BOOK

On the Road
Jack Kerouac
Viking Press, 1957

"On the Road is the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as 'beat' and whose principal avatar he is," wrote New York Times book reviewer Gilbert Milstein back in 1957. Mr Milstein wasn't alone in his coining of Jack Kerouac as the human incarnation of 'beat'. After the release of On the Road, Mr Kerouac was famous and his novel the quintessence of a generation.

For many, On the Road is the Bible of the Beat Generation. It embodied the frenzy of artistic creation — think jazz music — and stream of consciousness writing — similar to Allen Ginsberg — that was defined by the Beats. It ranks as a classic and makes an ideal springtime read. The road story is a novel about travel but also about discovering a little bit about who you are. The novel follows Sal Paradise (Mr Kerouac's alter-ego) on a hitchhiking adventure across the US where he encounters a cast of characters, including his hitching buddy Dean Moriarty (based on Mr Kerouac's friend and beat groupie Neal Cassidy).

The novel, written when Mr Kerouac was 35, is about the freedom of the road, the joy of waking in a new town, to see new things for the first time. "I woke up with a headache... I went outside. And there in the blue air I saw for the first time, far off, the great snowy tops of the Rocky Mountains," wrote Mr Kerouac, "I took a deep breath."

— Oliver Pinchuck

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POP

WHAT'S GOING ON
Marvin Gaye
Motown, 1971

The 1971 album, What's Going On, marked a change in Marvin Gaye's musical direction. Tired of the hit-machine-like music he was putting out with Motown he moved towards music with a social message. The story behind the album puts into context how Motown felt about Mr Gaye's artistic shift. In 1970 Mr Gaye decided to record the track "What's Going On," which was given to him by The Four Tops. Berry Gordy (head of Motown) found the song uncommercial and opted not to release it. Mr Gaye was obstinate and told Mr Gordy that he wouldn't record any more music for the label until "What's Going On" was released. Mr Gordy gave in. The song became a massive hit and Mr Gaye recorded the rest of the album in just 10 days.

What's Going On went on to become one of Mr Gaye's best records and one of the essential soul albums of all time. Tracks like "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "What's Happening Brother" truly define the essence of the post-Vietnam US. Mr Gaye put into lyrics and melodies the emotions of an entire generation hopelessly wandering the inner city upon returning from a useless war.

What's Going On is the perfect album to pop into the CD player on a warm spring afternoon. The soulful sounds hang in the air like thick southern humidity and can easily bring you back to the early 70s, an era, like now, of social unrest, loss of confidence in the government but also a time of hope and change.

— Harold Markham

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FILM

DOLEMITE
Dir: D'Urville Martin
Dimension Films, 1975

Only Blaxploitation films could meld together kung fu, pimps, gangsters and funk music — and make it work. The genre emerged during the early 70s and was marketed to a primarily black urban audience. The films were usually written and directed by African Americans and were notorious for their overt sexual content and sensational violence. They parodied the conventional stereotypes of urban life — the pimp, the dealer, the gangster, the crooked cop, the seedy politician, the streetwalker — and insulted the White American bourgeoisie. Regardless of their meagre budgets, Blaxploitation films brimmed with a style that continues to influence today. Soundtracks included some of the greatest funk tracks of the era and the clothes were always 'pimped out.'

Dolemite is considered one of the classics of the genre. It was one of the first to be written and directed by African Americans and also set the parodic tone. Standup comedian Rudy Ray Moore (who also co-wrote) plays Dolemite, a wrongly jailed club owner who returns to the streets to save his 'hood from mean Willie Green (played by the director, D'Urville Martin). Dolemite fights crime and catches Willie with the help of his 'girls' (a bevy of multi-ethnic beauties trained in the art of seduction and kung fu) and Queen Bee (played with ultra coolness by Lady Reed) the matriarch.

Dolemite falls into the category of films that are so bad they are good. The production quality is dismal (you can see the boom mike in several scenes), the sexual content borders on pornographic and the acting is sub par at best. But all these shortcomings add to the film's charm and it's clear how much it inspired some of today's brightest directors, especially Quentin Tarantino.

— Abigail Sevigny

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Calling all doctors! Do you have a classic film, CD or book that you love? Would you be interested in sharing it with your colleagues? If so, why not submit your review to the National Review of Medicine. Send your article to [email protected] and we'll send you a gift if we publish it.