STEVEN VAN ZANDT'S FAVOURITE POET/POEM

Steven Van Zandt (he of The E-Street Band, The Sopranos, Lilyhammer and tons of other great creative stuff) goes on Twitter from time to time to do a Q&A.

Yesterday, I asked him a question: Do you have a favourite poet/poem?

He replied: Howl. Allen Ginsberg. Changed the world. Ask Bob Dylan. Then Bob changed the world again.

This is a link to Ginsberg reading Howl - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkNp56UZax4

It is a 20-minute clip but it is mesmerising, the recital a tad robotic but the words electrifying.

From Wikipedia: "Howl" is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg in 1955. The poem is considered to be one of the great works of the Beat Generation. "Howl" was originally written as a performance piece, but it was later published by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights Books. The poem was originally considered to be obscene, and Ferlinghetti was arrested and charged with its publication. On October 3, 1957, Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled that the poem was not obscene!