"Mighty" Mike McGee's Electronic Place of Himself.

Typings of a well-traveled, talky, funny, hobo-poet comedian. Former pirate radio station disc jockey, altar boy, travel agent, floor sweeper, hip hop emcee, band leader, and screenwriter. Professionally trained hugger.
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I Am Moving Back To The West Coast Around August 1st

I’ve known and been talking with friends about moving back to the West Coast since February (read original post here) and now the time has come.

CATALYST FOR MOVING
I am looking to head back around August 1. I will putting on a one-man show in San Francisco on Sundays this August 8, 15, 22 and 29. It will be called In Search of Midnight: The Mike McGee Show of Awesome. Because of the scheduling, I will be in and around San Francisco for the entirety of August.

Another catalyst is the potential for Dave Perez and I to take the reigns of the San José Poetry Slam. This is all very up-in-the-air in terms of details, but I am sure my involvement with SJPS organizing is assured for the beginning of the poetry slam season in September.

Perez and I have formed Silicon Valley Performance Project (SVPP) as our banner for events we produce, such as our upcoming Slumberfest 2010. SVPP may be taking on some form of poetry slam for Silicon Valley as re-design of its current poetry slam.

LIVING SPACE
I AM PRETTY OPEN TO MOST CITIES ON THE PACIFIC COAST. I ask those of you in the Bay Area to keep an eye and ear out for any available room for rent in and around San José. If I do not find something in the area under my budget by September, I will probably look further into setting up residence in Portland, Oregon. I have a couple of possibilities for housing in Portland. No matter what, I am sure I will spend a lot of time there over the next few years.

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
Man. I am saddened to leave these people. Thanks to the fact that I make my living on the road, I know I will be back at least once a year. Who would’ve thought Worcester would become such a special place in my heart.

KITCHEN SESSIONS
My little baby show has made my stay here in Worcester a really fun experience. If you plan to be around New England around any of the KS dates below, please add yourself to the Facebook group here, as I will keep it going to inform people of all Kitchen Sessions I will be involved with. Here’s the letter I just sent to the Kitchen Sessions group members:

Hey, Sessioners.

I am about 75% sure that I am moving back to the West Coast around August 1, 2010.

I know that I WILL spend all of August in the SF Bay Area. I could end up in Portland in September. I may end up in San José. Because of this, I need to pack up my stuff and start prepping for the move.

Kitchen Sessions in Worcester will go into overdrive before I leave.

My first hope is to make these last ones fun & huge. —> Fuge™

Here’s my outlook of remaining Sessions:

June 12 (this Saturday): Mahogany Browne and Jive Poetic had to back out. There will still be a KS @ 8:00pm, I’m just up in the air on the feature.

Saturday, June 19: Vancouver Kitchen Session #1. Hosted by yours truly at the Foxy House in East Van. 7:30pm.

Saturday, July 3: Krista Mosca and Matthew John Conley feature. McKendy will mini-feature.

Saturday, July 10: Ken Arkind feature. Ken has promised all new poems.

Friday, July 16: Boston Diningroom Session. Not at my house. TBA.

Saturday, July 24: New York Invasion feature. Some of our favorite New York poets come up early to BBQ and perform in a “Backyard Session.”

Friday, July 30: BON VOYAGE! A KITCHEN FAREWELL. Co-Hosted with Simone Beaubien. Tony Brown & Mike McGee feature all new work.

My second hope is that someone, be it here in Worcester, Manchester, Providence or Boston (and yes, even Connecticut…) will take the reigns and create their own space for a new series of ongoing Sessions. I understand the general distaste of opening one’s home to something like this so frequently, but it pays off, I assure you. If one is interested in holding their own, I will always be a phone call away for advice and networking.

My goal over the next year will be to incorporate traveling Sessions while touring. If I have a day off, and you have poets and a space, I will try schedule and host a session.

Wherever I end up on the West Coast I will try to establish a new Session there as well. I will probably give preference to any New England poet that comes through to the new Sessions.

Beginning this Saturday, there will be a box/pile of things I do not wish to take with me. It will be the UP FOR GRABS PILE. Take a little bit f me home with you, won’t you.

I hope to see a number of you this Saturday. So far, only Bill MacMillan and Liz Heath are signed up.

Love,
McGee

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This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 9 June, 2010 at 3:33 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

UPDATES FOR JUNE 2-4!

Happy June, everybody! My whole life, as far as I was concerned, summer began on June 1st. Once we got into the warm J-months, it was summer for me. So welcome to McGee Season! Hope this one’s a good one.

IN NEW YORK
Just made it to Zork’s & LV’s new house in White Plains, NY. Doing a bunch of shows here tomorrow — namely the White Plains Library tomorrow night at 7pm. Then off to Manhattan for the THE INTANGIBLE GRAND SLAM featuring EBONI HOGAN & yours truly on Thursday Night, and the Nuyorican on Friday at 10pm. Let’s hang.

AN IDEA ON MERCHANDISE
Due to the fact that I stopped selling CDs about two years ago primarily because CDs are quickly becoming the dodo bird of technology, and a pain in the ass to produce and carry, I’ve been rethinking my means of transferring mp3s.

My albums available include:

Mike McGee Is Beautiful
Live in Exeter, England
Live in Denver
Miscellaneous

Anyone who brings a flash drive of 1gb or larger, or their laptop, to any of my shows from now on, I will gladly load any or all of these four albums onto their media for $3 each. This means I don’t ever need to carry another disc again and neither do you. I think this may be the smartest way to sell tracks on the road. I understand the desire to have something tangible to take home, which is why I also have a book for sale…

VANCOUVER, B.C.
I will be in Vancouver to attend Lisa Slater’s & Kyle Mallinson’s wedding on June 18. Because Kitchen Sessions have been so fun at home in Worcester, I wanted to bring it to places I love. I will be holding a East Van Kitchen Session #1 at the Foxy House on Saturday, June 19. Due to noise issues, the show must end by 10pm. So we will start at 7;30pm sharp. I am not sure who else is traveling through Van that weekend, but they should contact me and be a part of it. I will host. Sign up will be between 6:30 and 7:20pm for up to two poems each, or a song (I mean, it is Vancouver.)

I will stay in Van through my feature at the VanSlam on Monday, June 21, where I will also sell books and mp3s…
———
Word to the nerd.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 1 June, 2010 at 10:48 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Seattle’s Matt Gano In The Woo!

My good man Matt Gano of the Seattle Poetry Slam scene, and the go-to-guy for Seattle Youth Speaks, lands in New England today for a series of shows between here and New York City.

He’ll be at The Dirty Gerund Poetry Show tonight at Ralph’s Rock Diner, 148 Grove Street in Worcester. Open mic at 9pm.

He’ll also be featuring at GotPoetry? Live? tomorrow night (Tues.) at Blue State Coffee in Providence. Then at the Boston Cantab on Wednesday night.

I am sure he has more shows lined up this week and next. You’ll have to go to a show or find him on Facebook to know the when and where. Word has it that he may come back to the Woo with Mahogany Browne for our May 22 Kitchen Session, featuring RC Weslowski.

I love Gano, and this his first ever spoken word tour. I want to make him feel very welcome on the east coast. This dude is pretty swell and choice.

If you can, go out this week and support my homie. For now, check him out at Matt Gano’s Blog.
———
Word to the nerd.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 10 May, 2010 at 11:01 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Mancouver, New Hampshire

Heading home now from Manchester, New Hampshire with Aisha Hiba Naseem and our valiant driver Bill MacMillan. The poetry slam final was a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed playing emcee for my first time ever in NH.

Your 2010 New Hampshire Slam Team is:

Wil Gibson
McKendy
Beau Williams
Roller Girl
Jeff Stumpo

Alternate: Krista Mosca

There are rumors this line-up may change due to some players also contending in other poetry slam finals, but this is the high-to-low of tonight’s results in ManchVegas.

I started of the night by dusting off Jimmy Awesome and busting out with a bit of the lip-sync/puppeteering.

Also the judges — four of whom had never attended a slam prior to tonight — scored the poets between 19.6 (lowest) to 26.7 (highest!)

I was thoroughly impressed. No matter how hard the audience booed a 6.2, that same judge held their ground. I was proud.

Artie Moffa was my score keeper. A good man to have as a bout manager.

Slammaster Mark Palos has a great scene in NH. I always have a good time at his venues. If you’re heading through New England, keep Manchester on your radar. I think this team could make a good showing at NPS this year.

Tonight was good times. Good times, indeed.
———
Word to the nerd.

Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 8 May, 2010 at 8:00 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Good Thoughts As I Head Home

Fridays are a little wak in terms of posting anything I actually want people to read.

I will just use Fridays as a link day, sending people to sweet websites, and balance it with a short, personal update. Weekends are generally lame for posts, but since I am determined to post daily, I want to have content for each day of the week.

CHICO, CALIFORNIA
Performed at Chico State last night and it went well. The best part of my stay in Chico was surely my time spent with Kyle, Heather, Lor, Sarah, and Tazuo. It was good to catch up with them.

The gig was fun. It felt like impromptu stand-up comedy. I went mostly humorous and felt the audience riding along with me.

Chico’s a cute town. I enjoyed my time here, but this is not a place I could settle in. The summers in this region of California are blazing hot and humid. Makes me feel gross.

Tazuo’s doing an invitational slam on June 10. Should bring more quality spoken word to Chico. Not sure where it’s being held, but there will probably be information at ThePoetTazuo.com

YESTERDAY’S POST ON HEALTH
Been getting tremendous response to my post on better health and developing a healthy living regimen. I really appreciate everyone who’s chimed in with advice and personal accounts.

I’d like to clarify that when I said I was developing a 7-year plan, I think some people took that as I planned to wait for 7 years to be healthy. No. Sheesh. I just meant that I should be wholly different and at peak health by the time I am 41 years old. These new habits should be normal within 7 years. This plan started yesterday. I’ve already doubled my water intake. I’ve also been sleeping a lot more, not pushing myself to stay awake. Seven hours of sleep as opposed to 4-6.

I’ve talked to a lot of people and I don’t want to worry so much about my health at 40. If I do this right and pace myself, I should be fine. I have accomplished a lot more difficult things in my life. I can do this.

I am also now convinced that a Master Cleanse is not for me, plus, I feel pretty cleansed whenever I eat right anyway.

I just have to stay set on my sights. I think if I can drop 60 pounds, I’ll feel pretty damn good.

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE POETRY SLAM FINAL
I am hosting the Slam Free Or Die Final on Saturday night.

It’s going to be rad. More info here…
———
Word to the nerd.

Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 7 May, 2010 at 8:42 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

A Long Term Plan

Been thinking a lot about my health. I am in good spirits lately, but I know a lot of changes are in store as I get closer to 40.

I am developing a 7-year plan to get into shape. To physically be a better representative of the human species. I don’t need to be a hard-body, and considering how soft I am starting out, I probably never will be “hard.” I can try though.

I keep envisioning a much thinner McGee. It’s a neat thought and well worth the time, effort and pain I will have to go through to acheive the body my DNA has designed under all this fat.

I think the first year will be difficult, but breaking bad habits always is. I have proven to be a douchebag whenever I quit smoking. I have relied on nicotine and caffiene for sometime. Am more worried about my smoking and diabetes than anything else. I just need to break the comfort stage of cigarettes and food. They are not my friends. They are actually killing me! Death, suicide, demise, rotting in a grave… All my fault.

I am lucky spina bifida hasn’t killed me yet.

I am considering a cleanse of some sort to start this process, like the lemon-cayenne MasterCleanse. Because of my spine, I also want to ease into a yoga regimen and join the YMCA. I love walking and swimming. A lot. I need cardio and simple exercise routines for the road. I could even see myself getting into running… down the road. I will still be sad about it, but it’s better than being stationary.

I am ready. I know it will be hard. I want to be healthier each year from now on.

I got this.

Any words of wisdom?
———
Word to the nerd.

Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 6 May, 2010 at 11:21 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Love Letter To A Poet #6

Love Letter to a Poet #6: RC Weslowski

Hey, Weslowski!

I am going to hug you so hard. So hard that it seamlessly transforms into holding. Holding your body so that your cells rewrite code in your DNA that tells the cells of your offspring to love themselves before completion.

I shall do this before you are cloned so that Steve Weslowski will not be afraid of how wonderful he is.

I will hold you. I will lay there and hold you when you want die. When you are scared of who I am holding. Because I love you, and not because I want to see you naked or touch your penis. Trust me, I really do not want anything to do with your penis, unless it will save your life. So don’t taunt venomous snakes with your boner, Ran-dick. I really don’t want to HAVE TO suck out the poison.

I say this because I know you, my friend. It’s because I love your spirit so endlessly that I wish it to go on and to feel the heartbeat that keeps such a beautiful man so loving.

I know what you think about when it’s dark and when you’re alone among friends. I know why you write those words. I know that some horrific and wonderful forces must’ve hugged those ideas into your cells too, instructing your body to say what is true and real.

You’re a real live boy, Randy. You’re allowed to be now. You’re supposed to be. Supposed to be the voice for those who need it hugged into them as well. I feel that because you’ve hugged it into my eyes and ears and torso and and heart.

You want the world to love itself. Teach it a lesson. Show them how it’s done.

I will hug you and love you like two creatures that wish they were the same being in order to become an awesome, loving Voltron of sensitive badassery. We can do this. We can win. And through this, it will show the right people how to love us the way we always wanted to be loved. I am willing to hold your hand. I am willing to be the brother that would sacrifice my body to ensure yours lives on. Luckily, hugging you does not require my demise.

Win/win, if you ask me.

So when I can not be around to do my job in arm-wrappery, please:

Go hug yourself!

Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 5 May, 2010 at 4:12 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Last Day In Vancouver

Yesterday was fantastic. My good old friend Feff and his fiance Adriana had caught a cruise ship from L.A. to Vancouver. Three choppy, nauseous days by sea, apparently. Made it to downtown Vancouver by 8am yesterday. I met them in Chinatown. Their first time in Van.

We wandered around checking out various incongruous parts of Vancouver. RC Weslowski met up with us in Gastown and we wandered up Main Street. Not the best day for walking, as we’d stop every fifteen minutes for cover from the rain.

It was so awesome to be with such good friends from different worlds. It was like showing family an old, favorite haunt. Seeing Feff and Adriana in a setting I love so dearly was sublime.

We stopped at Old Town Cafe at Main and Broadway and talked and talked. I stood to use the restroom at one point and, while I waited, I watched the three of them chat and chat and get along.

We parted from RC and made our way to Cafe Montmartre for Thundering Word.

Later they kept commenting how much they really liked RC.

I signed up to read and we met a number of my friends there.

The featured performer was Hilary Grist. Never heard her music before, but I became mesmerized with her voice and songs. She sat at a keyboard and played these lovely tunes, accompanied by another singer-violinist who filled in with harmonies and strings. They were wonderful.

After the show, I approached Hilary to buy her CD. I flipped out when she told me that her husband is Mike Southworth — the man who recorded T.O.F.U.’s second album. That recording process was so wonderful, it endeared us to Mike. His studio in Vancouver is fantastic. What a neat coincidence!

Hilary said she knew my work because after each T.O.F.U. session, Mike would bring home the newest tracks to play her out of excitement. So neat. Glad I bought her album. It sounds great. As it should — Mike recorded that as well. Look up Hilary Grist! She’s Hilary Great!

TODAY
I am going to head up to a cafe on Commercial Drive and sit and watch people and the weather. I will attend Magpie Ulysses feature tonight at the VanSlam.

TOMORROW
I Amtrak it back to Everett, Washington for one last day hanging with Art.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 5
I fly to Chico, California — one day before my show there.

THURSDAY, MAY 6
Show at Chico State University. Whitney Dining at 9:00pm.

FRIDAY, MAY 7
Amtrak to San Jose. Probably won’t get to hang out. Pretty much straight to the airport most likely.

SATURDAY, MAY 8
Depending on travel, I will fly to Manchester or Boston. The ultimate goal is to get to Manchester to host their Poetry Slam Grand Championship.
———
Word to the nerd.

Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 3 May, 2010 at 7:56 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Realtor In New York

One of my best friends in the whole world, Miss Karen Ladson is now a realtor in NYC. She needs clients! If you or somone you know is looking for a space, she’s your gal. Pass this info along to anyone looking for a place to live in New York City.

Karen says:
I can find apts anywhere in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Web address: www.markdavidny.com/karenl Thank you!

Reach Karen directly at: karenl@markdavidny.com and 646-321-3255
———
Word to the nerd.

Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 2 May, 2010 at 10:46 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Performing Tonight In Vancouver

Tonight! Saturday Night! I will be performing in Vancouver opening for Chelsea Johnson’s new outfit – Sunday’s Best @ Cafe Deaux Soleils on Commercial Drive. 8pm.

———
Late last night I posted a fun entry for NaPWriMo. Check it out—> http://mikemcgee.livejournal.com/232594.html
———
Word to the nerd.

This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 1 May, 2010 at 10:28 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

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