“Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Gonzo Journalism,’ the ‘New Journalism’ work of Joan Didion, Tom Wolf, Norman Mailer, surely was influenced by Kerouac’s true-to-life, spontaneous prose,” Sampas said. “And while there have been monuments built to Kerouac, there is no museum or performance center to celebrate this singular author’s artistry. The brilliant team assembled here is looking to change that in creating a space that touches on Kerouac’s many talents.”

Something woke me this morning around 3;10 A.M. I told my friend Casey Farrell I was going to go to downtown Eugene today, and launch my ‘Search For John Madden’ campaign after he told me he went to the University of Oregon and played for the Ducks. I mentioned he had died several days ago, and had not found time to google him. Casey did. I was going to bring my laptop and do live broadcasts – starting in front of the…