SOUNDS OF THE ERA

His poetic prose rap speeds from one subject and inflection to another like a staccato talking announcer describing racing cars speeding by on an oval track. Neal describes each car only as it roars by the grandstands. When three or four cars pass together he comments on each one almost simultaneously. The subjects seem to race by changing with each breath and have no connection with what came before or afterwards but if you are a careful listener you can pick out references, some from Dean Moriarity “On the Road” days, prankster humor, literary chatter, sports, current events, and his beloved Speed, Speed got some speed? while always commenting on what is happening in the “Now”.
This night was the first theatrical use of a laser beam in a show in front of the public. The laser made by the Stanford Death Ray faculty was housed in a WW2 Ammo can and projected a ruby ray the size of a pencil eraser when it hit the stage. I preset the red spot superimposing it on Phil’s bass amp on-light upstage in front of the cyc and during Neal’s rap started to jiggle it around ‘til the audience notices then panning it to Neal’s “Bare Greek Torso” place the glowing Ruby ray like a jewel in his belly button. Noticing the roar of laughter you can hear him say to the psychedelised crowd “I knew I should have worn more paisley.” The complete story of this wild evening as well many others from the era is told in detail my manuscript “The Straight on the Haight”