Since the beginning of the semester, I planned to post what songs I hear when I think of others' (and my) mastertape. So, below, you shall find song(s) and rationales. Still searching for some, but these struck me immediately. Enjoy?
Nate B
Behold...the Arctopus - Alcoholocaust
Nate described his project as both apocalyptic and bombastic. I think that describes this band (and this song) to a t.
Perrin
The Dillinger Escape Plan - 43% Burnt / Queens of the Stone Age - Go With the Flow
Perrin's project seems to be a "mini" version of Nate B's, in a way, but instead of a sort of massive change, Perrin deals more with a localized change/recklessness (both in terms of relationships and religion). Originally, I just had DEP here, as it's "reckless" but not in the same bombast vein as B...TA, but visually, the video for "Go With the Flow" seems...appropriate.
Ames
Acceptance - The Letter
Pretty self-explanatory. Especially the chorus. And she disappeared--:/
Todd
King Crimson - Elephant Talk
I was stuck for a while--then I remembered this gem. What better way to explore the inadequacies of language than a song built by stringing alliterative/assonance-itive pseduo-non-sequitors?
Ryann
Dream Theater - About to Crash
A bit of background--this song is a "section" of one song called "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," which has as its main theme mental illness. I think this song is more about fugue states, but I think it fits a bit into Rian's mastertape (maybe the whole song?) as how people are treated when someone thinks something is "wrong," mentally. "The Test that Stumped Them All" may also be appropriate, although the main figure in that "section" is male and that section deals more with PTSD/performance anxiety.
Liz
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Next
Being an instrumental allows more flexibility than having to filter for words, too--but with her mastertape being about "bridging" the gaps that exist between her city self and country self, I thought this was appropriate. Really a jazz band, but through Fleck's use of the banjo as a lead instrument, there is a sort of tension/dissonance that permeates the playing that wouldn't necessarily if he played guitar. Is it a bit cop-out-ish to say banjo = rural? Maybe, but c'mon--Deliverance.
That's...barely half the class. I'm still looking (listening?). Hopefully I'll finish this before the semester.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Connotations
Condensed to rid it of (what I perceived to be) whining--when does art (or more specifically, poetry) cross the line in terms of appropriateness? Is there a line? When does something become racist/ageist/sexist/____ist versus visceral? Just wondering, because if art is, in some way, meant to push an experience, how far should this experience be pushed?
-Glenn
---
As an assignment for one of my undergrad classes (a death and dying class--housed under the religion section of the uni), one assignment was to think of our funeral--the weather, music, etc. This is what will play and my (now...oooh, like, 5 year old explanations):
I would like tracks from the following artists: Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Marillion. From Dream Theater, I would like to have “Disappear” because it conveys that since of finality and acceptance, and “Learning to Live”, which is on the same wavelength of “Disappear”, only more uplifting and cathartic. From Porcupine Tree, I would like “Trains” which still holds down the vibe of moving on and “Arriving Somewhere but not Here”, because it will make people more aware of the ways of death around them, and encourage a more carpe diem attitude from them. From Marillion, “Easter”, because it just has a really calming effect.
Dream Theater:
"Disappear"
"Learning to Live"
Porcupine Tree
"Trains"
"Arriving Somewhere But Not Here"
Marillion
"Easter"
(also, incidentally, performed with Dream Theater--score!)
-Glenn
---
As an assignment for one of my undergrad classes (a death and dying class--housed under the religion section of the uni), one assignment was to think of our funeral--the weather, music, etc. This is what will play and my (now...oooh, like, 5 year old explanations):
I would like tracks from the following artists: Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Marillion. From Dream Theater, I would like to have “Disappear” because it conveys that since of finality and acceptance, and “Learning to Live”, which is on the same wavelength of “Disappear”, only more uplifting and cathartic. From Porcupine Tree, I would like “Trains” which still holds down the vibe of moving on and “Arriving Somewhere but not Here”, because it will make people more aware of the ways of death around them, and encourage a more carpe diem attitude from them. From Marillion, “Easter”, because it just has a really calming effect.
Dream Theater:
"Disappear"
"Learning to Live"
Porcupine Tree
"Trains"
"Arriving Somewhere But Not Here"
Marillion
"Easter"
(also, incidentally, performed with Dream Theater--score!)
So...
I feel so behind. Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. Maybe bananas are squirrels, who really knows?
So, performances last week were pretty cool--it was interesting to see what resonated with different folks in the class. Todd's (and by extension, Perrin's) selections were interesting more because of the technology aspect--I really don't think it's too out of line to say in a few years that such enhancements will become the new boob/nose jobs of the plastic surgery field. Imagine not having to lug around an mp3 player when your arm literally has one embedded, mwuhahaha. What does that say for our (Western->American->however you want to define "our" here) culture? Moore's Law states that technology gets better every 18 months (I think Moore's law was initially in terms of transistor size, but it's widely applied to technology in general), so there are going to be some digital fireworks, I feel.
Another person who stood out to me was Ann Liv Young, who not only sung Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" but danced to Juvenile's "Slow Motion"--I was kind of intrigued by her, but further research...meh. I dig the total uncomfortability of not knowing what the fuck is going on, but her site (which sells, among other things, poop sculptures and used tampons) just...irks me. I understand its silly to try to define what art is/isn't can/can't do, but there's gotta be a line somewhere, even for art that's performance based. Then comes the issues with morals and decorum and "it's my goal to push boundaries blah blah," but are you really? This kind of hit me when Tom was talking about his idea to juxtapose a sermon with what he deemed sacrilegious--I know art, at times, can be (or needs to be) visceral, but do you ignore the internal compass? Can you really say you are amoral/lack an internal compass? Even if you do, there are obvious codes about what society does/does not expect (again, subjective as hell, but whatever), so wouldn't it be wise to tailor, if only in the smallest amount, work so that it reaches the most people? If your goal is really to alienate/challenge viewpoints, you will get people who are morbidly interested, sure, but will you get the in-between-ers who can really carry word of mouth like, "Damn, you need to check out X's exhibit--that shit was craaaaaaaaazy!"
For my performance, I definitely got some cool ideas for re-engagement--adding other media elements, maybe refining song choices, and making the piece as a whole a touch more interactive. My flash skills are limited only in the sense that I haven't used it in a while an ActionScript takes some getting used to, but again, excited to re-engage (especially knowing the trial window is slowly closing unless I further "procure" Flash CS5.
I'm still going to post, eventually, what I "hear" when others describe their mastertapes...soon, I swear.
-Glenn
---
Ne-Yo - Beautiful Monster
Sucker for dance songs...even if I dance with various degrees of success.
So, performances last week were pretty cool--it was interesting to see what resonated with different folks in the class. Todd's (and by extension, Perrin's) selections were interesting more because of the technology aspect--I really don't think it's too out of line to say in a few years that such enhancements will become the new boob/nose jobs of the plastic surgery field. Imagine not having to lug around an mp3 player when your arm literally has one embedded, mwuhahaha. What does that say for our (Western->American->however you want to define "our" here) culture? Moore's Law states that technology gets better every 18 months (I think Moore's law was initially in terms of transistor size, but it's widely applied to technology in general), so there are going to be some digital fireworks, I feel.
Another person who stood out to me was Ann Liv Young, who not only sung Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" but danced to Juvenile's "Slow Motion"--I was kind of intrigued by her, but further research...meh. I dig the total uncomfortability of not knowing what the fuck is going on, but her site (which sells, among other things, poop sculptures and used tampons) just...irks me. I understand its silly to try to define what art is/isn't can/can't do, but there's gotta be a line somewhere, even for art that's performance based. Then comes the issues with morals and decorum and "it's my goal to push boundaries blah blah," but are you really? This kind of hit me when Tom was talking about his idea to juxtapose a sermon with what he deemed sacrilegious--I know art, at times, can be (or needs to be) visceral, but do you ignore the internal compass? Can you really say you are amoral/lack an internal compass? Even if you do, there are obvious codes about what society does/does not expect (again, subjective as hell, but whatever), so wouldn't it be wise to tailor, if only in the smallest amount, work so that it reaches the most people? If your goal is really to alienate/challenge viewpoints, you will get people who are morbidly interested, sure, but will you get the in-between-ers who can really carry word of mouth like, "Damn, you need to check out X's exhibit--that shit was craaaaaaaaazy!"
For my performance, I definitely got some cool ideas for re-engagement--adding other media elements, maybe refining song choices, and making the piece as a whole a touch more interactive. My flash skills are limited only in the sense that I haven't used it in a while an ActionScript takes some getting used to, but again, excited to re-engage (especially knowing the trial window is slowly closing unless I further "procure" Flash CS5.
I'm still going to post, eventually, what I "hear" when others describe their mastertapes...soon, I swear.
-Glenn
---
Ne-Yo - Beautiful Monster
Sucker for dance songs...even if I dance with various degrees of success.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Teaser
Performance piece--conceptualized!
Note: I did most of this on the train on the way back from class on Wednesday night.
Note: The above note is no excuse for the piss-poor hand-writing.
<3 Glenn
---
The Receiving End of Sirens - "This Armistice"
No weal words that don't rehash earlier things said about TREOS (or my selections)--epic, uplifting, harmonies, etc.
Note: I did most of this on the train on the way back from class on Wednesday night.
Note: The above note is no excuse for the piss-poor hand-writing.
<3 Glenn
---
The Receiving End of Sirens - "This Armistice"
No weal words that don't rehash earlier things said about TREOS (or my selections)--epic, uplifting, harmonies, etc.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
New post soon
On tap:
Responses to performance day
Where my piece is going (with my own hand-written, atrocious notes!)
More soon, I promise.
Responses to performance day
Where my piece is going (with my own hand-written, atrocious notes!)
More soon, I promise.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Per my last update
This is probably the most irrelevant/irreverent thing I've posted on this blog (I think), but a "short" list of songs I've "used" while writing. I think the quotes are right, here:
112 - It's Over Now
30 Seconds to Mars - Attack
30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill
Abba - Dancing Queen
Acceptance - The Letter
Ace of Base - Beautiful Life
Action Action - Druglike
AFI - Endlessly, She Said
AFI - Reiver's Music
AFI - Summer Shudder
AFI - The Despair Factor
AFI - The Missing Frame
AFI - This Celluloid Dream
AFI - This Time Imperfect
Al Dimeola - Egyptian Danza
Alien Ant Farm - Attitude
All That Remains - Six
Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Angie Stone - I Wish I Didn't Miss You Anymore
Anita Baker - Angel
At the Drive-In - Pattern Against User
Atreyu - Shameful
Atreyu - The Rememberence Ballad
Avant - Separated
Avenged Sevenfold - Chapter 4
Avenged Sevenfold - I Won't See You Tonight (Part 2)
Ayreon - Day Three: Pain
Bach - Allegro
Between the Buried and Me - Backwards Marathon
Between the Buried and Me - Camilla Rhodes
Between the Buried and Me - Mordecai
Between the Buried and Me - Shevenal (Take 2)
Between the Buried and Me - White Walls
Beyonce - Dangerously In Love
Blackfield - Pain
Brian McKnight - Never Felt This Way
Bullet For My Valentine - 4 Words (To Choke Upon)
Chevelle - Closure
Chevelle - Vitamin R
Chirs Brown - Kiss Kiss
Collective Soul - World I Know
Counting Crows - Colorblind
Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons
Dream Theater - In The Presence of Enemies
Dream Theater - Learning to Live
Dream Theater - Lifting Shadows
Dream Theater - Speak to Me
Dream Theater - The Ministry of Lost Souls
Dredg - Bug Eyes
Dredg - Ode to the Sun
Dredg - Sang Real
Earth, Wind and Fire - Fantasy
Earth, Wind and Fire - Lovely People
Earth, Wind and Fire - Pure Gold
Earth, Wind and Fire - Show Me the Way
East Clubbers - Walk Alone
ELP - Tarkus
Emery - So Cold I Could See My Breath
Every Time I Die - Ebolarama
Every Time I Die - Kill the Music
Fuel - Shimmer
Funeral for a Friend - Escape Artists Never Die
Genesis - Supper's Ready
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
George Gerschwin - Rhapsody in Blue
George Gerschwin - Summertime
Hikaru Utada - Hikari
Irena Cara - Flashdance…What A Feeling
It Dies Today - Marigold
It Dies Today - Radiance
It Dies Today - Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
John Coltrane - Countdown
John Coltrane - Naima
Journey - Heartland
Journey - I'll Be Alright Without You
Journey - Never Walk Away
Journey - Separate Ways
Journey - What I Needed
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Killswitch Engage - Arms of Sorrows
Killswitch Engage - My Curse
Killswitch Engage - My Last Serenade
Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache
Lacrimosa Profundere - Again It's Over
Mahavishnu Orchestra - You Know You Know
Maxwell - Gravity: Pushing To Pull
Maxwell - Know These Things: You Should
Maxwell - Lifetime
Maxwell - Submerge: 'Til We Become the Sun
Maxwell - Symptom Unknown
Maxwell - Temporary Night
Maxwell - This Woman's Work
Miles Davis - So What?
Mr. Big - Take Cover
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of my Life
Norma Jean - Liarsenic
Opeth - Bleak
Opeth - Coil
Opeth - Isolation Years
Opeth - To Rid the Disease
Opeth - Windowpane
Patrick Swayze - She's Like The Wind
Porcupine Tree - Collapse the Light into Earth
Porcupine Tree - Heartattack in a Layby
Prince - I Would Die 4 U
Protest the Hero - Blindfolds Aside
Protest the Hero - Bloodmeat
Protest the Hero - Sequoia Throne
Prozzak - When I Think of You
Quincy Jones - The Secret Garden
Rush - La Villa Strangiato
Rush - Roll The Bones
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Rush - YYZ
Sade - No Ordinary Love
Sarah McLauchlan - Possesion
Savage Garden - To the Moon and Back
Scooter - Faster, Harder, Scooter
Seal - Crazy
Seal - Human Beings
Sevendust - Disgrace
Sevendust - Skeleton Song
Sevendust - Ugly
Sevendust - Xmas Day
Sheryl Crow - Strong Enough
Slipknot - Vermillion Part 2
Snow Patrol - Run
Snow Patrol - Set the Fire to the Third Bar
Snow Patrol - Shut Your Eyes
Sonata Arctica - Shy
Sorskogen - Mordet I Grottan
Sparta - Air
Sparta - Breaking the Broken
Sparta - Collapse
Spice Girls - 2 become 1
Spice Girls - Viva Forever
Splender - Cigarette
Splender - I Apologize
Splender - Supernatural
Stevie Wonder - All I Do
Stream of Passion - Deceiver
Stream of Passion - Nostalgia
Stream of Passion - Passion
Stream of Passion - Wherever You Are
Tamia - You Put a Move on My Heart
Tatu - Friend or Foe
The Clipse - Grinding
The Clipse - Mr. Me Too
The Clipse - Wamp Wamp (What it do)
The Philosopher Kings - You Stepped On My Life
The Receiving End of Sirens - Smoke and Mirrors
The Receiving End of Sirens - The Rival Cycle
The Used - Blue and Yellow
The Who - Love Reing O'er Me
Third Eye Blind - Losing a Whole Year
Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Third Eye Blind - Slow Motion
Third Eye Blind - Wounded
Thrice - Stare at the Sun
Transatlantic - We All Need Some Light
Underoath - A Boy Brushed Red (Living in Black and White)
Underoath - In Regards to Myself
Underoath - It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Usher - Moving Mountains
Weiß Kreuz - Mellow Candle
Yes - Close to the Edge
Evangelion - Komm, Susser Tod
Journey - Send Her My Love
Duran Duran - Save a Prayer
Jagged Edge - Tip of My Tongue
maxwell - bad habits
maxwell - possum playing
Maxwell - Silently
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of My Life
Omarion - I get it in
Omarion - Touch
pleasure p - under
Porcupine Tree - Trains
pretty ricky - grind on me
pretty ricky - playhouse
Quincy Jones - The Secret Garden
R Kelly - Echo
Robin Thicke - Lost Without You
Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy
Sade - No Ordinary Love
Sarah McLachlan - Possesion
sean garret - up in your heart
Shai - if I ever fall in love
Silkk the Shocker - Somebody Like Me
The Dream - Falsetto
The Trax - Knife
Trey Songz - Beat it Up
trey songz - I invented sex
trey songz - neighbors know my name
usher - little freak
112 - It's Over Now
30 Seconds to Mars - Attack
30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill
Abba - Dancing Queen
Acceptance - The Letter
Ace of Base - Beautiful Life
Action Action - Druglike
AFI - Endlessly, She Said
AFI - Reiver's Music
AFI - Summer Shudder
AFI - The Despair Factor
AFI - The Missing Frame
AFI - This Celluloid Dream
AFI - This Time Imperfect
Al Dimeola - Egyptian Danza
Alien Ant Farm - Attitude
All That Remains - Six
Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Angie Stone - I Wish I Didn't Miss You Anymore
Anita Baker - Angel
At the Drive-In - Pattern Against User
Atreyu - Shameful
Atreyu - The Rememberence Ballad
Avant - Separated
Avenged Sevenfold - Chapter 4
Avenged Sevenfold - I Won't See You Tonight (Part 2)
Ayreon - Day Three: Pain
Bach - Allegro
Between the Buried and Me - Backwards Marathon
Between the Buried and Me - Camilla Rhodes
Between the Buried and Me - Mordecai
Between the Buried and Me - Shevenal (Take 2)
Between the Buried and Me - White Walls
Beyonce - Dangerously In Love
Blackfield - Pain
Brian McKnight - Never Felt This Way
Bullet For My Valentine - 4 Words (To Choke Upon)
Chevelle - Closure
Chevelle - Vitamin R
Chirs Brown - Kiss Kiss
Collective Soul - World I Know
Counting Crows - Colorblind
Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons
Dream Theater - In The Presence of Enemies
Dream Theater - Learning to Live
Dream Theater - Lifting Shadows
Dream Theater - Speak to Me
Dream Theater - The Ministry of Lost Souls
Dredg - Bug Eyes
Dredg - Ode to the Sun
Dredg - Sang Real
Earth, Wind and Fire - Fantasy
Earth, Wind and Fire - Lovely People
Earth, Wind and Fire - Pure Gold
Earth, Wind and Fire - Show Me the Way
East Clubbers - Walk Alone
ELP - Tarkus
Emery - So Cold I Could See My Breath
Every Time I Die - Ebolarama
Every Time I Die - Kill the Music
Fuel - Shimmer
Funeral for a Friend - Escape Artists Never Die
Genesis - Supper's Ready
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
George Gerschwin - Rhapsody in Blue
George Gerschwin - Summertime
Hikaru Utada - Hikari
Irena Cara - Flashdance…What A Feeling
It Dies Today - Marigold
It Dies Today - Radiance
It Dies Today - Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
John Coltrane - Countdown
John Coltrane - Naima
Journey - Heartland
Journey - I'll Be Alright Without You
Journey - Never Walk Away
Journey - Separate Ways
Journey - What I Needed
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Killswitch Engage - Arms of Sorrows
Killswitch Engage - My Curse
Killswitch Engage - My Last Serenade
Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache
Lacrimosa Profundere - Again It's Over
Mahavishnu Orchestra - You Know You Know
Maxwell - Gravity: Pushing To Pull
Maxwell - Know These Things: You Should
Maxwell - Lifetime
Maxwell - Submerge: 'Til We Become the Sun
Maxwell - Symptom Unknown
Maxwell - Temporary Night
Maxwell - This Woman's Work
Miles Davis - So What?
Mr. Big - Take Cover
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of my Life
Norma Jean - Liarsenic
Opeth - Bleak
Opeth - Coil
Opeth - Isolation Years
Opeth - To Rid the Disease
Opeth - Windowpane
Patrick Swayze - She's Like The Wind
Porcupine Tree - Collapse the Light into Earth
Porcupine Tree - Heartattack in a Layby
Prince - I Would Die 4 U
Protest the Hero - Blindfolds Aside
Protest the Hero - Bloodmeat
Protest the Hero - Sequoia Throne
Prozzak - When I Think of You
Quincy Jones - The Secret Garden
Rush - La Villa Strangiato
Rush - Roll The Bones
Rush - Tom Sawyer
Rush - YYZ
Sade - No Ordinary Love
Sarah McLauchlan - Possesion
Savage Garden - To the Moon and Back
Scooter - Faster, Harder, Scooter
Seal - Crazy
Seal - Human Beings
Sevendust - Disgrace
Sevendust - Skeleton Song
Sevendust - Ugly
Sevendust - Xmas Day
Sheryl Crow - Strong Enough
Slipknot - Vermillion Part 2
Snow Patrol - Run
Snow Patrol - Set the Fire to the Third Bar
Snow Patrol - Shut Your Eyes
Sonata Arctica - Shy
Sorskogen - Mordet I Grottan
Sparta - Air
Sparta - Breaking the Broken
Sparta - Collapse
Spice Girls - 2 become 1
Spice Girls - Viva Forever
Splender - Cigarette
Splender - I Apologize
Splender - Supernatural
Stevie Wonder - All I Do
Stream of Passion - Deceiver
Stream of Passion - Nostalgia
Stream of Passion - Passion
Stream of Passion - Wherever You Are
Tamia - You Put a Move on My Heart
Tatu - Friend or Foe
The Clipse - Grinding
The Clipse - Mr. Me Too
The Clipse - Wamp Wamp (What it do)
The Philosopher Kings - You Stepped On My Life
The Receiving End of Sirens - Smoke and Mirrors
The Receiving End of Sirens - The Rival Cycle
The Used - Blue and Yellow
The Who - Love Reing O'er Me
Third Eye Blind - Losing a Whole Year
Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Third Eye Blind - Slow Motion
Third Eye Blind - Wounded
Thrice - Stare at the Sun
Transatlantic - We All Need Some Light
Underoath - A Boy Brushed Red (Living in Black and White)
Underoath - In Regards to Myself
Underoath - It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Usher - Moving Mountains
Weiß Kreuz - Mellow Candle
Yes - Close to the Edge
Evangelion - Komm, Susser Tod
Journey - Send Her My Love
Duran Duran - Save a Prayer
Jagged Edge - Tip of My Tongue
maxwell - bad habits
maxwell - possum playing
Maxwell - Silently
Nina Gordon - Tonight and the Rest of My Life
Omarion - I get it in
Omarion - Touch
pleasure p - under
Porcupine Tree - Trains
pretty ricky - grind on me
pretty ricky - playhouse
Quincy Jones - The Secret Garden
R Kelly - Echo
Robin Thicke - Lost Without You
Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy
Sade - No Ordinary Love
Sarah McLachlan - Possesion
sean garret - up in your heart
Shai - if I ever fall in love
Silkk the Shocker - Somebody Like Me
The Dream - Falsetto
The Trax - Knife
Trey Songz - Beat it Up
trey songz - I invented sex
trey songz - neighbors know my name
usher - little freak
Speed Rounds, three.
Really enjoyed doing each of these activities. I think for workshop, I will bring in my work (would poem be accurate?) based on Nate M's source. Other than that, it was interesting doing Nate B's exercise, as my handwriting already looks like I'm drunkenly trying to tattoo with my left hand (I'm right handed) in faux Sanskrit. I write very slanty when I'm not looking, and accordions popped into it. I've already noted my enjoyment of Perrin's source (I did write a program and was going to send it, but gmail is weird about what you can send [the end file is .exe], and Perrin himself had trouble running it). Maybe I'll just post the source code? It was interesting doing Kat's poem, as it reminds me of some of my earlier work (and by earlier work, my poem about a blue monster in fifth grade). Todd's was interesting for the fact that I tend not to write in fragments (and it was interesting trying to distill my mastertape into relatively succinct ideas). Is that everyone? Maybe? I dig collaborative work, so I enjoyed when we worked together (and by we, I mean the class).
In terms of being assign Joyce--I can understand why. I'm obsessed with precision and coherence--Finnegan's Wake (or, maybe more specifically, the excerpt given to me) relies on things that my poetry is not known for. From my notes, I noted (before writing) that the writing was "dense, German-esque language. Sound. Pattern. Spoonerisms. Nonsense?" For the German-esque, I just thought about the prevalence (or ease) with which German words become acceptable compounds. Writing in this mode helped "free" me from my own confines, if only a little bit. Afterwords, I saw that I mostly wanted to work with plays or texts in which weird things happen, and I think that's my attraction to narrative/sense coming back--the exchange of dialogue, even if heady, is pushing towards some goal, whether it's a revisionist look at a fairy tell or trying to accurately translate/transcribe real speech (a la Mamet/Mametspeak). Haven't written in response yet to Mamet, but will soon.
In terms of versions, this brings me up to approximately 24 versions of my mastertape throughout the semester. Wow, that's a lot of writing.
-Glenn
---
Yes - Siberian Khatru
Staying in a prog vein, some good ol' Yes. The main theme/riff reminds me simultaneously of early Genesis/Nintendo games (a very definite Sonic feel), but at the same time, feels very anthemic. I keep using anthem or some form of it to describe songs I like--I need a thesaurus.
I think I may actually post songs that I've written in response to/used as inspiration/name dropped in poems--it's really obsessive, like, very literally.
In terms of being assign Joyce--I can understand why. I'm obsessed with precision and coherence--Finnegan's Wake (or, maybe more specifically, the excerpt given to me) relies on things that my poetry is not known for. From my notes, I noted (before writing) that the writing was "dense, German-esque language. Sound. Pattern. Spoonerisms. Nonsense?" For the German-esque, I just thought about the prevalence (or ease) with which German words become acceptable compounds. Writing in this mode helped "free" me from my own confines, if only a little bit. Afterwords, I saw that I mostly wanted to work with plays or texts in which weird things happen, and I think that's my attraction to narrative/sense coming back--the exchange of dialogue, even if heady, is pushing towards some goal, whether it's a revisionist look at a fairy tell or trying to accurately translate/transcribe real speech (a la Mamet/Mametspeak). Haven't written in response yet to Mamet, but will soon.
In terms of versions, this brings me up to approximately 24 versions of my mastertape throughout the semester. Wow, that's a lot of writing.
-Glenn
---
Yes - Siberian Khatru
Staying in a prog vein, some good ol' Yes. The main theme/riff reminds me simultaneously of early Genesis/Nintendo games (a very definite Sonic feel), but at the same time, feels very anthemic. I keep using anthem or some form of it to describe songs I like--I need a thesaurus.
I think I may actually post songs that I've written in response to/used as inspiration/name dropped in poems--it's really obsessive, like, very literally.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Ok, later (now, with EDIT!)
I really want to make a choose your own adventure-esque story. Literally. I need to find/download a cheap compiler or something. The logic isn't too hard, but depending how sophisticated you want it to be, it'd be labor intensive.
Basically, it seems like it runs on a bunch of switch statements--switch statements literally can "switch" the flow of the program. In this case, the program waits for input from the keyboard (probably a cin to a string, but I think it'd be much easier with a cin to a char, only that's not as interactive). Anyway, based on this input, choices happen.
so, for example:
string decision;
cout<<"Text to respond to\n";
cin>>decision;
switch (decision)
{
case "option 1"
do_this();
case "option 2"
do_that();
.
.
.
default
cout<<"That is not a valid choice--please try again\n";
}
So, as you can see, not really "hard," in theory, especially if you do limit it to picking a specific letter choice. Can probably cut the work load by breaking the story into separate header files or different functions, but then again, nesting stuff is weird. Hmm.. Some pseudocode I may come back to:
//includes--iostream; maybe external defined files to compile with
void main(){
char decision; /*i think i may only have to define this one variable, since everything will be menu driven/dynamic, i just need to make sure i properly change the value*/
bool not_finished = 1; /*ok, i lied--booleans hold either 1 (true) or 0 (false)--the logic should be clearer later, but while, literally, the story is not finished, continue to run the story*/
cout<<"long introduction; compelling; wizards and goblins"<while(not_finished)
{
first_part_of_story_function_call(decision); /*obviously, in each function call, I have to remember to return a decision (passing a char isn't bad...just remembering it may be a problem, ha).
.
.
.
.
last_part_of_story_function_call(decision);
not_finished = 0; /*looking at the code now, since I'm not really looping, I don't even think i need the "not_finished"--I guess that limits the story. But then again, I could have the option here to run the story again (e.g., cout<<"'Play' again?' Y/N), which could take a char input and switch, e.g., case "Y" not_finished = 1 (which, really, I could probably just use a break statement, as its value is already 1) case "N" not_finished = 0; hmm, decisions.
}
return;
}
Anyway, maybe I'll bring this up in class and make an executable that can be hosted...I was thinking of trying to find Flash to do something cool with the other collaborative exercise, but while I still understand the logic behind ActionScripts, I've forgotten much in terms of tweening and other Flash specifics stuffs.
Hmph.
-Glenn
So, created a quick version--not my mastertape, per se, but a representation from class. Not too bad to code, just tedious (as I haven't coded anything, really, in about 4 years). There's some visual stuff I want to work out, but for a command prompt with strict decisions, I think it's ok. I have to figure out a way to host the executable (and I'm not sure it will work on macs).
---
UK - In the Dead of Night
Prog deliciousness. Allan Holdsworth--c'mon!
Basically, it seems like it runs on a bunch of switch statements--switch statements literally can "switch" the flow of the program. In this case, the program waits for input from the keyboard (probably a cin to a string, but I think it'd be much easier with a cin to a char, only that's not as interactive). Anyway, based on this input, choices happen.
so, for example:
string decision;
cout<<"Text to respond to\n";
cin>>decision;
switch (decision)
{
case "option 1"
do_this();
case "option 2"
do_that();
.
.
.
default
cout<<"That is not a valid choice--please try again\n";
}
So, as you can see, not really "hard," in theory, especially if you do limit it to picking a specific letter choice. Can probably cut the work load by breaking the story into separate header files or different functions, but then again, nesting stuff is weird. Hmm.. Some pseudocode I may come back to:
//includes--iostream; maybe external defined files to compile with
void main(){
char decision; /*i think i may only have to define this one variable, since everything will be menu driven/dynamic, i just need to make sure i properly change the value*/
bool not_finished = 1; /*ok, i lied--booleans hold either 1 (true) or 0 (false)--the logic should be clearer later, but while, literally, the story is not finished, continue to run the story*/
cout<<"long introduction; compelling; wizards and goblins"<
{
first_part_of_story_function_call(decision); /*obviously, in each function call, I have to remember to return a decision (passing a char isn't bad...just remembering it may be a problem, ha).
.
.
.
.
last_part_of_story_function_call(decision);
not_finished = 0; /*looking at the code now, since I'm not really looping, I don't even think i need the "not_finished"--I guess that limits the story. But then again, I could have the option here to run the story again (e.g., cout<<"'Play' again?' Y/N), which could take a char input and switch, e.g., case "Y" not_finished = 1 (which, really, I could probably just use a break statement, as its value is already 1) case "N" not_finished = 0; hmm, decisions.
}
return;
}
Anyway, maybe I'll bring this up in class and make an executable that can be hosted...I was thinking of trying to find Flash to do something cool with the other collaborative exercise, but while I still understand the logic behind ActionScripts, I've forgotten much in terms of tweening and other Flash specifics stuffs.
Hmph.
-Glenn
EDIT
So, created a quick version--not my mastertape, per se, but a representation from class. Not too bad to code, just tedious (as I haven't coded anything, really, in about 4 years). There's some visual stuff I want to work out, but for a command prompt with strict decisions, I think it's ok. I have to figure out a way to host the executable (and I'm not sure it will work on macs).
---
UK - In the Dead of Night
Prog deliciousness. Allan Holdsworth--c'mon!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Bigger update tomorrow...but for now...
...remember like a few entries back where I was talking about the animé Neon Genesis Evangelion being a good visual representation for my mastertape? Well, I'll explain a bit.
The premise of the show is the world has experienced something called Third Impact, effectively a cataclysmic event in which sea levels rise, seasons get disrupted, lots of people die, etc (standard post-apocalyptic fare, I guess).
Anyway, things called Angels begin to emerge, which essentially want to kill people (note: I'm dumbing down the plot a lot as an in-depth description would be spoiler heavy and it's a really good series...plus, the mythology is being sorta rewritten as we speak by new movies [which are awesomer])...wait, where was I? Oh yeah, Angels. Turns out, the only way to stop these Angels are with mechas (please tell me you know what mechas are--if not, go here). Not compelling yet, right? Well, turns out, they can only be piloted by people born after the Third Impact, or more specifically, 14 year old boys and girls. So, we have science and Christianity covered. Music comes to play a lot--the main character, Shinji, is constantly listening to an SDAT player (although the audience is never privy to what, exactly, he listens to), and many of the battle scenes are set to epic, symphonic music. Like the following, taken from the movie End of Evangelion, which served as the close for the original series.
Bach's "Air on a G String" (music) + Mecha (science-->tech) + religious concepts (note the Lance of Longinus reference at the end) = epic win. Add to the fact that this scene simultaneously explores the pilot's (in this case, Asuka) relationship with herself, mother, and Shinji (among others) simultaneously...it's like...meta hot chocolate. Anyway, without further ado
Yeah--speed round three for me (which should be four...*sigh*) update tomorrow.
-Glenn
PS, did you really think I wouldn't have additional music!
Chris Brown - Deuces
Cliff Note's version: karma (if you believe in that sort of thing) solves everything--surrounding your life with the positive is a good thing, even if it initially hurts.
The premise of the show is the world has experienced something called Third Impact, effectively a cataclysmic event in which sea levels rise, seasons get disrupted, lots of people die, etc (standard post-apocalyptic fare, I guess).
Anyway, things called Angels begin to emerge, which essentially want to kill people (note: I'm dumbing down the plot a lot as an in-depth description would be spoiler heavy and it's a really good series...plus, the mythology is being sorta rewritten as we speak by new movies [which are awesomer])...wait, where was I? Oh yeah, Angels. Turns out, the only way to stop these Angels are with mechas (please tell me you know what mechas are--if not, go here). Not compelling yet, right? Well, turns out, they can only be piloted by people born after the Third Impact, or more specifically, 14 year old boys and girls. So, we have science and Christianity covered. Music comes to play a lot--the main character, Shinji, is constantly listening to an SDAT player (although the audience is never privy to what, exactly, he listens to), and many of the battle scenes are set to epic, symphonic music. Like the following, taken from the movie End of Evangelion, which served as the close for the original series.
Bach's "Air on a G String" (music) + Mecha (science-->tech) + religious concepts (note the Lance of Longinus reference at the end) = epic win. Add to the fact that this scene simultaneously explores the pilot's (in this case, Asuka) relationship with herself, mother, and Shinji (among others) simultaneously...it's like...meta hot chocolate. Anyway, without further ado
Yeah--speed round three for me (which should be four...*sigh*) update tomorrow.
-Glenn
PS, did you really think I wouldn't have additional music!
Chris Brown - Deuces
Cliff Note's version: karma (if you believe in that sort of thing) solves everything--surrounding your life with the positive is a good thing, even if it initially hurts.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Gurlesque/Blackesque?
So, this entry will be in two parts: one, my (slightly incoherent) ramblings about the Gurlesque/the question why more minorities (aside from Asians) don't appear, poetically, in it and two, my (slightly incoherent) ramblings about a possible Blackesque (which, I think, would be different from the existing concept of Negritude).
So, one (additional note--this is, pretty much, note-for-note [word for word?] from my notebook--I guess I may inject/explain with brackets or bold). Also, please excuse the broad strokes this response may take--again, this isn't too refined in it's current state:
Why aren't there more blacks (or minorities besides Asians) present in the Gurlesque? Simple. It literally comes down to the nature of language, and by extension, the polotics involved in (post)colonialism.
For a white female, it is easier (loosely) to dialogue--historical lineage is, for the most part, easily traceable, and the history has been literate for a long time, relatively speaking. Whites do not have to combat race-specific roadblocks as much--white is right, so the only true concept to negotiate are aspects inside, the self, things like the (de)construction of female roles. Add to the fact American society is largely white-based, the ideas to rebel or fashion are more easily relatable (as mentioned).
With Asians, you have a series of fetishisms occuring simultaneously, most specifically, the concept of the exotic other (ala Cho-Cho san/Gallimard in M. Butterfly). Asians, like whites, do not have to necessarily wrestle with race if they don't want to as mainstream society is already fascinated with (or accepted) them.
For blacks, with history/knowledge being more oral/performance based (spirituals/the figure of the griot), the mode in which successive waves of female will discourse will change. Black people tend to be raised in Baptist/religious-heavy ways, where the church (and by extension, the choir) becomes key to life. Black literati now tend to be performers, and more specifically, singers. So, in your search for the black in the Gurlesque, it will need to be found in song-based black disciplines--namely, rap and r&b. Black culture is a weird thing, and there is still a heavy stigma of "being white"/"being 'real'," where traditional, non-performance based/written poetry tends to be grouped as being "white" forms. So, in the black Gurlesque, you'll see reactions to people like Queen Latifah or MC Lyte, Salt N' Pepa by people like Nicki Minaj, Trina, and Lil' Kim.
</end incoherence>
So, what does the above mean? Basically, the way that black culture functions is weird--there is an emphasis (and sometimes, over-emphasis) on being authentic/real. There are still some that believe education is a white institution, and therefore, what's studied within the institutions are white and makes the participants within school, by extension, white. Some blacks feel that "we," as a race, have our own language/method of discourse, one that does not rely on the white notion of literacy--the performative--music. This is why, I feel, when black aspiring poets begin writing poetry, it usually falls into the spoken-word vein--it is what we know, how we already communicate, what we are taught at home. Part of this is, obviously, an attempt to retain some semblance of identity/history without fully assimilating into the "whiteness" of current American society, but at the same time, it truncates what can be experienced.
In terms of blacks in mainstream poetics, I see the same faces mentioned/in anthologies: Terrance Hayes, Yusef Komunyaakaa, Thomas Sayer Ellis, Kevin Young, and Patricia Smith. I know this omits people like Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni, but especially for the last two, I am more familiar with them from an oral perspective. It's weird, sometimes, as I feel like a black writer, if I'm not incorporating black language/images, I'm not being "real" (I mentioned this in an earlier post I think--I'm just weird negotiating my identity, and maybe it's silly to think of text being color blind, but I try to paint images in a way where biographical information doesn't add/subtract from the beauty already present). Anyway, this kind of leads (the mention of these authors) to possibly the concept of a Blackesque.
From the presentation of the Gurlesque, I know this wasn't a conscious creation to have a new mode of discourse--rather, like some other schools, ideas just resonate and then, eventually, a name is put to it. In this case, female poets are navigating ways to re-purpose what America sees as the white female--one of, perhaps, subjugating, limited experience, fit to be molded and shaped by a male. By shocking the audience/writing in a way that does not seem "right" for a female, the female can regain power (be it a little or a lot) out of an unbalanced relationship. Sorry if I screwed the pooch on this explanation, but it's what I got.
Anyway, in terms of the Blackesque, there are two distinct routes I can see it taken: one that rebels against the white society's perception of what it means to be black (historical racial images such as the mammy/pickininy). With this, I guess it implies gender roles, too, as some of the images not only pertain to what it means to be black in society, but a black male/female. I think there's more to "destroy" here, i.e., poems that simultaneously shatter white-defined blackness and white-defined gender ideas, but this a) may be too much work or b) not productive in terms of really addressing issues. These very much may take on the appearance of rants (nothing wrong with that), but I can see how adversely a rant may be taken versus something subtle and smoothly poetic.
The second route can be one that rebels against what our (read: black) society defines as blackness. This, I feel, is more what Gurlesque is doing--by already being white (or Asian) [And again, as stated above], there is one less layer to address--you don't have to worry about addressing race in a poem, just what is said by that race about your gender. By being a black artist, it's easier to navigate what your "own people" set up as ideals for gender. Then, again with the removal of having (possibly) to integrate race politics, you can really focus on gender. An easy pivot point would be mainstream black images, such as BET, and by extension, entertainment. Specifically for a Black Gurlesque, I can see tropes of being "light-skinned" or "dark-skinned" being played with a lot, in addition to what defines sexy, what is appropriate to know, sexually, and especially, how interracial relationships function.
NOTE: the following is kind of the template image I thought of that black artists (or, more specifically, black female poets) could react to--so extremely NSFW it's ridiculous, but it does bear out the idea that if we, as black people, are defining ourselves like this, there's no way in hell that mainstream media isn't seeing this and using it to further ingrain concepts of ourselves that are not true (which is BE option #1)--plus, there's just ton of fodder for black females to exploit for BE option #2)
Again, these are still super-de-dooper rough sketchs, and if I over-simplified/sounded like a D-Bag/sounded unintelligent, I apologize--just needed to get the ideas out.
I would really like to "talk" about this :)
-Glenn
---
Nicki Minaj
I hate Nicki Minaj. Hate her delivery. Hate her flow (she's like Wayne but a female--borderline non-sequitors all over the place that are "visionary"--I could go own, but it will probably start sounding like whining or I'm a "hater"). Anyway, I feel her stuff may be possibly Gurlesque as I think it very much embodies the Carnivalesque and Burlesque--super performative (again, back to her delivery).
Some examples:
Itty Bitty Piggy
Roger That (first verse--her, Tyga, and Lil' Wayne)
Kanye West's "Monster" (her verse starts about 3:35)
So, one (additional note--this is, pretty much, note-for-note [word for word?] from my notebook--I guess I may inject/explain with brackets or bold). Also, please excuse the broad strokes this response may take--again, this isn't too refined in it's current state:
Why aren't there more blacks (or minorities besides Asians) present in the Gurlesque? Simple. It literally comes down to the nature of language, and by extension, the polotics involved in (post)colonialism.
For a white female, it is easier (loosely) to dialogue--historical lineage is, for the most part, easily traceable, and the history has been literate for a long time, relatively speaking. Whites do not have to combat race-specific roadblocks as much--white is right, so the only true concept to negotiate are aspects inside, the self, things like the (de)construction of female roles. Add to the fact American society is largely white-based, the ideas to rebel or fashion are more easily relatable (as mentioned).
With Asians, you have a series of fetishisms occuring simultaneously, most specifically, the concept of the exotic other (ala Cho-Cho san/Gallimard in M. Butterfly). Asians, like whites, do not have to necessarily wrestle with race if they don't want to as mainstream society is already fascinated with (or accepted) them.
For blacks, with history/knowledge being more oral/performance based (spirituals/the figure of the griot), the mode in which successive waves of female will discourse will change. Black people tend to be raised in Baptist/religious-heavy ways, where the church (and by extension, the choir) becomes key to life. Black literati now tend to be performers, and more specifically, singers. So, in your search for the black in the Gurlesque, it will need to be found in song-based black disciplines--namely, rap and r&b. Black culture is a weird thing, and there is still a heavy stigma of "being white"/"being 'real'," where traditional, non-performance based/written poetry tends to be grouped as being "white" forms. So, in the black Gurlesque, you'll see reactions to people like Queen Latifah or MC Lyte, Salt N' Pepa by people like Nicki Minaj, Trina, and Lil' Kim.
</end incoherence>
So, what does the above mean? Basically, the way that black culture functions is weird--there is an emphasis (and sometimes, over-emphasis) on being authentic/real. There are still some that believe education is a white institution, and therefore, what's studied within the institutions are white and makes the participants within school, by extension, white. Some blacks feel that "we," as a race, have our own language/method of discourse, one that does not rely on the white notion of literacy--the performative--music. This is why, I feel, when black aspiring poets begin writing poetry, it usually falls into the spoken-word vein--it is what we know, how we already communicate, what we are taught at home. Part of this is, obviously, an attempt to retain some semblance of identity/history without fully assimilating into the "whiteness" of current American society, but at the same time, it truncates what can be experienced.
In terms of blacks in mainstream poetics, I see the same faces mentioned/in anthologies: Terrance Hayes, Yusef Komunyaakaa, Thomas Sayer Ellis, Kevin Young, and Patricia Smith. I know this omits people like Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni, but especially for the last two, I am more familiar with them from an oral perspective. It's weird, sometimes, as I feel like a black writer, if I'm not incorporating black language/images, I'm not being "real" (I mentioned this in an earlier post I think--I'm just weird negotiating my identity, and maybe it's silly to think of text being color blind, but I try to paint images in a way where biographical information doesn't add/subtract from the beauty already present). Anyway, this kind of leads (the mention of these authors) to possibly the concept of a Blackesque.
From the presentation of the Gurlesque, I know this wasn't a conscious creation to have a new mode of discourse--rather, like some other schools, ideas just resonate and then, eventually, a name is put to it. In this case, female poets are navigating ways to re-purpose what America sees as the white female--one of, perhaps, subjugating, limited experience, fit to be molded and shaped by a male. By shocking the audience/writing in a way that does not seem "right" for a female, the female can regain power (be it a little or a lot) out of an unbalanced relationship. Sorry if I screwed the pooch on this explanation, but it's what I got.
Anyway, in terms of the Blackesque, there are two distinct routes I can see it taken: one that rebels against the white society's perception of what it means to be black (historical racial images such as the mammy/pickininy). With this, I guess it implies gender roles, too, as some of the images not only pertain to what it means to be black in society, but a black male/female. I think there's more to "destroy" here, i.e., poems that simultaneously shatter white-defined blackness and white-defined gender ideas, but this a) may be too much work or b) not productive in terms of really addressing issues. These very much may take on the appearance of rants (nothing wrong with that), but I can see how adversely a rant may be taken versus something subtle and smoothly poetic.
The second route can be one that rebels against what our (read: black) society defines as blackness. This, I feel, is more what Gurlesque is doing--by already being white (or Asian) [And again, as stated above], there is one less layer to address--you don't have to worry about addressing race in a poem, just what is said by that race about your gender. By being a black artist, it's easier to navigate what your "own people" set up as ideals for gender. Then, again with the removal of having (possibly) to integrate race politics, you can really focus on gender. An easy pivot point would be mainstream black images, such as BET, and by extension, entertainment. Specifically for a Black Gurlesque, I can see tropes of being "light-skinned" or "dark-skinned" being played with a lot, in addition to what defines sexy, what is appropriate to know, sexually, and especially, how interracial relationships function.
NOTE: the following is kind of the template image I thought of that black artists (or, more specifically, black female poets) could react to--so extremely NSFW it's ridiculous, but it does bear out the idea that if we, as black people, are defining ourselves like this, there's no way in hell that mainstream media isn't seeing this and using it to further ingrain concepts of ourselves that are not true (which is BE option #1)--plus, there's just ton of fodder for black females to exploit for BE option #2)
Again, these are still super-de-dooper rough sketchs, and if I over-simplified/sounded like a D-Bag/sounded unintelligent, I apologize--just needed to get the ideas out.
I would really like to "talk" about this :)
-Glenn
---
Nicki Minaj
I hate Nicki Minaj. Hate her delivery. Hate her flow (she's like Wayne but a female--borderline non-sequitors all over the place that are "visionary"--I could go own, but it will probably start sounding like whining or I'm a "hater"). Anyway, I feel her stuff may be possibly Gurlesque as I think it very much embodies the Carnivalesque and Burlesque--super performative (again, back to her delivery).
Some examples:
Itty Bitty Piggy
Roger That (first verse--her, Tyga, and Lil' Wayne)
Kanye West's "Monster" (her verse starts about 3:35)
Distinctive, Innovative Writing?
Quick preface: I don't read much--I admit this to myself--so what I define as innovative (and bring in) may, in fact, not be as innovative as something that say, Nate B, may bring in. With that little caveat taken care of, I plan to bring in an excerpt (and the book itself) of Nick Flynn's Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. To begin, a I have a poetic man-crush on Flynn--he was the first contemporary poet I really connected with.
I've been writing poetry ever since I can remember, but, well...it started off as big word after big word that amounted to nothing resonant, really. Anyway, in college, during a lit class, I got exposed to Blake's "London" (and then Songs of Innocence/Experience and it took off from there. Then, somehow, either through Bread Loaf or Legitimate Dangers, I saw Flynn and "Cartoon Physics, Part I"--sooooooooooo good. Right up my alley--making the "cold" sciences (in this case, physics) warm with the real life (how perceptions change from childhood to adulthood). Anyway, long story short, I have two of his poetry collections (Some Ether and Blind Huber), and the aforementioned memoir.
The memoir is not so much about Flynn himself, but his connection with his would-be-but-often-deadbeat-aspiring-artist-but-in-his-(the father's)-mind-one-of-the-best-American-Writers-EVAR. Misuse of dashes FTW! Anyway, not only is the writing very...poetic (cop-out, yeah--sue me!), but there are sections (or whole chapters) that take on forms such as his father's thoughts, questionnaires, letters, list of facts, inventories, pattern and variation, plays, fragments, poetry, and Q&A's. In addition, the memoir is not strictly linear, and sometimes, chapters will jump by decades forward and back (often, before the chapter begins, the year of the chapter's action will be signaled via parentheses). I'm not sure what chapter I'll bring to pass out, as I'm really conscious about having something short to not kill many trees, which I guess is a reason I'm bringing in the book, too.
Next entry: the Gurlesque (and the Blackesque--sorta--maybe).
-Glenn
---
Kanye West - All of the Lights
I'm a sucker for major keys (they're "happy") and horns. Very much an anthem, methinks.
Finch - Ink
Main riff catchy/interesting (definitely an odd time-sig--I should count it out, but it feels like 7/8-9/8 [although it may be straight 4/4 but messing with the downbeat but...I doubt it.]). Anyway, fun chorus/breakdown. Another anthem-like song, methinks.
I've been writing poetry ever since I can remember, but, well...it started off as big word after big word that amounted to nothing resonant, really. Anyway, in college, during a lit class, I got exposed to Blake's "London" (and then Songs of Innocence/Experience and it took off from there. Then, somehow, either through Bread Loaf or Legitimate Dangers, I saw Flynn and "Cartoon Physics, Part I"--sooooooooooo good. Right up my alley--making the "cold" sciences (in this case, physics) warm with the real life (how perceptions change from childhood to adulthood). Anyway, long story short, I have two of his poetry collections (Some Ether and Blind Huber), and the aforementioned memoir.
The memoir is not so much about Flynn himself, but his connection with his would-be-but-often-deadbeat-aspiring-artist-but-in-his-(the father's)-mind-one-of-the-best-American-Writers-EVAR. Misuse of dashes FTW! Anyway, not only is the writing very...poetic (cop-out, yeah--sue me!), but there are sections (or whole chapters) that take on forms such as his father's thoughts, questionnaires, letters, list of facts, inventories, pattern and variation, plays, fragments, poetry, and Q&A's. In addition, the memoir is not strictly linear, and sometimes, chapters will jump by decades forward and back (often, before the chapter begins, the year of the chapter's action will be signaled via parentheses). I'm not sure what chapter I'll bring to pass out, as I'm really conscious about having something short to not kill many trees, which I guess is a reason I'm bringing in the book, too.
Next entry: the Gurlesque (and the Blackesque--sorta--maybe).
-Glenn
---
Kanye West - All of the Lights
I'm a sucker for major keys (they're "happy") and horns. Very much an anthem, methinks.
Finch - Ink
Main riff catchy/interesting (definitely an odd time-sig--I should count it out, but it feels like 7/8-9/8 [although it may be straight 4/4 but messing with the downbeat but...I doubt it.]). Anyway, fun chorus/breakdown. Another anthem-like song, methinks.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Speed Rounds, Part Zwei
Enjoyed these rounds a lot more--I think it really had to do with being more fully in control of the style/content. Here, you weren't mimicking or trying to fit ideas into something rigorous; rather, the only thing that changed were perspectives. I like writing from perspectives, and these exercises really showed me that there are tons more perspectives I can write from, especially in terms of relationship poems, then just the male's or female's. I took the long list of rules as only applicable to the "First" round where we chose the perspective ourselves, so if these same sort of rules (such as possible nested stories/physical clues) were to apply to the other perspective--oops.
Anyway, I got a lot of good mileage in the exercises, and most will readily become solid first drafts. There are a few I need to complete more in terms of my mastertape (which means, usually, the addition of something science-y, Christian-y, or both), but boy did some of the poems go places I did not expect in the beginning. That first poem, plus my authority figure, mother, current/ex-romantic partner, and ghost feel most immediately resonant--the child, maybe given more time, and the same with favorite author and stomach gut. I think this once again affirms my "like" of constraints, so long as the constraints do not impact my style.
I think that's it for now--I may or may not write about the Gurlesque.
-Glenn
---
Chevelle - Letter From A Theif
I was obsessed with this song during the summer. I should probably pick up a Chevelle cd eventually, as dude has a sick voice. As comparison, Chevelle is very much like Tool/A Perfect Circle (especially vocal-wise) without the artistic...largesse? of the aforementioned bands. Or, another way to look at Chevelle is as an even poppier version of APC. Hm. I think I more immediately connected to this song as when I hear songs, it triggers other song memories, as x will sound like y--in this case, the chorus of the song reminded me, somehow, of Mr. Big's "Take Cover."
Anyway, I got a lot of good mileage in the exercises, and most will readily become solid first drafts. There are a few I need to complete more in terms of my mastertape (which means, usually, the addition of something science-y, Christian-y, or both), but boy did some of the poems go places I did not expect in the beginning. That first poem, plus my authority figure, mother, current/ex-romantic partner, and ghost feel most immediately resonant--the child, maybe given more time, and the same with favorite author and stomach gut. I think this once again affirms my "like" of constraints, so long as the constraints do not impact my style.
I think that's it for now--I may or may not write about the Gurlesque.
-Glenn
---
Chevelle - Letter From A Theif
I was obsessed with this song during the summer. I should probably pick up a Chevelle cd eventually, as dude has a sick voice. As comparison, Chevelle is very much like Tool/A Perfect Circle (especially vocal-wise) without the artistic...largesse? of the aforementioned bands. Or, another way to look at Chevelle is as an even poppier version of APC. Hm. I think I more immediately connected to this song as when I hear songs, it triggers other song memories, as x will sound like y--in this case, the chorus of the song reminded me, somehow, of Mr. Big's "Take Cover."
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Visuaaaaaaaaaal
So, I'm getting back in the groove of things--expect at least two updates in the coming days. For now, the visual representation of my mastertape which took the form of...a flier.
I have a stranger fascination with fliers--I just like seeing the combination of the written and visual. I'm especially drawn to music fliers--the latest show, cd release, something that has to be highly stylized and immediate. I was stuck on this for a while. As stated in a previous entry, I was thinking in too many directions, and somehow (I don't remember now--probably would have been a nice tie in), I got the image for the following:
What struck me, aside from it's flierness, is the establishment it represents--something from my hometown that is no longer in existence (but, was revived in the movie 8 Mile, but that's another issue altogether). I aped the style but tried to make it as applicable to my project as I could, keeping in mind the main theme (relationship) and how to navigate that theme (the simultaneity of music, science, and Christian imagery). The establishment became "Fish & Chips Music Bar"--I really like the name. Fish is highly symbolic in Christianity; computers (science) run on chips; music bar overtly states music. I also like the slogan I used: "The perfect place to meet, greet, and see what happens next!" I think this sort of lyric fragment/aphorism accurately explains what I've been attempting to do with each work. I don't want the relationships I discuss to be monotonous variations on a bedroom theme, so I like the openness of "seeing what happens next," whether this is something good (like a hookup, proposal, solidifying of a friendship) or something bad (break-up/divorce, loss, or something maybe even darker). The actual visual elements (aside from the fish) I had issues with--I used an existent image as source--this one:
It was crude--some liked the "rawness" of it, but especially since the image is color, that adds additional layers that may be fun. I think I was just being cheap and not wanting to waste color ink, but maybe it's worth it.
As notes for myself (per feedback), I have:
-Use a more archaic/"Jesus Font"
I like this; I want to use Greek, but I have an issue with using Greek as I know what letters are supposed to mean (I smirk at the stylized logo for the ABC Family show Greek, as it literally spells G-R-S-S-K--I think Tom would appreciate that, though). I do have some Old English fonts on my computer (junicode), that may yield an "older" feel to it that will add gravity to the icthus.
-Use Actual Picture
Done and done--my photo manip skills are shit; you don't have to tell me twice
-Use the map on the flier more constructive a la 99 Ways
I like this--there is a small issue with it's relative size and what to put as streets (I guess types of relationships, e.g., "Benefit Lane" would work)...well, I guess that will work. See what typing out ideas will get ya!
-Why chai?
I love chai; I don't even know how it fits, considering the "live music" aspect; maybe I'll find a picture of my playing acoustic, and that will echo the sort of lo-fi/indie-ish feel people, I guess, ascribe when seeing chai advertisted. I guess this dovetails, too, with one person's response (I think it was Jessica) who said the feel was of a "Jesus Band"--I happen to listen to a lot of what's Christcore (which are, for the most part, metal bands that who are open with their faith), and you'd be surprised how many do not fit that "JESUS IS LOOOOOOVE" mode that some may ascribe given the state of contemporary Christian music.
Consider the difference between
and
yeah. but, it is what it is.
I'm excited to re-engage with it...I would like to make it sufficiently bad-ass.
More to come (I promise).
-Glenn
---
So, in terms of current songs, I'll spread them over the next entries. For this one, to balance the "rockness" of the above links, I'll give some "r&bness":
Usher ft. Jay-Z
I'll forgive the fact that the beat sounds, at times, very like the beat to Jay-Z's "On to the Next One," but it's an interesting turn Usher has taken since his divorce--it's like a conscious decision to shed his "good boy" image, one that may have been haunting him since he hit the scene circa the age of 16. This, along with songs like "Little Freak" and "Daddy's Home" do very much go for sex. I don't know, just catchy.
I have a stranger fascination with fliers--I just like seeing the combination of the written and visual. I'm especially drawn to music fliers--the latest show, cd release, something that has to be highly stylized and immediate. I was stuck on this for a while. As stated in a previous entry, I was thinking in too many directions, and somehow (I don't remember now--probably would have been a nice tie in), I got the image for the following:
What struck me, aside from it's flierness, is the establishment it represents--something from my hometown that is no longer in existence (but, was revived in the movie 8 Mile, but that's another issue altogether). I aped the style but tried to make it as applicable to my project as I could, keeping in mind the main theme (relationship) and how to navigate that theme (the simultaneity of music, science, and Christian imagery). The establishment became "Fish & Chips Music Bar"--I really like the name. Fish is highly symbolic in Christianity; computers (science) run on chips; music bar overtly states music. I also like the slogan I used: "The perfect place to meet, greet, and see what happens next!" I think this sort of lyric fragment/aphorism accurately explains what I've been attempting to do with each work. I don't want the relationships I discuss to be monotonous variations on a bedroom theme, so I like the openness of "seeing what happens next," whether this is something good (like a hookup, proposal, solidifying of a friendship) or something bad (break-up/divorce, loss, or something maybe even darker). The actual visual elements (aside from the fish) I had issues with--I used an existent image as source--this one:
It was crude--some liked the "rawness" of it, but especially since the image is color, that adds additional layers that may be fun. I think I was just being cheap and not wanting to waste color ink, but maybe it's worth it.
As notes for myself (per feedback), I have:
-Use a more archaic/"Jesus Font"
I like this; I want to use Greek, but I have an issue with using Greek as I know what letters are supposed to mean (I smirk at the stylized logo for the ABC Family show Greek, as it literally spells G-R-S-S-K--I think Tom would appreciate that, though). I do have some Old English fonts on my computer (junicode), that may yield an "older" feel to it that will add gravity to the icthus.
-Use Actual Picture
Done and done--my photo manip skills are shit; you don't have to tell me twice
-Use the map on the flier more constructive a la 99 Ways
I like this--there is a small issue with it's relative size and what to put as streets (I guess types of relationships, e.g., "Benefit Lane" would work)...well, I guess that will work. See what typing out ideas will get ya!
-Why chai?
I love chai; I don't even know how it fits, considering the "live music" aspect; maybe I'll find a picture of my playing acoustic, and that will echo the sort of lo-fi/indie-ish feel people, I guess, ascribe when seeing chai advertisted. I guess this dovetails, too, with one person's response (I think it was Jessica) who said the feel was of a "Jesus Band"--I happen to listen to a lot of what's Christcore (which are, for the most part, metal bands that who are open with their faith), and you'd be surprised how many do not fit that "JESUS IS LOOOOOOVE" mode that some may ascribe given the state of contemporary Christian music.
Consider the difference between
and
yeah. but, it is what it is.
I'm excited to re-engage with it...I would like to make it sufficiently bad-ass.
More to come (I promise).
-Glenn
---
So, in terms of current songs, I'll spread them over the next entries. For this one, to balance the "rockness" of the above links, I'll give some "r&bness":
Usher ft. Jay-Z
I'll forgive the fact that the beat sounds, at times, very like the beat to Jay-Z's "On to the Next One," but it's an interesting turn Usher has taken since his divorce--it's like a conscious decision to shed his "good boy" image, one that may have been haunting him since he hit the scene circa the age of 16. This, along with songs like "Little Freak" and "Daddy's Home" do very much go for sex. I don't know, just catchy.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday. 10/7.
So, stuffs from class--some makes more sense than others, but that's the way I work. I'll try to order 'em linearly, and I'll also talk a bit about how my visual piece is (not) coming.
Lyric Fragments:
Counterpoint is the easiest test of/for harmony.
Baby Jesus jolting the crowd with guitar solo, his hips gyrating to the bass.
It's all up in here, here where here where we are.
Aphorisms
Music, science, Christianity--each has its own definition of god and sex.
Everything is somehow connected, right?
Relationships never change--only the language used to describe them does.
Some possible visual inspiration if I get super stuck:
Hacked in real life--appropriating concrete items in inappropriate ways.
PostSecret--original text with found images (like postcards).
So, the following here are the various prompts/inventories that we did. Some are widely divergent as the relationship slant (e.g., sex, friendship, break-up, etc.) I take influences where or what is appropriate.
What visual reference(s) come to mind when you think of your mastertape?
R Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet," various operas/musicals, The Watchmen, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion. For the most part,these have "each" of my components in various amounts--the closest would probably be Evangelion, as it is heavy in terms of (mainly) Christian imagery, heavily science-based, and music setting the mood throughout.
What visual aesthetics make sense for this project?
Pop art, Manga/Anime, erotic art, realism, child's first drawing(s).
These decisions are based on accessibility--even though I may get into abstract ideas, I still want the ideas to be made clear in terms of concretes--formats that are purely abstract would not suit this project. Forms where you can see the action, in detail, and still understand without necessarily knowing would be awesome.
Materials to use
Collage, video,(bodily) fluids, wine/bread.
Since I have three main ideas I'm trying to tie into one idea, collage would probably be best, and then the challenge becomes how to make the collage sing without being unnecessary weighed down. Body fluids would be cool, as each mode does have specific fluids associated with it (music-sweat; Christianity-blood; science-any number of chemicals), but that may be going too far.
Color Pallet
Chiaroscuro (which isn't a color pallet, really--don't kill me), blacks/whites, primary colors.
I'm mainly interested in intersections without too much extraneous fluffs--like the concept of light/dark and focusing on bold, resonant colors.
Installation location
Gallery space, adult theater, book, college residence hall.
Again, depending on the end product(s) and how racy.
Map Version
Separate territories for speakers; a common space/border (e.g., bedroom, classroom); landlocked/enclosed by science, music, and religion. Each terratory has space for both regrets and happiness. A space for the undefined/magic of a poem.
Symbols
Caution: floor may be wet; No smoking; No Running.
This, I can probably look up and embed images here.
Inventory
I probably should scan and post, but for now, I drew:
A male and female, a bed, a guitar/music notes, a cross, an angel, a chair, an equal sign, an approximation sign, a logical "or", a box with letters and numbers.
---
In terms of the visual, I think I'm finally narrowing something down--I did a four panel comic, but it felt too much like The Watchmen, specifically in terms of the idea of symmetry (there's literally a page in the middle of that work that is symmetrical, and symmetry isn't exclusively a The Watchmen idea, but it feels so loaded since I know the references). I then tried representing the crucifixion by means of musical symbols, but I was stuck on what the text should be--I threw around some ideas containing representation and sign, but it felt hokey. Maybe I'm over-thinking and trying to be too literal? It seems like I can easily blend two of three of the mastertapes impulses, but it always feels like one is being left out or having a disservice performed to it. Another idea was a Jesus character rocking out on a guitar made like a Newton's cradle, but eh--wackness personified.
So now, the image is going to be a music bar called fish and chips--fish to represent Christianity, chips being digital chips, and music bar is explanatory. Maybe it'll be like an advertisement with a slogan like "The perfect place to meet, greet, and see what happens next." I actually like the way that sounds, as I'm painting, in the end, relationships, and the openness of this phrase allows me to talk about relationships and what happens next, whether this is getting together (in various degrees), separating, or a number of ways things can meet and react. Still conceptualizing what to do outside of the title (visually), but the title, I feel, will be bad-ass.
---
I think I'll end each entry with a song that's inspiring me now, so for today, it is James Labrie's "I Need You." Being a huge Dream Theater fan, I'm very interested by members' side projects. Especially with the recent turmoil of the band (i.e., the drummer who founded the band 25 years ago leaving), it's nice to hear others be productive (though this was recorded/planned before the shenanigans). Why it makes me happy, aside from reminding me of undergrad/my obsession with Gothenburg metal, is that James was very involved in the song writing process. Usually, in Dream Theater, he would literally fly in to lay down vocal tracks--the mindset was that Dream Theater was an instrumental band who just happen to have a singer, so it wasn't necessary for vocal lines/melody input from the damn vocalist, and at times, it would show, as James' voice wouldn't fit a song. Maybe now, he'll be more involved in the process, especially vocally, as he knows his voice best, and probably can take songs to that proverbial next level.
Lyric Fragments:
Counterpoint is the easiest test of/for harmony.
Baby Jesus jolting the crowd with guitar solo, his hips gyrating to the bass.
It's all up in here, here where here where we are.
Aphorisms
Music, science, Christianity--each has its own definition of god and sex.
Everything is somehow connected, right?
Relationships never change--only the language used to describe them does.
Some possible visual inspiration if I get super stuck:
Hacked in real life--appropriating concrete items in inappropriate ways.
PostSecret--original text with found images (like postcards).
So, the following here are the various prompts/inventories that we did. Some are widely divergent as the relationship slant (e.g., sex, friendship, break-up, etc.) I take influences where or what is appropriate.
What visual reference(s) come to mind when you think of your mastertape?
R Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet," various operas/musicals, The Watchmen, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion. For the most part,these have "each" of my components in various amounts--the closest would probably be Evangelion, as it is heavy in terms of (mainly) Christian imagery, heavily science-based, and music setting the mood throughout.
What visual aesthetics make sense for this project?
Pop art, Manga/Anime, erotic art, realism, child's first drawing(s).
These decisions are based on accessibility--even though I may get into abstract ideas, I still want the ideas to be made clear in terms of concretes--formats that are purely abstract would not suit this project. Forms where you can see the action, in detail, and still understand without necessarily knowing would be awesome.
Materials to use
Collage, video,(bodily) fluids, wine/bread.
Since I have three main ideas I'm trying to tie into one idea, collage would probably be best, and then the challenge becomes how to make the collage sing without being unnecessary weighed down. Body fluids would be cool, as each mode does have specific fluids associated with it (music-sweat; Christianity-blood; science-any number of chemicals), but that may be going too far.
Color Pallet
Chiaroscuro (which isn't a color pallet, really--don't kill me), blacks/whites, primary colors.
I'm mainly interested in intersections without too much extraneous fluffs--like the concept of light/dark and focusing on bold, resonant colors.
Installation location
Gallery space, adult theater, book, college residence hall.
Again, depending on the end product(s) and how racy.
Map Version
Separate territories for speakers; a common space/border (e.g., bedroom, classroom); landlocked/enclosed by science, music, and religion. Each terratory has space for both regrets and happiness. A space for the undefined/magic of a poem.
Symbols
Caution: floor may be wet; No smoking; No Running.
This, I can probably look up and embed images here.
Inventory
I probably should scan and post, but for now, I drew:
A male and female, a bed, a guitar/music notes, a cross, an angel, a chair, an equal sign, an approximation sign, a logical "or", a box with letters and numbers.
---
In terms of the visual, I think I'm finally narrowing something down--I did a four panel comic, but it felt too much like The Watchmen, specifically in terms of the idea of symmetry (there's literally a page in the middle of that work that is symmetrical, and symmetry isn't exclusively a The Watchmen idea, but it feels so loaded since I know the references). I then tried representing the crucifixion by means of musical symbols, but I was stuck on what the text should be--I threw around some ideas containing representation and sign, but it felt hokey. Maybe I'm over-thinking and trying to be too literal? It seems like I can easily blend two of three of the mastertapes impulses, but it always feels like one is being left out or having a disservice performed to it. Another idea was a Jesus character rocking out on a guitar made like a Newton's cradle, but eh--wackness personified.
So now, the image is going to be a music bar called fish and chips--fish to represent Christianity, chips being digital chips, and music bar is explanatory. Maybe it'll be like an advertisement with a slogan like "The perfect place to meet, greet, and see what happens next." I actually like the way that sounds, as I'm painting, in the end, relationships, and the openness of this phrase allows me to talk about relationships and what happens next, whether this is getting together (in various degrees), separating, or a number of ways things can meet and react. Still conceptualizing what to do outside of the title (visually), but the title, I feel, will be bad-ass.
---
I think I'll end each entry with a song that's inspiring me now, so for today, it is James Labrie's "I Need You." Being a huge Dream Theater fan, I'm very interested by members' side projects. Especially with the recent turmoil of the band (i.e., the drummer who founded the band 25 years ago leaving), it's nice to hear others be productive (though this was recorded/planned before the shenanigans). Why it makes me happy, aside from reminding me of undergrad/my obsession with Gothenburg metal, is that James was very involved in the song writing process. Usually, in Dream Theater, he would literally fly in to lay down vocal tracks--the mindset was that Dream Theater was an instrumental band who just happen to have a singer, so it wasn't necessary for vocal lines/melody input from the damn vocalist, and at times, it would show, as James' voice wouldn't fit a song. Maybe now, he'll be more involved in the process, especially vocally, as he knows his voice best, and probably can take songs to that proverbial next level.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Keep it Tight
Sometimes, I get so bogged down in concepts within my poems that I forget to make things aurally pleasing. I like playing with sounds--not exactly strict rhyme schemes or meters, but a natural flow in terms of word. I try to ensure that every word, regardless of its complexities, fits the line--everything smooth like butter. You know what's helpful for this? Rap. Sure, topically, there's not much diversity, especially for mainstream rap, but some cats just have raw flows--you're just in the moment of each bar, not really listening to words or their accumulated meanings, but just the sounds. For those who have tight wordplay, those subsequent listens only strengthen the play of sounds, moment after moment of "did he really just say that?" A good thing. This could inform my actual readings, too (if I ever have them)--this doesn't mean I'm going to spit poems like verses, but rapping is all about pacing, so maybe I can tie this pacing into sounds, too. So, currently, my prototypical chair is Jay Electronica's "Exhibit C." I was going to post other songs but, well...rap tends to get very racy. Very.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
I thought that was clear / LONG UPDATE
Something I'm running into recently are clarity issues. I like to think my work is clear; in fact, one of the reason why I avoid abstractions for abstractions' sake stems from what I feel is a bad turn in terms of American poetics: the dissolution of narrative in favor of the "OMG, we're in the (post-)modern condition--our lives are so fragmented--I'm flush with ennui and memorized manifestos throughout various disciplines." I think it's just the way my mind processes information.
I'm an inherently "logic first" person, so it's harder for me to see connections issues when/if they exist, as I can relatively easily rationalize the connections in my head. I thought my bra poem was sufficiently clear, playing with being in both the present and past, and how indecision can eventually relent and become a decision that is only good for the moment(s) of the action. Obviously, I was wrong--my bra was "too intellectual," and no one ever talks to bras (even though there probably could be empirical studies done to show where focus lies when a male speaks to females--eyes wander [I'm not saying rightly or wrongly]).
That stanza, mainly, was to show a kind of "stasis" the bra maintains--there is so much that depends on the bra being on or off (love to creepily pervert WC Williams), which is what I thought the poem hinged on. External forces becoming impatient with the bra being on; the bra only wanting the best for her wearer. I think this why I may have taken exception to the idea for the bra being "friends" with the male article of clothing named at the end--maybe friend was the wrong word (maybe it should have been acquaintances?)--if you are around someone enough, people will ascribe the label of friend rightfully or not. I didn't mean this as some quirky tone shift--I, again, meant it more as this sort of situation where familiarity doesn't always means pleasantness--being stripped, even if consensual, doesn't always mean the parties will feel the "best" about it. That may get into a deeper issue altogether that my poem (or me, currently), doesn't want to address, but I guess I require too much suspension of belief, or overly trust the reader to get my intended meaning.
Everything is open for interpretation--I welcome that--but defining what is and isn't possible for an inanimate object seems...weird. Or counterproductive. What if one of my risks (it wasn't, but still) was making the seemingly nonsensical make sense? What happens if I would have named dropped Derrida or Wolfgang Iser or I.A. Richards and said, "them the gaps--fill them with your baggage"? Maybe I'll revise it with the concept of "this is a bra" and make sure the things are within the bra's reality...or make it a bra polyptotes. I plan on revising each of the six exercise poems I created anyway, and I did get good feedback in terms of strengthening the piece in its current state (I'm not saying I didn't), but...yeah.
While waiting for my wife's hair to be done, I typed the following into the memo section of my phone as a start to a poem, but it may fit here, too: "I have a distinctly different concept of funny. Maybe it's because i see simulacrum in everything, including the 'real'." Does simulacrum have a point in this poem? Maybe if only that things are being represented. But, if I poorly (and circularly) connect this back to me being primarily a "logic" thinker, if I see everything, regardless of it's level of realness as fake, does that taint how I structure things? Dream logic doesn't work outside of dreams--maybe the notion "I know exactly what this means" is only applicable if someone is as warped or non-sequitor as me. Oops.
As a less heavy aside, I've started the image search--I don't know how I'll bring 'em in with me, but I definitely have a firm grip of "what" to look for. I'm debating finding relationship images (as all my poems, whether I want to or not, tend to be about relationships), but music, science, and Christian imagery are no-brainers: the circle of fifths, band/artist images, sheet music; Fibonacci images in nature (sunflowers, shells, etc), hyperbolas, areas shaded under a curve, diagrams of various body systems (like cns, lymphatic), Newton's cradle; rosaries, crosses, crowns, silver coins, fire. I'll think about them more tomorrow (and the weekend), and may just narrow it to the top 2-3 in each category to provide a) the most inspiration and b) to cut down how many trees I'm killin'.
This feels like a lot--then again, I've been "away" from the blog for a while, relatively speaking. I feel I should go through and wantonly quote some words now...but I've learned my lesson :)
So, I'll end with some fun stuffs (as the vast majority of this has been heavy), and post the topfive six songs I've been grooving to lately--I always write with music (whether as a response or just something to help the juices flow), so maybe you'll find inspiration in my selections, too. I'll provide a rationale for each and then BAM! you with an embedded youtube link for your convenience. Some of these may not be work safe, but I warned you in my initial post about that!
I guess these are in some sort of significant order, too:
1. Cynic - Integral Birth
I discovered Cynic a few years back (they're actually quite "old" as bands go, but with only two full lengths, widely spaced apart in time). I'm a big fan of prog (progressive music [rock, metal, etc]), and rightfully or not, an association with prog is excess and decadence, along with technical proficiency (forebearers: Yes, Rush, King Crimson, UK, early Genesis, ELP)--newer prog is more in the metal vein, which is usually associated with technicality (whether this is speed, technique, or both). Cynic is technically proficient, but there's something...rewarding about the vocals--the sort of detached/futuristic feel they take, in contrast with the growled vocals. Musically, if you're a fan of tech, this has everything--groovy bass and drum lines, a nice chord progression, and hella tasty solos (specifically, for me, the second one is especially nice--I may try to cover it on the acoustic, as I think it's just within my proficiency scope). The image repeated in the chorus "a million doves / orbit round the earth with tears of blood" seems so beautifully restrained and poetic simultaneously.
2. The Receiving End of Sirens - Planning a Prison Break
Their lyrics, I feel, are so poetic, in addition to the additional textures they get from three singers. Very uplifting/contemplative, especially the idea of transcending the body and announcing that "this is the last night in my body." That, it's a bit refreshing (if you get more into TREOS' oeuvre), that a band not strictly math/metalcore experiments with odd time signatures and breakdowns. Go fig.
3. Keyshia Cole and Monica - Trust
I've been getting more into/back to R&B lately--maybe it's an attempt to reconcile with my roots, maybe it's a result of me not having an access/outlet to play "heavy" music since I'm no longer in a "college town"--and I'm not sad with my choice. To be perfectly honest, a lot of R&B (or what mainstream society [and, to an extent, what minority society perpetrates]) is shit, musically, holistically. The premium now, really, is having a catchy beat/hook--lyrics aren't really a premium, but if the song has sufficient knock (read: car-rattling bass), a solid horn section, or a random appearance from someone from Young Money (Lil' Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Tyga et al.), you're money. Telling realistic stories with emotions seems abandoned in favor of tales of excess, bottle of rosay and moscato, the finest dro, the finest hoes, etc. This song is about a simple concept: trust. The song wants that eternal relationship, wants to be one, realizes that life is so complicated yet making the attempt to trust can be so important. Man. Think about the chorus: "I know you've seen a lot of things in your life / It got you feeling like this can't be right /
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby." 'Nuff said.
4. The Dream - Sex Intelligent
Straight up, this is nothing but guilty listening and me living vicariously through The Dream. The lyrics are...well, interesting. Interpret interesting whatever way you want after listening. I've posted this before--unfortunately, most versions on youtube aren't the one that's on the cd (I've explained this in an earlier post, but it may bear repeating). Also, my wife dislikes me singing this song. I wonder why.
5. Alicia Keys ft Drake - Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)
Plain and simple, one of the few songs in recent memory that have almost made me cry. Listening closely to the lyrics, it's a "bad" song in terms of content (the speaker saying she's ready, essentially, to be the other woman [which may mirror how she functioned in real life in terms of Swizz Beats, but that means nothing to you if you don't follow the urban music scene]), but man is there just an overall chill vibe and stunning vocal performances (maybe more for Drake, as his singing seems to benefit in other songs from the "judicious" use of Auto-Tune). Still, resonant. Very much. The wife doesn't like when I sing this, either.
EDIT
6. The Dillinger Escape Plan - The Widower
Shows maturity (not that dissonance isn't mature), but seems a logical progression from the last track of their previous effort, Ire Works, entitled "Mouth of Ghosts." There is the "typical" DEP shenaningans we've (and by we've, I mean people who fancy this brand of music) come to expect near the end, but something reads "powerful" in this song, even if the lyrics don't make a hell of a lot of sense. The idea of breathing someone's name after they leave is haunting.
-Glenn
I'm an inherently "logic first" person, so it's harder for me to see connections issues when/if they exist, as I can relatively easily rationalize the connections in my head. I thought my bra poem was sufficiently clear, playing with being in both the present and past, and how indecision can eventually relent and become a decision that is only good for the moment(s) of the action. Obviously, I was wrong--my bra was "too intellectual," and no one ever talks to bras (even though there probably could be empirical studies done to show where focus lies when a male speaks to females--eyes wander [I'm not saying rightly or wrongly]).
That stanza, mainly, was to show a kind of "stasis" the bra maintains--there is so much that depends on the bra being on or off (love to creepily pervert WC Williams), which is what I thought the poem hinged on. External forces becoming impatient with the bra being on; the bra only wanting the best for her wearer. I think this why I may have taken exception to the idea for the bra being "friends" with the male article of clothing named at the end--maybe friend was the wrong word (maybe it should have been acquaintances?)--if you are around someone enough, people will ascribe the label of friend rightfully or not. I didn't mean this as some quirky tone shift--I, again, meant it more as this sort of situation where familiarity doesn't always means pleasantness--being stripped, even if consensual, doesn't always mean the parties will feel the "best" about it. That may get into a deeper issue altogether that my poem (or me, currently), doesn't want to address, but I guess I require too much suspension of belief, or overly trust the reader to get my intended meaning.
Everything is open for interpretation--I welcome that--but defining what is and isn't possible for an inanimate object seems...weird. Or counterproductive. What if one of my risks (it wasn't, but still) was making the seemingly nonsensical make sense? What happens if I would have named dropped Derrida or Wolfgang Iser or I.A. Richards and said, "them the gaps--fill them with your baggage"? Maybe I'll revise it with the concept of "this is a bra" and make sure the things are within the bra's reality...or make it a bra polyptotes. I plan on revising each of the six exercise poems I created anyway, and I did get good feedback in terms of strengthening the piece in its current state (I'm not saying I didn't), but...yeah.
While waiting for my wife's hair to be done, I typed the following into the memo section of my phone as a start to a poem, but it may fit here, too: "I have a distinctly different concept of funny. Maybe it's because i see simulacrum in everything, including the 'real'." Does simulacrum have a point in this poem? Maybe if only that things are being represented. But, if I poorly (and circularly) connect this back to me being primarily a "logic" thinker, if I see everything, regardless of it's level of realness as fake, does that taint how I structure things? Dream logic doesn't work outside of dreams--maybe the notion "I know exactly what this means" is only applicable if someone is as warped or non-sequitor as me. Oops.
As a less heavy aside, I've started the image search--I don't know how I'll bring 'em in with me, but I definitely have a firm grip of "what" to look for. I'm debating finding relationship images (as all my poems, whether I want to or not, tend to be about relationships), but music, science, and Christian imagery are no-brainers: the circle of fifths, band/artist images, sheet music; Fibonacci images in nature (sunflowers, shells, etc), hyperbolas, areas shaded under a curve, diagrams of various body systems (like cns, lymphatic), Newton's cradle; rosaries, crosses, crowns, silver coins, fire. I'll think about them more tomorrow (and the weekend), and may just narrow it to the top 2-3 in each category to provide a) the most inspiration and b) to cut down how many trees I'm killin'.
This feels like a lot--then again, I've been "away" from the blog for a while, relatively speaking. I feel I should go through and wantonly quote some words now...but I've learned my lesson :)
So, I'll end with some fun stuffs (as the vast majority of this has been heavy), and post the top
I guess these are in some sort of significant order, too:
1. Cynic - Integral Birth
I discovered Cynic a few years back (they're actually quite "old" as bands go, but with only two full lengths, widely spaced apart in time). I'm a big fan of prog (progressive music [rock, metal, etc]), and rightfully or not, an association with prog is excess and decadence, along with technical proficiency (forebearers: Yes, Rush, King Crimson, UK, early Genesis, ELP)--newer prog is more in the metal vein, which is usually associated with technicality (whether this is speed, technique, or both). Cynic is technically proficient, but there's something...rewarding about the vocals--the sort of detached/futuristic feel they take, in contrast with the growled vocals. Musically, if you're a fan of tech, this has everything--groovy bass and drum lines, a nice chord progression, and hella tasty solos (specifically, for me, the second one is especially nice--I may try to cover it on the acoustic, as I think it's just within my proficiency scope). The image repeated in the chorus "a million doves / orbit round the earth with tears of blood" seems so beautifully restrained and poetic simultaneously.
2. The Receiving End of Sirens - Planning a Prison Break
Their lyrics, I feel, are so poetic, in addition to the additional textures they get from three singers. Very uplifting/contemplative, especially the idea of transcending the body and announcing that "this is the last night in my body." That, it's a bit refreshing (if you get more into TREOS' oeuvre), that a band not strictly math/metalcore experiments with odd time signatures and breakdowns. Go fig.
3. Keyshia Cole and Monica - Trust
I've been getting more into/back to R&B lately--maybe it's an attempt to reconcile with my roots, maybe it's a result of me not having an access/outlet to play "heavy" music since I'm no longer in a "college town"--and I'm not sad with my choice. To be perfectly honest, a lot of R&B (or what mainstream society [and, to an extent, what minority society perpetrates]) is shit, musically, holistically. The premium now, really, is having a catchy beat/hook--lyrics aren't really a premium, but if the song has sufficient knock (read: car-rattling bass), a solid horn section, or a random appearance from someone from Young Money (Lil' Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Tyga et al.), you're money. Telling realistic stories with emotions seems abandoned in favor of tales of excess, bottle of rosay and moscato, the finest dro, the finest hoes, etc. This song is about a simple concept: trust. The song wants that eternal relationship, wants to be one, realizes that life is so complicated yet making the attempt to trust can be so important. Man. Think about the chorus: "I know you've seen a lot of things in your life / It got you feeling like this can't be right /
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby." 'Nuff said.
4. The Dream - Sex Intelligent
Straight up, this is nothing but guilty listening and me living vicariously through The Dream. The lyrics are...well, interesting. Interpret interesting whatever way you want after listening. I've posted this before--unfortunately, most versions on youtube aren't the one that's on the cd (I've explained this in an earlier post, but it may bear repeating). Also, my wife dislikes me singing this song. I wonder why.
5. Alicia Keys ft Drake - Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)
Plain and simple, one of the few songs in recent memory that have almost made me cry. Listening closely to the lyrics, it's a "bad" song in terms of content (the speaker saying she's ready, essentially, to be the other woman [which may mirror how she functioned in real life in terms of Swizz Beats, but that means nothing to you if you don't follow the urban music scene]), but man is there just an overall chill vibe and stunning vocal performances (maybe more for Drake, as his singing seems to benefit in other songs from the "judicious" use of Auto-Tune). Still, resonant. Very much. The wife doesn't like when I sing this, either.
EDIT
6. The Dillinger Escape Plan - The Widower
Shows maturity (not that dissonance isn't mature), but seems a logical progression from the last track of their previous effort, Ire Works, entitled "Mouth of Ghosts." There is the "typical" DEP shenaningans we've (and by we've, I mean people who fancy this brand of music) come to expect near the end, but something reads "powerful" in this song, even if the lyrics don't make a hell of a lot of sense. The idea of breathing someone's name after they leave is haunting.
-Glenn
Friday, September 24, 2010
Trot/Reflection on "Speed Rounds"
Alrighty, folks--so I'm about there--maybe a slight tweak here and there, but peep the following:
My mastertape is sketching relationships through the simultaneous prisms of science, christian religious imagery, and musical imagery (both in terms of theory and allusions to extant works).
My notes: "Extant works" will be narrowed (soon) to Pop (which will allow me a lot of variety in terms of what's "popular"), or R&B (as I'm currently obsessed with what I dub "guilty pleasure" R&B, or R&B that is essentially varying degrees of overtness in terms of baby-making-music™). Either way, it will encourage me to a) listen to more music (oh darn!) and b) incorporate what's already in this ol brain into new poems (can you say new jack swing, baby!).
In terms of the speed rounds:
I did this twice--the first time, I was re-doing my trot (oops), but I think that helped me narrow my scope. In terms of actual writing creative works, some felt "better" than others--specifically, "Logical Analysis" was still very helpful/resulted in some intriguing stuffs to investigate, but I was surprised how much "life" my poem from "Animism" gained--a talking bra = FTW.
My "Negatives" poem feels...sloppy, as it was weird trying to find opposites (or stuffs with enough contrast) to fit the either...or...this format. "Hesitation" was "ok," but I definitely need to build on it. "Olfactory" yielded some ideas that I have to tease out, and "Polytopes" may also be saucy. I think each poem does have something to salvage, and it is a lot clearer with these poems (versus using my normal process) that there is still tons of work to be done. I do enjoys the rigors of requirements, but with so much of the style choice out of my hands (and not topic), I felt it much more difficult to generate things. But I still generated things, which is cool. And I really enjoy the revision process, as I've begun to treat poems I'm supremely dissatisfied with as nothing more than glorified word banks, cutting and moving as needed. For these specific exercises, I will try to stay as true to the translated original as I can...but maybe some creative rule-breaking here and there may be warranted.
Also, I should be getting awesomer as the semester progresses, as I shouldn't feel like death in the coming weeks. Been sick since school started--hopefully it didn't show (or catch!).
-Glenn
My mastertape is sketching relationships through the simultaneous prisms of science, christian religious imagery, and musical imagery (both in terms of theory and allusions to extant works).
My notes: "Extant works" will be narrowed (soon) to Pop (which will allow me a lot of variety in terms of what's "popular"), or R&B (as I'm currently obsessed with what I dub "guilty pleasure" R&B, or R&B that is essentially varying degrees of overtness in terms of baby-making-music™). Either way, it will encourage me to a) listen to more music (oh darn!) and b) incorporate what's already in this ol brain into new poems (can you say new jack swing, baby!).
In terms of the speed rounds:
I did this twice--the first time, I was re-doing my trot (oops), but I think that helped me narrow my scope. In terms of actual writing creative works, some felt "better" than others--specifically, "Logical Analysis" was still very helpful/resulted in some intriguing stuffs to investigate, but I was surprised how much "life" my poem from "Animism" gained--a talking bra = FTW.
My "Negatives" poem feels...sloppy, as it was weird trying to find opposites (or stuffs with enough contrast) to fit the either...or...this format. "Hesitation" was "ok," but I definitely need to build on it. "Olfactory" yielded some ideas that I have to tease out, and "Polytopes" may also be saucy. I think each poem does have something to salvage, and it is a lot clearer with these poems (versus using my normal process) that there is still tons of work to be done. I do enjoys the rigors of requirements, but with so much of the style choice out of my hands (and not topic), I felt it much more difficult to generate things. But I still generated things, which is cool. And I really enjoy the revision process, as I've begun to treat poems I'm supremely dissatisfied with as nothing more than glorified word banks, cutting and moving as needed. For these specific exercises, I will try to stay as true to the translated original as I can...but maybe some creative rule-breaking here and there may be warranted.
Also, I should be getting awesomer as the semester progresses, as I shouldn't feel like death in the coming weeks. Been sick since school started--hopefully it didn't show (or catch!).
-Glenn
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Light v Dark
Again, (somewhat) philosophical thoughts stemming from Stevens/Moore. Distilled: what is the role of the poet/poetry once a/the realization is made that there is no/maybe no First Idea/prototype/ideal, that there is no "true" universal in terms of objects/emotions, and that each poet is (really) creating fictions that a reader can consciously choose to engage with on whims?
This idea (or would it be these ideas?) stem from Stevens' "Ideas of Order at Key West," "The Snow Man," and "The Man Whose Pharynx Was Bad"--"Ideas" is so "positive," I feel, because it seems to drive home the idea that potential alone is an argument for why poetry exists. Even though an attempt to paint reality is futile (as hinted by the allegory of the cave), these attempts provide inspiring moments, maybe in terms of the harmony of sounds only. Language, as concept, is inherently abstract--rules sorta/kinda agreed on to make communication possible. But you strip away meaning, and what do you have? The careful ordering of sounds. Consider operas--when people cry, is it over the (sometimes overwrought) writing, or the power that the voice alone, with careful training, can evoke?
The downside (as hinted by "Snow" and "Pharynx") is this highlight of representation--at it core, poems are just exercises in "nothing"--nothing is "truly" gained/lost by the poetic process, especially if one chooses to ignore a poem altogether. Essentially, poems do not "shed light" on human conditions; rather, they widen the nets of darkness that exist already in an uncertain (or possibly absurd) life.
The debate then has, as its basic premise, the following questions: is potential alone a reason for poetry? Is the notion of what the self, when properly motivated and "trained," can do enough? Is poetry, being very reductive, just an act of (sometimes) shared acts of solipsism that allows the self to transcend and be rewarded with immortality?
Some tough questions to wrestle with, especially an aesthetic like mine that values more the "real" in terms of visceral that can be elicited, not necessarily language games.
-Glenn
This idea (or would it be these ideas?) stem from Stevens' "Ideas of Order at Key West," "The Snow Man," and "The Man Whose Pharynx Was Bad"--"Ideas" is so "positive," I feel, because it seems to drive home the idea that potential alone is an argument for why poetry exists. Even though an attempt to paint reality is futile (as hinted by the allegory of the cave), these attempts provide inspiring moments, maybe in terms of the harmony of sounds only. Language, as concept, is inherently abstract--rules sorta/kinda agreed on to make communication possible. But you strip away meaning, and what do you have? The careful ordering of sounds. Consider operas--when people cry, is it over the (sometimes overwrought) writing, or the power that the voice alone, with careful training, can evoke?
The downside (as hinted by "Snow" and "Pharynx") is this highlight of representation--at it core, poems are just exercises in "nothing"--nothing is "truly" gained/lost by the poetic process, especially if one chooses to ignore a poem altogether. Essentially, poems do not "shed light" on human conditions; rather, they widen the nets of darkness that exist already in an uncertain (or possibly absurd) life.
The debate then has, as its basic premise, the following questions: is potential alone a reason for poetry? Is the notion of what the self, when properly motivated and "trained," can do enough? Is poetry, being very reductive, just an act of (sometimes) shared acts of solipsism that allows the self to transcend and be rewarded with immortality?
Some tough questions to wrestle with, especially an aesthetic like mine that values more the "real" in terms of visceral that can be elicited, not necessarily language games.
-Glenn
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Theory?
One interesting idea brought up by some of discussions in Thursdays (9/16) class was theory. Things like semiotics or "flarf" (which, I think may be less theory) made me wonder about the role theory should play for a poet. I know, at least for me, that my MA in creative writing was more of an "English" degree in the sense that there was a lot less craft and a lot more "English" (took a theory class [have the Norton on my shelf], Old English, and lit classes more focused on English canon than necessarily poetic canon). I'm familiar with these terms, and if not in my immediate recall memory, a quick glance at a book/existent notes make the ideas "pop" fresh. So the point--if the MFA is a "craft" degree, what sort of premium should there be on "theory" outside of poetics? Should a writer be familiar/well versed in things like semiotics or post-colonial theory, reader response or new historicism, difference and hermeneutics? I think some of these come intuitively, and as tools, how "helpful" are they if someone wants to simply "produce" rather than "critique"?
I know for me I like having this sort of theoretically background as I like entertaining academic discussions in person, and sometimes I find these theories opens up ideas that I can address in poems without having it read as a lecture (I know for sure I have a few poems about sign/signifier/signified). However, if a writer wants to write purely from "life," why does the writer need to know "academically" about the oppressed--wouldn't the writer eventually get close (or nail) these sorts of theory by experience alone?
I guess this is neither an argument for or against theory in a "craft" setting--rather, I find it interesting how a "little" knowledge can go so far.
hmph.
-Glenn
I know for me I like having this sort of theoretically background as I like entertaining academic discussions in person, and sometimes I find these theories opens up ideas that I can address in poems without having it read as a lecture (I know for sure I have a few poems about sign/signifier/signified). However, if a writer wants to write purely from "life," why does the writer need to know "academically" about the oppressed--wouldn't the writer eventually get close (or nail) these sorts of theory by experience alone?
I guess this is neither an argument for or against theory in a "craft" setting--rather, I find it interesting how a "little" knowledge can go so far.
hmph.
-Glenn
Saturday, September 18, 2010
I'm being bombarded with ideas...
...and I love it. Love trying to connect the (seemingly) disparate or more generally, being autodidact. Reading Harold Bloom on Stevens in Stevens and Moore, and the ideas of ethos/pathos/logos is really resonating with me. He defines them in a way that is weird, initially, but it begins to make sense and essentially breaks down into limits/boundaries, potential/movement, and recognition/actualization.
I've been consciously trying to work some Bloom into poems to give me a better hang of it, and I think this knowledge deepens how I can work through relationships (or, I think as mentioned earlier, maybe my "main" theme is binaries). Binaries are all about ethos--limits. The liminal spaces that are physically manifested like shorelines or walls or mentally presented like self-doubt and wonderment. I think I like working so much in binaries because I feel there is so much to be learned/gained in this "middle" and pushing "outward." I think it also allows me deeper reflection onto my own feelings, what "gray areas" they touch and how they may be reconciled/resolved into something more firm. I just want to ensure this resolution isn't something "extreme"--just because there are two sides of the wall doesn't mean both can't be walked equally or that the wall shouldn't be used as balance beam.
So:
-Theory in poems without beating theory over reader's head = fun; interesting; positive adjective x.
-Bloom's specific idea of ethos/limits = what I play with in poems--I now have another point of reference for what I "do."
-Glenn
I've been consciously trying to work some Bloom into poems to give me a better hang of it, and I think this knowledge deepens how I can work through relationships (or, I think as mentioned earlier, maybe my "main" theme is binaries). Binaries are all about ethos--limits. The liminal spaces that are physically manifested like shorelines or walls or mentally presented like self-doubt and wonderment. I think I like working so much in binaries because I feel there is so much to be learned/gained in this "middle" and pushing "outward." I think it also allows me deeper reflection onto my own feelings, what "gray areas" they touch and how they may be reconciled/resolved into something more firm. I just want to ensure this resolution isn't something "extreme"--just because there are two sides of the wall doesn't mean both can't be walked equally or that the wall shouldn't be used as balance beam.
So:
-Theory in poems without beating theory over reader's head = fun; interesting; positive adjective x.
-Bloom's specific idea of ethos/limits = what I play with in poems--I now have another point of reference for what I "do."
-Glenn
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Binaries
I dug the additional binaries people came up with the poem I submitted as part of my "mastertape" work. The only one I consciously "wrote" was between the "sacred" and "secular" in terms of viewing sex, but people saw beyond this to deeper religious motifs (such as what it means to pray and the interplay of god/the devil), additional relationships such as the internal versus the external, and also the (in)adequacies of language. With that in mind, on the Metra home, I just generated a shit-ton (well, for about 10 minutes) of possible binaries/relationships to explore. Well, would it be more appropriate to discuss that my work focuses on "binaries" as the "biggest" theme, with "relationships" being just one binary? I think it may. Anyway, list (some are already mentioned above, but I'll rename then--if someone in this class stumbles across this blog [or if I end up giving the URL and this is still "early" on the page), please offer additional suggestions (also, I won't "quote" things like "right," etc, as I think this tension is implied):
Language as adequate versus language as inadequate; Good versus evil; Internal versus external; Light versus dark; Right versus wrong; Sacred versus secular; Hot versus cold; Black versus white; Old versus young; Old versus new; Thought versus action; Blindness versus sight; Natural versus the scientific; Sound versus deafness; Fast versus slow; Endless versus finite; Ephemeral versus permanence;
Isolated versus surrounded; Gravity versus weightlessness; Happy versus sad; Fucking versus making love; Genuine versus trite; Original versus copy; Truth versus lie;
Life versus death; Movement versus stasis; Euphony versus cacophony
Language as adequate versus language as inadequate; Good versus evil; Internal versus external; Light versus dark; Right versus wrong; Sacred versus secular; Hot versus cold; Black versus white; Old versus young; Old versus new; Thought versus action; Blindness versus sight; Natural versus the scientific; Sound versus deafness; Fast versus slow; Endless versus finite; Ephemeral versus permanence;
Isolated versus surrounded; Gravity versus weightlessness; Happy versus sad; Fucking versus making love; Genuine versus trite; Original versus copy; Truth versus lie;
Life versus death; Movement versus stasis; Euphony versus cacophony
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Imagistic
I got (sorta, in a half, roundabout way) compared to Imagist Pound in workshop earlier. I guess that's what throwing in a "Pound's metro" will do to you. I still think it's very appropriate to my current focus: relationships. I think I much prefer images, as the pictures they can create can do so much more for a poem. I think about Tony Hoagland's notion of three poetic "chakras": diction, image, and rhetoric, and I very much identify myself as an "image" poet. While my word choices are conscious, they are not my meaning--rather, they work more in concert to sharper/refine an image I wish to capture. I find myself employing little, if any, rhetoric in my work, as again, I try to let the situations "speak" without providing commentary/direction. I guess this makes my rule update (specifically in terms of metaphor/simile) more relevant--metaphors allow for a more a more striking/arresting image. Consider Pound's "Metro" in its current state:
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
This is "classic" metaphor--the "is" is implied making the direct substitution/connection between the faces and petals on a bough. Consider how this changes if this becomes
The apparition of these faces in the crowd are like
Petals on a wet, black bough. (emphasis, obviously mine).
To me, there's something less...fresh or compelling here. It seems more common, like "oh yeah, the images are kinda like that." Making that (in my opinion) bold choice to say that's what they are offers the reader something meaty in terms of equating human features in all their complexities to the complexities of both a petal, a wet petal, and how this exists on a black bough.
-Glenn
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
This is "classic" metaphor--the "is" is implied making the direct substitution/connection between the faces and petals on a bough. Consider how this changes if this becomes
The apparition of these faces in the crowd are like
Petals on a wet, black bough. (emphasis, obviously mine).
To me, there's something less...fresh or compelling here. It seems more common, like "oh yeah, the images are kinda like that." Making that (in my opinion) bold choice to say that's what they are offers the reader something meaty in terms of equating human features in all their complexities to the complexities of both a petal, a wet petal, and how this exists on a black bough.
-Glenn
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Double Post--but nothing (much) in terms of consequence
Revision, upon further reading, of my ten rules:
10 Rules (For Writing Like Glenn Taylor)
1. Use music as inspiration during the whole process, whatever you define the “process” to be.
2. Keep it short and sweet.
3. Make line-length flexible and variable.
4. Make sure the poem is aurally/sonically tight.
5. Compose mainly in the first person.
6. Avoid abstractions for abstraction’s sake.
7. When debating between simile and metaphor: metaphor.
8. Focus more on the emotions, not the intellectual.
9. Use allusions/facts/knowledge to ground the poem in reality.
10. Make use of the major theme of relationships (living or non-living) in the poem.
I feel more comfortable with "this" set, as it is much more refined/imperative (this is where I went after initial posting and thinking/revision), and I think it addresses something more directly in my previous posts--figures of speech. While wit/[black/off-] humor is a part of who I am as a poet, I think a "bigger" rule concerns the use of figures of speech. Metaphors win, as noted by the previous entry, on account of their (or what I perceive to be their) directness or precision in terms of "meaning." And, I can definitely see how these rules can begin to overlap/blend to form the harmonious (e.g., injecting fact-based metaphors to take abstractions beyond the state of simply "existing" as abstractions). With that in mind, I a) may edit my previous analysis (or "checklist") of a poem entitled "Laws of Motion" or b) just keep this in mind with future projects specifically for this class.
Whew.
Also--should these all begin as "must" e.g. must use music...?
-Glenn
10 Rules (For Writing Like Glenn Taylor)
1. Use music as inspiration during the whole process, whatever you define the “process” to be.
2. Keep it short and sweet.
3. Make line-length flexible and variable.
4. Make sure the poem is aurally/sonically tight.
5. Compose mainly in the first person.
6. Avoid abstractions for abstraction’s sake.
7. When debating between simile and metaphor: metaphor.
8. Focus more on the emotions, not the intellectual.
9. Use allusions/facts/knowledge to ground the poem in reality.
10. Make use of the major theme of relationships (living or non-living) in the poem.
I feel more comfortable with "this" set, as it is much more refined/imperative (this is where I went after initial posting and thinking/revision), and I think it addresses something more directly in my previous posts--figures of speech. While wit/[black/off-] humor is a part of who I am as a poet, I think a "bigger" rule concerns the use of figures of speech. Metaphors win, as noted by the previous entry, on account of their (or what I perceive to be their) directness or precision in terms of "meaning." And, I can definitely see how these rules can begin to overlap/blend to form the harmonious (e.g., injecting fact-based metaphors to take abstractions beyond the state of simply "existing" as abstractions). With that in mind, I a) may edit my previous analysis (or "checklist") of a poem entitled "Laws of Motion" or b) just keep this in mind with future projects specifically for this class.
Whew.
Also--should these all begin as "must" e.g. must use music...?
-Glenn
Metaphor v Simile - A CRAZY mathematical approach
Intense conversations in my Stevens/More class, specifically in terms of metaphor v simile. Weirdly enough, drawing/thinking about it "mathematically" is interesting. With metaphor, you have a direct substitution--you are literally equating one thing as something else. When you say "you are the sun," you are literally saying that the "you" is a sun, not like a sun (this distinction is important and will become even more important a bit later). What stemmed interesting from this metaphor (before moving on) was a classmate's notion (Jeff) of metaphor being replacement--once you ascribe an existent object to a new object, that "old" object no longer exists. So, when you say "you are the sun," the "sun," as "we" know it ceases to exist--rather, only "you" exists as sun. Very interesting idea. Anyway, back to math: this is saying 3 = 3 or 3^2 = 9 -- there's only "one" right equation for each. Which may be too much a distillation, but represented on a number line, if you say a value equals a specific value, there is no "wiggle" room--if you say a point exists at (3,2) on an x-y coordinate plane, it is "fixed," in the same way a metaphor is a direct replacement--there, again, is no "wiggle" room--there is no approximation--there just is.
As far as simile, I originally diagrammed limits (as the conversation began a bit with how similes/metaphors are plays on "limits"), and the notion of approaching infinity (note: I think I am remembering my calculus correctly, for the most part [which is senior year high school--sorry, younger me, for not finishing off calc II freshman year of college and completing the trifecta of English, math, and computer science])--if there is no "real number" (or, to use earlier language, a "fixed" point), an expression can only approach a fixed number, never be a fixed number. Visually, again, this makes more sense, as you can plot the limit and shade the area underneath--the "further" you get on the limit, the "closer" it gets, but again, it never "stops." More simply, think of the common fraction 1/3 or 2/3--what do these equal? If you said "33%" or "66%"--WRONG (caps only for effect, not sarcastically). As with limits, this becomes more of a truncation--1/3 is actually .33333333333 to some indefinite spot, and the same with 2/3. You can safely approximate its meaning (no one, really, outside of a math context, is going to be like "OMG, don't equate 1/3 to 33%, geez!"), but saying 1/3 = .33 or 33% is "wrong" on a technicality. So, waht does this mean? A simile can only (to varying degrees) approximate a relationship. A simile offers more "options" or "possibilities" in terms of relationships--if you say "you are like the sun," you (as writer) still offer the reader flexibilities--you open different ways/qualities for this "you" to be sun-like. Is this "you" radiant, "yellow," "splotchy"? Well, you, as writer, can explain this or not in text, but the simile is not bound to a sort of fixed/definite meaning.
Summarizing, mathematically, it's "easy" to note the difference between metaphor and simile. With metaphor, it's more an all or nothing prospect or proposition--3 cannot "cease" being 3--saying something equals 3 imbues all of 3's "qualities" into that something (becomes prime, Fibonnaci, etc). Saying 3 = 4 is just...weird. And wrong. But mostly weird. Now, saying something like pi = 3.14 is "right" only in a sense of precision--I think pi is at least in the 200 in terms of post decimal digits, and each matters in terms of applications such as areas/volumes of circles/spherical objects. When you say pi = 3.14, you are asking the audience to "trust" this so far as there is known wiggle room--they have a solid footing as to what "this" means (knowing the numerical approximation/representation), but they are also aware that this number is unstable, and, as needed, it can be "changed" with little in terms of "loss."
Phew.
So, how does this affect my poetics, my masterplan, my rules? Well, while not a "rule" in existent in my "10 rules," I do note in my work that I make more use of metaphors than similes, and I think this is a direct result of the "precision" each offers. I like the ideas that, with metaphor, you are literally "transforming" something--"she" can become "light," not "like light." It's a more direct, confrontational (in a positive sense) approach. It seems less "hiding" behind words/play and more a statement of "truth" within the poem. Similes, to me, feel, at times, a bit like a cop-out--if you are going to compare something, why only approximate its relationship? Saying "she" is "like light" seems to already be questioning of itself and, if the comparison already begins unsteady, what's to say it will "hold" for the poem's duration?
-Glenn
As far as simile, I originally diagrammed limits (as the conversation began a bit with how similes/metaphors are plays on "limits"), and the notion of approaching infinity (note: I think I am remembering my calculus correctly, for the most part [which is senior year high school--sorry, younger me, for not finishing off calc II freshman year of college and completing the trifecta of English, math, and computer science])--if there is no "real number" (or, to use earlier language, a "fixed" point), an expression can only approach a fixed number, never be a fixed number. Visually, again, this makes more sense, as you can plot the limit and shade the area underneath--the "further" you get on the limit, the "closer" it gets, but again, it never "stops." More simply, think of the common fraction 1/3 or 2/3--what do these equal? If you said "33%" or "66%"--WRONG (caps only for effect, not sarcastically). As with limits, this becomes more of a truncation--1/3 is actually .33333333333 to some indefinite spot, and the same with 2/3. You can safely approximate its meaning (no one, really, outside of a math context, is going to be like "OMG, don't equate 1/3 to 33%, geez!"), but saying 1/3 = .33 or 33% is "wrong" on a technicality. So, waht does this mean? A simile can only (to varying degrees) approximate a relationship. A simile offers more "options" or "possibilities" in terms of relationships--if you say "you are like the sun," you (as writer) still offer the reader flexibilities--you open different ways/qualities for this "you" to be sun-like. Is this "you" radiant, "yellow," "splotchy"? Well, you, as writer, can explain this or not in text, but the simile is not bound to a sort of fixed/definite meaning.
Summarizing, mathematically, it's "easy" to note the difference between metaphor and simile. With metaphor, it's more an all or nothing prospect or proposition--3 cannot "cease" being 3--saying something equals 3 imbues all of 3's "qualities" into that something (becomes prime, Fibonnaci, etc). Saying 3 = 4 is just...weird. And wrong. But mostly weird. Now, saying something like pi = 3.14 is "right" only in a sense of precision--I think pi is at least in the 200 in terms of post decimal digits, and each matters in terms of applications such as areas/volumes of circles/spherical objects. When you say pi = 3.14, you are asking the audience to "trust" this so far as there is known wiggle room--they have a solid footing as to what "this" means (knowing the numerical approximation/representation), but they are also aware that this number is unstable, and, as needed, it can be "changed" with little in terms of "loss."
Phew.
So, how does this affect my poetics, my masterplan, my rules? Well, while not a "rule" in existent in my "10 rules," I do note in my work that I make more use of metaphors than similes, and I think this is a direct result of the "precision" each offers. I like the ideas that, with metaphor, you are literally "transforming" something--"she" can become "light," not "like light." It's a more direct, confrontational (in a positive sense) approach. It seems less "hiding" behind words/play and more a statement of "truth" within the poem. Similes, to me, feel, at times, a bit like a cop-out--if you are going to compare something, why only approximate its relationship? Saying "she" is "like light" seems to already be questioning of itself and, if the comparison already begins unsteady, what's to say it will "hold" for the poem's duration?
-Glenn
Monday, September 13, 2010
Try #2
Ok, so, since I have to generate poems anyways, I decided to do a "second take" in regards to my mastertape and rules. This time, I used The-Dream's "Sex Intelligent" as "muse."
NSFW NSFW NSFW (note: the video has literally nothing to do with the song--however, it's the only version I could find on youtube that has the song as presented on the CD, which is what I was listening to while composing).
The process this time felt a lot smoother--maybe it was because I wasn't trying to get "everything" out in one take (I took time to read/digest my writing before moving on at points), but this may underlie a bit my fickleness as a writer or lend some credence to the concept of "inspiration." The music felt like it "spoke" to me more readily, and I think it was a direct result of me not doing much "intellectualizing" before hand. I still knew I was going to use the "rules" and masterplan, but I think I was less concerned about "following" the rules (not in terms of disregard, but more in terms of "checklist paranoia") and more trusting of my writing, knowing that if I could readily note 10 consistent traits in my writing, the traits would manifest themselves when I wrote organically, and I didn't have to necessarily "babysit" the writing.
Now, going through the checklist, I note:
1)I used music to compose (The-Dream - "Sex Intelligent")
2)Less than a page, typed (which, in hindsight, is a weird rule, as I write poems as blocks of text first with ink and paper and the line breaks manifest on first revisions, which are done on the computer. ).
3)I may distill this rule to just "no rules in terms of line length," as I really use the line to "tell" me when to stop.
4)I think the rhythm is tight--I found unexpected internal rhymes and nothing seems overly "chewy" to say.
5)Definitely in the first person.
6) Not much in terms of abstractions here--yay me.
7)This is one rule I question whether I should change, as I definitely have a humor/wit side, but I'm not sure it manifests itself in every poem. I do have the caveat "when appropriate" in the rule, so it may be fine/be open for flexibility, but this poem definitely lacks any sort of "wit." Le sigh.
8)I think I stay trued to the emotions of the poem--very much a "plea," although I'm not sure if this plea is genuine or not in the speaker's eyes.
9)Made use of Newton's laws of motion both in the title ("Laws of Motion") and throughout the text (concepts like energy)--also, definitely some biblical references (St. Peter).
10)Definitely, at its core, a relationship poem, but there's an interesting, to me, conflation towards the end where religion gets brought in, and throughout, there is a sense of what is "right" in terms of physical versus spiritual/instinctual. Also, I did manage to tie in some musical concepts (such as waveforms and timbre), so score all three.
Based on this, I'm just interested to knowing if the rules can "change" over the semester (whether completely or simple tweaks) or not. I definitely feel my mastertape is in place (the idea of relationships as aided [a little bit or a lot of bit] by music), but I think my rules may need changing as I discover more of my poetic self via writings/exercises.
So, end products are "Trust" and "Laws of Motions" for this week's activities--I'm unsure which one I want to use, but I'll definitely be ready for this Wednesday.
-Glenn
p.s., it's so weird to me to "write" this, mainly because I've given up proper capitalization not to "buck" the system, but it allows me to type faster without using my left or right pinkie for the "shift" keys. Working my way back into academe slowly. Ha.
NSFW NSFW NSFW (note: the video has literally nothing to do with the song--however, it's the only version I could find on youtube that has the song as presented on the CD, which is what I was listening to while composing).
The process this time felt a lot smoother--maybe it was because I wasn't trying to get "everything" out in one take (I took time to read/digest my writing before moving on at points), but this may underlie a bit my fickleness as a writer or lend some credence to the concept of "inspiration." The music felt like it "spoke" to me more readily, and I think it was a direct result of me not doing much "intellectualizing" before hand. I still knew I was going to use the "rules" and masterplan, but I think I was less concerned about "following" the rules (not in terms of disregard, but more in terms of "checklist paranoia") and more trusting of my writing, knowing that if I could readily note 10 consistent traits in my writing, the traits would manifest themselves when I wrote organically, and I didn't have to necessarily "babysit" the writing.
Now, going through the checklist, I note:
1)I used music to compose (The-Dream - "Sex Intelligent")
2)Less than a page, typed (which, in hindsight, is a weird rule, as I write poems as blocks of text first with ink and paper and the line breaks manifest on first revisions, which are done on the computer. ).
3)I may distill this rule to just "no rules in terms of line length," as I really use the line to "tell" me when to stop.
4)I think the rhythm is tight--I found unexpected internal rhymes and nothing seems overly "chewy" to say.
5)Definitely in the first person.
6) Not much in terms of abstractions here--yay me.
7)This is one rule I question whether I should change, as I definitely have a humor/wit side, but I'm not sure it manifests itself in every poem. I do have the caveat "when appropriate" in the rule, so it may be fine/be open for flexibility, but this poem definitely lacks any sort of "wit." Le sigh.
8)I think I stay trued to the emotions of the poem--very much a "plea," although I'm not sure if this plea is genuine or not in the speaker's eyes.
9)Made use of Newton's laws of motion both in the title ("Laws of Motion") and throughout the text (concepts like energy)--also, definitely some biblical references (St. Peter).
10)Definitely, at its core, a relationship poem, but there's an interesting, to me, conflation towards the end where religion gets brought in, and throughout, there is a sense of what is "right" in terms of physical versus spiritual/instinctual. Also, I did manage to tie in some musical concepts (such as waveforms and timbre), so score all three.
Based on this, I'm just interested to knowing if the rules can "change" over the semester (whether completely or simple tweaks) or not. I definitely feel my mastertape is in place (the idea of relationships as aided [a little bit or a lot of bit] by music), but I think my rules may need changing as I discover more of my poetic self via writings/exercises.
So, end products are "Trust" and "Laws of Motions" for this week's activities--I'm unsure which one I want to use, but I'll definitely be ready for this Wednesday.
-Glenn
p.s., it's so weird to me to "write" this, mainly because I've given up proper capitalization not to "buck" the system, but it allows me to type faster without using my left or right pinkie for the "shift" keys. Working my way back into academe slowly. Ha.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
"Mixed" Media?
So, I'm not sure if you "get" this by now, but I'm a huuuuuuge music fan. It drives me, literally, whether it is walking to/from campus, doing household chores, or literally driving to Michigan. I compose to music, and while I don't necessarily consider my work "mixed media" as of yet, I've flirted with the idea. Someone on my thesis chair suggested I compose music to "accompany" the thesis, and I may eventually do so. I also toy with the idea of employing music during readings, but I'm worried about the music distracting or taking focus away from the words. Anyways, I do feel there are growing opportunities to re-purpose "text" or re-engage text via music.
For example, there is the resource Who Sampled Who, which is a pretty thorough examination (with links) of how new "texts" are constructed with old "texts." This may not be true "mixed" media, but it does play with the notion of process and how one "central" text can result in many differing results.
Along those same lines of "it may be mixed media but not by the book," I think of this. It's kind of sad to think of it now, as a key member recently (and by recently, 9/8/10) left the band, but this was a song writing contest. Based on the "text" supplied, those interested were to "compose" to the text. In the contest's own words, "What if we let you, the crazy and demented DT fan, interpret one of our charts to try and guess what the song we've written actually sounds like before anybody has gotten to hear it?" The chart, if you don't click on the link, contains information like key/time signatures and "feels"--for example, there is a section called "UK Rise" and another section called "Crimson Climb." Each of the songs that were selected as "winners" are solid compositions (well, if you're into the whole prog rock/metal instrumental thing), but none of them are near dead-ringers for the final product. I think, even though this may not be by-the-book mixed media, it does provide a good argument to mixed media's value and that it is not "distracting"--people, generally, don't produce the "same" thing (which English [or language] being generative kind of "proves"), so it's really interesting to see how "disparate" parts (in this case, just text descriptions with tempo markers and other vague musical annotations) can result in "beauty."
Think of how ekphrasis works--reading the poem in isolation may provide one picture, but if the picture is on the page (or the poem written into the picture), you add layers of additional depth by simple juxtaposition alone.
I think it will be cool once we hit the "mixed media" part of this semester, as I'd totally welcome the opportunity to have additional "texts" within my text--I may have to break out the pink Kodak camera, my acoustic guitar, and my insane falsetto.
-Glenn
For example, there is the resource Who Sampled Who, which is a pretty thorough examination (with links) of how new "texts" are constructed with old "texts." This may not be true "mixed" media, but it does play with the notion of process and how one "central" text can result in many differing results.
Along those same lines of "it may be mixed media but not by the book," I think of this. It's kind of sad to think of it now, as a key member recently (and by recently, 9/8/10) left the band, but this was a song writing contest. Based on the "text" supplied, those interested were to "compose" to the text. In the contest's own words, "What if we let you, the crazy and demented DT fan, interpret one of our charts to try and guess what the song we've written actually sounds like before anybody has gotten to hear it?" The chart, if you don't click on the link, contains information like key/time signatures and "feels"--for example, there is a section called "UK Rise" and another section called "Crimson Climb." Each of the songs that were selected as "winners" are solid compositions (well, if you're into the whole prog rock/metal instrumental thing), but none of them are near dead-ringers for the final product. I think, even though this may not be by-the-book mixed media, it does provide a good argument to mixed media's value and that it is not "distracting"--people, generally, don't produce the "same" thing (which English [or language] being generative kind of "proves"), so it's really interesting to see how "disparate" parts (in this case, just text descriptions with tempo markers and other vague musical annotations) can result in "beauty."
Think of how ekphrasis works--reading the poem in isolation may provide one picture, but if the picture is on the page (or the poem written into the picture), you add layers of additional depth by simple juxtaposition alone.
I think it will be cool once we hit the "mixed media" part of this semester, as I'd totally welcome the opportunity to have additional "texts" within my text--I may have to break out the pink Kodak camera, my acoustic guitar, and my insane falsetto.
-Glenn
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