The Beat Goes On
In the 1950’s, New York City was the home of a seismic shift in literature, music, and visual art. Beat poetry was born, Jazz was flourishing, and artists of all disciplines were challenging the establishment and themselves. This “jumping, jazzy city” is also the home of our protagonist, Max. New York’s rich artistic history inspires his work and shapes his world as he struggles to make his dreams a reality.
The “beat” in beat poetry evoked multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings – to be beaten down, to be beatific, and the beat beneath the music. Beat poets were anti-conformist and rejected standard literary form. Their poems were often rhythmic, provocative, and utilized a stream-of-consciousness technique of writing.
Jazz visionary Charles Mingus Jr. applied a similar philosophy to his music. He championed “spontaneous composition” – music performed from a sudden natural impulse without planning or premeditation. His record label, Debut Records, showcased new musicians and produced some of the best live jazz recordings of the era.
Visual artist Romare Bearden challenged conventional norms with his vivid and striking work that placed African American imagery in the context of the universal experience. In addition, he founded Cinque Gallery as an exhibition space for other marginalized artists. Although he is best known for his collages, Bearden also mastered painting, drawing, and songwriting in his lifetime.
Max’s dream is to live in Paris, a pivotal place for many of the artists that came before him. In 1950, Bearden studied at the University of Paris and spent seven months enraptured with the city. Jazz legends who worked with Mingus Jr., like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, went on to experience great success overseas with French audiences. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, leaders of the beat movement, congregated in Hotel Rachou (now known as the Beat Hotel) to collaborate with fellow poets and debate creative ideas. “Wonderful ideas can come from anywhere,” but Paris has a special pull on our lucky dog and the artists who made that pilgrimage before him.
Max the beat-poet and Bruno the painter of invisible paintings would have fit right in with this community of artists and are modern additions to their legacy. As Max states, “This book is about dreamers. Wishful thinkers. Dreamy blinkers. Crazy nuts.” Who could have asked for a better dog to keep the beat going and the words flowing? May we all live by our dreams, just like Max.
This article was originally published in the playbill for Max Makes a Million at the Alliance Theatre in 2019