Beatnik

Beatniks, were a stereotype of people in the 'Beat Generation' circa 1950-1960. Jack Kerouac introduced this phrase to characterize his social circle and group of friends within that time. Typical Beatniks are Andy Warhol types, dark glasses, berets, dressed in black & white, alot of stripes, anti-conformist, turtleneck sweaters, sold books, worked in cafe's, listened to jazz/blues, always smoking, very dark, dingy, mysterious people. 'Sold a way of life that seemed like dangerous fun'. Among all the subcultures of the 50's, 60's & 70's, this one was by far one of my favourites. I wish that for one day, I could go back to 1963 and sit outside a cafe down a dark alleyway in Paris, listening to Charles Mingus, smoking through a cigarette holder, my head deeply buried in a book about art & poetry, black beret, dark glasses, striped turtleneck sweater, black boots, and perhaps having a conversation with someone about the next dangerous adventure I was about to embark on.