neal cassady

11 Things: Neal Cassady

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Neal Cassady was many people to many people. He was Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," the secret hero in Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" and the driver of Ken Kesey's bus. He was also John Allen Cassady's father. Following are 11 Things John wanted to relate about his dad.

1. Contrary to popular myth regarding his reputation, my father did, indeed, have a family, and he strove to be a good husband, father and provider.

2. When the Merry Pranksters went on the famous bus trip to New York, my mother (having no sense of humor) insisted I go to school instead. She rightly asked Neal not to glorify that lifestyle every time he came by.

3. My father's mind was highly evolved, but he never bragged or put others down.

4. They never intended to create the beat generation, hippies or the anti-war movement, but I'm glad for the seeds they planted.

5. No matter how much the Eisenhower and McCarthy eras were oppressive, that period was a day at the beach compared with what's going on now.

6. When Dad and Kesey rescued me and my sister from high school to go see the Grateful Dead, they were in the principal's office in white jump-suits, crazy hats and Day-Glo orange Beatle boots. The principal said, "This man claims to be your father!" We said, "Hey, what's up, Dad?" After some signatures, they let us go (and it was the best Friday ever).

7. These bikers were about to lower the boom on some kid for God knows what, and Dad jumped into the fray, saying, "Here, have some gum!" All the bikers backed off, astonished. "Here, have some gum," he kept saying in the middle of the circle until the situation was defused. Kesey just watched in amazement.

8. I was sitting across from Ginsberg in our home around 1965. He said, "Johnny, do you want to know a secret? The Beatles smoke pot!" I said, "What's pot?" I'll never forget how crestfallen Ginsberg looked when the scoop of the century was lost on me.

9. He named me after Kerouac and Ginsberg, but, at the last minute, he changed "Jack" to "John." Years later, I asked Mom about this. She said, "I asked him about that at the time, and he said, 'Well, if you say it fast, it sounds like JackAssady and no one is going to call my son a jackass all his life!' "

10. Of all the doors my father has opened to me, I would trade them all to have him back.

11. John Allen Cassady and his sister Jami will be attending the Third Annual Neal Cassady Birthday Bash this weekend. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat.-Sun. The Beat Museum, 540 Broadway, S.F. (415) 399-9626. www.thebeatmuseum.org.

- Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/07/NS8AURQ3U.DTL

This article appeared on page G - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle