Your Six O’clock Report
I have to set some more time to just write poetry. “Ultimo Canto” is the last thing I’ve really written and I am not too happy. My other two poems need a ton more work and I’m questioning what they are really saying. There is this other lil ditty in the back of my head but it needs some more coaxing to come out.
“Latino Deli” was off the hook and a good complex read. On my female poets kick– Lucille Clifton is next after I finish Adrian Castro’s book.
The last Rikers class was sooo good. The fellas broke down this poem like a champ and they all had opinions and ideas about the authors intent. When we started with the poem they were all “I don’t get it” and that turned into “Nah! That’s not what he’s saying at all!” Especially good considering I had them reading a poem by Artress Bethany White written in the perspective of a defrocked reverend. Fish read one of the guy’s poem on the mic last Monday at 13 and it was da bomb.
Speaking of 13, Tony Brown was an excellent feature and a great audience member. He was listening like mad all up in the front row. His post-set interview was tight and informative as well. The Shappy vs Guy match up was all that and a bag of Doritos. Guy would’ve SO won if he had done what I told him to do… bring your kids with you on stage for the anything goes round. He didn’t listen to me and lost to Shap who brought his kids (Saylor/Mali) and won.
I just booked Acentos through till August with some damn good poetic talent and haven’t used the louderARTISTS since Sabrina’s feature and that is good news. Good to know that I still have Ray, Lynne, Rog and Marty in case things get tight booking wise but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen any time soon as I have a some good future plans that don’t involve them in the booking.
Def Poetry on Broadway is gone and know I feel bad that I just didn’t universally send everyone over to see it. My initial thing was “you could spend $65 to see what we do for $5” which isn’t false but the showcase they put together was tight. Mayda and Lemon were simply bananas up there. Stacyanne is one of the best features I ever saw at 13 and her DPB performance was just as hot. Beau is Beau. Steve Colman played up the lone white guy thing a bit too much but his duet with Poetri was just plain fun. Speaking of I thought Poetri was damn entertaining although I don’t really call what he does poetry. Ditto Georgia Me. Black Ice was way too preachy for me. Suheir was wonderful and her words amazing but I wish she had exploded a bit more on stage. DJ Tendaji was trying way too hard to hype a crowd with music when the focus should have stayed on the words. I’m still waiting to see what will be the counter programming for Def Poetry. If it will stay in the same footsteps or go into an entirely different direction.
Matrix:Reloaded is still on my mind and I am surprised at how so many people don’t like it. Some reviewers are going into full hate mode but I got my $9 of entertainment and a primer on some new philosophy. My friend Diane suggests checking out Foucault.
The Hulk is next on the movie hit list and it should be interesting to see how they take on big green. Peter David completely reinvented Bruce Banner in the late 90s when he changed the Hulk from a separate creature to a trapped part of Banner’s psyche. Seeing his father murder his mother as a child left a young Banner afraid of ever even admitting that he had any anger or passion for that matter. Thus, he becomes this uber geek that only cares about science in that it is cold and rational. Tapping into Greek tragedy, David figured that the more you run from your destiny the quicker and more powerfully you hit it and when Banner’s studies lead him to become the military’s most prominent nuclear physicist; he unleashes his repressed side which hates Banner for keeping it under wraps and thus has the maturity of a nine year old. Only through therapy(!) does Banner acknowledge his childhood trauma and integrates all three sides of himself—Banner, the Grey Hulk (his emotional side) and the Green Hulk (his anger) into one being which, of course, likes being 7 feet and 400 pounds of gamma brawn.
The Yanks are still on a roll. The Nets are rocking but will never win shit because at their core: they are still a bunch of Jersey losers. Thank God the Lakers are out and I am so pulling for Dallas! Don’t care about hockey if I don’t see it live.
Weather in NYC still sucks and I hope you remember that everytime you use hair spray.
And that’s all the news that’s fit to blog…