Tag Archives: Vachel Lindsay

father of the beats

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Dave

There was decidedly an air of wildness about him….At first Lindsay attracted little attention. Then, in 1913,as his poetic scope widened, he began intoning his verse in ragtime rhythm, in what he called “Higher Vaudeville” presentations. He was convinced that … Continue reading →

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thigh-bone beating on a tin-pan gong…

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Dave

1922…People were dubious about spending twenty-five cents a ticket just to see a poet, but then they tended to be somewhat softened, mollified, by the fact that Lindsay also delivered temperance lectures which appeased the many dry-fanatics at the time. … Continue reading →

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twisting and shouting: father of singing poetry

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Dave

A lot of shouting. Vachel Lindsay was certainly no Longfellow, no Whittier. What was the fellow trying to prove anyway? Lindsay could have told them. He thought of himself as an artistic originator whose “New Poetry” would, in short order, … Continue reading →

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hearing the boom of the blood-lust song…

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Dave

After the seven minutes of gymnastics reqired to complete the poem, “The Congo”, the piece de resistance of the Vachel Lindsay repertoire, Lindsay was hoarse and dripping with sweat, and the audience was almost as exhausted. The wind-up inevitably brought … Continue reading →

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