in response to the slam poetry debate

[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

I posted this Buddy Wakefield clip as a comment, but I think it deserves its own entry. Buddy Wakefield is a great slam poet. Does that mean great rant and nonsense? See for yourself.

"Flockprinter" by Buddy Wakefield

Comments

[nerak-g.livejournal.com]

I heart the Buddy.

Earlier today, I was listening to some audio Frost, some Gertrude, Auden...and you know, they were all great readers with theatrical voices.I think that's where the page "versus" stage argument falls apart for me.There are places of overlap & intersect, "slam" poets before there was such a kind of thing.It's a vehicle, one of many.

[opheliablue.livejournal.com]

Hot damn! Thanks for posting that - into the memories...

[archethereal.livejournal.com]

Ugh. God. Slam poetry. I'm somewhere in between Classical and Slam. I was also heavily involved with the OKC Slam Poetry scene, and, well, they all...sucked.

[archethereal.livejournal.com]

...unless, of course, it's Maggie Estep.
Then I'm cool with it.

[claymedeiros.livejournal.com]

Poetry has always had various ways of getting it done. Once there was printing, getting it done could just be words on a page, but only some words were great poetry. For the thousands of years before that, it was performance and it is good that slam is out there to remind us about the performing part so that we do not limit the art of poetry from all of its possibilities. But like the printed word, only some slam is great poetry.

Poetry is not about either protecting or ignoring the canon. It is about seeing the past great poets and current great poets as just that regardless of the form. Poetry will not be constrained and some of today's work will go on and some of it will not go on whether it is written or filmed or carved in stone tablets.

[doorinward.livejournal.com]

Well he certainly tries hard. :/

[haitianheromg.livejournal.com]

good stuff!
It's not rant or nonsense. Poetry!

[sybaritica.livejournal.com]

That was the first "slam" I've seen. I really liked it. He spins his story with his whole body. It's totally engaging.

Anything that furthers the art of wordsmithing; I'm all down with that.

[turboswami.livejournal.com]

Eh.

I guess if you flap your arms with enough vigor, people will just assume you're saying something meaningful.

He's not so smart, but oh, how his blood boils!

[aria-muse.livejournal.com]

Haha I love slam and LOATHE Maggie Estep.

[aria-muse.livejournal.com]

Well said.

[un-crayon-rouge.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's mainly the arm-flapping that made this a less than enjoyable experience. It's distracting. And the fast fast forward. Poetry means savoring words, man, not counting seconds.

[ladyjeanetta.livejournal.com]

Wow. I liked that a lot. The man performs with passion which leaves me a little breathless afterwards.

After checking out the audio clips on his website, however, I discover that I prefer just listening to him perform. And now I'm rather considering buying his cd. You've created a monster :D

Thanks for sharing this!

[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

Is that what poetry really means?

[un-crayon-rouge.livejournal.com]

Of course not. This was written in haste at seven in the morning. But it is is an important part, that is often lost in slam poetry. I'm not against slam poetry as a whole, and I'm not all about canon and whatnot. I personally don't enjoy slam much because I associate poetry with the kind of slowness we don't get much of in our ordinary lives. I come to poetry for contemplation, when I look for fast rhythm I go somewhere else, usually music. But that's just me.

[dendraphile.livejournal.com]

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[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Slow contemplation, it's a good argument for poetry. But I'd argue that music and poetry tread the same water and that words ultimately thread rhythms together quite like an instrument does. It's all in the way we look at things. This isn't my favorite example of slam poetry, but Buddy Wakefield is great with rousing crowds and letting images flow electric through his body. It's a good example of performance. Poetry is kind of the underdog as far as mediums go, so it's refreshing to hear the crowd go wild for words. Certainly, Buddy isn't my favorite slam poet, but he isn't "not so smart" either. He knows exactly how to ignite a crowd.

[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

Oh Taylor Mali.

[acreofbones.livejournal.com]

That was amazing

[acreofbones.livejournal.com]

Taylor Mali is one of my favourite humans.

[mynewgirlfriend.livejournal.com]

http://www.austinslam.com/nps07/index.php