I've always loved beatniks, even though I've never quite understood them.  They were so pleasantly eccentric as a group that they caused no cultural blowback (unlike hippies, punks, and gangstas).  Beatnik poetry and music were all about personal expression.  It didn't matter if anyone else understood their art; in fact, beatniks didn't really want others to dig (like) what they were saying.  Way to obliquely rebel, beatniks!  Please e-mail me at:  pjones41@kc.rr.com, and come join me on facebook.