I wouldn't hold your breath.
my own opinion is that Kerouac is a terrible writer who leeched off his friend Neal Cassady and 'sold him out' in on the Road- a book which actually soured their friendship for good. I watched the documentary, and I was not surprised that Brand is a fan of kerouac- a big talentless fake who got rich and famous of the talent of others. In my mind, it's a similar situation to The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols- initially they were friends, but Anton Newcombe of the BJM got f***ed up on heroin and drink, scored with women at drug parties, and had a hellraising time- whereas Courtney Taylor of the DW's just wrote about it like he did- then went home a sipped mineral water and got his stylist in to do his hair for him and give him a blowjob.
On the road is badly written, oversentimental and shite- one of the most overated books of the 20th century.
If you stuck a gun to my head and forced me to read poetry, I'd choose Bukowski every time. Of the Beats, Ken Kesey has far more talent, and Ginsberg's got some good ideas too. Kerouac's just a Hipster posterboy and a wannabe. He wrote on the road in 3 weeks? It f***ing shows.
If you want to read a decent road book get 'Factotum' by Charles Bukowski. If you want to read a book about being down and out, there is no finer work than 'Hunger' by Knut Hamsen; in fact, I believe this to be one of the finest, most honest and intense books ever written. And if you want to read 'my struggle by Adolf Ponceby-Hitler, you can go piss up a rope.
This quote for me sums up everything I find shitey and embarrassing about Kerouac;
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”
it's like something a five-year old would say if they were trying to impress their teacher- f***ing cringeworthy. And as for his poetry, I could eat alphabet spaghetti and shit better poetry than that.
