These men (they're usually men) are romantic heroes. Kerouac, Watts, Jim Morrison, Dylan Thomas, etc. I admire them and what they created but they usually die young, often of alcohol or drugs and they tend to leave a fair amount of destruction in their wake. Kerouac was self-conscious about what he was doing:

> I shambled after as usual as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!"

Not the kind of man you can imagine growing old with a dog at his feet.

There's a great book about it called On The Road.

I can also recommend Ginsberg's Howl, which Kerouac gave its title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-P2fILsLH8

> I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness

> Starving hysterical naked