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mick jagger is turning 60 this weekend. he is just the latest in a long line of aging male rockers getting up there in years & the press finds this very endearing. but when a woman rocker gets up there in years, the press tends to lean toward a �why are they still at it at their age� mentality. why is this? why does the press speak of paul mccartney in terms of his latest project, but tina turner in terms of how good she looks for �her age�? i know the answer, but it still rubs me the wrong way. in a just world, mick would have retired & tina would still be belting it out. went to go see danny solis last night & he kicked ass. was great to see him again & i loved hearing his new work. he ended up staying at the house last night (much to the surprise of my son this morning) & we had a chance to chat a bit before bed. now, this is where i go off on a bit of a rant because he was talking about one reading where he had to fight the crowd noise to the point of having to stop his reading & ask people to quiet down. these were �poets� who had read in the open reading & now were talking through the feature (who was here all the way from new mexico). he said that after he asked the people to quiet down (in a nice way) the rest of the audience looked at him as if he had done something bad. this is a reading that has been dying for a few years now, but has not had the dignity to just give in & fold. i have spoken to several of its hosts (starting five years ago) about doing something about the declining quality. i don�t claim to be an expert on open readings & the reading i host has it�s share of ups & downs� but still, this reading is starting to do more harm than good. a well-known poet on tour is now going to go back home & talk about what a crappy time he had in ______ & it will look bad for their city as well as the whole area. the rest of the readings have to work that much harder just to make up for it. & that is what this all comes down to for me� they are pissing in the pot that all of us drink out of. these poets who read & screw like their shit don�t stink, like they don�t have anything to gain by listening to the other poets, like supporting each other is not something we should be striving for. to me, it is like jerking off while wearing a condom. that self-serving masturbatory crap that we are all prone to now & then, but that they wallow in it 24/7. you want to read just to hear yourself read? then stay the fuck home & make some room on the stage for poets who have something important to share. & the hosts, who should know better by now, have their heads so far up their asses that they have to lower their fly just to see where they are going. it is nothing but a back-patting, self-serving circle jerk. never have i seen so much potential buried under so much pretension. any respect i had for them or the reading was lost a long time ago. now i�m just frustrated & pissed. do us all a favor, kids� either grow up or shut the fuck up, but stop wasting everyone�s time. there, i�ll get down off my soapbox now. in other news, jack mccarthy is doing his last reading in new england tonight. he is reading with michael brown. the show starts at 7pm. go to the asylum website & click on �the week in poetry� for all the information. jack is one of the best poets i have ever heard or read & a wonderful friend. i�m sorry i can�t be there tonight, but that is no reason not for you to go. at the house tonight trying to set up the new computer. hoping i don�t frustrate the shit out of myself. some friends are coming over after jack�s feature to hang out. looking forward to the relaxed evening after the mood swing week i�ve had. tonight is a good night to decompress. hope you all have a good night. be well. |
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