Around the same time that Jack Kerouac packed his rucksack and went on the road, Christopher Makos was born into a Greek American family in Kerouac’s hometown. In the June 2013 issue of That’s, Ned Kelly reported:
Christopher Makos was born in 1948 in Lowell, Massachusetts, the birthplace of pioneering Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac; a heritage he was oblivious of in his youth. “Growing up in Lowell, I wasn’t aware of anything, except how to leave,” he says. “How to grow up fast and figure out how to leave.”
Sounds pretty Beat to me!
Makos went on to live in California and then, after high school, moved to New York and, later, Paris. It was there that he became an apprentice to the esteemed Man Ray. Back in New York City, he photographed the scene on the Lower East Side—Beat writer William S. Burroughs, the Ramones, Patti Smith, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Debbie Harry are just a few of the icons who ended up in his book White Trash. Though it was the ’70s by this point, it’s got it’s Beat Generation connections. (If you’re interested in reading up more on this, I’d recommend Victor Bockris’ Beat Punks.)
Makos became friends with Andy Warhol, who called him the “most modern photographer in America.”
The latest incarnation of this seminal punk photography book, White Trash Uncut, is coming out in May 2014 (published by Glitterati Incorporated), and Resource Magazine’s Aria Isberto caught up with the Greek-American photographer to talk about the underground scene, what it takes to get published, and what kind of camera he uses. You can read it here.
Interested in my writing for Resource Magazine? Check out:::
Read more of my Lowell posts here. Among my favorites are:::
- 5 of the Most Famous People and Things to Come Out of Lowell (shout out to Christopher Makos!)
- Kerouac’s Hometown Inspires Charles Dickens
- Lowell of Yesteryear
- Confessions of an Awkward Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Attendee
- 7 Kerouac-Related Places to Visit in Lowell Not Covered by Lowell Celebrates Kerouac
- Jammin’ Jack
Read about other Greek Americans I’ve written about on my blog. Here’s a few selections:::
- Christian Alexander
- Benjamin Anastas
- Tina Andreadis
- Hank Azaria
- Christo Curlisto
- Patricia Volonakis Davis
- Jeffrey Eugenides
- Tina Fey
- Timothy George
- Angelo Lambrou
- Nikki Poulos
- Tatiana Raftis
- Stratton
- Constantine Valhouli
- Betty White
Which Greek American do you want to see me write about next?!
Stephanie Nikolopoulos 
I have a very old, falling apart copy of his book that the poet David Huberman gave me many years ago. A great talent, didn’t know he was from Lowell.
What a great gift! Somehow I feel that falling apart brings out the punk subject matter even more.