I've seen the infamous picture of Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg at Jack Kerouac's grave at the Edson Cemetery...it's my brother's screen saver. The photo was shot during Dylan's trip to Lowell in 1975. What I didn't know was that Dylan also visited the Franco American School grotto on Pawtucket Street as part of that trip.
Last week a friend and I were talking about the number of Kerouac fans who visit the Franco American School grotto retracing the steps Kerouac so often walked with his mother. The conversation moved to include Dylan's trip to Lowell at which point my friend asked if I had seen the YouTube clip of Dylan walking the Stations of the Cross with Allen Ginsberg. Having taught music at the school for the past thirteen years, I was familiar with the General Patton connection and JFK and Jackie O's visit to the school in the late 1950's, but Bob Dylan on school grounds? Walking the Stations? Seems Dylan included a scene shot at the school in his 4 hour subterranean epic Renaldo and Clara. During the final seconds, Dylan can be seen atop the grotto at the foot of the cross.
You can see it for yourself on You Tube. Cool!
paul,
Would love to find out more info on the Rolling Thunder tour. You may remember me from the Lowell State days. I was the student concert chairman that facilitated the Rolling Thunder Review playing at Lowell. The Don Law Agency contacted me and told me a big name act wanted to play Lowell and they could not tell me who it was! I had to try and get permission to use Costello Gym without revealing who the act was. At the last minute I found out it was Dylan and could tell only a select few in the school administration. That was on Friday and Monday the Don Law Agency came on campus posted a few flyers around campus. Tickets went on sale at 10:00 and sold out in 15 minutes. That was the best concert I was ever involved with.
How is this for irony ... my daughter starts teaching at the Franco American school in September.
Was just walking through the grotto for the first time two weeks ago. Loved stumbling across this post and seeing the youtube video.
Hey, thanks for the info.
Great stuff on the Dylan visit to Lowell. Timely posting with Joan Baez coming to Boarding House Park in July. The photographs are probably by Ken Regan/Camera 5, the guy credited with most of the pictures in The Rolling Thunder Logbook by Sam Shephard, the official account of the tour that came through Lowell in early November 1975. There was also a big spread in Rolling Stone at the time with a photo of Dylan under the cross at the Grotto. I think the Rolling Stone article was December 1975.
Thanks.
PL
hey, this is great. we are promoting it in paper tomorrow. btw Allen Ginsberg spells his name w/ an e.
Peter,
What a great story and photo. do you remember who shot the photo? Was it a Sun staffer? I don't recall the photo in The Sun's archives, but a lot of our pre-digital shots have been turned over to the Mogan Cultural Center, in care of the Historical Society. Kudos on a ffascinating story.
Jim Campanini