"Mighty" Mike McGee's Electronic Place of Himself.
Typings of a well-traveled, talky, funny, hobo-poet.
“I will walk into the sunshine with you or you will not be my friend. I will instruct you and you will instruct me. I will learn things from you and you will learn things from me. Otherwise you can’t be my friend.” –Robert Guillaume
I found this quote in a newspaper in Texas in February 2004. It was in a section of the paper celebrating black history month. It has resonated with me for years and accompanied my signature on just about every Gmail I’ve sent out since 2004. Buddy Wakefield once told me it was the most apropos quote from someone like me. It is featured and credited in my first book. It comes from the book A Wealth of Wisdom from Simon & Schuster.
This quote has been hitting me hard lately. I realized that I make friends like McDonald’s makes kids fat. Sometimes I wonder what my impact is as a friend vs. those that see themselves as fans. I seem to skip the acquaintance phase of a relationship and call everyone my friend. I really do believe that strangers are merely friends I haven’t had the pleasure to meet yet.
I have been mailing more postcards and correspondence of late as well. I am really trying to connect on deeper, more tangible levels. I have re-re-reconsidered my use of Facebook and Twitter as these distant, disconnected forms of communication. More like email with pictures. I wish my website was enough to keep people connected and informed when I cannot be in their presence.
Here I sit at the Java Zone in Oberlin, Ohio, after a wonderful Nite Kite Poetry Revival show with Timmy Straw (amazing songwriter!), Anis Mojgani and Buddy Wakefield, and I realize more and more that I love the road and I love home. The two are not mutually compatible. This tour feels like the end of an era for everyone in the van. Each one of us has something to go back to after this. We’ve put so much on hold to be out here. This is the last tow for this specific group of bards and silly minstrels. While it is sad it is also very interesting to sit back and watch with wonder who will take the mantle. Who’s next to try on these streets to see how they fit? Who’s coming to the microphone next to tell it like it is or could be? Who wants to jump in a vehicle and go? Who’s willing to risk everything and put it out there in front of a group of strangers? It’s pretty easy when you give the love you get.
“Puddin’” and “Like” and “Open Letter to Neil Armstrong” are fun to perform, but they need a little break. I want to hear and feel more quality work. I want to write and perform more quality work.
My goal for the winter is to write. I’ve started the process and have gotten myself into a pattern of writing, even from the road. I will publish more work in journals and periodical literary publications. I have essays and thoughts to put to paper. I also have Scrabble™ tournaments to enter… I have 1,000 pages to write by September 2011. I have yoga and quality eating to do. It will be the busiest hibernation I’ve ever willingly set forth. I will grow the fuck up. I will be historically relevant and helpful. I will open my eyes a little more each year before I die. I will lose weight and climb trees. I will visit Worcester every year and beat someone at poker in MacMillan’s basement. I will visit Vancouver every year and marvel at what a wonderful home it has been to me over the years. I will visit Chicago and wonder why I don’t live there yet. I will visit Albuquerque and feel like an hermano to every poet there. I come back to Oberlin. I will. I will. I will. I give my word. This town is beautiful.
Anis, Buddy and I all wondered what Oberlin would be like. None of us had ever been here. We prepared for a sleepy town of people who do not know spoken word. We were blessed with a raucous crowd of rabid spoken word aficionados, plus the likes of fellow poets Blaire Miller Bommer, Keisha Foster, Taylor Johnson, and Dain Michael Down. After a standing ovation and dozens of hugs, plus some crying and a whole lot of love, we went to a candy store and acted like kids.
I will tour again in the spring. I will not tour again with more than two other people. Three should be maximum membership to any spoken word group. I assure this is a wise assessment from experience and not just my own. I will not tour for more than a month at a time, except for Europe.
While sitting here and writing, a lovely young lady approached me to say that I was “really, very funny last night.” That is a splendid compliment and confirmation. I have found the write path.
I am a lucky man. I am a lucky man. I am a lucky man.
I love my friends. I love you. Now get a long.
Oh, and I can’t wait to get voracious on this: http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780520267190-0
Also, I have not forgotten about the Gabrielle Bouliane Award or my Short Ones For the Shitter chapbook compilation, I have just had a few too many financial setbacks for the time being. Get eff’d September 2010!
This entry was written by , posted on 7 October, 2010 at 10:59 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged 2010, advice, anis mojgani, buddy wakefield, friends, touring, winter. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
EDIT 1:31pm PST: On August 29, 2009, I officiated the marriage of Audra and John Scholtes. Today I welcome their son John Allen to the world. Congrats, family!
————–
There is something so welcoming to a writer about waking up to the temperateness of California at the close of a mild summer. How it calls me outside before the West Coast is ready to start another Monday. Maybe it is a calm before a storm. I have shelter. I have a coat. I have people. I will be fine.
It is a rare instance when I am wakened by my bladder while it is still dark out. It too is welcome.
McBLADDER: McGee, I am full and it is time to write.
McGEE: How dare you. I have a *go-kart to rebuild with my ex-landlord. Anyway, you’re a bladder! What writing is there for you!?
McBLADDER: Hush now. I can make life very difficult for you.
McGEE: Oh, you have, my friend! Oh have you!
It seems to be just as rare for me to fall asleep to the conception of a goal and to feel that goal double-bold in the morning. To keep wanting to do what I told myself to do the night before. To do more of what I started when I was a boy. To write like my life and, moreover, our lives depended on it.
This is the beginning of scratch. Rebooting with little-to-no capital to start with other than my wits and an unparalleled support base. I am proof that being a care-free hobo-poet only expands your reach and name. I never set out to be rich. I don’t know that I ever can be. I really do not care if I ever will be. The more money I have = the more meals I buy for people. This must be my karmic balance to the pantries I’ve raided throughout the world. I despise buying things I don’t need and I do it less and less each year. For my home in Worcester I bought a food processor and rarely used it. Stupid. I bought a website product I will never use. Idiotic. My wardrobe consists of mostly shorts and t-shirts. I despise buying clothes and specifically loathe clothes with any sort of corporate advertising. One can fit more complete outfits in a suitcase when one’s wardrobe is mostly garments of little fabric. In 2007 and 2008, I spent most of my earnings on airlines, restaurants and diapers. Sounds like a fat, jet-setting baby. I must have been. I have the intent to rail against excess, but that is tempered by the hypocritical excesses I dip into from time to time. I am embarrassed by the sheer size of the box I left in Worcester, full of bathroom amenities and products for use by males when bathing and after. These items now fill a zip-loc sandwich bag.
I am on the most interesting path I have ever set foot. This is redemption for me, the writer. An emancipation from the talker I’ve become. There comes a time when a man has to say nothing for a while and simply write it down. I am the luckiest man I know. My brain is incredible. I have been very wise to hang onto it.
And even though we ain’t got money…
When I returned to California in August, I knew that I was embarking on one of the more difficult journeys of my life. Returning to one of the most expensive states in the country, but still my beloved. Returning to a family struggling to make ends meet. Returning to Silicon Valley where art is born, becomes a teenager, then runs away to San Francisco or the East Bay, visits very rarely and never calls home. Returning to a region that hasn’t been very kind in the departments of love and relationships. I think I’ve not been as patient as I claim to women. I think I assumed I was awesome and that the right woman would see that. I now have evidence that they have seen it, told me about it, and I was still oblivious to it.
Freeze/Don’t move/You’ve been chosen as an extra in the/movie adaptation of the sequel to your life
Art is not only alive and well in San José and Silicon Valley, but it abounds and all of the artists I know here are enthusiastic about the changes in this city. There are open mics and showcases of performers all over the south bay. Music is alive and aloved throughout “Tecca.” Audiences throughout downtown San José, in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell are coming out in numbers I have never before witnessed. They are made up of engineers, analysts, and builders from Cisco, Google, Yahoo!, Adobe, LinkedIn, Facebook, eBay, HP, Apple and more. The people seeking artistic outlets in Silicon Valley are also artists looking to be inspired without having to make the 45-mile drive to the greater Bay Area. When I left downtown San José seven years ago to see these United States and to fall in love with Canada, my city was a ghost town that left little reason to stay. It simply could not compete with my wanderlust. Timing is gorgeous. Now I believe the opposite may be true. I dare this burning wanderlust to drag me away from my city. San José is mine and I will always love it. I am so pleased it has been figuring itself out.
Seven years on the road and nearly half a million miles later I am wiser than I expected to be. I left on September 10, 2003 headed for Los Angeles without an escape route, with only a dozen or so shows booked, on a tour that never really ended. I submit as fact: that tour is over now. I am no longer on the road. It makes so much sense that I had to move to Worcester (New England’s answer to San José in so many ways) to learn how to be home. To have Tony Brown and Bill MacMillan at hugs reach. To have Melinda Lee in the room next to mine, so many hours on that wondrous porch! To have Alex Charalambides a phone call away, ready for pho at the drop of a hint. Real talk and cheap tacos with Bobby Gibbs. That knowing look from Sou MacMillan that says, Yep, I get you. You’re family. Myow-myow. Game Nights in The Basement. It all adds up to an experience that readied me for this next chapter in my life. I miss them and love them and they know this and they all understand my needs and wants. It was the only way I could leave them and the best way to end a tour that was probably a year too long as it stands.
To have truly ended my seven year itch with The Oversocial Mofo Revue – a show that was a culmination of every live show I had seen in that time – on September 10, 2010 was apropos.
Day to day/Where do you want to be?
This in no way counters one of my most absolute truths: Everyone should travel. No exclusions. The one exception to this rule is that any of the Everyones that claim to be artists – especially those of any solid, honorable repute – should travel and bring a whole lot of their art with them to share with the people they meet. Go and learn and meet and love and despise things. Just be sure to be there. Like, actually. Be there times 3. Don’t expect to make any money. See the world. Laugh and cry because you’ll need it.
She thinks she missed the train to Mars…
You have not. You cannot. You are the conductor. Set that schedule and abide. Not seven years. Not even one. Two weeks or a month should suffice. Keep your job just in case or be ready for a new one when you return. Go, because you have to. Because the view from your window hasn’t changed in years. Because it will destroy you to wonder any longer. If you set out for seven, I’m sure we’ll run into each other on The Road at some point. But no matter what, be sure to stop by San José in your travels. It’s full of good pho, salsa, computers and me.
I recently saw a crazy man flailing and dancing, singing along to something as I passed him on the street. One of those moments when a guy like that is making his way toward you and his presence causes you reconsider your destination. You have to pass him to get where you’re going and it could go poorly. He could make eye contact and start talking crazy to you or just punch you for being a two-legged moose that looked at him wrong. Maybe he’ll accuse me of stealing his beard or god. But, as I got closer, I saw the headphones hanging from his ears and the iPod in his hand. He wasn’t insane, he was just crazy for music and unafraid of showing it to the people of downtown San José. I think that is probably a good outlook to have in life. I find myself dancing way more often now.
I am also on a mission to produce 1,000 pages of writing by September of next year. Stories, poetry, screenplays… 1,000 pages. 1,000 pages. 1,000 pages. Maybe more. More posts here for sure.
*for my fellow Hedberg fans.
———
Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 20 September, 2010 at 4:20 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged rebirth, reboot, San-Jose-California, touring, Travel, Worcester-Massachusetts. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Some of the dates and details below will change, but this is a pretty solid list of what’s coming up this month. If you’re in these areas — or know someone who is — please spread the word and tell them they won’t regret coming through. If you come to a show and bring friends, introduce them to me, and I’ll give you and your friends all a $1 off of the purchase of my book, In Search Of Midnight. Woot!
March 10, 2010
Utah State University
0105 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
Venue: Taggart Student Center Ballroom
Show Starts: 8:00
Event listing
March 11, 2010
Johnson & Wales U
7150 Montview Blvd.
Denver CO, 80220
Venue: SAGE Lounge (Hospitality College)
Show Starts: 8:00pm
March 14, 2010
Denver Poetry Slam
Venue: Mercury Café
2199 California Street
Denver, Colorado
Show starts: 8:00pm
March 15, 2010
Fort Lewis College
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, CO 81301
Venue: The Vallecito Theatre (103 Student Union, 1000 Rim Drive)
Show Starts: 7:00 P
March 19, 2010
Lyon College
2300 Highland Rd.
Batesville, AR 72501
Venue: Edwards Commons/Lower Union
Show Starts: 7:30p
March 24 & 25, 2010
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
Brooklyn, New York
(Private)
March 26 or 27
Kitchen Session #11
(No Feature, 3 poem limit)
April 1, 2010
Hawaii Slam Finals
Every first Thursday of the Month
Fresh Cafe Warehouse
831 Queen Street (@ intersection with Cooke Street)
Honolulu, HI 96813
Doors & Poet Sign-Ups at 7:30pm
Show starts at 8:30pm
Admission is $3 before 8:30pm, $5 after
All Ages
April 7, 2010
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
Another Type of Groove
(More info to come)
CalPoly Event Calendar
April 15, 2010
College of Saint Rose
Albany, New York
Frequency North Reading Series
Also with Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz and Derrick Brown
———
Word to the nerd.
Bunny up.
This entry was written by , posted on 6 March, 2010 at 8:07 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged live performance, march 2010, march 2010 dates, mike mcgee live, performance dates, shows, shows, spoken word shows, touring, Travel & Touring. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Some of the dates and details below will change, but this is a pretty solid list of what’s coming up this month. If you’re in these areas — or know someone who is — please spread the word and tell them they won’t regret coming through. If you come to a show and bring friends, introduce them to me, and I’ll give you and your friends all a $1 off of the purchase of my book, In Search Of Midnight. Woot!
March 10, 2010
Utah State University
0105 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
Venue: Taggart Student Center Ballroom
Show Starts: 8:00
Event listing
March 11, 2010
Johnson & Wales U
7150 Montview Blvd.
Denver CO, 80220
Venue: SAGE Lounge (Hospitality College)
Show Starts: 8:00pm
March 14, 2010
Denver Poetry Slam
Venue: Mercury Café
2199 California Street
Denver, Colorado
Show starts: 8:00pm
March 15, 2010
Fort Lewis College
1000 Rim Drive
Durango, CO 81301
Venue: The Vallecito Theatre (103 Student Union, 1000 Rim Drive)
Show Starts: 7:00 P
March 19, 2010
Lyon College
2300 Highland Rd.
Batesville, AR 72501
Venue: Edwards Commons/Lower Union
Show Starts: 7:30p
March 24 & 25, 2010
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
Brooklyn, New York
(Private)
March 26 or 27
Kitchen Session #11
(No Feature, 3 poem limit)
April 1, 2010
Hawaii Slam Finals
Every first Thursday of the Month
Fresh Cafe Warehouse
831 Queen Street (@ intersection with Cooke Street)
Honolulu, HI 96813
Doors & Poet Sign-Ups at 7:30pm
Show starts at 8:30pm
Admission is $3 before 8:30pm, $5 after
All Ages
April 7, 2010
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
Another Type of Groove
(More info to come)
CalPoly Event Calendar
April 15, 2010
College of Saint Rose
Albany, New York
Frequency North Reading Series
Also with Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz and Derrick Brown
———
Word to the nerd.
Bunny up.
Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.
This entry was written by , posted on at 8:07 AM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged gigs & shows, march 2010, march 2010 dates, mike mcgee live, performance dates, shows, shows, spoken word shows, touring, Travel & Touring. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
At a rest stop in Pasco, Washington, chatting with a kid named Josh from Missoula, Montana about bookstores and authors. I am eating White Cheddar Cheez-Its from a vending machine. I have listened to a lot of Mike Doughty and Sigur Ros today.
The sun looks like it wants to stay out. It’s telling me to hit the road, but I’m way ahead of it. I know the title of this post is cliche, but it’s all true.
Alone at the Riddle house last night, I spent most of the day writing about Gabs. I took a few phone calls, specifically one from RC Weslowski. A delightful call. Full of love.
I published my post and had some toast. I attempted to watch Amelie, which I hadn’t seen in quite some time. I simply adore that style of filmmaking. At about seven and a half minutes into the DVD, there’s a shot of a bunny cloud in the sky. Nice coincidence.
I fell asleep probably 20 minutes into the film. When I woke at midnight, the house was dark and quiet, aside from some strung up Xmas lights in the dining room. So subtle and warm. Little lights are always welcome to my eyes. Waking up to nightlights is like a visual version of: ‘No worries, bud. Go back to sleep. We got everything under control.’
I fell right back to sleep and woke at 4am. A bit sore from couch tossing, I knew I needed another hour or so. I showered and planned my travels to Portland. I had bought my ticket online two days ago, for travel yesterday, but decided to take’er easy and wait. I am glad I did, I just hoped it wouldn’t cost me to much to change it for today.
At 6:30am, feeling the need to sleep some more, I laid back down on the couch, this time, sleeping for 3 more wonderful hours. I woke feeling ready for the day. Much, much needed sleep. I love to nap. Anyone too busy to nap is going to regret it by the time they’re my age.
I put on my shoes and headed out the door. My phone rang as I exited the building. It was Knowles, calling to check on me and to give me audible hugs. She’s great. I walked to Brew’s Brothers for a small coffee, then off to Greyhound.
I am half way now to Portland. It’s a good day. Eirean Bradley is picking me up. Gonna meet up with a few fellow Write Bloody authors and have myself a nice little poetry slam feature. Tonight, I will have a beer for me and Gabs. Tonight I will look a stranger in the eye and hope they see love coming right at them. Tonight I will hug many and be hugged back. I love this life. I love this world. So immensely.
As C.R. Avery once said, “Quit your fucking day job and hit the road.”
This bus is rolling fast, headed right for the sun. The west is calling. Here I come.
———
Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 31 January, 2010 at 2:55 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged oregon, portland, spokane, touring, Travel, washington. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
At a rest stop in Pasco, Washington, chatting with a kid named Josh from Missoula, Montana about bookstores and authors. I am eating White Cheddar Cheez-Its from a vending machine. I have listened to a lot of Mike Doughty and Sigur Ros today.
The sun looks like it wants to stay out. It’s telling me to hit the road, but I’m way ahead of it. I know the title of this post is cliche, but it’s all true.
Alone at the Riddle house last night, I spent most of the day writing about Gabs. I took a few phone calls, specifically one from RC Weslowski. A delightful call. Full of love.
I published my post and had some toast. I attempted to watch Amelie, which I hadn’t seen in quite some time. I simply adore that style of filmmaking. At about seven and a half minutes into the DVD, there’s a shot of a bunny cloud in the sky. Nice coincidence.
I fell asleep probably 20 minutes into the film. When I woke at midnight, the house was dark and quiet, aside from some strung up Xmas lights in the dining room. So subtle and warm. Little lights are always welcome to my eyes. Waking up to nightlights is like a visual version of: ‘No worries, bud. Go back to sleep. We got everything under control.’
I fell right back to sleep and woke at 4am. A bit sore from couch tossing, I knew I needed another hour or so. I showered and planned my travels to Portland. I had bought my ticket online two days ago, for travel yesterday, but decided to take’er easy and wait. I am glad I did, I just hoped it wouldn’t cost me to much to change it for today.
At 6:30am, feeling the need to sleep some more, I laid back down on the couch, this time, sleeping for 3 more wonderful hours. I woke feeling ready for the day. Much, much needed sleep. I love to nap. Anyone too busy to nap is going to regret it by the time they’re my age.
I put on my shoes and headed out the door. My phone rang as I exited the building. It was Knowles, calling to check on me and to give me audible hugs. She’s great. I walked to Brew’s Brothers for a small coffee, then off to Greyhound.
I am half way now to Portland. It’s a good day. Eirean Bradley is picking me up. Gonna meet up with a few fellow Write Bloody authors and have myself a nice little poetry slam feature. Tonight, I will have a beer for me and Gabs. Tonight I will look a stranger in the eye and hope they see love coming right at them. Tonight I will hug many and be hugged back. I love this life. I love this world. So immensely.
As C.R. Avery once said, “Quit your fucking day job and hit the road.”
This bus is rolling fast, headed right for the sun. The west is calling. Here I come.
———
Word to the nerd.
Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.
This entry was written by , posted on at 2:55 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged oregon, personal updates, portland, spokane, touring, Travel, washington. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
In my ever-growing quest to get people on the road, I have come up with a survey. Please, if you know a performer (NOT limited to poets) looking to tour or has toured, send this to them and have them respond to it as a comment or send it to me at ilikemike at g mail with the subject: "Completed Gigging Survey." I will use some of this information for a project later. I may also re-post this information on my website’s How-To page.
My definition of a bare-minimum tour: More than a week of continuous travel between a minimum of two states/provinces, with no less than five gigs performed, each one being at least 30 miles apart from the last, thus having traveled at least 150 miles with no return home during the tour. Anyone who has experienced this or more, please feel free to respond to the survey.
I am initially seeking a little more transparency in gigging (touring; traveling outside of your home region to perform for audiences) and to help debunk a lot of the myth with regard to it so that more people will consider it as an option with their poetry experience.
Here’s what I want to know from touring people and the people who know them well enough to answer each question factually. Please use the corresponding letter-number when answering if not copying over each question:
A. FOR THOSE NOT TOURED
a1. If you have considered touring, but have yet to embark on a trip, what has/is stopping you?
a2. What would lure you onto the road?
B. FOR ORGANIZERS OF POETRY EVENTS
b1. What poetry event do you organize?
b2. What do you look for in a featured performer/poet?
b3. Is their notability a factor in booking them? When is it not?
b4. What is your rate of pay for featured performers/poets?
b5. What do you expect from a poet professionally?
C. FOR THE CURIOUS
c1. What questions would you ask of an experienced traveling performer?
D. FOR THOSE TOURED
d1. Have you toured more than once?
d2. How long did your tour last? What is an ideal length for you?
d3. What type of venues did you play? How many?
d4. What year was your first tour?
d5. How many times have you toured since?
d6. How many tours would you say you broke even, lost money, or made money?
d7. What was your poetry, slam, comedy or music experience prior to your first tour?
d8. How many people have you toured with? Explain.
d9. What are your best memories from touring?
d10. Did you keep a job during any of your touring (was your tour during a break/vacation from work)?
d11. Would you tour again? What would you do differently?
d12. What was/were your primary method(s) of travel?
d13. What was your favorite venue? Which city did you enjoy the most? (May very easily be two different places.)
d14. What was your goal in touring?
d15. Would you consider a long-term career in touring your craft?
d16. Do you consider what you do on stage a craft?
d17. What has been your longest performance? (Marathon events and planned all-nighters not included.)
d18. Are you published or recorded professionally? Who released your product? (Not including any self-made merchandise.)
d19. Does this company support your tours? Do they promote you and your travels, gigs and appearances?
d20. What has been your longest gap between tours?
d21. How do you feel when you are touring? How do you feel when you are not?
d22. When is your favorite time of year to tour? Least?
d23. What was your worst experience on the road?
d24. Ever had to cancel a show? What were your reasons for doing so?
d25. Ever had a show canceled you were booked for? What were the circumstances for cancellation? How did it affect the rest of your tour?
d26. Ever been stranded in a town where you knew nobody? Why?
d27. What is your ideal tour? Explain.
d28. Where do you stay on the road?
d29. What’s your usually daily budget on the road?
d30. What do you carry with you? Your must haves.
d31. How many bags, including merchandise?
d32. Do you create your own merchandise? What do you make for sale?
d33. What are your average nightly sales? What was your biggest sale?
d34. Smallest crowd you did a full set for? Largest? How did they feel?
d35. Most surprisingly attentive audience? Reactive? Best?
d36. Most unexpected result from touring?
d37. Biggest learning lesson from touring?
d38. Longest stay in one place for a gig?
d39. How did you book your tour? Did people vouch for you? Have you vouched for others? Have you regretted it?
d40. What is the most money you’ve ever been paid for a performance? (ONLY if it is under $1,001, otherwise, just state "Over $1,001") Has this been consistent?
d41. What questions are you asked most on the road while touring by non-performers? New-performers?
d42. How many shows have you done for free? Why did you do them? (Not including product sales)
E. FOR POETS SPECIFICALLY
e1. How do you label yourself when seeking gigs to people who don’t know you, in your bio, or to your non-poetry friends and family? (Ex. poetry slammer, spoken word artist, Talky McTalkerson, slam poet, poet, funny poet…et cetera.) Why? Is this important?
e2. Do you use a stage name? If so: Why? Has is been a benefit? Has this hindered your ability to get published? Has it kept you from getting gigs outside of poetry slam? If you were offered a gig/publishing deal, but only if you were use your real name, would you take it?
e3. Ever toured with a group? Slam team? Duo? What were they called and do they/you still work together? Was this easier or harder than gigging alone?
e4. Have you competed in poetry slams? If so, has your involvement in poetry slam hindered your ability to book readings/gigs? Has it been a benefit?
e5. How do you view the relationship between poetry slams and being a touring poet?
e6. Do you enter into poetry slams or competitions anymore? Why or why not?
e7. Do you prefer open mic or poetry slam features? Give details.
e8. Do you view yourself a professional poet? Why?
e9. Who are your biggest influences in writing? Performance? Touring? Humanity?
e10. What are your short-term goals? Long-term?
e40. Are you a bad-ass Bay Area rapper?
———
Word to the road nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 3 November, 2009 at 1:19 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged bands, comedians, expanding, gig, gigging, poets, professionalism, shows, survey, tour, touring, touring quest-ionnaire!, Travel. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Because I adore the spoken world, touring, the road, people, and performing, I have seen myself way down the road, still grinding down on all of America’s and Canada’s planes, trains and motorcoaches. So much, that I should hit a million miles traveled in the next few years.
This continent is amazing. I say the word awesome a lot of lot, I know, but if you take the most basic definition of the word:
(From my Mac’s Oxford American Dictionary, which I will add, also includes poetry slam as an entry…)
awesome |ˈôsəm|
adjective
extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear : the awesome power of the atomic bomb.
• informal extremely good; excellent : the band is truly awesome!
DERIVATIVES
awesomely adverb
awesomeness noun
It effectively applies to all that I have witnessed in the great scope of the U.S. and Canada combined. People, you really need to see more of this place, if you haven’t already. If you have, then you know what I am talking about and are probably reading this on your iPhone at a bus station/airport/lonely gas station.
At the National Poetry Slam this year, I attempted to compel the audience of poets to hit the road. Just get out there. I know it’s not that easy, trust.
So…
If one goes to www.mikemcgee.net and goes to the end of the menu, just below the home title, one will find a page link drop-down menu called HOW-TO-POET-GUIDE. I am looking to fill this menu with loads of useful tips and advice for poets. I want to open it up to others, especially, but not limited to, road poets.
Now, I know Marc Smith has recently published "Take The Mic" and "Stage Slam" (www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_at_ep_srch/187-4304073-7526941 which go into detail about how to slam poetry/create a poetry slam, but there are a lot of poets who are in between the beginning level and advanced level of getting on the road and showing new venues what they’ve got to offer. If you have an essay, treatise, rant, advice column, list of tips and more, please consider giving me permission to post it on my site.
I want to make that section as comprehensive as possible. So that when I get queries of how to tour, I can back up my advice with a fixed-format version of what I would tell them anyway.
If you don’t have anything other than questions, maybe you could help me compile a FAQ about Spoken Word and Touring. I’d love to have this community’s aid in this. There’s so much knowledge that can be published, but it really needs to be compiled. I have a domain name I haven’t used yet that could eventually be turned into a website for this specific purpose.
Articles/Pages I would love help with:
Get in touch with me, let’s discuss. Message me: ilikemike over at the GEE MALE.
THIS WEEK IN TANGENTS
Can’t get enough of Phoenix’s "1901." Get it and jam out!
From 1989 to 1993 or so, anything that was sucky, gross or ultimately undesirable was considered booty. I used this with gusto. I am going to bring it back. You should help me. Watch it rise!
SOMEONE WACK: I love the Jonas Brothers so much! What do you think of them?
ME: I think they’re booty!
SOMEONE WACK: (weeping)
ME: (shin kick, neck punch, runaway)
–––––––––
Word to the nerd.
This entry was written by , posted on 15 September, 2009 at 12:14 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged advice, booty, guide, how to, poetry tour, touring, Travel. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
The title of this post is a relative misnomer considering my lack of true post high school education. I “attended” West Valley Junior College and “studied” photography and screenwriting for a semester each, along with some theater and such. I have no clue what I was left with in terms of units. In two solid years of community college, I only recall actually sticking with and passing my screenwriting class.
I rebelled. I despised formal education. It felt like hoops I to jump through, and fat people don’t jump through hopps. I figured, “fuck school…I have a café to sit in front of while I shuffle through menial wage jobs and socialize.”
I learned everything I do now in my “Slacker Years” – 1996 through 2000 was the era responsible for making my lifelong friends, while putting me on track to become a talking poet and see some of the world.
Since high school, I had always followed the notion that anything above a diploma was just hoop-jumping-proof that one could do a lot of work, while staying within the lines. College just seemed like an excuse to force kids to grow up, then collate them into society in a speedy, reasonable fashion.
I certainly wasn’t ready to grow up yet, and I know I will not learn shit if I’m not ready for it. I must be prepared and now I believe I just might be.
Inspired by the hundreds of universities and colleges I’ve performed at in the last five years, I’ve found myself longing to begin a regimented course of learning that could lead me to teaching. Until recently, the idea that I could teach was foreign and far-off. Now, I realize that what I do in front of audiences is not much different from what a proffesor would do in front of a class or lab. I think I couls put a very McGee-tyoe-twist on education, as long as it is a subject I adore and have the mental capacity to really explore with a classroom and beyond.
I love anthropology, sociology, history, English and art. I explore the first three the most. People have recommended that I look into teaching English and so far, the idea is not very appealing. I cannot imagine putting all of my focus on teaching others how to write when I have so much vested in my own works. I would despise myself and my students if I had to focus on guiding them into the writing I want to achieve. Call it sellfish; I call it honest. I have the passion it takes to teach, now I need the credentials. These qualities should help me guide any room of people toward comprehensible learning and a quality of life I appreciate.
A lot of this came out of a heavy autumn depression and then the 2008 election compounded my views. I began to feel that no matter how much I tour (100,000 miles a year), I had no end zone…no finish line. I was touring to tour and meet people. To spread “the” word. As much as I love touring and seeing people and places, I began to question why I wasn’t settling down. Turns out when you set out on a journey with no real direction, you remain direction-less.
Around 2002, I decided I might run for mayor of San José, but I buffered it to the year 2018.I figured by then I’d be wiser and more mature. More focused and organized. Lame. This past election was a key factor in reminding me that I get too irritated with politicians to become one. It occurred to me that I could be a lot more effective locally if I were to teach, question authority, and become member of the checks and balances local politicos need to stay focused. I could always join a city council or local committee. I’d rather stand, teach and learn in front of a classroom of students than beg in front of boardroom of suits.
Admittedly, when it comes to my own education, I feel a little n00b-ish. I am starting all over. Friends who’ve acquired various degrees have pointed me in certain directions, but the path is mine and only I can be content with my choices. I harbor no resentment for getting this late-blooming spark at 32 years old. I am quite confident that if I want a Ph.D, I will get a Ph.D. Luckily, while I may feel a little lost when it comes to my oncoming education, I have a few thousand acquaintances who have opinions and advice I will gladly consider.
Right now, I feel like a degree in sociology makes sense. I thoroughly enjoy debating humanity’s relationships, existence and connections. I feel I can bring a lot to the focus of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. It makes sense that I’ve become a sissy poet over the last ten years. Thanks a lot, Trenchard! Well done, Litvak! You warned me, Aahz, but I never listened. You were right, BB.
I am so glad I do what I do for a living. It’s a good life. Ups and downs…side to side.
In conclusion, I am feeling UC Berkeley and I want to shoot for a bit of English and a lot of Sociology. Berkeley keeps me in the Bay Area/California, they have satellite programs in Silicon Valley and are one of the top schools in my fields interest.
I finally feel like that mature guy I wished I would be back in 1995, the one who said school was lame and didn’t need it. I do not regret the time I missed in school because I was still learning, I just regret the attitude. I know where I want to be and where I want to go. I will always be a poet, I will always perform poetry, and I will tour every chance I get, but I think I just figured out how to settle down and focus.
I’m down for anyones thoughts on all of this. Anyone else thinking of going back to school or in their first year? Tell me your experience.
–––––––––
Word to the nerd.
“Slow down, ’08, you just got here!”
This entry was written by , posted on 29 November, 2008 at 1:58 PM, filed under Personal Updates, Writing and tagged college, degree, education, politics, returning to school, sociology, teaching, touring, uc berkeley. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
The title of this post is a relative misnomer considering my lack of true post high school education. I “attended” West Valley Junior College and “studied” photography and screenwriting for a semester each, along with some theater and such. I have no clue what I was left with in terms of units. In two solid years of community college, I only recall actually sticking with and passing my screenwriting class.
I rebelled. I despised formal education. It felt like hoops I to jump through, and fat people don’t jump through hopps. I figured, “fuck school…I have a café to sit in front of while I shuffle through menial wage jobs and socialize.”
I learned everything I do now in my “Slacker Years” – 1996 through 2000 was the era responsible for making my lifelong friends, while putting me on track to become a talking poet and see some of the world.
Since high school, I had always followed the notion that anything above a diploma was just hoop-jumping-proof that one could do a lot of work, while staying within the lines. College just seemed like an excuse to force kids to grow up, then collate them into society in a speedy, reasonable fashion.
I certainly wasn’t ready to grow up yet, and I know I will not learn shit if I’m not ready for it. I must be prepared and now I believe I just might be.
Inspired by the hundreds of universities and colleges I’ve performed at in the last five years, I’ve found myself longing to begin a regimented course of learning that could lead me to teaching. Until recently, the idea that I could teach was foreign and far-off. Now, I realize that what I do in front of audiences is not much different from what a proffesor would do in front of a class or lab. I think I couls put a very McGee-tyoe-twist on education, as long as it is a subject I adore and have the mental capacity to really explore with a classroom and beyond.
I love anthropology, sociology, history, English and art. I explore the first three the most. People have recommended that I look into teaching English and so far, the idea is not very appealing. I cannot imagine putting all of my focus on teaching others how to write when I have so much vested in my own works. I would despise myself and my students if I had to focus on guiding them into the writing I want to achieve. Call it sellfish; I call it honest. I have the passion it takes to teach, now I need the credentials. These qualities should help me guide any room of people toward comprehensible learning and a quality of life I appreciate.
A lot of this came out of a heavy autumn depression and then the 2008 election compounded my views. I began to feel that no matter how much I tour (100,000 miles a year), I had no end zone…no finish line. I was touring to tour and meet people. To spread “the” word. As much as I love touring and seeing people and places, I began to question why I wasn’t settling down. Turns out when you set out on a journey with no real direction, you remain direction-less.
Around 2002, I decided I might run for mayor of San José, but I buffered it to the year 2018.I figured by then I’d be wiser and more mature. More focused and organized. Lame. This past election was a key factor in reminding me that I get too irritated with politicians to become one. It occurred to me that I could be a lot more effective locally if I were to teach, question authority, and become member of the checks and balances local politicos need to stay focused. I could always join a city council or local committee. I’d rather stand, teach and learn in front of a classroom of students than beg in front of boardroom of suits.
Admittedly, when it comes to my own education, I feel a little n00b-ish. I am starting all over. Friends who’ve acquired various degrees have pointed me in certain directions, but the path is mine and only I can be content with my choices. I harbor no resentment for getting this late-blooming spark at 32 years old. I am quite confident that if I want a Ph.D, I will get a Ph.D. Luckily, while I may feel a little lost when it comes to my oncoming education, I have a few thousand acquaintances who have opinions and advice I will gladly consider.
Right now, I feel like a degree in sociology makes sense. I thoroughly enjoy debating humanity’s relationships, existence and connections. I feel I can bring a lot to the focus of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. It makes sense that I’ve become a sissy poet over the last ten years. Thanks a lot, Trenchard! Well done, Litvak! You warned me, Aahz, but I never listened. You were right, BB.
I am so glad I do what I do for a living. It’s a good life. Ups and downs…side to side.
In conclusion, I am feeling UC Berkeley and I want to shoot for a bit of English and a lot of Sociology. Berkeley keeps me in the Bay Area/California, they have satellite programs in Silicon Valley and are one of the top schools in my fields interest.
I finally feel like that mature guy I wished I would be back in 1995, the one who said school was lame and didn’t need it. I do not regret the time I missed in school because I was still learning, I just regret the attitude. I know where I want to be and where I want to go. I will always be a poet, I will always perform poetry, and I will tour every chance I get, but I think I just figured out how to settle down and focus.
I’m down for anyones thoughts on all of this. Anyone else thinking of going back to school or in their first year? Tell me your experience.
–––––––––
Word to the nerd.
“Slow down, ‘08, you just got here!”
Originally published at Mike McGee Town. You can comment here or there.
This entry was written by , posted on at 1:58 PM, filed under Personal Updates and tagged college, degree, education, personal updates, politics, returning to school, San-Jose-California, sociology, teaching, tour/touring, touring, uc berkeley, writing. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.