Rexque Futurus

Oh, f%ck this. I just wrote an entire post and the damn page refreshed itself and erased the whole bloody thing.

I cannot tell you how discouraging that is. It was a fine post at that, very intended toward the overall feel of poetry reading appreciation which is what I am trying to build the blog toward, discussing the Ecstatic Peace reading at the Poetry Project hosted by Thurston Moore. It was quite a good posting on a quite good reading, speaking of Richard Hell, whose voice suggests the offspring of Carl from Sling Blade and Anthony Hopkins. Then I wrote a few things about Charles Plymell, on the weight of his years of experience with the Beats to the Hippy to the present and on his fine oration, one aspect of the art which a few years ago seemed to be fading.

I made a point about how certain pieces lent themselves to or where enhanced by a reading, and others, such as William's The Red WheelBarrow, did not.

For what it's worth, I did not discuss the other readers, Byron Coley, Christina Carter, Elisa Ambrosio, and of course Mr. Sonic Youth himself in the original post.

I will do so now. They each brought a differant matter to the table, and rounded out the evening to make it a broad selection of readers. Coley read from a novel in progress, a funny, intriguing story of a young man entering the rock and roll world. Christina's reading was small and quiet, holding tight to the pieces she read. Elisa's reading was very energized as she took the microphone in hand and leaned into the podium like she couldn't get close enough to the audience. I'm on the lookout for a longer reading from her. Thurston finally, although Richard was the last reader, is a showman, a seasoned performer, and stands next to the fully extended microphone stand ready to make you listen. He is so at home in front of people he knows want to hear him it gives his recitation an exactness, a concreteness, many writers and poets can't find.

It was a cool reading overall, in the very deliberate use of the word "cool" sort-of-way that cool should be. It was cool said while letting smoke escape your lips. Cool the way the girl sitting in the dark corner of the bar raises her glass to toast your selection on the jukebox. It was poetry and rock and roll, and that is always cool.
Hic Jacet Arthurus
-WADO