TOUCHING THE EDGE: MICHAEL MCCLURE

Beat poet and key member of the Beat Generation
Broadcast date: Sunday 27-12-2009 12:30 - 13:00 ned. 2
Repeat: Saterday 2-1-2010 09:50 - 10:20 ned. 2
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Michael McClure is a Beat poet from the very beginning. Of this movement in 1955 he had his first performance in the, now famous, Six Gallery event in San Franscisco. At the time he didn’t realize he was going to be the spokesperson for a generation along with Allen Ginsberg, who was reading his famous poem ‘Howl’ that same evening (Jack Kerouac was in the audience) and others such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gary Snyder. He thought people would be shocked by his poetry, but the opposite was true: they wanted more.

You could say that they paved the road for the protest generation of the ‘60s. McClure came into contact with the rock band The Doors and was singer Jim Morrison’s friend till the end of his life. Inspired by Buddhism.The Beat generation’s spiritual dimension was present in all its members from the very beginning. They rather turned their gaze towards Asia than to Europe. In his collection of poems ‘Touching The Edge’, in which McLure expresses his fascination for the indescribable and nature. McClure recite his poetry including new, unpublished, work. He performs at the free concert in Golden Gate Park in San Franscisco to celebrate Woodstock’s 40th anniversary, along with his old friend from The Doors, Ray Manzarek.

Director/camera/editor:  Alexander Oey
With: Michael McClure, Amy Evans McClure, Ray Manzarek a.o.
Producer /commissioning editor: Babeth M. VanLoo Sound:  Benny Jansen
With gratitude to: Micheal McClure and Amy Evans McClure, Boots…
First broadcast by BOS: 27-12-2009