Ginsberg’s obsession with measure in music manifests itself explicitly in “Howl.” He determines that music and physical sustenance are equally important, describing individuals “who lounged hungry and lonesome through Houston seeking jazz or sex or soup” (12). As people seek to satisfy their bodily needs with sex and food, the sonic appeal of Ginsberg’s beloved jazz also satisfies a natural human drive. This force can be distinguished as a concept of melody that conquers the mind’s other processes. Ginsberg suggests that jazz, organized by sonic measure and rhythm, serves a necessary human function. 

Ginsberg’s concern for measure is evidenced by his poetry’s rhythm. “Howl” revolves around descriptions of people: stanzas starting with “who” in the first section, “moloch” in the second section, and “I’m with you in Rockland” in the third. The poem deviates from this pattern to expand certain points, resembling a Benzedrine dream. However, it remains faithful to its stanza structure.

While most popular music conforms to this construct of repetition, Zappa and the Grateful Dead were attracted to jazz that mirrors Ginsberg’s laxity. The Grateful Dead always started its live performances with recreations of recorded material, yet this material only loosely regulated the song’s direction. As is the 

In On the Road, Jack Kerouac balances madness with measure and routine. Although Dean Moriarty seems mercurial, his obsessions with TIME and IT indicate a desire to regulate his madness. Sal Paradise describes Dean’s crazy driving with references to inexplicable control. As Dean drives through the mountains of California, “he merely passes cars without a sound, on pure momentum. He knew every rhythm and every kick of a first-class pass” (Kerouac 157). Sal notices Dean’s connection to the road and attributes it to his familiarity and comfort behind the wheel. Dean has driven so much in the past that routine regulates his driving. Sal suggests that his friend has established a certain measure for their journey.

Sal understands Dean’s intimacy with the road to be a testament to the world’s oneness. When Dean’s driving terrifies the other passengers, in his words, Dean was “passing everybody and never halting the rhythmic advance that the mountains themselves intended” (200). According to the loyal romantic, Dean’s habits reflect his conception of IT and TIME. As such, the pair embraces their freedom on their road trip. They abandon reservations and become free spirits.

The perception of madness in Frank Zappa’s music parallels that of Dean’s driving. Initially Zappa’s work sounds strange and incoherent. “Who Are the Brain Police?” from Zappa’s debut album Freak Out! (1966) centers around a bass guitar melody that is intermittently disrupted by lyrics and sounds. Some consider the song defiant, yet it is characterized by repetition (Lowe 30). The oddest aspect of the song, however, is its coherence: it does not defy structure. It tests it, and yet, Zappa realizes that the song requires a certain organization. Instead of conforming to accepted structure, he jumbles it; he rhythmically organizes random sounds, thus elucidating them. And despite their unusual design, these songs appeal to many.

Zappa’s use of musical ring composition also resembles Kerouac’s presentation of Sal’s journeys: Sal’s travels are cyclical as well. Descriptions of his time at home serve as preparation for his voyages or reflections upon a trip from which he has just returned. He always returns home after his travels, although his descriptions of New York are dull in comparison to his adventure

Zappa recalls an instance of confused attraction to the R&B song “Angel in My Life” in his musical development: “I couldn’t understand why I loved that record so much, but I figured that, since he was a music teacher, maybe he knew … He was the first

Jerry Garcia often expressed that jazz and R&B were inspirational. In a 1981 interview with Blair Jackson and David Gans, he identified jazz artist John Coltrane as a primary influence: “I’ve been impressed with that thing of flow ... the whole ‘odyssey’ idea — journeys, voyages, you know? And adventures along the 

Frank Zappa also remembers his first encounter with R&B music. He recalls his early infatuation with the music in his autobiography, The Real Frank Zappa Book: “While other guys in high school were spending their money on cars, I spent my money

Zappa starts with a simple melody, deviates to complexity, and returns to a more conventional melody. Kerouac first provides the context for Sal’s journey, talks of the trip and its wild anecdotes, and transits him back to his monotonous life in New York. Dean’s spurts also become predictable, and his deviance more expected. Whether prompted by money, responsibility, or exhaustion, Dean and Sal inevitably return to their tame lives after each trip, yet both always seek another journey. Dean states: “No matter where I live, my trunk’s always sticking out from under the bed, I’m ready to leave or get thrown out” (Kerouac 239). Kerouac’s and Zappa’s use of ring composition reflects an attachment to measured life, no matter how much the two desire spontaneity.

This cyclical nature also relates closely to the Grateful Dead’s music. The band demonstrated its obsession with deviation in its live shows. Its sets were distinct because, as Jerry Garcia stated in 1966, “we don’t make up our sets beforehand ... We’d rather work off the tops of our heads than off a piece of paper” (Gans and Simon 17). This improvisation allowed for a unique experience at each show, and their wanton attitude relates to Dean’s fascination with the moment. In the same way that Dean hopes IT would overpower him and steer his actions and conversations, the Grateful Dead hoped that each show’s dynamic would dictate how and which songs they played.

Of course, this improvisation also characterized the Grateful Dead’s songs. As Dean constantly searches for an understanding of TIME, the Grateful Dead searched for a similar moment in which all instruments harmonized. The 23 minute version of “Dark Star” from the 1969 album Live/Dead exemplifies this pursuit. Originally released as a single in 1968, the recorded version lasted less than three minutes. As was the case with the characters in On the Road,

Initially Sal planned to drive the entire Route 6, but he soon learned how quickly plans can change. Though Denver and San Francisco remained viable destinations throughout his journey,

Yet as Dean and Sal inevitably lose IT, the Grateful Dead also returns to expected norms. “Dark Star” ends as the recorded version ends no matter how many jams and improvisations are performed. The sets are also restricted, as guitarist Bob Weir acknowledges in a 1977 interview with David Gans that “we generally only play [‘One More Saturday Night’] on Saturday nights these days” (Gans 9). Weir also notes in the interview that “most often, we’ll plan [a set] up to a certain point.” However, like Dean’s unexpected encounters with IT, there were nights when the band was uncertain what to play. In one case they decided on a sequence that thrilled Gans. He states the band’s 

Gans’s excited reaction to this particular sequence parallels Dean’s infatuation with jazz music. Gans describes his reaction to the sequence: “I thought you were going to go into this or that or the other thing, then bang! Out came ‘Wharf Rat,’ and then back to ‘Dancin’ in the Street.’ That was just killer!” (16). His recollection of the performance clearly indicates his obsession with music. Dean similarly enters his entranced state of IT as a result of musical performance. His excitement while talking to Sal on the way to Denver closely resembles Gans’s excitement while talking to Weir. Dean glorifies the performance from the night before as he says: “Man, that alto man last night had IT — he held it once he found it; I’ve never seen a guy who could hold so long,” and this memory of the night before leads him to achieve his glorified IT (Kerouac 195-196). The emotions inspired by the San Francisco jazz scene and the Grateful Dead connect the San Francisco improvisers directly to the music scene described in On the Road.

The Grateful Dead’s commitment to extensive touring is akin to Kerouac’s affinity for nomadism. Yet this shared aspiration proves limited as the band, Dean, and Sal inevitably return home. It seems the success of the Grateful Dead is intertwined with the themes of Kerouac and others.

Of course, the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa are certainly not the only musicians who represented Ginsberg and Kerouac. However, the Grateful Dead encompasses and develops the rhythmic themes of Ginsberg and Kerouac better than its contemporaries; Zappa through his manipulation of those themes, and the Grateful Dead through its complete absorption of those themes. A 2005 Rolling Stone article, “The Immortals,” presents columns written by current musicians reflecting on a particularly inspiring musician.

Warren Haynes wrote the article on the Grateful Dead in which he praises Jerry Garcia for “his sense of melody and chord changes.” This shows contemporary artists’ awareness of the Grateful Dead’s innovative rhythm.