and after all what do I really know

"... 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!' " - Jack Kerouac, On the Road

I love the expression "awww" ...

It's been all over magazines and newspapers the past few days, the celebration of it having been fifty years since Jack Kerouac's On the Road was published. Owing more than an homage to the man, I thought it only appropriate that I acknowledge this and offer up a few links of note and interest on the story. Most of the articles can't help but revisit the scroll form of the original manuscript and the legend behind its benny-fueled completion. In fact, the manuscript is being republished in its original state as part of the whole push to promote. I did enjoy reading some of the original reviews of the novel, the Village Voice's in particular, which has been reposted online for their 50th anniversary in 2005, as well as some nice reflections on how it has stood the test of time and the vast influence it's had, not just literary but also culturally, throughout the decades.

However, in all of my perusing, I did come across a fun bit of trivia with regard to the current status of the oft-mentioned 120-foot scroll (actually cut-and-taped tracing paper, according to Luc Sante's Times article). The text currently resides with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who purchased it at auction at Christie's for $1M+. An odd coupling on the surface, though Irsay is apparently an eccentric collector, and perhaps there is some connection between his interest and Kerouac's brief and tumultuous gridiron days at Columbia. I'd love to learn more about how Irsay came about this and how deep his interest in Kerouac, and his writing, goes.