May 7, 2024 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Paul Kotz gives a touching tribute to his father. At a time when Paul needed a great deal of encouragement, his father turned to an American novelist to cheer him up.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American People.
And to hear the podcast version of the show, subscribe
on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
And now we hear from one of our regular contributors,
Paul Cotts, who gives a tribute to his father and
(00:32):
a brief history of American author Jack Kerouac Here's Paul.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I was listening to an interview on the radio discussing
the need for the presence of fathers and dads in kids' lives.
I think back to my own dad, who taught me
many aspects of navigating life's daily concerns, shared his own
annex dots of wisdom, and challenged me to be better.
(01:04):
If he heard someone else tell him I was a
good man or that I possessed a certain trait, he
would often tell me. As one example, so and So
told me you're a very fine teacher. Well, direct praise
was not as common in my own childhood at home
until I later became a man and my father was
(01:25):
facing his own death due to a prolonged illness at
the time in the late nineties, I asked for some
feedback on an incomplete dissertation dealing with learning styles and aptitude,
He said, you right, Like Jack Kerouac on the Road,
one of Keroac's finest works possessed this kind of spontaneity
(01:47):
that was valued by many. Caac is generally considered to
be the father of the beat movement, although he actively
disliked such labels. Caroac's method was influenced by the prolific
explosion of jazz, especially the bebop genre established by Charlie Parker,
Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and others. Later, Keak introduced ideas
(02:13):
he developed from his Buddhist studies that began with Gary Schneider.
He often referred to his style as spontaneous prose, although's
prose was spontaneous and purportedly without edits. He primarily wrote
autobiographical novels based upon actual events from his life and
(02:36):
the people with whom he interacted. Interestingly enough, spoke French
with his family and began learning English at school around
age six. He began speaking it confidently in his late teens.
He was a serious child who was devoted to his mother,
who played an important role in his life. She was
(02:56):
a devout Catholic who instilled this deep faith in both
of her sons. He later said she was the only
woman he ever loved. After his brother died, his mother
sought solace in her faith while his father abandoned it.
Much could be said about CAAC's upbringing and life exploits,
(03:17):
but I was focused on my own writing and trying
to finish this work where I had been stuck in
a holding pattern at the time. I did not know
who Karoak was. I had to look him up because
it was a comment that came from my dad and
I wanted to know the significance of this pronouncement. As
(03:38):
mentioned before, is recognized for his style of spontaneous prose,
and like all of us, had his fans and detractors,
you would have appealed to the beat generation. My dad said,
I was kind of worried because at the time I
was stuck in my writing and did not think I
would ever finish. Some believed that at times that's writing
(03:58):
style did not produce lifely or energetic prose. The famous
Truman Capodi said of it, that's not writing, it's typing. Yet,
according to Carolyn Cassidy and others. He constantly rewrote and
revised his work. At the time of my father's comments,
I was encouraged because, as I learned more about he
(04:20):
had an attraction to the writing of Joyce. This was
often overlooked by scholars of proseac alludes to his Joyce's
work more than any other author. Also, Kak had high
esteem for Joyce, and he often used his stream of
consciousness technique. I appreciated experimenting with this language too, but
(04:43):
in this case my discussions with my dad, I was
trying to finish this dissertation where a stream of consciousness
wasn't highly valued, but the ability to make statements supported
by varied literature, and where a clear methodology in your
work is quintessential it of its own. I was grateful
for this time and advice with my dad. Connected with
(05:05):
this idea was this elimination of the period, substituting instead
a long connecting dash. As such, the phrases occurring between
dashes might resemble improvisational jazz licks, and when spoken, the
words take on a certain musical rhythm and temple. Well,
in writing this piece, I returned back to reflection of
(05:26):
the influence my dad's comments had on me. My dad
wasn't very generous in praise, but he was there in
the background and could be a presence when I needed
that extra push and the moment was right. Was my
writing like improvisational jazz licks? Did they have a musical
rhythm and temple like many thought of Kerooac. Dad may
(05:49):
not have been the one to go to all your
games or events see when you did something well, or
frequently comment on it, but when he did, it made
an impact. I'm indebted for this. He passed away in
April of two thousand and I still miss him. The
words my dad had for me had an influence At
(06:09):
the time. I had to delve into Keroac to bring
to life my dad's comments which seemed incomplete and asking
for untapping what he fully meant, I may never know
the true extent.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And a great job on the production as always by
Robbie Davis and a special thanks to Paul Kott's And
by the way, we love doing listeners stories. Send them
to Ouramerican Stories dot com and you may just hear
your story on our airwaves and on our podcasts. And
my goodness it shows once again and we talk about
(06:47):
it time and again, the importance of fathers and sons
and daughters' lives, and just this little discussion about a
dissertation and spontaneity. And by the way, not many people
think of turn papers and just disertations as spaces for spontaneity.
But the dad's suggestion, the dad's prodding moving his son
forward in along his own path. Paul Cott's story and
(07:11):
tribute to his father and to one of his favorite
American authors. Here on Our American Stories, lie Habibi here,
the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show,
(07:34):
we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories
from our big cities and small towns. But we truly
can't do the show without you. Our stories are free
to listen to, but they're not free to make. If
you love what you hear, go to Ouramericanstories dot com
and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot.
Go to Auramericanstories dot com and give
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American People.
And to hear the podcast version of the show, subscribe
on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
And now we hear from one of our regular contributors,
Paul Cotts, who gives a tribute to his father and
(00:32):
a brief history of American author Jack Kerouac Here's Paul.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I was listening to an interview on the radio discussing
the need for the presence of fathers and dads in kids' lives.
I think back to my own dad, who taught me
many aspects of navigating life's daily concerns, shared his own
annex dots of wisdom, and challenged me to be better.
(01:04):
If he heard someone else tell him I was a
good man or that I possessed a certain trait, he
would often tell me. As one example, so and So
told me you're a very fine teacher. Well, direct praise
was not as common in my own childhood at home
until I later became a man and my father was
(01:25):
facing his own death due to a prolonged illness at
the time in the late nineties, I asked for some
feedback on an incomplete dissertation dealing with learning styles and aptitude,
He said, you right, Like Jack Kerouac on the Road,
one of Keroac's finest works possessed this kind of spontaneity
(01:47):
that was valued by many. Caac is generally considered to
be the father of the beat movement, although he actively
disliked such labels. Caroac's method was influenced by the prolific
explosion of jazz, especially the bebop genre established by Charlie Parker,
Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and others. Later, Keak introduced ideas
(02:13):
he developed from his Buddhist studies that began with Gary Schneider.
He often referred to his style as spontaneous prose, although's
prose was spontaneous and purportedly without edits. He primarily wrote
autobiographical novels based upon actual events from his life and
(02:36):
the people with whom he interacted. Interestingly enough, spoke French
with his family and began learning English at school around
age six. He began speaking it confidently in his late teens.
He was a serious child who was devoted to his mother,
who played an important role in his life. She was
(02:56):
a devout Catholic who instilled this deep faith in both
of her sons. He later said she was the only
woman he ever loved. After his brother died, his mother
sought solace in her faith while his father abandoned it.
Much could be said about CAAC's upbringing and life exploits,
(03:17):
but I was focused on my own writing and trying
to finish this work where I had been stuck in
a holding pattern at the time. I did not know
who Karoak was. I had to look him up because
it was a comment that came from my dad and
I wanted to know the significance of this pronouncement. As
(03:38):
mentioned before, is recognized for his style of spontaneous prose,
and like all of us, had his fans and detractors,
you would have appealed to the beat generation. My dad said,
I was kind of worried because at the time I
was stuck in my writing and did not think I
would ever finish. Some believed that at times that's writing
(03:58):
style did not produce lifely or energetic prose. The famous
Truman Capodi said of it, that's not writing, it's typing. Yet,
according to Carolyn Cassidy and others. He constantly rewrote and
revised his work. At the time of my father's comments,
I was encouraged because, as I learned more about he
(04:20):
had an attraction to the writing of Joyce. This was
often overlooked by scholars of proseac alludes to his Joyce's
work more than any other author. Also, Kak had high
esteem for Joyce, and he often used his stream of
consciousness technique. I appreciated experimenting with this language too, but
(04:43):
in this case my discussions with my dad, I was
trying to finish this dissertation where a stream of consciousness
wasn't highly valued, but the ability to make statements supported
by varied literature, and where a clear methodology in your
work is quintessential it of its own. I was grateful
for this time and advice with my dad. Connected with
(05:05):
this idea was this elimination of the period, substituting instead
a long connecting dash. As such, the phrases occurring between
dashes might resemble improvisational jazz licks, and when spoken, the
words take on a certain musical rhythm and temple. Well,
in writing this piece, I returned back to reflection of
(05:26):
the influence my dad's comments had on me. My dad
wasn't very generous in praise, but he was there in
the background and could be a presence when I needed
that extra push and the moment was right. Was my
writing like improvisational jazz licks? Did they have a musical
rhythm and temple like many thought of Kerooac. Dad may
(05:49):
not have been the one to go to all your
games or events see when you did something well, or
frequently comment on it, but when he did, it made
an impact. I'm indebted for this. He passed away in
April of two thousand and I still miss him. The
words my dad had for me had an influence At
(06:09):
the time. I had to delve into Keroac to bring
to life my dad's comments which seemed incomplete and asking
for untapping what he fully meant, I may never know
the true extent.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
And a great job on the production as always by
Robbie Davis and a special thanks to Paul Kott's And
by the way, we love doing listeners stories. Send them
to Ouramerican Stories dot com and you may just hear
your story on our airwaves and on our podcasts. And
my goodness it shows once again and we talk about
(06:47):
it time and again, the importance of fathers and sons
and daughters' lives, and just this little discussion about a
dissertation and spontaneity. And by the way, not many people
think of turn papers and just disertations as spaces for spontaneity.
But the dad's suggestion, the dad's prodding moving his son
forward in along his own path. Paul Cott's story and
(07:11):
tribute to his father and to one of his favorite
American authors. Here on Our American Stories, lie Habibi here,
the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show,
(07:34):
we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories
from our big cities and small towns. But we truly
can't do the show without you. Our stories are free
to listen to, but they're not free to make. If
you love what you hear, go to Ouramericanstories dot com
and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot.
Go to Auramericanstories dot com and give
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