Hanging With The Anti-Clique

Work Is Love Haiku Four foot eleven I love her like few others Ishle is the bomb! Ishle's CD release party for Work Is Love was a lot of fun. It was the first time I'd hosted something at the Bowery Poetry Club and a nice turnout (Ishle's always had a strong following, though the crowd was a bit light on, um, slam scenesters; short memories, I suppose) caught Edward Garcia, Taiyo Takeda, Bassey and Ed Bok Lee open up for an amazing set by Ishle, with musicians backing her up on most of her pieces, adding another dimension to…

Continue ReadingHanging With The Anti-Clique

Happy Anniversary to us!

Yesterday was our 5th Anniversary! There was a point last year when that seemed like a milestone we might not reach. Weird thing about stress, when there's no specific source that you can address directly, it can turn inward and devour you. If 2002 went in the books as a down year in the marriage market, then 2003 has definitely been a bullish run with no signs of slowing down. The key to the metaphor is you have to be in it for the long haul. Market timers should just stay single. In light of the recent move, we decided…

Continue ReadingHappy Anniversary to us!

Wednesday is new comic book day!

So I've gotten into yet another flame war with Danny Solis on the poetry_slam list. Why can't I just leave that shit alone? The whole PSI thing, I mean. Solis is this big-ass, dreadlocked Mexican poet, currently out of Albuquerque, NM. If you saw SlamNation, he's on the Austin team, in that fun little group piece they do. Not someone you want to piss off, especially if he's been drinking. The irony is, as much as I've virtually fought with him over the years, I think he's a pretty good guy. He's a very good poet with a strong sense…

Continue ReadingWednesday is new comic book day!

What the hell, all the kids are doing it...! THREE THINGS THAT SCARE ME: Blind loyalty Apathy Money (as in too much of it) THREE PEOPLE WHO MAKE ME LAUGH: Michael Savage (you HAVE to laugh, o'wise, you have to take him seriously) Isaac (esp. when he's mad) Shappy THREE THINGS I LOVE: My wife & kids Our apartment Helping people THREE THINGS I HATE: Blind loyalty Apathy Money (when it's unfairly distributed) THREE THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND: How planes fly Third eyes Keanu Reeves' career THREE THINGS ON MY DESK: Pictures of my wife & kids Shea Stadium Replica…

Continue Reading

Devouring Comics

Whenever I find a new passion - whether person, place or thing - I tend to throw myself into it 120%. Having cleared my plate of the administrative responsibilities (and psychological baggage) of running a little bit louder, comic books have quickly and completely rushed in to fill the void. I am so hooked! Finished reading Mark Salisbury's fascinating Writers on Comics Scriptwriting, interviews with an assortment of prominent comic book writers discussing inspiration, motivation and process, along with a healthy dose of egomania and outright weirdness. Grant Morrison, anyone? Despite only having a single woman represented and a complete…

Continue ReadingDevouring Comics

Fulano, Live!

Have you ever heard me live? Fulano. Listen to the live version, recorded at the 1999 NPS Semi-Finals when we were facing the Nuyorican in the most intense slam I've ever been in. The studio version, done on minidisc in Soft Skull's original Shortwave store in Tonic, sucks. There's also the nycSLAMS and 5 PAST 13 CDs, with Prodigal Son and Breathless, respectively. Catch me in person in a rare NYC feature on Friday, July 25 at the Cornelia Street Café. That's the closest I get to self-promotion! Have a nice weekend. :-)

Continue ReadingFulano, Live!

What ever happened to Surge Frost?

I met with Cristin last week for the interview for her upcoming book on slam and, after nearly three hours, we'd only gotten up to the 1999 Nationals! Hadn't thought in-depth about the early days in ages but sitting with Cristin, one thing led to another, one story uncovering another uncovering yet another, and I was both surprised at how much I remembered and, even moreso, at how integral a part of my life the whole scene had become in such a short time. The first two years in particular were some heady times, from my first slam in July…

Continue ReadingWhat ever happened to Surge Frost?