Now Playing: Gordon Jackson LP
Topic: Addition
Here's another vinyl imprint resulting from Ginsberg's visits to Britain in the mid-'60s. I believe it's missing from the standard Gins bibliography, just like the album written about here earlier.
ALLEN GINSBERG & Co
Dialectics Of Liberation, Vol 1-23 1967 (no label, UK) [vol 13, 14, 16]
A massive 23-volume set that seems unfathomable as a product today, yet we should rejoice in its existence. A bunch of learned men gathered in London to discuss the possibilities, nature and need for 'liberation', which seems to be a code word for revolution. Lectures, dialogues and roundtable debates are spread out across the 23 volumes, including luminairies such as Stokely Carmichael, R D Laing, Julian Beck, Simon Vinkenoog and several more. Ginsberg appears on volumes 13, 14 and 16, of which the last is all Allen and nothing else. Vol 13 has an amusing passage in which a British professor of religion challenges Ginsberg to explain what his sanskrit chanting means, and could he please describe the differences between hinduism and buddhism. Ginsberg is also taken to task for his hedonistic lifestyle, in light of his religious appearance. Sort of like what you always wanted to hear, but never thought would happen. Allen is rather defensive and simply says "point taken" before things move on. Stokely C has some interesting things to say on the same volume. Supposedly Digger Emmet Grogan appears on one of the volumes, but I haven't figured out which one yet. Doubt they pressed many of this.
UPDATE: Here is a clip of the amusing Ginsberg passage mentioned above.