Just a quick burst from old stomping grounds this morning. Last night on the news, and again in today's Oregonian, we learned that Reed College has discovered that it possesses the earliest-known recording of beat poet Allen Ginsberg performing "Howl" and other selections. Performed on February 13, 1956, the recording predates the formerly-earliest recording by just over a month.

Take that, Berkeley!

The beat generation and Reed College are synonymous. Poets Gary Snyder, Philip Walen, and Lou Welch all attended Reed, and convinced luminaries like Ginsberg to read at the college. From the Oregonian article:

Last May, John Suiter was researching a biography of Snyder in the Hauser Library at Reed. Suiter knew Snyder and Ginsberg had been at Reed in 1956 and knew Ginsberg had read "Howl." He was looking for proof in the student newspaper when special collections assistant Mark Kuestner brought him a box marked "Snyder Ginsberg 1956."

In it was a 35-minute tape of Ginsberg reading the first section of "Howl" and seven other poems.

"It was completely serendipitous," Suiter said. "I had no idea there was a tape."

This isn't just any tape. Not only is it the earliest known recording of one of the most famous poems of the 20th century, but also the sound quality is excellent, and Ginsberg gives a strong, clear reading with enough textual variations in "Howl" and the other poems to keep literary scholars busy for years.

To put it bluntly, this is awesome! I can't wait to hear the recording. At Reed, I took a course on the beat generation from Professor Pancho Savery, and it was easily one of the best academic and emotional experiences I've ever had. We all learned a lot about ourselves as writers, and about the world at-large from these wandering souls who laid their emotions bare in masterpiece works. Howl, one of the most visceral of these works, is simply a joy to hear performed. That there are stark differences between the published text and Ginsberg's performance is indeed a boon to scholars, as debating the differences will be a distinct pleasure.

In other, non-Reed news, today is the "Potomac Primary," which features contests in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Barack Obama is favored in each primary, but the margins in Virginia will go a long way to crafting the narrative: is Hillary fading badly, or can she limit her losses?