Jean Shepherd - "Jack Kerouac"

On the day of novelist Jack Kerouac's passing, Shep talks about his friend and reads an excerpt from "On The Road." Do you know which character from this book was based on Shep? WOR Radio show from October 21, 1969. [Audio is public domain. Photo © by Fred W. McDarrah.]

[@andrewm4564]

In 1972, when I was 16 years old, I was "on the road" with my parents and sister for a month. We drove from New Jersey to Seattle to Los Angeles and back to NJ. I read the book, On the Road, during that trip. My experience was obviously very different from Kerouac's, and there was a lot in the book that I didn't understand at that age, but it still made a strong impression on me. The idea of traveling from one end to the other of a US highway (highway 6 in the book) stuck with me, and I have driven all or most of several US highways (not interstates), including US 6. Later in the 70's, I also did some hitchhiking, and I picked up hitchhikers without any problems. I live near Chicago now, and a few years ago I saw the scroll on which Kerouac typed the book (as Shep described). The scroll was on display at Columbia College in Chicago. Hearing Shep read from the book adds a new level of appreciation and understanding for it. Thanks for posting this!

[@CalmKit]

Really great episode. Thanks

[@austinauzphilliphagen2951]

Thanks for the book recommendation Jean! Just got it on Audible 😊

[@chrisgorman4113]

I lived in the village in the sixties. I fondly remember Jean’s shows at the Limelight on Seventh Avenue and the folk music revival at places like Gerde’s Folk City. Good times.

[@bobaldo2339]

There is a version of On The Road available that uses the real names of all the characters in the story: "On The Road The Original Scroll" (Viking).

[@FrankHudsonbass]

Such perfect timing! I'm actually in the middle of reading On the Road!

[@zazuzazz5419]

Fascinating! Shep places his finger right on the pulse...

[@7seasrobert]

I was an avid s
Shepard fan, listening to.him now I realise justh
just naive and simple minded we all were back them...we thought we were hip and insightful, but we we

[@boots_n_coots]

No, I DONT know which character Shep was in On The Road, dang it!

[@greenteablend]

I just downloaded the e-book from my library and I hope to figure it out. 🙂

[@scothammond5736]

In fact, I was a character in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. I’m the Angel-Headed Hippie, the guy they’re always listening to on the radio….” I haven’t been able to find any reference to this in On The Road. My guess is that if indeed, as he said, Shep got a copy of the manuscript from Kerouac, it may have been in there, but was cut before publication

[@7seasrobert]

Just kids

[@ducksinarowpatience3670]

Disappointing.