The Beats, Disco, New Wave Boy Bands and Andrew Ross

I think it's interesting that Ross begins “Hip, and the Long Front of Color” with Frank O'Hara's “The Day Lady Died”. On the poem Ross states: “when it comes to his poetry, jazz almost never figures in the urban taste milieu within which he represented himself, or in the realm of daily cultural events about which he wrote in copious detail...In fact, it appeals to me as a fond reader of O'Hara that this scenario might possibly be read as an ironic, even parodic gloss on the stereotyped Beat devotee of the more 'authentic' world of jazz culture” (67). It strikes me as odd that Ross over looks the fact that the collection that contains “The Day Lady Died”, Lunch Poems, was published by City Lights in the Pocket Poets series. The Pocket Poets series includes collections by notable Beats such as Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso. Perhaps I'm making something out of nothing, but the line to which Ross is referring to seems to be more of a wink and nod to City Lights publisher and O'Hara's friend Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

But this off reading is symptomatic of the misreading and generally dismissive tone Ross takes in regard to the Beats. Ross does point to the line in On the Road in which Kerouac praises and idolizes the figure of the African-American jazz musician. Yes, the portrait offered in that scene paints Kerouac badly. But throughout the chapter Ross dismisses the Beats as nothing more than middle class posers who willingly chose to live a life of self-imposed poverty. Ross maintains: “the Beats were neither missionaries nor sympathizers in respective solidarity with the people” (86). This analysis neglects Ginsberg's prominent role in the free speech, anti-war, gay rights, and nuclear disarmament movements throughout the latter half of the 20^th century. It also neglects Gary Snyder's role in both political and environmental movements, as well as Lawrence Ferlinghetti's role as outspoken political activist.

Ross' analysis of the Beat's is not the only problematic aspect of the chapter. Earlier in the text, he asserts that there hasn't been a form of popular music before or after Rock 'N' Roll that called attention to itself as both popular and disposable. This assertion seems to be beyond hyperbole. After all, No Respect was released in 1989, after the death of both disco and new wave. One would be hard pressed to not think of these genres as being as much, if not more so disposable than the early Rock 'N' Roll to which Ross is referring. Furthermore, one cannot blame Ross for not having the foresight the see the oncoming juggernaut that would be the teen pop phenomenon that would hold popular music in a chokehold during the waning years of the '90s and the early years of the '00s.