Sometimes journalists just get lucky. That was the case for me when in the summer of 2020, back when the world was unsure if Trump might be reelected, I had just started writing for the local newspaper, and I saw a last-minute pop-up show in Aspen, Colorado, at the Gonzo Gallery.
The show included the visual artwork of giants of the beat writers, Allen Ginsberg, Willam Burroughs, and giant of American Electronica, DJ Spooky, AKA Paul Miller.
It was a complete last-minute trip, but I found a ride and got to the show on time. After the show wound down, people gathered on the partially shut down street around picnic tables and hay bales, and I started a conversation with the creatives that had put the show together. They included Paul Miller (DJ Spooky,) Peter Hale, the curator of the Allen Ginsberg Estate, Yuri Zupanciczupancic, of the Pryz Agency, who specializes in members of the Beat Generation (among others), and DJ Watkins of the Gonzo Gallery in Aspen.
The conversation quickly evolved into a conversation about the importance of writers, artists, and creatives during historical moments in time. And how vital art, writing, and music are as tools for fostering change.
This incredible interview is just as poignant today as it was two summers ago.
