Chapter 31: Love Revolution

There’s never been a greater need for change in our world. With a strained environment, social and political unrest, and economic hardships, we are constantly being bombarded with bad news, bad vibes, and bad examples. Now is the time to stand up for our lives.

Gerald Holtom was a conscientious objector during WWII. He graduated from the Royal College of Arts and became a professional designer and artist. He was approached by the organization backing the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in Britain in 1958, to create a symbol that would be used at an anti-nuclear protest rally.

In 1954 a twenty-eight-year-old Allen Ginsberg wrote a little poem in his notebook while he was chilling in San José. Actually, it started off as just some open and honest thoughts on life. He was a little high on weed, I believe, but straight enough to be insightful and open-hearted. A few days later, remembering the advice of his mentor William Carlos Williams, Allen re-arranged his sentences into a formal poetic structure. After a little bit of what his friend poet, Gregory Corso, called “tailoring,” Allen was finished. He titled his work “SONG” and it is perhaps his first truly great short poem. It begins:

Of all the great tenor saxophone giants of Jazz, John Coltrane stands as a hero, a legend, and patron saint of the modern generation. His album A Love Supreme symbolizes a silent but undeniable claim for the Black American Revolution. Historically, John Coltrane stepped out into the spotlight of Jazz music when he joined The Miles Davis Quintet in 1955. Miles Davis is truly one of the few artists in history to transform so many styles across multiple decades and eras. From Be-Bop to Cool, to Modern, to Hard Bop, Free, Rock, Funk, on into Hip Hop, Miles was there and doing it better than the rest. It was Miles who also brought me closer to John Coltrane.