When casting the documentary, the producers chose people who had a strong connection to Jack Kerouac. They fell into three categories; the “Originals”, those who knew Jack personally and were included in his Big Sur experience; the “Scholars”, who studied and researched Kerouac’s life and works; and the “Artists”, actors, writers, and musicians who were influenced and inspired by his prose.

The Artists

Sam Shepard

Tom Waits

Patti Smith

Lenny Kaye

Aram Saroyan

Donal Logue

Dar Williams

Amber Tamblyn

John Ventimiglia

Jack Hirschman

Robert Hunter

S.E. Hinton

Diamond Dave Whittaker

Ben Gibbard

Jay Farrar

Sage Francis

Herb Gold

Brenda Knight

The Scholars

John Tytell

Bill Morgan

Paul Marion

Eric Bauersfeld

The Originals

Carolyn Cassady

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Michael McCLure

Jami Cassady Ratto

John Allen Cassady

David Amram

Dana Godbe

Herb Gold

Sterling Lord

Joyce Johnson