Jul 30, 2004

Come To Day 1



Come to day 1 of the illustrious Boston Poetry Massachre.

Highlights include: EVERYONE.

7:00 Sean Cole
7:12 Sara Veglahn
7:24 David Kirschenbaum
7:36 Chad Parenteau
7:48 Shin Yu Pai
break
8:12 Guillermo Juan Parra
8:24 Jim Dunn
8:36 Gina Myers
8:48 John Mulrooney
9:00 Shanna Compton
break
9:24 Christopher Rizzo
9:36 Dana Ward
9:48 Cole Heinowitz

Jul 29, 2004

Info for August 5 Geof Huth reading posted to the Maudite Productions blog.
Will my mug bring people to the Massacre? Perhaps some extra folks with torches and pitchforks... I need to stop terrorizing the poor townsfolk in the remote hours of the night with my glowering visage and hideous laugh. If they would just keep the bars open past 1AM...

Thanks to Jimmy for representing in the Improper Bostonian and elsewhere. I should point out that Rachel took this ubiquitous photo of me (in the body I occupy after the dawn has come...).

Jul 28, 2004

It's interesting to note that The New Yorker can make even Gary Snyder suck (as evinced by his poen "No Shadow" in the current issue).

What do people say to themselves? "I'm famous, and this poem really sucks. I think I'll send it to the New Yorker..."

Jul 27, 2004

Shanna is like one of those yellow smiley faces, except not annoying.

If ever one is in need of cheering up, Brand New Insects is a good place to start!...

Jul 26, 2004

My father and other critics are gonna love this. Neocon anti-intellectuals are going to have a field day.

But the important question (before we drag out the pit-bulls and cattle-prods) is: "Is it formal verse or post-avant?" BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In case you're wondering, that was said with a good deal of bilious irony. Pardon me, I am ornery today. Weary of conflicts of all sorts. (I realize that life and art cannot exist without conflicts, but they can also exist without dogma...)

I should stop yammering about this stuff and write some goddamn poems.
It's about 10:15 AM. I got sick of the DNC about a half an hour ago. So that means, about 45 minutes in, I'm sick of it. The reality of it and the subject of it.

Is rote rejection also the rhetoric of violence? Just a harmless question. It is a snake with two heads. They argue which will swallow the tail.

I am sick of the war, the land war and the culture war. Ask the Venezuelans about the terror of the binary. My thoughts are with Guillermo in Florida, writing and reading, reading and writing (see post of about a week ago), and with Aaron soon to depart from this city.

Saw Lorca's "House of Bernarda Alba" last night on the Chelsea waterfront last night with Rachel, James and Amanda. More on that later. I think Lorca would have approved of the very pregnant Amanda squatting on the ground and knitting during the performance.

Women in black and white, Othello (the old kids' game and not the play) pieces nauseously flipping. Straw in her hair, the prettiest daughter dangles in her room. That is the object lesson of the binary. The poet as Adela Alba's green dress...

Jul 22, 2004

On the subject of outdoor stuff:

TheatreZone presents
Lorca in the Park
Free! in English & the Spanish original.

The House of Bernarda Alba/
La Casa de Bernarda Alba
by Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca creates an explosion of desire, jealousy, despair,
and passion.

July 21-August 1, 7:30, FREE!
Mary O'Malley Park, Commandant's Way, on the Chelsea
Waterfront
(Admiral's Hill)
Bring your blankets or lawn chairs and join us on the pier!
Rain location: Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet
St., Chelsea Square (decision made by 6:00)

English performances are Thurs. July 22, Fri. July 23,
Sun. July 25, Sat. July 31

Spanish performances are Wed. July 21, Sat. July 24, Fri.
July 30, Sun. Aug. 1

Directions and Information: www.theatrezone.org or
617/887-2336

TheatreZone presents our 2nd annual Lorca in the Park,
free performances of The House of Bernarda Alba /La Casa de
Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca in Mary O'Malley Park, alternating
between performances in English and the Spanish original.

This powerful drama of seduction and betrayal, set in rural Spain, is a study in family relationships under the strain of culturally and socially imposed sexual taboos. When Bernarda Alba's husband dies, she strives to contain the passions of her five unmarried daughters, but desire prevails in a dramatic culmination of madness and violence.

R and I went to see the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's "Much Ado About Nothing" on the Common last night. They seemed to do a fairly good job of it. I'm not terribly familiar with this play, so I don't know if the slapstick elements were a reinterpretation or not, but they seemed to work. Oddly enough, I have always preferred the comedies to the tragedies, which is strange given my tragic temprament. Shakespeare himself seems to have a more comic mind, however. The play was certainly appropriate for a summer night under a honey-colored crescent moon. I could imagine the same set there in the dead of winter for a tragedy, but that would be expensive and ludicrous. Which would also be appropriate.

Anyway, it's around for a couple more weeks and I recommend checking it out. It is, after all, free...

Jul 21, 2004

After Jenny H



Check out this rad image Chris Rizzo made in reference to my poem "From Jenny Haniver" at the surf poetry collaborative. (This poem would go on to become Cheeseburger #17 of 29 Cheeseburgers, so you folks watching at home can follow along...) The Jenny Haniver project itself is not defunct, however, although its pretty far from existing presently.


Uh, to everyone I sent that arts petition email to, I guess it was a hoax. Boy do I feel stupid...

It is interesting to note that the thing has been circulating now for almost TEN YEARS! That's pretty bizarre. Someone should start an email exquisite corpse and see how long it will live for. That would be really interesting, actually. Maybe I'll do it...

Jul 19, 2004

"What does a writer do against the unrelenting spread of ignorance and violence in the wake of most human endeavors? A writer writes and reads."

Amen, brother Guillermo.
The going-away reading for Aaron seemed to go over very well. People in general seemed enthusiastic (to put it understatedly) about our respective readings. I thought we complemented each other very well, Aaron's quiet grace acting contrapuntally to my usual psychobilly freakout... The party (thanks to Chris and Em for all the help) was pretty fun also. I haven't had a party for many years, so it was nice that it all went rather smoothly. I have posted some photos from the reading and the party here. There are more, but again I only post photos of those folks who I know explicitly do not mind to have their images appear here.



AARON, CHEWING; ME, SMOKING; RACHEL, LOOKING PRETTY (Thanks to Bibliogal for the photos)



AARON AND CHRIS HAVE SOME REAL ESTATE ON MARS TO SELL YOU CHEAP (Thanks to Bibliogal for photos)



FAMINE, PESTILENCE AND HANGNAIL (thanks to Bibliogal for photos)



I READ (thanks to Bibliogal for photos)

AARON READS (thanks to Bibliogal for the photos)

Jul 16, 2004

 
Hope to see some of you tonight.
 
Not much else doing right now.
 

Jul 15, 2004

Because it's always good to have a friend in Canada, I have added Fictions of Deleuze and Guattari to the blogroll.

Montreal is one of my favorite cities on earth. Though you should be careful, Cliff, come December you may have a sudden influx of houseguests...

A note to all you Canadians: PLEASE INVADE SOON. Please?

I'm also a fan of D & G.

Come One, Come All



Jul 13, 2004

Wha?



AP Poll: Bush Seen Decisive, Kerry Smart

OK, since when do we value anything BESIDES intelligence in our elected leaders? The only other thing I can think of is charisma, and we all know Dubya is about as charismatic as an autistic proctologist. He's "DECISIVE," yes he DECIDED to surreptitiously invade another country for specious reasons, he DECIDED to declare war on abortion and civil rights, he DECIDED to perhaps irredeemably mangle the economy. Yes, he's as dumb as a box of rocks, but he's DECISIVE.

Why am I not afforded this same luxury? Well, maybe it was DUMB to run up those thousands of dollars of debt on my credit cards in my 20's, but it was DECISIVE, so I'm fit to be president, right? I can spend egregious amounts of money on ridiculous things also... (But I don't kill anyone in the process...)

Let us pray that we can ixnay Governor Bush before the man has a chance to DECIDE on anything else, and at least put someone who is ostensibly "smart," most likely fairly charismatic (mark my words, if we manage to elect him, I will personally write an ODE TO HIS HAIR) and at the very least apparently a human being into office.

This post is rife with capital letters. Not sure why I'm feeling compelled to capitalize here...

Jul 12, 2004

Happy Blogday to Me



<[[[[[[-[[[[0{:}0]]]]-]]]]]]> turns 1 today!

Happy Blogday, <[[[[[[-[[[[0{:}0]]]]-]]]]]]>. What a year it's been. Exciting things I discussed before are still in the works.

Here's one of the first posts (of note) back in 2003, the infamous "Ghost City" post:

"LET'S TALK ABOUT THE INTERNET

Ok, on the one hand doing this is giving me a slightly sick feeling inside. On the other hand, what else was I going to do this afternoon? Write? HA!

One of the reasons why I've been reluctant to enter this whole morass of blogging is that I've become very concerned recently about the influence this whole blogging phenomenon is having on our little community. The other night at Charlie's Kitchen, somebody made a joke that we would soon all be sitting around a table blogging to wireless-connected laptops and not actually speaking to one another. Now that will never happen, but I do believe that the internet is having some sort of effect on how people interact socially.

I don't know whose concept it is, but in urban planning there's this concept of "soft city" vs. "hard city". The hard city is the physical reality of any given city: it's buildings, roads, etc. The soft city is any given person's experience of the city, e.g., where they work, how they walk to work, the places they frequent, etc. A "city" is lots of soft cities imposed on one unalterable hard city.

I'm thinking that the net and net-related space represent a third kind of city within that framework, let's call it a "ghost city," because it doesn't really exist. Like the soft city, each person's ghost city is unique, we all visit different websites, blogs, etc. And indeed therein is formed a community of sorts. Within this community one finds people from one's own soft city, but also others not within that sphere, people you don't know, from far away, etc. There's a danger to the ghost city that I haven't quite figured out yet.

Within the ghost city, it is possible to find a kind of ghost intimacy, a feeling of connection with others which is real, but also slightly surreal. It's easy to get sucked into chat rooms, etc. and have a feeling of communion with other people, or to read blogs, etc. and get a sense like you are interacting/communicating with a given person. However, like ghosts, the "people" there are insubstantial, you're not talking to X person, you're not visiting X person when you visit their blog. And no, you're not having sex with X person, either... However, it is easy to fall into that ghost intimacy and think that you're connecting...

As the ghost city grows, does the soft city shrink? Anyone?"

Jul 9, 2004

Bizarro Mark Number 2



Not to be confused with the Mark Lamoureux of countertop shoppe fame:

"(7/22/2002)--The popping sound of enemy gunfire from outside bounced off the walls of the second story room as Spc. Mark Lamourex crouched against the doorway with his rifle at the ready. His sleepless eyes scanned the darkened corridors of the old building as the battered American squad protected a room that three soldiers had given their lives to clear.

Even with his cold hands tightly gripping his weapon, Lamourex applied a gentle pressure to the trigger and waited for a foreign soldier to enter his crosshairs."

From the National Guard site.

See, this is what happens to me when you misspell my last name...
Disc Jockey Arrested for On-Air Gag

OK, so only a moron walks into a convenience store with a ski-mask... But arresting him for a "terrorist threat"? Since when do terrorists jack convenience stores? Since when are terrorists that stupid?

I don't know if I'd argue with the criminalization of abject stupidity, but given that it isn't illegal yet (we'd have to indict the entire current administration), it seems like arresting the guy is a little worrisome.
I just realized that I get a 20% discount from Kinkos with my Harvard ID card. So all you folks with printing projects, I can get you 20% off!

Jul 8, 2004

Am considering acquiring a bookshelf exclusively for the "to read" pile. Sigh.

In other news, the blog turns 1 next week. In the spirit of dogged idolatry (don't panic, Tim, I'm just making a self-effacing joke) I have something "exciting" planned...

Jul 7, 2004

"We've got better vision, better ideas, real plans. We've got a better sense of what's happening to America -- and we've got better hair," Kerry said, laughing."

I'm no Kerry yesman, but I have to admit I find something vaguely endearing about the above statement. At face value it's sort of puerile and shallow, but, I think Kerry's willingness to say something like that demonstrates that he has a command of the nuances of speech and public rhetoric that Dubya lacks, e.g. he's capable of saying something that has text and subtext, and that he has a sense of humor, another trait seemingly surgically removed from our current fearless leader at birth along with his heart, his brain, and I'm willing to wager, his genitals (since there's been no-one in history so desperately in need of getting laid).

The statement is interesting insofar as it is self-deprecating on the one hand, and on the other hand, quite true. Kerry's playing with a signifier, a hairdo as representing one's cultural placement or stance--in being willing to address this aspect of his own character Kerry is demonstrating that he knows something about American culture and is not cut off from the concerns of the everyman. Political posturing is easy, but I think such subtle gestures evince the true nature of the person in question. It's in this way that Dubya so often resembles a kind of antagonistic robot or smug zombie, he's cut off from humanity and incapable of feigning that connection (just as he's incapable of feigning a facility for the English language or foreign policy.)

Kerry is growing on me a little bit. Obviously, I've planned to vote for the Democratic candidate in this election since about December 2000, but at this rate I'll be cringing a little less as I do so. A little less. It still feels like opting for the blow on the head instead of the kick in the balls, but...
CARVE 3 READING PHOTOS (Courtesy Shin Yu Pai)

CHRIS RIZZO & SEAN COLE

CARVE 3 READING PHOTOS (Courtesy Shin Yu Pai)

SHIN YU & KORT

CARVE 3 READING PHOTOS (Courtesy Shin Yu Pai)

ME LOOKING SWEATY READING CATHERINE MENG'S "TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT"


CARVE 3 RELEASE PARTY PHOTOS (coutesy of Shin Yu Pai)

JOHN MULROONEY & ME GETTING INTO TROUBLE

CARVE 3 RELEASE PARTY PHOTOS (coutesy of Shin Yu Pai)

AARON TIEGER, BIBLIOGAL AND SEAN COLE BUSTING A MOVE

CARVE 3 RELEASE PARTY PHOTOS (coutesy of Shin Yu Pai)

C

IS FOR CHRIS RIZZO WHO ROCKED THE HOUSE.

Am slowly unburying myself at work. Had a pleasant holiday weekend at the ICA with R and then Gloucester with the Gloucester crew. The Kai Althoff exhibit at the ICA is fantastic and I recommend going to see it if you are in Boston.

Shin Yu sent some photos of the Carve 3 release event which I will post shortly (thanks Shin Yu!).

Jul 1, 2004

Err...no, the OTHER Stockholm Syndrome...

Though I think John M. and Co. should just steal the name back. The other crew don't exactly look like the litigating type.

But they could be a bunch of entertainment lawyers, for all I know. Who plays in jam bands anyway? (Besides IT professionals (no offense to you non Jam-band playing IT professionals) and Marketing Majors (same disclaimer)?)
I can't believe that people are still drawing tippy.

When I was in grade school I remember the bus driver had her rendition of Tippy hanging above the dash. Which even then for some reason I found to be moving and profound somehow...
Jean is right, I should make the trek out to the west coast sometime. I haven't been out there in about 10 years.

The thing about coastal towns is that they seem to be rather timeless, whatever new face gets placed on their facades, their old identity as a port town, the places where most of the people living on this continent first set foot, ergo a gateway to the rest of the world. The polar opposite of the homogenous "heartland" by way of their remoteness from the same. Is it any wonder that our coasts are the strongholds of progressivism? The sea makes us remember the rest of the world and the rest of history...