Harry Ransom CenterThe University of Texas at Austin

Where do you live: Squaresville or Beatnik Boro? Sunnyville or Crazyville?

Visit On the Road with the Beats to learn about the distinction between "Beat" and "Beatnik" and the origin of the term "beatnik." Within the exhibition, you can see an original "Beatnik Questionnaire" sent from Gerard Malanga to Daisy Aldan, with Aldan's answers, 1960, from Gerard Malanga Papers.

A young Gerard Malanga (b. 1943) sent the questionnaire to his mentor, poet and publisher Daisy Aldan, probably not long after she published the works of several Beat writers in her anthology A New Folder (1960). Malanga was soon to become an important member of Andy Warhol's circle and was a cofounder of Interview magazine.

Aldan's responses to the questionnaire are surprisingly earnest and thorough. She returned the completed form to Malanga, who filed it with his correspondence.

Read some of the original Beatnik poems that visitors recently composed

Are You a Beatnik?

* 1.	Do you live like there is no tomorrow?	Adapted from the "Beatnik Questionnaire" sent from Gerard Malanga to Daisy Aldan, 1960, from the Ransom Center's Gerard Malanga Papers.
* 2.	Are you a Beatnik?
* 3.	Are you gone?
4.	Real gone?
5.	Gone to where?
6.	May I join you?
* 7.	Are you the utmost?
* 8.	The utmost of what?
* 9.	Do you have a large galaxy of friends?
* 10.	Do they all wear goatees?
* 11.	On a date do you act like a: Please make between 1 and 12 selections from the choices below.   Stiff   Way out   Angel   Baby   Kill joy   Bug   Real George   Party pooper   Body digger   Poet   Tight head   Ick
* 12.	How do you travel: Please make between 1 and 6 selections from the choices below.   Hot rod   Shoe leather express   Satellite   Sardine crusher   Monkey wagon   Wagon train
* 13.	Which clothes do you normally wear: Please make between 1 and 15 selections from the choices below.   Glad threads   Bright beads   Lily whites   Head warmers   Finger coats   White float boats   Crazy quilts   Sandals   Straw duds   Ivy weeds   Long johns   Pullovers   Neck tails   Flaps   Warmers
14.	Essay question: Write an original Beatnik poem in ten lines:
* 15.	How did you hear about the Beatnik Questionnaire? (Select one of the available choices or enter a different value.) How did you hear about the Beatnik Questionnaire? Click this to indicate that you will select an existing value. Tab to next input." How did you hear about the Beatnik Questionnaire? Please select response Austinist Ransom Center website Ransom Center email How did you hear about the Beatnik Questionnaire? Click this to indicate that you will enter a new value. Tab to next input." How did you hear about the Beatnik Questionnaire? Provide your answer here
* 16.	First Name * Last Name * Email * Zip code *
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	Excerpted from the Beatnik Questionnaire, copyright 1960, Gimmix Novelties, White Plains, N.Y.