The response I got from my post, in regard to the low turnout at some of my college gigs, was very kind, but I didn’t want to give any readers the impression that I was bummed out or that I hadn’t expected it. I’ve done enough of these shows to expect small crowds. I’ve always said, “one or one billion, I’m here to perform.” Six and a half billion for that matter. It’s no mystery or secret that I enjoy being on stage. I was in no way bummed out or sad, and I cannot be too harsh with the students because for them it becomes an issue of how to promote a guy like me. They’re students, not promoters.

I guess I am just trying to figure out how to push the awesomicity of spoken word and get it to a level that is a bit more above ground, yet, not so high that it becomes excessive. I’ve just created a new community. Maybe it’ll be an experiment in poetry career building: thetalkingpoet
That is where I plan to delve a bit more finitely and meticulously into this topic, and any other topic that involves being a perfomer and trying to make a living at it. I know there are quite a few people out there that probably have something to say, add, or ask.
———
Summing up the rest of my trip to the New England:

I headed back to Vermont, this time to a small town called Poultney for a gig at the reasonable tiny Green Mountain College. 760 students enrolled, 60 of them turned out. Fantastic! Best percentage yet. They really showed me a good time. Met and hung out with Jenna and Casey. Got some food.

[As some of you in the northeast may know, it was below zero degrees outside throughout the week -- an issue I have issues with. Some say, "How can you live in an earthquake zone?" I say, "Because it comes every ten years or so, and it's not cold or a tornado." The cold has a tendency to make like suck.]

As students filled up the place, I hung out by the snack table and chatted with a few of the students. I will admit here that young college girls make it hard … [I love you, Maiya!] The school definitely had a communal, small town of hippies vibe and I really liked it. Can I be a chubby hippie? I almost cried at the plethora of cookies and sugary snacks. I’ve been very good about my sugar intake.

The show got started and I busted into a few poems, and then right into the live-for-yourself-and-the-moment thing, which made everyone smile and slouch down like they were getting really comfy. “Funcle™ Mike’s about to tell us some stories!”

[Who's your Funcle™?]

My set went on for about two hours and everybody seemed to get their fill. I memorized the names of the front row through out the set and played with that throughout the night. It was fun.

–Front Row (L-R me facing them): Alex > Oz > Paula > Jessica > Melissa > Cliff > Nic > Ashley– One of the best front rows ever!

I think remembering people is the most important thing one can do just after first impression. Sometimes recalling a name and face in person can be salvation/redemption in the form of a second impression.

I sold most of the rest of the products I brought, which was about 18 times what I sold the two nights before combined. I don’t care much for selling stuff to students at schools because most of them are broke and I really don’t want to take away their ramen noodle fund. The kids, and especially the front row, were so good to me. They hung out and I signed stuff and we all joked around and got to know each other a bit. The best school I’ve been to in a long time. I mean, come on! Most of the students there have a major or a minor in Recreation! That’s my kind of school. Then two students named Clint and Tom joined me at a bar for a beer.

The next morning I Greydogged myself back to Boston. Got to my hotel for a spell and then took the T toward Suffolk University. This was where I’d hoped to meet up with my friend Petey from NH, and this girl named Alex that Robbie Q and I met at the Boston Cantab Slam a few weeks ago. [Wow, it has been a few weeks, Robb...]

Courtney and Mike (easy!) meet me at the station after we stared at each other for a minute in the cold. They had looked like they wanted directions. We walked to the venue and on the way I saw my first ever frozen-dead rat in the street. A bittersweet moment for all of us. I do still really dig Boston. It’s surprisingly small, like the sense East Coasters might get visiting San Francisco for the first time. Although, I’d say Boston is more easily navigable.

[TANGENT: OBCT could be a personalized license plate for a fat person. You read it here!]

I was stoked because a few people showed up that said they would. That’s three for three. Nicole, who saw Robbie and I at the Cantab, her first poetry slam ever, came by with her friend Maggie. They were both awesome. Alex came with her stunning eyeballs and sat addorably in the front row. Petey came from UMass-Amherst with a friend. Petey and I go back. He discovered my work when Taylor Mali covered a poem of mine at a poetry workshop in New Hampshire. That was a few years ago. Thanks, Taylor!

The show was low in turnout, but the students who stayed all seemed to really enjoy themselves. Meeting Katie and Alice (Chi-town, what?!) was awesome. There seemed to be more student organizers there than actual non-NACA-affiliated students. After the show, Maggie, Nicole, Alex, Petey and I sat for Chinese food around the corner. I then caught the T to my hotel and vegged out a bit with Adult Swim and CNN.

The next morning I went back to the airport in Burlington, VT by way of one last Greydog. My flight to Chicago was delayed, so I had lunch, made friends with a couple of my fellow passengers, and had a few cigarettes over some cell phone catch-up with friends.

Robbie Q picked me up at O’Hare with his lovely love, and then he took me for food before dropping me back off at

citizenwind

‘s place.

I’ve holed myself up in his house all weekend, catching up online, by phone and internally. Life is good.
———
On Tuesday, I head to Little Rock, AR, then head straight to Memphis for a gig at the University of Memphis. I’ll be spending the week driving around with Russ Ritter. If you know Russ, you should have me greet him for you.
———
If things go right, I should have a new MacBook this week! Man oh man oh man oh man!
———
Word to the nerd.
2007: Go for it!

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This entry was written by Mike McGee, posted on 28 January, 2007 at 9:51 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged boston, college, community, green mountain, massachusetts, poultney, suffolk, the talking poet, tour, university, vermont. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.