"...when Ginsberg was nearing retirement, he was short on cash--as most aging poets are, even successful ones--so he sold all his papers and a ton of memorabilia to Stanford for a huge payday. This was very controversial for a number of reasons, and some members of the public were shocked that a university would pay so much for the relics of, to only lightly paraphrase them, a dope-smoking fairy. The joke's on them, though, as now these things number among Stanford's prize possessions.
These are the sneakers he wore in 1965. They were on his feet when he was kicked out of Cuba, and they were on his feet again when he was kicked out of Czechoslovakia. They pop up in his letters and writings from time to time, and he chose to include them in the sale. Of course, that's not all that was acquired....the red box on the table next to them contains the original manuscript of Howl. Suck it, Columbia! (they were hoping he'd just give them his materials for free when he died)"
-MMG
Coolest thing I've seen in a while. Thanks for sending me this.
