The Three Wise Men of Dope - This Ain't no Holiday Inn: Down and Out at the Chelsea Hotel 1980-1995 - page 92

Gregory Corso: Poet of the Streets
If the first string of the Beat writers featured Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William
Burroughs, then Gregory Corso was the number one second stringer, an apt metaphor be-
cause he loved baseball and wrote about it. When young, in the 1960s, he was a handsome
devil, which helped him befriend Allen Ginsberg, who claimed he seduced Corso. Corso
denied it. Corso's smooth good looks were belied by his aggressive personality forged from
growing up in eight different foster families and fending for himself on the streets. He met
Ginsbergatage20,rightafterfinishingthreeyearsinupstateNewYork'sClintonprisonfor
several robberies.
Corso's best-known collection of poetry was Gasoline, published by City Lights, but he
authored something like seventeen books. Probably his most famous poem was “Bomb,”
which appeared on the page in the shape of a mushroom cloud and argued that we must
learn to love the bomb. Haven't we heard that somewhere, say, in Dr. Strangelove, Stanley
Kubrick's1964satireoftheColdWar?CorsobeatKubricktothepunch,publishing“Bomb”
in 1958. 63
DIMITRI MUGIANIS
I was on my way with Robert Campbell on 23rd Street, and we saw this crazy old
drunk standing on the corner, sort of ranting at people on the street. He looked
homeless. He was holding this huge picture of Hitler before Hitler became Chan-
cellor. Hitler was dressed in mourning clothes, those ties that are folded over, and
his shoes had spats on them.
Sothisdrunkguyon23rdhadthispictureofHitlerandhewasscreaming,“Ya
wannabuyapitchahofHitlah?”NaturallyIwasimmediatelyattractedtothisguy.
I went up and talked to him about his picture of Hitler
When he turned to look at us, I realized he was Gregory Corso! Corso on the
street selling this picture! We started talking to him.
ROBERT CAMPBELL
There was this drunk, unshaven guy screaming about Hitler, and it looked like he
was holding up a protest sign, but it was this picture of Hitler. I thought this was
in really bad taste!
DIMITRI MUGIANIS
So I asked this guy, “Are you Gregory Corso?”