"Mighty" Mike McGee's Electronic Place of Himself.
Typings of a well-traveled, talky, funny, hobo-poet.
Can you be in Silicon Valley on Monday night? Do you want to make some hang?
You should come to my
33rd Birthday Bon Voyage ExSlamaGanza Party
Monday, January 12, 2009 7:00pm until 11:00pm
MACLA, 510 S. First Street, Downtown San José, CA 95113
(We may move it to another spot later.)
On January 12, 2009, I will turn 33 years old. This number has always been special to me. This is also around the 10 year mark of my affiliation with the San José Poetry Slam.
For the first time ever, my birthday and the slam night coincide. While I have moved to Massachusetts, I am coming home from Worcester to be in San José for this particular night.
I want everyone I love and like to be there, and that’s a handy portion of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. This is your chance to be a part of a great poetry slam, ring in my new year, and to wish me a fond farewell, as I will take up my first residence in 4 years, now on the East Coast.
I will supply pizza and some drinks. Feel free to bring a dish or party things. If you really want to get me a gift, make it very small, as I will have to pack it in with my luggage. I do like coffee, posters, orange things, and neat, small home items. You are a gift to me, so your presence will be presents enough.
Please do not bring alcohol of any sort. If there is to be any, the slam or I will provide it, possibly for purchase.
If you really want to help, then make a donation to the San José Poetry Slam, and/or bring snacks and food for others to eat. The slam normally charges $6.00 to get in, so I still want them to make some money.
Let’s have a real celebration! True merriment and entertainment.
What we could use are various food dishes. Easy to eat and share, and non-alcoholic beverages.
The San José Poetry Slam is held every 2nd and 4th Monday each month at MACLA’s theater.
The doors open at 7:00pm, and the slam starts at 8:30pm. Feel free to sign up and roast me if you want! I would adore that.
I will be hosting and performing at some point.
510 S. First Street, between William and Reed, in Downtown San José. Free parking after 6:00pm.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=MACLA%2C+510+S.+First+Street&hl=en
This day means so much to me, as does finally moving into my own space, albeit very far away from Silicon Valley. This could be a good reason to come visit, and an even better reason to join my email list, or stay in touch via the internet.
I am in a good place, and seeing you there would make this all so much better. This may be my last slam in San José for some time, so please try to make it out.
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Thirty-third to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 9 January, 2009 at 1:28 PM, filed under Personal Updates, Podcast, Travel, Uncategorized and tagged 2009, 33 years old, birthday, bon voyage, family, friends, January 12, monday, moving, party, san josé poetry slam, Worcester-Massachusetts. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
A strange*, productive** December:
*Got mugged with Joshua Walters last week on my way to (and a block away from) the Berkeley Poetry Slam. They took my wallet and Joshua’s cash. Joshua and I were and are fine. Be careful, East Bay. No pity please, we’re seriously fine, but people need to know what’s up around that area.
**Updated http://www.mikemcgee.net to be powered by WordPress. I think it’s looking good, but it will change a lot over the next year.
*/**Deleted my Myspace account after threatening to do so for about a year. I’m a douche, but I feel liberated.
*/**Went through such emotional growth with Miss Knowles that, by almost breaking up, we’re stronger than ever. Anyone else go through something like this?
**Anytime I’ve been in San Jose this year I’ve been very diligent in giving away most of my possessions. I’ve yard-sold my shit at Barefoot Coffee Roasters. I’ve donated stuff to thrift stores. This time, I gave Goodwill a shit-ton of my clothes, mostly stuff a size or two too big for me. I hope to keep only my sports collection and the bare minimum of what I need to enjoy my life of stuffs.
*I’ve been eating too many hamburgers. This unusual craving will not die. Denny’s hamburgers no less.
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Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 8 December, 2007 at 2:21 PM, filed under Personal Updates, Uncategorized and tagged barefoot coffee roasters, being a douche, berkeley poetry slam, december, denny's, girlfriend, goodwill, less shit, miss knowles, mugged, wordpress. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
I used to record quite a bit of spoken word. Taking on my own podcast last year (http://mikemcgee.libsyn.com) has really gotten me back into the swing of recording voices.
Over the last year, I’ve become very good friends with a very skilled singer/songwriter named Travis Bilenski. We hang out at the greatest coffee shop in the Bay Area (maybe even the west coast).
[By the way, my friend and confidant, Ben Henderson, formerly of my favorite San José band – Delta Activity – wanted me to mention that he is standing next to me as I write this.]
Anyhow, TB and I decided to try to make a good record of his tunes. They are lovely and sad and marvelous and need to be heard. So earlier this week, we started some recording test sessions and have come up with some swell results.
Click here to listen to “Church Music” by Mr. Bilenski, or right click the link and download it for your collection. It is not mixed or mastered, but merely a raw recording of one of my favorite songs of his, and I believe others may enjoy it too. These sessions should parlay into a full on live album, as tonight we just recorded seven of his songs in front of a nice crowd here at Barefoot Coffee Roasters in Santa Clara, Calif.
Let Travis know what you think of his stuff at his Myspace profile: http://www.myspace.com/doesntrhymegood
Good things are coming out of this boys hands and mouth and I really hope people tune into him. He’s a very bright light.
This entry was written by , posted on at 4:47 AM, filed under Uncategorized and tagged barefoot coffee roasters, church music, live performance, recording, santa clara, travis bilenski. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
What you’re looking at right here is my new website via WordPress.org. If I do this right, it will change frequently and maybe even go through many awkward phases, but it will eventually look how I’ve been envisioning my site for some years now.
I first heard of WordPress a few years ago and immediately wanted to use it on my website. The process seemed too difficult, and I never committed any time to learning more about it. But after finally being frustrated/bored enough with my lame surfing habits, I decided that if I had time to surf the web (Myspace, Facebook, Wikipedia, Fark) then I had time to focus on my own site. Shit, it costs money anyway! (not real money…invisible PayPal money)
I’m excited.
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Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 7 December, 2007 at 8:48 AM, filed under Uncategorized. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
I just updated my podcast, so you may have to wait for it to show up on iTunes, but you can listen to it right now, right here.
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Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 18 November, 2007 at 7:52 PM, filed under Uncategorized. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
The end of the Solomon Sparrow's Electric Whale Revival has had me in a whirlwind of emotion this past week or so. I will write about the tour soon…it is too much for one sitting.
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I was in Las Vegas this weekend for a performance at the Vegas Valley Book Fair with Derrick Brown and Amber Tamblyn. It was pretty damn awesome. That was on Friday, then on Sunday I attended a friend's wedding which was attended by Feff and his girl Adriana.
Feff, who was once very chubby, has lost 70+ pounds through exercise and diet. He looks great, as does his lady, who committed to the ritual in April. Feff, once a heavy smoker and heavy fellow eater, is now a healthy jogger who loves him some veggies. Totally inspiring!
My lovely Miss Knowles joined me on the trip to LV and got to meet all the peeps. We had a great time and we got through to a point in our relationship where missing each other is a lot easier, even with me back on the road. I thought this coming week would be hard, but we know we'll see each other for Thanksgiving and that makes the coming time apart so much more bearable.
Of all the gambling and such that comes with Vegas, the biggest highlight for Knowles and I was a place neither of us would have ever considered visiting. Mr. Dayvid Figler, poet, writer, lawyer, judge and all-around fantastic host and Vegas pal, took us to the Pinball Hall of Fame, just a bit off of the Las Vegas Strip. Opened out of love by Tim Arnold, the PHoF is a small wonderland dedicated to an all-but-dying phenomenon. I remember playing the occasional Cyclone or FunHouse game from time to time as a kid, and on Monday, I got to re-live many of those good times, achieving higher scores I never could as a child. I discovered a new love for pinball that I never knew was in me.
I spent less than $20.00 between Knowles and I, and we had a blast for a couple of hours; more than any casino on the strip. Talking with Tim, who was rebuilding an old machine while we played, was awesome as he has a wealth of information and knowledge of game machines. Mr. Arnold is probably one of the world's foremost pinball experts.
I would compel anyone who plans to hit up Las Vegas to visit the Pinball Hall of Fame, support Tim and his awesome collection, and have a great time. Do be sure to tell a friend about this place. They will not regret spending a few bucks in quarters. I recommend everyone see it at some point in there lives.
Visit the Pinball Hall of Fame website here.
If you end up there someday, be sure to check out The Pinball Circus machine. It's quite literally one-of-a-kind and by far one of the most entertaining machines I've ever played.
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A SHOW YOU CANNOT MISS!!!
“Open Mike McGee: A 24-Hour Solo Solstice Reading”
Friday, December 21st through Saturday the 22nd, 2007
Beginning around 9PM on Friday…
Ending around 11PM on Saturday.
Mike McGee will perform his poetry, other's poetry, and more
over twelve 2-hour increments, with 5-15 minute breaks in between.
MACLA
510 S. First St
San Jose, CA US
Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Non-Profit Arts Organization
$3.00 tickets for every two hours.
24-hour Come & Go tickets will be $20 at the door.
For more info, email Mike at mightymikemcgee at gmail
or call MACLA at
This entry was written by , posted on 7 November, 2007 at 12:28 PM, filed under Uncategorized. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.