Jack Kerouac Has Left the Building

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Minuetto, Locatelli

Before heading for The Big Apple, I had my sights set on visiting The New York Public Library to take in their special exhibits profiling Milton and Kerouac. So you can imagine my disappointment when, upon arrival, I was informed that the Jack On-the-Road Kerouac show marking the 50th anniversary of his death had closed just days earlier.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Milton and his incredible output (who’s not to love Paradife Loft?) but it was as much the odd juxtaposition of these two great writers that I wanted to bear witness to more than anything!

John Milton at 400: A Life Beyond Life was in a surprisingly small yet wonderfully intimate, dimly-lit room just off the main foyer, and was a treasure-trove of original works tastefully on display behind bullet-proof glass. Someone next to me, upon observing the heady writings and illustrations, commented on how Milton’s writing reads like music in its rhythm and cadence, full of nuance and subtle phrasing.

Having read recently in a New York Times article that there would be music piped in ranging from Handel and Purcell to the heavy-metal band Cradle of Filth – who had used Milton’s apocolyptic visions as source material – it was my intention to record a soundfile or two and maybe snap a photo – no flash – to document the show. The canned music, however, was pallid and muted, at a respectfuly low level, and as I levelled my camera the security guard positioned outside the smoked glass doors entered and kindly informed me that photos of any description were not permitted.

So I resorted to my Plan B. The library’s exquisite foyer alone had come as an epiphany, but I didn’t have the guts to play there and so I went on to explore the rest of this incredible building looking for a quiet place to record. I knew with certainty that if I simply politely asked to play I would run into red tape, so I finally summoned the courage to play through this Minuetto by Locatelli in a secluded area as caterers set up for some big do later that evening. Before setting up to record, I joked with them a bit and made sure they were cool with it if I played my flute, and I reassured them that they needn’t to be quiet on my account as they set up their wine-station. The acoustics were not as good as in the Empire State Building, but at least I wasn’t rudely interrupted as I headed into my Da Capo!

One can only wonder who might have been sipping from these very Wine Glasses only a few short hours later…