Friday, January 20, 2006

Sorry folks, if you haven't already noticed, I'm done.

Report: KEVIN KILLIAN @ UCSD

In all the time I've known Kevin Killian, I never really realized how subversive his work is until seeing/hearing him read in San Diego (Sandy Day Glo, Sandy Eggo). It is in my hometown, that poetry carries more weight, and not because this is where I grew up, escaped from, and prodigally returned to but because of the socio-political climate here. Having been in the Bay Area (Santa Cruz included) for nearly 10 years, I had become either immune to or had been cavalier in hearing "left-leaning" poetry. So, when, yesterday afternoon, Kevin Killian, whom I adore, read to a packed, black room--mostly full of young students (and most of those students, I gather, are from right-wing, conservative families)--his poems hit so much harder than before. Was it because I was aware of my surroundngs--San Diego is a major arm of the military-industrial complex--or was it because I noticed students all around me, squirming at the mentions of "you'll not return from Iraq" and "he had his hand on my cock," among many other homosexually and/or anti-war charged passages. I've always loved Kevin's poems, how subtly wrought they are while simultaneously seeming so loose, even, at times, off the cuff or snarky. I love that. But having heard them (ok, I've also got to address Kevin's presentation of his poems) and seen Kevin's almost flamboyant presentation of them--though he seemed more physically reserved than usual; fewer flourishes of the hands and gyrations of the hips, but they were still there--in such an environment, really exploded, for me, the depth and electricity of Kevin's work. My idea is that the more these kids are exposed to serious and creative people who don't conform to the Bushtopian ideal everpresent in San Diego, the more likely they are to be less like their parents. I do already see this change coming, San Diego has long been "that city on the verge of getting really hip" and I think, finally, it's beginning to let down its hair.

GO JOHN KERRY, GO!!!

and the Sox too. Hey! GO MASSACHUSETTS!

Don't you just wish W would choke on another pretzel. W, "I fart in your general direction."

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Home again, from my West Coast traverse. I was fortunate enough to have lunch in Eugene with Tony Robinson (you've seen the picture, I'm sure), who seems like a great guy and I wish I could have spent more time hanging out. Then on to Ashland, where I spent the afternoon and evening with Kasey and we had a great great time. Left Ashland at 5 am on Saturday to see Brighton in Marin and we spent the weekend having a blast. He's going to be a professional skateboarder by the age of 10 and you can bank on that. He's also very curious about girls flirting with him. He'll be 7 in February. Then to meet up with Tanya Brolaski, Stephanie Young, Cynthia Sailers, Dan Fisher and Kathleen Miller for dinner in Berkeley, then we went upstairs to Tanya's where LRSN and Elka Weber joined us for a lovely evening of drinking and smelling pizza vents.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

DEER HEAD NATION has been translated into Italian by Gherardo Bertolotti. To read some go HERE.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

The new, eponymous, Broken Social Scene album has arrived and I haven't stopped listening to it except to sleep and to work on my own music. Compared to their last, and phenomenal album, You Forgot It In People, BSS is more seamless and expansive, almost as if it's one hour-long song. It is a busy record, there are always too many instruments and ambient sounds to count but this isn't a bad thing. I'd suggest giving it a good listen.

NEWSFLASH!

Friendster has made it possible to see who's looking at you. Is this the end of anonymous stalking? Perhaps so.