At what type of venue would an act like yours normally be performed?
Well, I have only performed in two venues altogether, one of which was a
little coffeehouse in the Old City region of Philadelphia, and the other a
smaller art gallery a few blocks away. It seems a lot of poetry performances
take place in art galleries and coffeehouses, for the most part. I guess
there are those occasions where performers such as Jello Biafra will read at
some punk venues and such.
What is it exactly that you do?
I spend a few months writing a poem or poems, and then when I feel I have
enough to complete a whole CD with, I break out my cheap Tascam 4-track
recorder and get down with some homemade album makin'!
Who are your idols and influences?
Hmmm . . . When i was younger, I felt that Allen Ginsberg was a major
influence. I greatly enjoy the sometimes personal nature of his work. These
days, I have been obsessed with Hubert Selby Jr.'s (Last Exit to Brooklyn,
Requiem For a Dream) novel The Room. I read it last summer, and I was at the
same times intrigued, disturbed, and inspired. I am striving to capture the
spirit of that novel with a long piece I have started working on. We'll see
what happens there.
I believe that indie rock has been a major influence, particularly the lo-fi,
gritty-sounding stuff. When I record, I hope to capture the acoustics of the
room in which I have recorded. I like to give the listener the illusion that
he/she is sitting in that very room with me as I read, just as I get the
illusion that a lo-fi band I listen to is playing live right in front of my
dresser, or next to my computer.
I get a big kick from your 'effing virgins' piece. Of all your work so far,
do you have a favourite?
I am relieved you got a kick out of that piece. When I first recorded it, I
was a bit worried that most people would take it too seriously. I mean, I was
genuinely pissed off the day I wrote and recorded it, but the performance is
one that should be taken lightly. It's kinda funny that the speaker of the
piece is going on and on about the same goddamn thing and it's driving him
out of his friggin' mind.
My personal favorites right now are "a night at shampoo", and "one", from my
second CD. Those are the crowd-pleasers at my performances. I also have fun
listening to "song for the vegan girl" from the first album.
Spoken word is pretty alien to me, is there a lot of it going on?
I am glad you ask that, because I really do not listen to a lot of spoken
word. I am not certain as to how much spoken word is really happening. The
main reason I am doing spoken word is that I really cannot find something
classified as "spoken word" that is not preachy, in-your-face political
soapbox stuff. A good bit of it is political, from what I can see. There is
nothing wrong with that. But it just is not my thing, and I am sure there are
others who agree. I am just tired of being told how to feel, rather than
being asked to think of different ways to look at an issue.
With my spoken word, I strive to bring about a new way to think about spoken
word. Why not give it an indie rock edge by recording it DIY-style? Why not
attempt to cover issues besides "F*ck Bush!"?
My work is more interested in social interaction. For the past few years, I
have been obsessed with the psychology of romantic relations. I try to
display the psyche of the jilted lover or the poor bastard with the
unrequited love in various ways. In recent months, I have been thinking of
other topics to cover. For instance, I've been thinking about the way in
which we as a society seem to believe we are superior to our past selves, by
association with new technology. I love a lot of the new technology and I
welcome it, but we cannot forget where we came from. We can't look back in
condescension. Anyway, that is the sort of stuff you can expect. But not in a
preachy way. I have some tricks up my sleeve. Wink wink.
I am not saying that my work is better than the political stuff. I just hope
that what I am doing, or trying to do, will allow people to think of "spoken
word" as something more than soapbox derbies or cliched poetry slams.
How could i get my hands on your music, merchandise and juicy juicy
buttocks?
One can grab my CDs and other fun at my website, www.tackywordtalk.net
and you can also get them for a lower price at my shows. My second CD is
available at www.cdbaby.com and also www.towerrecords.com
In order to get a hold of me backside, you must either be:
a.) My girlfriend
b.) Dr. Isenberg, my colorectal specialist.
Thanks for agreeing to the interview!
You are welcome! Thanks for being the first person to ever interview me!