We once again have a week where there is nothing interesting coming out, and I instead fall back on the chip on my shoulder for ideas.
For my few readers that don't know me personally (if any of you exist), I write poetry and often make the mistake of reading it in public. Sometimes, these readings result in cash from the donation jar, interesting discussion, and a long discussions in diners long into the night (indigestion optional). During one such long discussion, the issue of musicians not coming to poetry readings came up. It's a long-standing gripe with some of the poets, the lack of crossover between the two (to be fair, I don't see many poets at music open mikes either).
Local scene quibbles aside, a topic did come up that is relevant to this blog: the songwriting ability and its association with poetry, writing in general, and how so much music blows chunks these days due to people not reading. I will draw examples from several of my favorites. Nick Cave strikes me as a fantastically literate man. This year's powerhouse from Cave & The Bad Seeds features some amazing songwriting, including practically rewriting The Odyssey and some name dropping and comparison of famous writers, although I disagree that "Bukowski was a jerk." Also from this year, Haale presented a touching and beautiful album strongly influenced by Persian poetry. Haale sets Rumi and other Persian poets to music, and does a fine job of it. She has an MFA in poetry, so I guess you can say she's literate.
I also must mention Tom Waits (you didn't think I'd leave him out, did you?). While literary references don't exactly leap from his music, I do know that he is a reader. I am told that he is a big fan of Edna St. Vincent Millay, but this is rumor as far as I know. But, as far as real evidence is concerned, let's look at 2002's Alice. This album was originally written as music for a play of the same name, based around Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. While the play was based on Lewis Carroll's most famous book, I can't say I really see much influence in the music. However, the unsettling song "Poor Edward" shows that Mr. Waits is familiar with folk tales and oddities. The Edward of this song is based on Edward Mordrake, a young Briton of noble birth who committed suicide at the age of 23 due to a second face that he claimed was driving him mad. Edward Mordrake's tale is often dismissed as being fanciful or at least skewed with retelling, but with the knowledge we have now of conjoined twins and other birth oddities, there is the possibility of a seed of truth to this story. Of course, in order to write a song about such a man, one must know about him, yes? To know, one must research.
Confession: I never liked "Poor Edward." Not because I thought the lyrics or music were bad in any way; it's that the song is so bloody unsettling that I can't stand to listen to it. I now find it twice as unsettling knowing that someone had such a maddening deformity, even if retelling of his short life has altered the facts of the case.
The point that I am getting at is knowledge makes for a better songwriter. How many generic love/hate/depression songs have you heard in your life, coming from musicians that sound the same? Can't begin to count them, can you? How about describing your prior loves as characters from The Odyssey? Impressive, yes? Dragging up old folk tales of mad and deformed nobles? Amazing. I could probably drag up tons of examples (no, you don't need to send me a list of your own examples), but here are but a few musicians that did something downright unusual: they picked up a f#cking book.
So, do yourself a favor and pick up a f#cking book and read it, you AIM-speaking douche.
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9 comments:
some of the best cure songs re based on literature as well: charlotte sometimes, the drowning man, killing an arab, at night, bananafishbones, how beautiful you are, etc.
open also loosely borrows a sylvia plath line, i think. kevin, if you see this, pass that tidbit to jacki.
interesting. what line is it?
I agree with you, as you know, Chris. I think The National's music is rife with literary references. I don't know how many of them are actual (rather than my connection-making imagination).
Much of Scott Walker's later music is based on books he's read—collections of poetry, biographies, histories. Then there's film literacy. I love his song "The Seventh Seal." It makes me want to see the movie (currently have it out from the library), just as "Clara" makes me want to read a book on Mussolini. If you look up Tilt on Wikipedia, you'll find "Farmer in the City" borrows lines from a poet who the song is in part about.
As to the local poetry scene, I find the notion that you can tell if poets are going to music gigs and open mics or if they are not questionable. The recognizable poets who tend to go to the readings around the Hudson Valley that M & Co. organize would be noticeable, but how do we know that there are not poets in the crowd who have not yet shared their work, at least not at an open mic or performance we've been to?
"I am glad the rain is coming down hard. It's the way I feel inside..."
sorry, it's from a letter to her mother, not a poem.
cure line: "and the way the rain comes down hard, that's how i feel inside."
intentional reference? i think so.
kla*: If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?
If a poet doesn't share his/her work, is s/he a poet?
Perceptual reality my friend. We're not working with possibilities; we're working with what is perceivably occurring. I go to a music open mike, and there are no visible and recognizable poets in attendance (either known by reputation or revealed when they read/recite on stage), then the conclusion I reach is that there are no poets in the room. One is not recognized as being a poet until they show it by sharing their work in some way. Same holds true when I go to a poetry reading and cannot recognize musicians in the room by reputation, assuming they did not sign up for the open and thus reveal themselves.
Emily Dickinson.
And your point is? She had fewer than a dozen poems published in her life, but they were still published. Thus, recognition by sharing her work. Had none of her work ever been published, during her life or after, she would never have been known as a poet.
the debate is fruitless. we'll never know!
ps- i've never been published officially, unless you count college and high school lit mags. i also don't write new material. does that mean i am not or never was a poet?
you can be a poet and not share or read your work aloud.
Frank: You shared it at various points, thus we know.
I'm not saying a person isn't a poet intrinsically if they don't share, I'm saying the rest of the world (or even a small fraction of it) won't recognize the fact if said person doesn't express that fact in some way. In other words, if they hide in the back of the bar sipping a beer and don't open their bloody mouths and say something, then we're not going to know and thus not recognize. Kevin says there could be other poets in the room. There very well may be, but how in the hell are you going to know unless you poll the whole damn lot? If they haven't shared their poetry/expressed the fact that they are a poet or have written poetry, then they are just another person out at the bar.
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