There have been books on the Beats; there have been books on the Beatles; but there has not been a book linking the two. Ditto Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan. Nor has there been a study of this range of writers and songwriters, in relation to a central vision. This, then, is the first sustained study of the spiritual revolution made by the Beats and of its impact on popular song. This book reveals the ideas behind the Beat vision which influenced the Beat sound of the songwriters who followed on from them. Having explored the thinking of Alan Watts, who coined the term 'Beat Zen', and who...