Michael McClure, "the young poet recruited to put together the famed Six Gallery readings in 1955 that launched the San Francisco Renaissance and the legend of the Beats," died May 4, the Chronicle reported. He was 87. His first public reading, at 22, "was overshadowed by the introduction of Howl by Allen Ginsberg," but McClure's career ultimately spanned more than 60 years, during which he published over 30 books of poetry, plays and anthologies, most recently Persian Pony and Mephistos and other Poems. His other books include Mysteriosos and Other Poems; Rain Mirror; Simple Eyes & Other Poems; Rebel Lions; Ghost Tantras; Of Indigo and Saffron: New and Selected Poems; Passage; and the nonfiction work Scratching the Surface of the Beats.
"Michael was incredibly gracious, erudite, and totally dedicated to the poet's calling," said Elaine Katzenberger, publisher and CEO of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, which published some of McClure's works, beginning in 1963 with Meat Science Essays. McClure read at the Human Be-In at Golden Gate Park that launched the Summer of Love in 1967 and at the Band's "Last Waltz" at Winterland in 1976. He also wrote songs, most famously "Mercedes-Benz," which he co-wrote for Janis Joplin. Actor Dennis Hopper once said: "Without the roar of McClure, there would have been no '60s."