Over the past two years some

Sun Also Rises," in the 'thirties they

In the 'twenties it was the lost gener

of sophistication, but none of

The leaders of this club with

cents ever to appear in Sydney.

15 to 50 can be a beat as long

author of "On The Road" and

as she appears on her

They regard this as not con-

The "look" is the just-out-of

sit for hours over one cup of

make-up — except, of course, for

this is often the three inches that

than the hems of their skirts —

REPORTER Patricia O'Connell as she appeared on the job to interview the beatniks.

went beat to find out what

the refuge of the mediocre and

and London," and, of course,

well's "Down and Out in Paris

As long as you "dig" their books

be an intellectual to be beat.

You certainly don't have to

is the most important thing for

just can't get them to under-

for four — I just knew the other

"I come in here every night

It's not fair, do you think?

last year and the parents are

"Well, really, I just hate be-

the day, then change in the

have to keep my black stock-

erosity, so I said yes. And she

cally, and said: "May I have

flapped her eyelids up and down

us; I really do. Of course, he

Suddenly a young man spoke from behind the black beard in the corner seat: "Come on, all you girls, let's blow this creepy joint. We gotta go."

other girls, too — they're beat and that makes it all right with me. I frankly couldn't bear to go steady, could you? But I suppose if I ever fell in love I'd have to stop being beat..."

Jane looked inscrutable: "Of course I don't mind any more when Mark takes out all the

The other girl, Anne, shrugged: "That's all part of being detached and not getting emotionally involved."

Jane, the Juliette Greco type on the other side of the table, chimed in: "But the part I found hardest of all to get used to was not saying hello. You can be away for months and months, and all they'll say when you reappear is, 'Can I have one of your cigarettes?' "

"I just walk in wearing any old thing, sit down in silence, and sulk half the night — nobody minds. Then you really begin to find yourself."

"The beats are beaut. They 'll take you just the way you are; you don't have to be pretty or witty or charming at all.

vellous. I got so bored with formal parties when I left school. You know what it's like — all the girls in pink tulle and 12 dirty petticoats.

I asked where we had to go

in such a violent hurry.



Shrugging on his duffle coat



he muttered: "Don't ask me.



We just gotta go. And we'll

never stop going till we get

there. Let's go!"



A block or so away we went

into another espresso bar and

joined a long-haired group.



Nobody said hello, and one

of the blackbeards said: "Have



any of you enough of the neces-

sary to buy us all a meal?"



"Oh, I have," said Jane.

"I got my allowance today, so

we may as well have a good



meal."



One of the girls told me that

the boys never ring a girl up

and ask her out. If they meet

in the street perhaps they'll take

her to have a cup of coffee, but

they never bother about plan

ning for tomorrow.



I asked if the boys did all

their courting in the coffee shops

or did they ever have parties



at home.



"Well, it's a bit difficult,"

Jane said, "because I live with

my family — you shouldn't,

really, because they're just a

form of authority, and should

be rebelled against."



Suddenly we were all on our

feet again, and they were sweep-

ing out in search of a new bar

which might help to overcome

their boredom with one another.

