Counter Culture Chronicles presents From the Archives Vol. 12, a remarkable discovery featuring rare material from the Hans Plomp Archives. This unique compilation brings together an extraordinary gathering of Beat Generation luminaries and contemporary poets, taken from an unmarked tape with only a list of participants as guide.
The collection showcases readings by a stellar lineup including Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, Andy Clausen, William Everson, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Duncan McNaughton, H.D. Moe, Steven Taylor, and Donald Guravich. Hans Plomp was a influential Dutch writer and poet who, together with fellow writer Gerben Hellinga, was instrumental in saving the artistic village of Ruigoord near Amsterdam from demolition in 1973, creating a vital counterculture haven.
The A-side presents this remarkable assembly of voices, capturing the spirit of international poetry exchange that characterized the Beat and post-Beat movements. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights Bookstore and publisher of Howl, appears alongside William Everson, the influential poet known for his mystical and nature-focused work. Anne Waldman, co-founder of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, joins Allen Ginsberg in representing the continuing evolution of Beat poetics into new educational and artistic contexts.
Particularly significant is the presence of Steven Taylor, the composer and musician who served as Ginsberg's guitar accompanist for twenty years. Taylor, who worked extensively at Naropa University from 1990-2008 and has been a member of the legendary underground rock band The Fugs since 1984, represents the crucial intersection between poetry and music that defined much of the Beat aesthetic. His collaborations with Ginsberg included musical settings of William Blake's poems and experimental combinations of verse and sound.
The B-side features a rare concert recording of Peter Orlovsky accompanied by Ginsberg and Taylor, captured in Wuppertal, Germany in 1980. Orlovsky, Ginsberg's lifelong partner and fellow poet, was central to the Beat Generation yet often overshadowed by his more famous companions. This performance showcases his unique voice and artistic contributions, presented in the intimate setting that characterized much Beat performance work. The German recording represents the international reach of Beat poetry and its continued resonance in European artistic communities. By 1980, the movement had evolved from its American origins into a global phenomenon, influencing artists and writers across continents while maintaining its core spirit of spontaneous expression and artistic freedom.
This compilation captures a moment when first-generation Beat writers like Ginsberg and Orlovsky shared platforms with newer voices, creating a bridge between the original movement and its ongoing influence. The informal nature of these recordings, discovered unmarked in Plomp's archives, speaks to the underground networks and spontaneous collaborations that kept the Beat spirit alive.
From the Archives Vol. 12 offers essential listening for anyone interested in the development of American poetry, the international Beat movement, and the collaborative spirit that connected poets across generations and continents.
