"And remember, without the Electric Prunes, Kenny Rogers
might never have made it to a solo career, and then where
would we be?"
Kenny Rogers was in the New Christy Minstrels, not the
Electric Prunes.
I must admit that even though I jokingly recommended Selby to
Mario as his follow-up to Walk on the Wild Side, I was blown
away by Last Exit when I read it about 20 years ago. It was
one of the first books I read that really wallowed in the
filth and I was impressed both by this glimpse and by the
writing style. I thought it an amazing tour de force. Somehow
I doubt I'd have the same reaction today, but I don't think
I'll test my fond memories (I didn't see the movie for much
the same reason).
However, I think Selby may have provided a good model for
some -- Richard Price has talked about the huge influence
Last Exit had on him, letting him know it was okay to write
about real people. And that book casts a long shadow over
Price's Wanderers, though not so much in the style
department.
As for the Beats, I think their main legacy may be the lives
they led, as a sort of performance art, more than the words
they wrote, which seem more and more dated as we get farther
away. I think it's kind of telling that there now seems to be
so little difference between the contemporaneous spoofs and
much of the real stuff. Give a listen to the Rhino Beat
Generation box set, for instance. It's hard to tell who's
serious and who's joking, except when the real Beats take
themselves far too seriously about things they should be
joking.
Mark
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