that understand him, and according to fellow author Gerald Nicosia, “There is no understanding Jack Kerouac without understanding the power his brother Gerard had over his heart and his imagination.” A misunderstanding of Kerouac caused a misrepresentation of Kerouac’s intentions. It wasn’t until ‘Visions of Gerard’ was on shelves that people finally began to understand; they began to understand the true context of ‘On the Road’; they finally began to understand Kerouac from his earliest days in life, to his demise in 1969. ‘Visions of Gerard’ was dramatic change of pace from Kerouac’s usual novels; it was the personal work of Mr. Kerouac. Jack Kerouac had incredible range as an author, and will always be remembered for his cunning innovations in the field of literature and for his impact on the “Beat Generation.”
