Jerry Kamstra Reflections—From the 10th plus 1 Anniversary of Beat at the Sweet
by J.Macon King
The late Jerry Kamstra and I were on the same poetry/music stage at the Sweetwater in Marin County ten years ago for the phenomenal “Beat at the Sweet” Kerouac tribute. I then remembered meeting him (without recognition who he was) while he worked at funky The Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, many years back.
Kamstra book covers. From J.Macon King library.
I told Jerry that I was a long-time fan of his true adventure tale of dope smuggling, Weed (published 1974) and much later, when I read The Frisco Kid (1975), a huge fan. The Frisco Kid is referenced and homaged in Circus of the Sun, my “Kerouac-ian” novel as Kirkus Reviews called it.
Jerry called The Frisco Kid “fact-ion,” a blend between fact and fiction. In modern terms the label could be “literary non-fiction” or “creative memoir” or “non-fiction novel.”
Jerry told me, “When I had that photo taken for the book jacket in front of my friend Ferlinghetti’s bookshop and Vesuvio’s, I invited everybody I knew in North Beach. Of course others showed up.”
As we talked, Jerry inscribed my 1st edition copy of The Frisco Kid.
Kamstra inscription to King. Note date should be Jan. 8. “It takes a long time to walk down all them alleys. Eventually you come to the last one.” Kamstra inscription to King. Kamstra walked down that last alley on November 26, 2019. R.I.P.
“I wrote real people in the book, sometimes the real names. It’s funny. The ones I wrote about were mad at me for putting them in, and the ones I left out were mad at me for leaving them out. Eventually everybody was OK about it.”
Kamstra performed a fine reading, from the beginning of The Frisco Kid.
I read two of my poems, one at the bar, “Genie in a Bottle,” a cautionary ode to alcohol, while downing a shot, during the line “swallow it Burning down.” Which it did and made me cough. This generated some fans, particularly those surrounding me at the bar, who would continue to buy me drinks. My second poem, “Muscle Memory,” I ran and jumped on the stage to perform, mimicking driving a car as tribute to Jack and Neal.
After the show, I was invited to a young Beat fan’s home for a little after-party of attendees. During the brisk January-chilly walk up a Mill Valley hill, the man complained to me about Kamstra’s book title, The Frisco Kid.
“I can’t believe Kamstra used that title. I don’t like it. Don’t call it Frisco!” he kept repeating.
I explained to him that was just an old Herb Caen line (famed and beloved San Francisco Chronicle columnist). A term that natives may not like, or pretend to not like, but transplanted non-natives, like me and almost everybody I had met in the City, didn’t care, and used it if they wanted. And Jerry Kamstra is from Riverside, for god’s sake, and second generation American. He can be The Frisco Kid if he wants.
The line is actually the title of Caen’s 1953 book, Don’t Call it Frisco. Herb Caen wrote, “Caress each Spanish syllable, salute our Italian saint. Don’t say Frisco…”
To find out what happened at the After-Party click here.
See Kamstra’s obituary and bio here.
Quick Links:
The 10th plus 1 Anniversary of “Beat at the Sweet.” A Beat Poetry Reading (and music) in Tribute to Jack Kerouac & movie release of On the Road at Mill Valley CA. Sweetwater Music Hall Jan. 8, 2013:
Remembering “Literary Outlaw” Jerry Kamstra by Wallace Baine.
Jerry Kamstra Obituary by Daniel Yaryan.
Reflections on Jerry Kamstra by J.Macon King.
THE LAST BOHEMIAN WIZARD (in honor of novelist Jerry Kamstra) by Daniel Yaryan.
And then there was this time…
Poems and kind words by Ari M. Maslow upon the occasion of 10th plus 1 Anniversary of “Beat at the Sweet.”