Neal Cassady facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Neal Cassady
Born	Neal Leon Cassady (1926-02-08)February 8, 1926 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Died	February 4, 1968(1968-02-04) (aged 41) San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Occupation	Author, poet
Genre	Beat poetry
Notable works	The First Third
Spouse	LuAnne Henderson (1945–1948), Carolyn Cassady (1948–1963),
Partner	Diane Hansen (1950–?), Anne Murphy (?–1968)
Children	5

Neal Leon Cassady (born February 8, 1926 – died February 4, 1968) was an important person in the Beat Generation of the 1950s. He also played a role in the counterculture movements of the 1960s.

He was a main character in Jack Kerouac's famous novel On the Road. In this book, he was the inspiration for the character Dean Moriarty. Neal Cassady also appeared in poems by Allen Ginsberg. He was featured in many other books by different writers.

About Neal Cassady

His Early Life

Neal Cassady was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother passed away when he was 10 years old. His father then raised him in Denver, Colorado. Neal spent parts of his youth living on the streets. He also spent time in a reform school.

As a young person, Neal Cassady often got into trouble. He was arrested for minor offenses. When he was 15, he was arrested again.

In 1941, when he was 15, Neal met Justin W. Brierly. Mr. Brierly was a well-known teacher in Denver. He was impressed by Neal's intelligence. For several years, Mr. Brierly helped Neal. He helped Neal get into East High School. He also encouraged Neal to read and found jobs for him. Even with this help, Neal continued to have problems. He was arrested several times between 1942 and 1944. In June 1944, he spent 11 months in prison. Neal and Mr. Brierly wrote letters to each other during this time.

His Family Life

1944 photo of Cassady

In October 1945, Neal married Lu Anne Henderson. She was 16 years old. In 1946, they went to New York City. They visited their friend, Hal Chase, at Columbia University. There, Neal met Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Neal quickly became friends with them. These friends later became part of the Beat Generation. While in New York, Neal asked Jack Kerouac to teach him how to write stories.

Neal's second wife, Carolyn, said that Neal wanted to make something of himself. He wanted to be respected. He read many books on different topics. He was very smart and could discuss many subjects with Jack.

Carolyn Robinson met Neal in 1947. She was studying theater arts at the University of Denver. Neal and Carolyn married on April 1, 1948. Carolyn wrote a book called Off the Road: Twenty Years with Cassady, Kerouac and Ginsberg. This book tells about her marriage to Neal. She described him as a true "American Man." Neal also had a long friendship with Allen Ginsberg.

During this time, Neal worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He stayed in touch with his Beat friends.

Neal and Carolyn had three children. They lived in a house in Monte Sereno, California. This house was about 50 miles south of San Francisco. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg sometimes visited them there.

In 1950, Neal also married Diane Hansen. She was a young model. They had a child named Curtis Hansen.

Neal traveled across the country many times. He traveled with both Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. These trips are written about in Kerouac's book On the Road.

His Journeys and Passing

In 1964, Neal Cassady was the main driver of a famous bus called Furthur. This bus traveled from San Francisco to New York. This journey was written about in Tom Wolfe's book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

In January 1967, Neal went to Mexico. He traveled with his friend George Walker and his girlfriend Anne Murphy. They stayed in a house near Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. Neal was known for inspiring others to enjoy life. But sometimes, he expressed sadness about his wild life. He worried about how it affected his family. He once told a young friend, "Twenty years of fast living — there's just not much left, and my kids are all messed up. Don't do what I have done."

Neal's life became less settled in the next year. He traveled very quickly from place to place. He left Mexico in May. He visited San Francisco, Denver, and New York City. He returned to Mexico in September and October. He visited his oldest daughter in San Antonio. She had just had his first grandchild. In December, he visited Ken Kesey's farm in Oregon. He spent New Year's with Carolyn near San Francisco. Finally, in late January 1968, Neal went back to Mexico.

On February 3, 1968, Neal attended a wedding party in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. After the party, he walked along a railroad track. He wanted to reach the next town. But he passed out in the cold and rainy night. He was only wearing a T-shirt and jeans. In the morning, he was found by the tracks. He was taken to the hospital. Neal Cassady passed away a few hours later on February 4, at age 41.

His Children

Neal Cassady had five known children. They are Robert William Hyatt Jr. (born 1945), Cathleen Joanne Cassady (born 1948), Jami Cassady Ratto (born 1949), Curtis W. Hansen (born 1950), and John Allen Cassady (born 1951). Robert is an artist in Colorado. Cathleen, known as Cathy, is the mother of Neal's only grandchild that he met. Cathy, Jami, and John have a website to remember their parents and their parents' Beat friends.

Curt, his son with Diana Hansen, passed away in 2014. He was one of the people who started radio station WEBE 108 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

His Writing Style and Impact

Neal Cassady helped Jack Kerouac change his writing style. Kerouac's earlier work was more emotional. Neal's way of speaking was very fast and flowing. This style helped Kerouac create "spontaneous prose." This was a new way of writing that felt like a stream of thoughts.

Neal's own writings were not formally published during his lifetime. He left behind a partly finished book and many personal letters. Neal once told Kerouac in a letter, "My prose has no individual style... There is something there that wants to come out; something of my own that must be said."

Neal Cassady in Popular Culture

Neal Cassady's life and personality inspired many artists. He has been shown in films, books, and music.

In Films

Older Videos

• Anthem to Beauty (1997)
• Love Always, Carolyn — A film about Kerouac, Cassady and Me (2011). This film includes old videos of Neal. It also has interviews with his ex-wife Carolyn and his children.
• The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir (2015).

Movies About Him

• The film Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) has a character named Ray Hicks. This character was based on Neal Cassady. The movie shows Hicks dying on railroad tracks. This scene was based on how Neal Cassady passed away.
• Heart Beat (1980) shows Neal Cassady's friendship with Jack Kerouac. Nick Nolte plays Neal. This movie was based on Carolyn Cassady's book.
• Luz Del Mundo (2007) is a short film about Neal's adventures with Jack Kerouac. Austin Nichols plays Neal.
• In Across the Universe (2007), the character Dr. Robert, played by Bono, was inspired by Neal Cassady.
• Neal Cassady (2007) is a movie about his life. Tate Donovan plays Neal. This film focuses on how Neal felt stuck by the famous character Dean Moriarty.
• In On the Road (2012), the movie based on the book, Garrett Hedlund plays Neal Cassady/Dean Moriarty.
• In Big Sur (2013), Josh Lucas plays Cassady.

In Books

Neal Cassady was a character or inspiration in many books:

• Allen Ginsberg's poems like "Howl" and "On Neal's Ashes."
• John Clellon Holmes' novels Go and The Horn.
• Jack Kerouac's novels:
  • On the Road (1957) as "Dean Moriarty."
  • The Dharma Bums (1958) as "Cody."
  • Visions of Cody (1960) as "Cody Pomeray."
• Ken Kesey wrote a story called "The Day After Superman Died." It tells a fictional story of Neal's passing.
• Robert Stone's novel Dog Soldiers (1974) features a character based on Neal.
• Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) also mentions Neal Cassady.

In Music

Many musicians have written songs about Neal Cassady:

• Tom Waits recorded "Jack & Neal /California, Here I Come" (1977).
• Aztec Two Step sang "The Persecution & Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On The Road)" (1972).
• Death Cab for Cutie's song "Styrofoam Plates" (2001) is loosely based on Neal's life.
• Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers mentions Cassady in "Neal's Fandango."
• The Grateful Dead's song "That's It For The Other One" mentions him as "Cowboy Neal."
• The band King Crimson released "Neal and Jack and Me" (1982).
• Morrissey's album World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014) has a song called "Neal Cassady Drops Dead."
• The band Moriarty is named after Dean Moriarty, the character inspired by Neal.
• Eric Taylor's song "Dean Moriarty" (1995) is about a character like Neal.

His Published Works

• "The Joan Anderson Letter" (December 1950), a letter to Jack Kerouac.
• "Pull My Daisy" (1951, poetry) written with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
• The First Third (1971, autobiographical novel), published after his passing.
• As Ever: The Collected Correspondence of Allen Ginsberg & Neal Cassady. (1977).
• Grace Beats Karma: Letters from Prison (1993).
• Neal Cassady: Collected Letters, 1944–1967 (2004).

Books About Him

• The Holy Goof: A Biography of Neal Cassady, by William Plummer (1981).
• Neal Cassady, Volume One, 1926–1940, by Tom Christopher (1995).
• Neal Cassady, Volume Two, 1941–1946, by Tom Christopher (1998).
• Neal Cassady: The Fast Life of a Beat Hero, by David Sandison & Graham Vickers (2006).
• Off the Road: Twenty Years with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg, by Carolyn Cassady (1990).

See also

In Spanish: Neal Cassady para niños