"Mighty" Mike McGee's Electronic Place of Himself.
Typings of a well-traveled, talky, funny, hobo-poet.
I am thinking of re-printing one last run of my old chapbooks, signed and numbered and such. I am curious as to how many people would be interested in a bundle of my old chapbooks. I’ll print them as is, no editing, so you’d get the original versions of poems.
I figure I’d run 25 sets to be sold on my site, unless more people want them.
I’d add something like "Final Run #__ of __"
If you’d be interested, let me know.
MOST RECENT POST
Due to the fact that I usually blog late in the day, it seems as though people don’t generally read my entries after 8pm. I want to draw attention to a my post from two days ago entitled "When Is Art Unnecessary?" I hoped to have more of a discussion on it.
Since I know so many of you readers on a personal level, I really want to know what you think on the subject. If it’s just too derisive, and the compulsion to comment is just not there, then I understand, but I like what people have to say here in my circle and you’re all why I even have a LiveJournal account. I value your feelings, thoughts and opinions very much. You who read this journal are my go-to family when I need advice and direction. I thank you for that.
Here’s the post from 2/24/10: http://mikemcgee.livejournal.com/222429.html
———
Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 26 February, 2010 at 2:11 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged art, chapbooks, discussion, re-print. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
I ask this question based on a conversation with Tony Brown that trickled down from a discussion about people who’ve saved art from certain destruction. The conversation moved to what triggers art from being a primary aspect within average lives, to secondary, and sadly, even tertiary.
Be it art you create, or art you appreciate, when can it become something you simply don’t need? I imagine the world embroiled in war, all of it. Is art then necessary? Can it save lives? I imagine someone looked to a statue or a painting during one of the last world wars and was inspired to “do the right thing” regarding humanity. I hope that happened; I hope it would happen again.
In my decade+ of slam, I have heard more than my fair share of political poetry/spoken word at every type of event. I have to admit that most of it seems overdone and repetitive. Socially political works tend to strike a better chord in me, whereas sophomoric “I just realized there is a whole world out there” über-political works tend to either depress me or bore the living crap out of me and most of the audience. I find a lot of this work quite unnecessary, most specifically works that don’t offer up any resolution, but are ultimately a lodging of complaints. However, when someone presents intelligent, calm, thought-provoking political work, I am almost always floored. Who do you know that presents worthy political works? What political poems or writings resonate with you most?
With regard to other non-visual art, Tony also directed me to an absolutely fascinating story I was completely unaware of: The Cellist of Sarajevo. Vedran Smailović, a member of a number of orchestras in Sarajevo in 1992, he made a widely noticed statement on the siege by playing his cello in public every day in the middle a very dangerous zone for 22 days straight. This is a clear example of art and politics going hand in hand and so very inspiring.
This also another reason I appreciate having “Professor” Brown as my neighbor. (Thank you for all you teach me, my friend.) Here is a poem of his reposted on his website that comments very clearly on this topic.
I have included another example of art in photography that may cross certain lines of necessity and witness. I have been fascinated with these two images all of my life for many reasons: the sheer horror of life and death, the fear and power within the images, and the undeniable example of humanity captured at just the right moment. Those are below and have links that give a lot of information with regard to the history and impact of the images.
“Two people died in that photograph: the recipient of the bullet and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan”
Please click on the image above to read more about the men depicted in the image and the photographer who captured it.
Click here for more information from Wikipedia.
Famous image of Phan Thị Kim Phúc during the Viet Nam War
Please click on the image above to read more about the girl depicted in the image and the photographer who took the image.
———
Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 24 February, 2010 at 4:03 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged art, cellist of sarajevo, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, political art, political poetry, tony brown, vietnam, vietnam images, visual art, war images, when is art unnecessary. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
I ask this question based on a conversation with Tony Brown that trickled down from a discussion about people who’ve saved art from certain destruction. The conversation moved to what triggers art from being a primary aspect within average lives, to secondary, and sadly, even tertiary.
Be it art you create, or art you appreciate, when can it become something you simply don’t need? I imagine the world embroiled in war, all of it. Is art then necessary? Can it save lives? I imagine someone looked to a statue or a painting during one of the last world wars and was inspired to “do the right thing” regarding humanity. I hope that happened; I hope it would happen again.
In my decade+ of slam, I have heard more than my fair share of political poetry/spoken word at every type of event. I have to admit that most of it seems overdone and repetitive. Socially political works tend to strike a better chord in me, whereas sophomoric “I just realized there is a whole world out there” über-political works tend to either depress me or bore the living crap out of me and most of the audience. I find a lot of this work quite unnecessary, most specifically works that don’t offer up any resolution, but are ultimately a lodging of complaints. However, when someone presents intelligent, calm, thought-provoking political work, I am almost always floored. Who do you know that presents worthy political works? What political poems or writings resonate with you most?
With regard to other non-visual art, Tony also directed me to an absolutely fascinating story I was completely unaware of: The Cellist of Sarajevo. Vedran Smailović, a member of a number of orchestras in Sarajevo in 1992, he made a widely noticed statement on the siege by playing his cello in public every day in the middle a very dangerous zone for 22 days straight. This is a clear example of art and politics going hand in hand and so very inspiring.
This also another reason I appreciate having “Professor” Brown as my neighbor. (Thank you for all you teach me, my friend.) Here is a poem of his reposted on his website that comments very clearly on this topic.
I have included another example of art in photography that may cross certain lines of necessity and witness. I have been fascinated with these two images all of my life for many reasons: the sheer horror of life and death, the fear and power within the images, and the undeniable example of humanity captured at just the right moment. Those are below and have links that give a lot of information with regard to the history and impact of the images.
“Two people died in that photograph: the recipient of the bullet and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan”
Please click on the image above to read more about the men depicted in the image and the photographer who captured it.
Click here for more information from Wikipedia.
Famous image of Phan Thị Kim Phúc during the Viet Nam War
Please click on the image above to read more about the girl depicted in the image and the photographer who took the image.
———
Word to the nerd.
Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.
This entry was written by , posted on at 4:03 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged art, cellist of sarajevo, Ideas & Projects, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, political art, political poetry, tony brown, vietnam, vietnam images, visual art, war images, when is art unnecessary. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Had a great chat last night with my neighbor – and dear, dear friend – Tony Brown.
I’ve always had this view of my role in the spoken word/writing/poetry communities that I am privy and privileged to be a part of, that my style of work and my stage persona (if you will) is one of Spoken Word 101. I am a beginner’s guide to poetry and spoken word. I am a gateway drug into the world of poetry slam and performance poetry.
I hear often from fans, new and old, that my body of work was their first introduction to spoken word/poetry slam. Thanks to videos online and the sheer amount of mp3s that have circulated, along with my web presence and outlets like Indiefeed and Slam Idol, I have had a lot of promotion. I understand the accessibility of what I write and say. I want it to be that way. I want people of all ages and locales to be able to get even the tiniest grasp of what I need to convey, no matter the language of their ears.
Sometimes I ponder the value of my more serious work. I am a comedian who feels very detached from the stand-up comedy world. I am a comic who lacks a routine. I think there are a lot of us who’ve adhered to and been adopted by the poetry and spoken word universe. We’re lucky. I think there are still more out there who could use this environment and grow from it.
I think that I have been so wrapped up in “living the experience of being a poet” that I’ve forgotten my roots in humor. I will put aside ideas for funny poems in order to dwell on serious, heart wrenching, and sad writings, when my greatest strengths are in the funny work. It’s easy for me. It’s the one thing I can think of I can say that about.
Tony Brown really made me think about all of this. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since our conversation. It was so helpful and complimentary. While I sit and wonder what it takes to write the most in depth poetry possible, wondering how Mojgani does what he does, how McKibbens does what she does, Khary Jackson, Shira Erlichman, Brian Ellis, and all of the Browns, they may wonder how writers like me do what we do. Maybe.
I have to own what I do and do it better than I did yesterday. I started doing this in 1998 because Trenchard and Feff believed in me so much that they wouldn’t settle for me doing it socially anymore, that I had to do it all the time. I found a small niche in the San Jose Poetry Slam, then the Bay Area scene and I realized that not only was I welcome to keep on it, but that it was expected.
It’s hard sometimes when I follow a funny poem with something from my guts, and the audience laughs in the assumption that it’s more comedy. It’s a strange feeling, but I have dealt with it hundreds of times.
Tony mentioned the film Stardust Memories by Woody Allen, which I have yet to see, but it is about a filmmaker who wants to be taken seriously for his dramas, but he’s so much better at comedy. People dig his comedy.
Most comedians just want to be seen as artists since what they do is an art to them. I believe this even more now this morning. I am an artist. I am a funny artist and I will own this from now on.
Thanks so much, Tony. So very much.
Love,
McGeefer Sutherland
———
Word to the nerd. No, really.
This entry was written by , posted on 25 January, 2010 at 3:52 AM, filed under Personal Updates, Randomness, Writing and tagged art, artist, funny, humor. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Had a great chat last night with my neighbor – and dear, dear friend – Tony Brown.
I’ve always had this view of my role in the spoken word/writing/poetry communities that I am privy and privileged to be a part of, that my style of work and my stage persona (if you will) is one of Spoken Word 101. I am a beginner’s guide to poetry and spoken word. I am a gateway drug into the world of poetry slam and performance poetry.
I hear often from fans, new and old, that my body of work was their first introduction to spoken word/poetry slam. Thanks to videos online and the sheer amount of mp3s that have circulated, along with my web presence and outlets like Indiefeed and Slam Idol, I have had a lot of promotion. I understand the accessibility of what I write and say. I want it to be that way. I want people of all ages and locales to be able to get even the tiniest grasp of what I need to convey, no matter the language of their ears.
Sometimes I ponder the value of my more serious work. I am a comedian who feels very detached from the stand-up comedy world. I am a comic who lacks a routine. I think there are a lot of us who’ve adhered to and been adopted by the poetry and spoken word universe. We’re lucky. I think there are still more out there who could use this environment and grow from it.
I think that I have been so wrapped up in “living the experience of being a poet” that I’ve forgotten my roots in humor. I will put aside ideas for funny poems in order to dwell on serious, heart wrenching, and sad writings, when my greatest strengths are in the funny work. It’s easy for me. It’s the one thing I can think of I can say that about.
Tony Brown really made me think about all of this. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since our conversation. It was so helpful and complimentary. While I sit and wonder what it takes to write the most in depth poetry possible, wondering how Mojgani does what he does, how McKibbens does what she does, Khary Jackson, Shira Erlichman, Brian Ellis, and all of the Browns, they may wonder how writers like me do what we do. Maybe.
I have to own what I do and do it better than I did yesterday. I started doing this in 1998 because Trenchard and Feff believed in me so much that they wouldn’t settle for me doing it socially anymore, that I had to do it all the time. I found a small niche in the San Jose Poetry Slam, then the Bay Area scene and I realized that not only was I welcome to keep on it, but that it was expected.
It’s hard sometimes when I follow a funny poem with something from my guts, and the audience laughs in the assumption that it’s more comedy. It’s a strange feeling, but I have dealt with it hundreds of times.
Tony mentioned the film Stardust Memories by Woody Allen, which I have yet to see, but it is about a filmmaker who wants to be taken seriously for his dramas, but he’s so much better at comedy. People dig his comedy.
Most comedians just want to be seen as artists since what they do is an art to them. I believe this even more now this morning. I am an artist. I am a funny artist and I will own this from now on.
Thanks so much, Tony. So very much.
Love,
McGeefer Sutherland
———
Word to the nerd. No, really.
Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.
This entry was written by , posted on at 3:52 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged art, artist, funny, humor, ideas, just stuff, Love, personal updates, writing. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.