Television
A. J. Soprano Reads Yeats
by Levi Asher on Sunday, May 20, 2007 11:38 pmSunday night's very moving Sopranos episode featured W. B. Yeats' famous poem The Second Coming in a stirring scene. The poem is read by A. J. Soprano, Tony and Carmela's furtive, lovesick son, after which he ties a cement block to his ankle and jumps into the family pool.
I was already thinking of writing here about the constant stream of literary references that have been found on this show: Herman Melville, Gustave Flaubert, George Orwell, Walt Whitman, Thomas Mann, Henry James, Kazuo Ishiguro, Arthur Golden and many more. The Sopranos may be one of the most bookish television series ever, which is one of many reasons it will be missed after two more episodes complete the run.
The Yeats poem A. J. read, rapt in his bedroom, is actually making its second appearance on this show, since Dr. Melfi also once quoted from it to Tony. The poem presents an arch and ambivalent image of rebirth, which eventually functions in the latest episode as a significant echo of the drama between Tony Soprano and his son (not to mention the unreferenced ghost of Tony's "heir", Christopher Moltisante). I don't want to spoil anything, but I am glad that Yeats poem is incorporated into the show in a moment of redemption rather than one of despair (since it can easily be employed either way, which is basically the poem's whole concept).
The Second Coming was first published in 1920 in The Dial, a Transcendentalist magazine founded eighty years earlier in New England. Here's the entire poem:
The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
I was already thinking of writing here about the constant stream of literary references that have been found on this show: Herman Melville, Gustave Flaubert, George Orwell, Walt Whitman, Thomas Mann, Henry James, Kazuo Ishiguro, Arthur Golden and many more. The Sopranos may be one of the most bookish television series ever, which is one of many reasons it will be missed after two more episodes complete the run.
The Yeats poem A. J. read, rapt in his bedroom, is actually making its second appearance on this show, since Dr. Melfi also once quoted from it to Tony. The poem presents an arch and ambivalent image of rebirth, which eventually functions in the latest episode as a significant echo of the drama between Tony Soprano and his son (not to mention the unreferenced ghost of Tony's "heir", Christopher Moltisante). I don't want to spoil anything, but I am glad that Yeats poem is incorporated into the show in a moment of redemption rather than one of despair (since it can easily be employed either way, which is basically the poem's whole concept).
The Second Coming was first published in 1920 in The Dial, a Transcendentalist magazine founded eighty years earlier in New England. Here's the entire poem:
The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Love and Theft and Ted and Alice
by Levi Asher on Friday, February 9, 2007 10:38 am1. A minor miracle has occurred: I actually love an essay written by Jonathan Lethem. I appreciate the vast range of reference (from Fritz the Cat to The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Bob Dylan's Love and Theft), I agree with the article's general conclusions, and I'm even pleased that he called the article "The Ecstasy of Influence". This essay stands as proof that Lethem can produce substantial work when he lets his brainier instincts roam free.
I still can't stand his postmodernism-by-numbers novels or his coy/cute Rolling Stone interviews, though, so don't get it twisted.
2. Critic John Leonard offers a kindly nod towards the literary blogosphere in this Enthusiast Article, which Literary Saloon correctly notes will be quoted all over the internet by sundown. Well, why not? Nobody ever appreciates us. Even the article's author Meghan O'Rourke has to follow up Leonard's remark that "It's going to have to be the lit blogs that save us. At least they have passion" by disagreeing with him ("passion alone doesn't produce the essayists of the sort who shape our deepest thinking about our literary culture"). Be quiet and let Mr. Leonard speak, O'Rourke.
3. Here's me at the PBS blog, talking about a good new documentary on the history of New Orleans that'll be premiering Monday night.
4. An invigorating read: J. M. Coetzee on Norman Mailer's new book.
I still can't stand his postmodernism-by-numbers novels or his coy/cute Rolling Stone interviews, though, so don't get it twisted.
2. Critic John Leonard offers a kindly nod towards the literary blogosphere in this Enthusiast Article, which Literary Saloon correctly notes will be quoted all over the internet by sundown. Well, why not? Nobody ever appreciates us. Even the article's author Meghan O'Rourke has to follow up Leonard's remark that "It's going to have to be the lit blogs that save us. At least they have passion" by disagreeing with him ("passion alone doesn't produce the essayists of the sort who shape our deepest thinking about our literary culture"). Be quiet and let Mr. Leonard speak, O'Rourke.
3. Here's me at the PBS blog, talking about a good new documentary on the history of New Orleans that'll be premiering Monday night.
4. An invigorating read: J. M. Coetzee on Norman Mailer's new book.
Me Complaining and Talking About Myself Again
by Levi Asher on Thursday, January 18, 2007 09:31 pmI like to write about politics and history, but I don't think I'm very good at it yet. Maybe that's why I do it on another blog, because I'm nowhere near as sure of myself on these topics as I am when writing about literature, and I wouldn't want to ramble and stumble like that here. My latest foray is a four-part series on a pretty tough question: "what is genocide?". The best entry point is here. I'm really not sure what I'm trying to say, but I think I might be on to something.
Beyond the above heavy depressing stuff, how about some Friday meme action? Okay, Bud and Jeff, here goes. Five things you didn't know about me.
Five Things You Didn't Know About Me.
1. I am incompetent at video games. My youngest daughter began regularly beating me at around the age of four. I also hate video games and I don't understand why people like them. I am aware that this is especially unusual because I work in the technology industry, and yet still I hate them.
2. I love reality TV shows. Other than The Office, reality TV is the only TV I watch. I'm currently running with The Apprentice, VH1's White Rapper (this is a GREAT, GREAT show) and Grease: You're The One That I Want (well, what can I say? I'm a Broadway baby). I'm skipping American Idol for now, but you better believe I'll be around for the final rounds. Go ahead and call me an idiot. Fortunately, my fiancee is an idiot too.
3. I like to walk a lot. I once walked from Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport to pick up my parents (this is a hike, especially if you forget to bring a map and get lost on the way). When I got to the edge of the airport I asked a maintenance worker how to get to the main terminal. He pointed me in the direction but told me to take a bus: "you don't want to walk the whole way." I said "I just walked here from midtown Manhattan, I'll be fine."
4. I am a telephobe. I often wish Alexander Graham Bell had never been born, not to mention that annoying Verizon ad guy.
5. I once wrote an anonymous article about a badly managed software project I'd worked on that was published in InfoWorld, the technology industry's leading weekly newsmagazine. I was very proud of this, and I got an iPod Shuffle for it. I also enjoyed the opportunity to mock my former managers at a cable network whose name I'd better not reveal. I wish I had more time to write articles about software development as it relates to media and publishing. I've also been published in Time Magazine's Netly News and on various online forums on subjects such as Java and AJAX programming.
Five things -- that's the meme. Catch it if you can.
Beyond the above heavy depressing stuff, how about some Friday meme action? Okay, Bud and Jeff, here goes. Five things you didn't know about me.
Five Things You Didn't Know About Me.
1. I am incompetent at video games. My youngest daughter began regularly beating me at around the age of four. I also hate video games and I don't understand why people like them. I am aware that this is especially unusual because I work in the technology industry, and yet still I hate them.
2. I love reality TV shows. Other than The Office, reality TV is the only TV I watch. I'm currently running with The Apprentice, VH1's White Rapper (this is a GREAT, GREAT show) and Grease: You're The One That I Want (well, what can I say? I'm a Broadway baby). I'm skipping American Idol for now, but you better believe I'll be around for the final rounds. Go ahead and call me an idiot. Fortunately, my fiancee is an idiot too.
3. I like to walk a lot. I once walked from Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport to pick up my parents (this is a hike, especially if you forget to bring a map and get lost on the way). When I got to the edge of the airport I asked a maintenance worker how to get to the main terminal. He pointed me in the direction but told me to take a bus: "you don't want to walk the whole way." I said "I just walked here from midtown Manhattan, I'll be fine."
4. I am a telephobe. I often wish Alexander Graham Bell had never been born, not to mention that annoying Verizon ad guy.
5. I once wrote an anonymous article about a badly managed software project I'd worked on that was published in InfoWorld, the technology industry's leading weekly newsmagazine. I was very proud of this, and I got an iPod Shuffle for it. I also enjoyed the opportunity to mock my former managers at a cable network whose name I'd better not reveal. I wish I had more time to write articles about software development as it relates to media and publishing. I've also been published in Time Magazine's Netly News and on various online forums on subjects such as Java and AJAX programming.
Five things -- that's the meme. Catch it if you can.
Definitely Connected
by Levi Asher on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 04:17 pm1. PBS is launching a new blog, Remotely Connected, and I'm proud to be one of the contributing writers, along with Alice Bradley of FinSlippy, David Gutowski of LargeHearted Boy, Kyle MacDonald of One Red Paperclip and Merlin Mann of 43 Folders. An eclectic group indeed. Here's my first article for the site, about Eyes on the Prize.
2. We're all catching Nobel Prize fever (the literary award will be announced on Thursday). Will Orhan Pamuk take it? Why hasn't John Updike won a Nobel Prize yet, and how can anybody possibly imagine the prize going to Joyce Carol Oates or Philip Roth if Updike hasn't won one yet? Finally, why does nobody ever, ever, ever mention Kurt Vonnegut as a Nobel candidate? Well, there, I just mentioned Kurt Vonnegut, so somebody finally has.
It's literary prize season. Kiran Desai has just won the Man Booker Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle is going to present its short-list for the National Book Awards tomorrow morning.
3. HBO's Def Poetry has begun filming for its new season! I know this for a fact because the good folks who run the show were kind enough to invite me for a taping last night. The air conditioner broke, so the room was hot in more ways than one, but based on what I saw the sixth season will be one of the best. As you already know if you've hung around here for a while, I have a lot of respect for this show and I'm really trying to spread the word. Not sure when the new episodes will air, but I will certainly keep you informed.
2. We're all catching Nobel Prize fever (the literary award will be announced on Thursday). Will Orhan Pamuk take it? Why hasn't John Updike won a Nobel Prize yet, and how can anybody possibly imagine the prize going to Joyce Carol Oates or Philip Roth if Updike hasn't won one yet? Finally, why does nobody ever, ever, ever mention Kurt Vonnegut as a Nobel candidate? Well, there, I just mentioned Kurt Vonnegut, so somebody finally has.
It's literary prize season. Kiran Desai has just won the Man Booker Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle is going to present its short-list for the National Book Awards tomorrow morning.
3. HBO's Def Poetry has begun filming for its new season! I know this for a fact because the good folks who run the show were kind enough to invite me for a taping last night. The air conditioner broke, so the room was hot in more ways than one, but based on what I saw the sixth season will be one of the best. As you already know if you've hung around here for a while, I have a lot of respect for this show and I'm really trying to spread the word. Not sure when the new episodes will air, but I will certainly keep you informed.
Surviving
by Levi Asher on Thursday, April 6, 2006 10:30 pm1. Austin the writer got voted off Survivor. He was the first writer on any Survivor cast, although his one self-published novel looks kind of corny. However, Austin turned out to be a capable player and a likable guy. For a so-called writer, though, he didn't use many big words, and I don't remember hearing any James Joyce or Sylvia Plath quotes around the campfire. But Austin Carty played hard to make all us writers of the world proud, and I may even wander over to Amazon and order his book.
2. A new American political action committee called LitPAC has been announced (noted via ElegVar). Participating writers who will help to raise funds for "progressive candidates" include Mary Gaitskill, Rick Moody, Jonathan Ames, Adrienne Miller, Aimee Bender, Pam Houston, Jim Shepard, Po Bronson, Jane Smiley, Tobias Wolff, Dave Eggers, Lemony Snicket, Anthony Swofford, and ZZ Packer. No word yet on whether Austin Carty has been invited. But seriously: we like. A lot. Here's their blog.
3. Here's a fascinating article from Baltimore Sun about some newly-unearthed reel-to-reel tapes of Anne Sexton's last poetry reading three days before her suicide (via Bookslut). Sexton was a highly original and powerful poet, and it's a disturbing experience to glance so closely at the last three days of her life.
4. Some don't like it that Alice Quinn and Farrar, Straus and Giroux published a new edition of Elizabeth Bishop's unpublished poetry, apparently against the late poet's wishes. We see both sides of the debate, but ultimately we are glad the book was published. There's no perfect answer here, but if we're going to err let's err by opening doors too wide instead of closing them too tight. Past examples make this a necessary decision -- The Castle is Kafka's best work, after all (he'd asked that it be burned), and Long Day's Journey Into Night is Eugene O'Neill's most popular play (he'd asked that it never be performed).
5. How does the new Sony Reader measure up? Well, the dimensions (7 x 5 inches, 9 ounces) sound pretty good. But the $299 price tag won't fly. Back to the lab, guys. (Hint: figure out how to do music and video and books in a single device, because nobody wants more crap to lug around, and it really shouldn't be such a tremendous engineering challenge to pull this off. We have the technology. Use XML or something.)
6. Choose your own adventure. We all do, you know.
2. A new American political action committee called LitPAC has been announced (noted via ElegVar). Participating writers who will help to raise funds for "progressive candidates" include Mary Gaitskill, Rick Moody, Jonathan Ames, Adrienne Miller, Aimee Bender, Pam Houston, Jim Shepard, Po Bronson, Jane Smiley, Tobias Wolff, Dave Eggers, Lemony Snicket, Anthony Swofford, and ZZ Packer. No word yet on whether Austin Carty has been invited. But seriously: we like. A lot. Here's their blog.
3. Here's a fascinating article from Baltimore Sun about some newly-unearthed reel-to-reel tapes of Anne Sexton's last poetry reading three days before her suicide (via Bookslut). Sexton was a highly original and powerful poet, and it's a disturbing experience to glance so closely at the last three days of her life.
4. Some don't like it that Alice Quinn and Farrar, Straus and Giroux published a new edition of Elizabeth Bishop's unpublished poetry, apparently against the late poet's wishes. We see both sides of the debate, but ultimately we are glad the book was published. There's no perfect answer here, but if we're going to err let's err by opening doors too wide instead of closing them too tight. Past examples make this a necessary decision -- The Castle is Kafka's best work, after all (he'd asked that it be burned), and Long Day's Journey Into Night is Eugene O'Neill's most popular play (he'd asked that it never be performed).
5. How does the new Sony Reader measure up? Well, the dimensions (7 x 5 inches, 9 ounces) sound pretty good. But the $299 price tag won't fly. Back to the lab, guys. (Hint: figure out how to do music and video and books in a single device, because nobody wants more crap to lug around, and it really shouldn't be such a tremendous engineering challenge to pull this off. We have the technology. Use XML or something.)
6. Choose your own adventure. We all do, you know.
Indie Writer on Exile Island
by Levi Asher on Thursday, February 9, 2006 09:57 pmIf you're a Survivophile like me, you might have noticed that one of the new season's characters is a writer. I'm pretty sure this is a Survivor first, and so I was curious enough to look up his stats.
Turns out his name is Austin Carty, and he's the author of one self-published novel, Somewhere Beyond Here.
It's apparently the story of some kind of twisted mother-son relationship, and the opinions on the Amazon page are deeply divided. The plot sounds intriguing enough, but I'm sorry to say the cover design is a disaster. The Venetian script font and the amateurish composition all scream out "designed by my high school art teacher who has Photoshop". Other details are similarly askew. The fact that Amazon lists the publisher as unknown drives home the point: this ain't Knopf.
A few ISBN lookups reveal the book's registered publisher, Trafford Publishing, which appears to be a respectable business. Unless their staff artists designed the cover, in which case they're not.
Anyway, LitKicks officially supports the effort of Austin Carty to win Survivor: Exile Island. He's 24, looks a bit doofy, doesn't talk much, and I get the feeling he lives with his parents back home. I'm guessing his biggest literary influences are a Dave Matthews Band CD and half a Dave Eggers book. But writers have to stick together, and we stand behind Austin Carty to win the million for all of us back home. The tribe has spoken.
Turns out his name is Austin Carty, and he's the author of one self-published novel, Somewhere Beyond Here.
It's apparently the story of some kind of twisted mother-son relationship, and the opinions on the Amazon page are deeply divided. The plot sounds intriguing enough, but I'm sorry to say the cover design is a disaster. The Venetian script font and the amateurish composition all scream out "designed by my high school art teacher who has Photoshop". Other details are similarly askew. The fact that Amazon lists the publisher as unknown drives home the point: this ain't Knopf.
A few ISBN lookups reveal the book's registered publisher, Trafford Publishing, which appears to be a respectable business. Unless their staff artists designed the cover, in which case they're not.
Anyway, LitKicks officially supports the effort of Austin Carty to win Survivor: Exile Island. He's 24, looks a bit doofy, doesn't talk much, and I get the feeling he lives with his parents back home. I'm guessing his biggest literary influences are a Dave Matthews Band CD and half a Dave Eggers book. But writers have to stick together, and we stand behind Austin Carty to win the million for all of us back home. The tribe has spoken.
Pride and Prejudice (or Firth Impressions)
by Kelly Nagle on Monday, December 5, 2005 03:04 pmI am a major, major Pride and Prejudice dork.
Along with several of my librarian dork friends, I once even had a Pride and Prejudice party with tea sandwiches and a viewing of our favorite parts of the excellent 1995 television version produced by BBC and A&E. My friend Melinda and I can recite passages verbatim from the book at each other. Very sad.
I was looking forward to the new movie version, anxious to see it, but skeptical whether it could ever live up to the classic 1995 mini-series, which starred Colin Firth. It didn't, of course. Melinda and I saw the new movie together, whispering to each other and giggling. Probably having such an intimate acquaintance with the story helped us both -- we only had to see Mr. Collins to start laughing.
Along with several of my librarian dork friends, I once even had a Pride and Prejudice party with tea sandwiches and a viewing of our favorite parts of the excellent 1995 television version produced by BBC and A&E. My friend Melinda and I can recite passages verbatim from the book at each other. Very sad.
I was looking forward to the new movie version, anxious to see it, but skeptical whether it could ever live up to the classic 1995 mini-series, which starred Colin Firth. It didn't, of course. Melinda and I saw the new movie together, whispering to each other and giggling. Probably having such an intimate acquaintance with the story helped us both -- we only had to see Mr. Collins to start laughing.
Beverly the Problem
by Levi Asher on Friday, December 2, 2005 09:38 amBookslut reports that Beverly Cleary's Ramona series is going to be turned into a movie. Cleary was probably my #1 favorite writer as a kid, and I still consider Ramona the Pest one of the most compelling and memorable kid's books ever written. My favorite part is the chilling Halloween scene where Ramona puts on a witch's mask and then freaks out because nobody can tell who she is (identity theory for ten year olds). I also love the part where she learns to turn the letter Q into a drawing of a cat.
Ramona was already butchered once by filmmakers, for a public television series in 1988 (Sarah Polley had the lead role). I have a story to tell about this. I was sitting alone in a bar somewhere in Grand Central Station waiting to catch a train (I know not to where), and I tried to amuse myself by overhearing nearby conversations. This doesn't usually pay off, but in this case I happened to be sitting near two female public television executives who were talking about the upcoming debut of Ramona. One of them had recently flown Beverly Cleary into New York for the publicity blitz, I overheard, but it was a disaster. The women described Beverly Cleary as looking like a little old librarian, and said she had absolutely no personality or appeal. She was so shy in front of audiences and cameras, in fact, that they decided to send her back home rather than continue to employ her in the publicity blitz for the show.
As a lifelong Cleary-head (though I was in my early 20's at the time) I was of course enraged at this, and considered sitting down with these women and schooling them in respect for great authors. I didn't, though, and my story ends there. Ramona will probably flop in the movies just like it did on TV. These books are meant to stay books. And don't anybody be hating on Beverly, who has damn well earned the right to be as shy as she wants to be.
Ramona was already butchered once by filmmakers, for a public television series in 1988 (Sarah Polley had the lead role). I have a story to tell about this. I was sitting alone in a bar somewhere in Grand Central Station waiting to catch a train (I know not to where), and I tried to amuse myself by overhearing nearby conversations. This doesn't usually pay off, but in this case I happened to be sitting near two female public television executives who were talking about the upcoming debut of Ramona. One of them had recently flown Beverly Cleary into New York for the publicity blitz, I overheard, but it was a disaster. The women described Beverly Cleary as looking like a little old librarian, and said she had absolutely no personality or appeal. She was so shy in front of audiences and cameras, in fact, that they decided to send her back home rather than continue to employ her in the publicity blitz for the show.
As a lifelong Cleary-head (though I was in my early 20's at the time) I was of course enraged at this, and considered sitting down with these women and schooling them in respect for great authors. I didn't, though, and my story ends there. Ramona will probably flop in the movies just like it did on TV. These books are meant to stay books. And don't anybody be hating on Beverly, who has damn well earned the right to be as shy as she wants to be.
Book Awards on BookTV
by Levi Asher on Monday, November 21, 2005 03:38 pmSince my invitation to last week's National Book Awards ceremony was apparently "lost in the mail", I had to content myself by watching the proceedings on the BookTV cable network last night at midnight.
The event seemed to have been recorded with a single videocamera, and was edited down to an hour. I don't know what happened to the part at the beginning where Billy Crystal acts out scenes from each of the five nominated novels, because the broadcast began instead with a droll speech by Garrison Keillor, who wasn't too bad. Jessica Hagedorn then introduced Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who was impressive and dignified. Next, Toni Morrison introduced Norman Mailer, describing him (correctly) as maddeningly obtuse about women and racial issues. I fell asleep right around the time Mailer grabbed the mic. Yes, a thrilling show all around.
The event seemed to have been recorded with a single videocamera, and was edited down to an hour. I don't know what happened to the part at the beginning where Billy Crystal acts out scenes from each of the five nominated novels, because the broadcast began instead with a droll speech by Garrison Keillor, who wasn't too bad. Jessica Hagedorn then introduced Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who was impressive and dignified. Next, Toni Morrison introduced Norman Mailer, describing him (correctly) as maddeningly obtuse about women and racial issues. I fell asleep right around the time Mailer grabbed the mic. Yes, a thrilling show all around.
Def Poetry Season Wrap-Up
by Levi Asher on Saturday, August 20, 2005 02:17 pmThe fifth season of Def Poetry is over, and here are our summary awards:
Three Best Performers of the Season: First, Sista Queen, an unknown young poet from Atlanta who won't be unknown much longer after tearing up the stage in episode 7. Second, Big Poppa E, who illustrated his poignant and personal words with a deft physical performance that was a pleasure to watch; and Mike McGhee, who was just plain freaky, funny and real.
Best Celebrity Appearance: Alicia Keys (who I expected nothing from).
Worst Celebrity Appearance: Savion Glover was irritating and Phylicia Rashad was boring, but I'm going to give the award to John Legend, because he didn't even try to look like he cared that he was appearing on Def Poetry. Go collect your Grammys and leave us poets alone.
Worst Fashion Statement: The legendary Oscar Brown Jr.'s final TV appearance on the planet earth, in a bad t-shirt
Best Line From Mos Def: "Oh shit, it's Russell Simmons!"
Best Email From a Def Poet: I wrote some disparaging words about Kristiana Colon's poem about Christopher Columbus, then received a polite and inquisitive email from the poet asking exactly what my problem was. I explained that I thought her performance was good but that I was sick of the show's tendency to harp on tired old news stories about Rodney King and Malcolm X and that I felt her choice of subject matter was similarly cliched. Kristiana wrote back to let me know that there is more depth to her poetry than can be glimpsed from that one piece, and asked me check her website. I did and she's right: see for yourself.
Most Surprising Lesson I Learned While Reviewing These Shows: My fellow LitKickers do not share my enthusiasm for this show. Not by a longshot. Most of our LitKicks postings get a healthy response from our readers, but week after week my reviews of Def Poetry were met with a stony silence. When I asked about it, I found that most people either a) didn't have HBO, b) liked to pretend not to have HBO even though they had it, or c) felt tremendous antipathy towards the whole concept of Def Poetry. Strange ... I think it's a damn great show. At least one LitKicker agreed with me, anyway, and I'd like to thank Billectric for keeping me company during this lonely exercise, and for sitting in to review the one episode I missed.
Now, if you're one of these people pretending not to have HBO, cut the crap and watch the reruns, which start playing in September.
Three Best Performers of the Season: First, Sista Queen, an unknown young poet from Atlanta who won't be unknown much longer after tearing up the stage in episode 7. Second, Big Poppa E, who illustrated his poignant and personal words with a deft physical performance that was a pleasure to watch; and Mike McGhee, who was just plain freaky, funny and real.
Best Celebrity Appearance: Alicia Keys (who I expected nothing from).
Worst Celebrity Appearance: Savion Glover was irritating and Phylicia Rashad was boring, but I'm going to give the award to John Legend, because he didn't even try to look like he cared that he was appearing on Def Poetry. Go collect your Grammys and leave us poets alone.
Worst Fashion Statement: The legendary Oscar Brown Jr.'s final TV appearance on the planet earth, in a bad t-shirt
Best Line From Mos Def: "Oh shit, it's Russell Simmons!"
Best Email From a Def Poet: I wrote some disparaging words about Kristiana Colon's poem about Christopher Columbus, then received a polite and inquisitive email from the poet asking exactly what my problem was. I explained that I thought her performance was good but that I was sick of the show's tendency to harp on tired old news stories about Rodney King and Malcolm X and that I felt her choice of subject matter was similarly cliched. Kristiana wrote back to let me know that there is more depth to her poetry than can be glimpsed from that one piece, and asked me check her website. I did and she's right: see for yourself.
Most Surprising Lesson I Learned While Reviewing These Shows: My fellow LitKickers do not share my enthusiasm for this show. Not by a longshot. Most of our LitKicks postings get a healthy response from our readers, but week after week my reviews of Def Poetry were met with a stony silence. When I asked about it, I found that most people either a) didn't have HBO, b) liked to pretend not to have HBO even though they had it, or c) felt tremendous antipathy towards the whole concept of Def Poetry. Strange ... I think it's a damn great show. At least one LitKicker agreed with me, anyway, and I'd like to thank Billectric for keeping me company during this lonely exercise, and for sitting in to review the one episode I missed.
Now, if you're one of these people pretending not to have HBO, cut the crap and watch the reruns, which start playing in September.
