I’m just going to say it: Jack Kerouac sucks. Honestly, so does Neal Cassady. Allen Ginsburg started off badly with his entanglement with Neal, but made up for it. Lawrence Ferlinghetti owns the Circle Lights Bookstore, and I can’t stay too mad at the owner of a bookstore. But to return to my earlier point, Kerouac and Cassady suck, especially for their raging misogyny. However, San Francisco does not suck, and in fact, it has many cool people who have done cool things!
Maya Angelou
The famous poet and performer was not born in San Francisco, but she spent a portion of her young adult years here, attending the California Labor School. Historically, she was the first Black streetcar conductor, opening up new careers in transit for Black people in the Bay Area. Angelou also worked as a dancer and folk singer at the Purple Onion Club in North Beach, the same neighborhood that Kerouac frequented. Angelou’s involvement with the area definitely raises its esteem, at least in my eyes.
Mark Twain
The writer’s given name is actually Samuel Clemens, but he’s well known as Mark Twain, the pseudonym under which he penned novels such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He worked as a journalist in San Francisco for a couple of years. The famous quote, “The coldest winter I’ve ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” is attributed to Twain. Though San Francisco wasn’t a huge part of Twain’s life or his writing, he did work while he was in the region, and that’s better than being a bum (@Kerouac).
Robert Frost
Frost is a cool dude, known mostly for his poem, The Road Not Taken. He was born in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco.
Alicia Silverstone
Here I am diverting from the great literary traditions that Kerouac is (unfortunately) associated with. Born in San Francisco, Alicia Silverstone was a 90’s celebrity that starred in several Aerosmith music videos, and, most importantly, the teen classic Clueless.
Francis Ford Coppola
We talked a little about Coppola on the Beat Generation tour- not only is he a famous film director and producer (Godfathers I, II, and III), but he owns a restaurant in North Beach where he keeps a table permanently reserved.
George Lucas
The Star Wars and Indiana Jones writer has loose ties to San Francisco in the form of a museum. He is considering opening a museum about Star Wars and narrative art on Treasure Island. Formerly, he was considering a location in Chicago.
Danny Glover
The prolific film star, known for roles in Lethal Weapon and Saw, also plays the Man with the Eyepatch in the film adaptation of our favorite novel, Blindness. Glover was born in San Francisco and worked as a cab driver. He began school at San Francisco State University, though never finished. Eventually, he was awarded an honorary degree. I much preferred Blindness to On the Road, so by association, Glover is definitely cooler than Kerouac.
Clint Eastwood
Eastwood was born in San Francisco and has starred in and directed many films throughout his lifetime. Some of his films are even set in his hometown. Cool.
Bruce Lee
The martial arts master and film star was born in San Francisco’s Chinatown district, though he didn’t grow up in the area. Still, he’s wicked cool.
Courtney Love
Love is most widely recognized as Kurt Cobain’s wife, a secondary status that Kerouac would surely appreciate. However, the singer is more than that. Among many other things, she was born in San Francisco and also studied film at the San Francisco Art Institute.
None of these people are perfect, of course, but most of them are still cooler and less misogynistic than Jack Kerouac and his buddy Neal.
Keepin' It Rail 