Episode 48: The Beat Era: Beats, Beatniks and Myth vs. Reality
For our final episode about The Beats, we touch on the TV debut of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and the introduction of character Maynard G. Krebs. We jump into berets, bongos, sunglasses, sandals and the slang. Where did this popular notion – The Beatnik – come from? While some of it was rooted in reality, this caricature came from a combination of hangers-on and mainstream culture’s response to not understanding The Beats.
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): Herb Caen, the reporter who coined the term “Beatnik”; publicity photo from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis with (left to right) Dwayne Hickman (Dobie), Danielle De Metz (Yvette LeBlanc) and Bob Denver (Maynard G. Krebs); Hickman and Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!; Jack Kerouac and George Maharis (Buz Murdock) from Route 66
Some tongue-in-cheek ads for (top to bottom) a do-it-yourself Beatnik kit, a “Beatnik-Beret” and “genuine” Beatnik rental
Covers from a few examples of Beatnik pulp novels that only perpetuated myths about the actual Beats
Some humor at the expense of Beatniks from (top to bottom) MAD Magazine, a page from a paperback from Signet Books named Beat, Beat, Beat and a panel from the Kookie comic’s “Bongo and Bop”
(Top to bottom): Cover artwork from The Beat Generation box set from Rhino Records and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s custom car, The Beatnik Bandit
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Show background (Wikipedia)
The World According to Maynard G. Krebs (YouTube playlist)
Route 66
Show background (Wikipedia)
Theme song by Nelson Riddle (YouTube, Spotify)
The Beat Generation - Rhino Records
Full album (YouTube playlist)
Full album (Spotify)