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.

[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!

[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!

[dendraphile.livejournal.com]

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[acreofbones.livejournal.com]

That was amazing