Ginsberg's Voice & The Clash

When reading "Howl," I found myself unsure of how the poem would be read aloud, because it seems difficult to take a breath without disrupting the flow of the verse. I figured the best authority on the subject would be Ginsberg himself, so I listened to him reciting the first section of the poem. I was surprised by how subdued Ginsberg's reading was, especially since the word choice in the poem is quite eclectic and many of the subjects in the work are personal to him. However, his reading of the second part of Howl was more impassioned, especially in the repetition of "Moloch!"

Allen Ginsberg Reading Howl- Part 1

I was already familiar with Ginsberg's voice because he performs a spoken word piece between lyrics of "Ghetto Defendant," a song from The Clash's1982 album Combat Rock. The Clash were a punk rock band from England, who were together from 1976-1986. Most people may be familiar with The Clash for their songs "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go," but many songs by the band focus on political and social issues of the 1970s/1980s, both in the United Kingdom and globally. "Ghetto Defendant" is a song that retains the same character of Ginsberg's poetry, especially since The Clash's lyrics typically focus on a leftist political view. The song presents a strong critique of society in terms of politics, social structure, the global economy, and foreign/domestic law. 

Ghetto Defendant -The Clash, featuring Allen Ginsberg 

There's a really interesting article that examines the lyrics to this song--"A Tale of Too Many Cities: The Clash's 'Ghetto Defendant' and Transnational Disruptions." The article can be found here.