Kerouac!

Aka, the most surreal 5:45 you will spend today, so much so that anewyorkthing’s title is perfect as is. Since TV was in many ways still in its infancy then, the live medium meant anything was possible, like gaffs, etc., and awkward moments. Factor in Jack Kerouac as the voice of the beat movement–we had ‘movements’ back then–and this appearance is something you’d never see today on a major network talk show, guaranteed. (The closest maybe would be Crispin Glover on Letterman, but even then, Dave fake ‘real’ reactions were pretty much the same as Johnny Carson’s were before him.) Upping the wtf? factor though is Steve Allen, prominent talk show host playing along. And if this clip gets too deep daddy-O, then just check out Mike Myers take on that whole era. The modern day equivalent? Oh, it’s him for sure.

Tags: Steve Allen, Jack Kerouac