This Wild Optimist

This Sickness - debut performance

2009-09-07T15:57:00.001-07:00

What is it that compels a grown man to put on a sparkly pink cowboy hat on stage in front of friends, colleagues and his own parents? Ah poetry, my twisted mistress.

Anyway, Carmen and I debuted our performance piece 'This Sickness' at Glitch Bar in North Fitzroy on Sunday night, to a generally positive response from some people I respect immensely. My favourite comment so far came from Anna Fern, the MC for the night, who described us as corruption (me) and luminosity (Carmen), which I'm so absolutely using on the next press release. The 70's porn sample on the soundtrack, featuring the line "Eat me, come on. Taste that trucker's cum, taste it you bitch" may actually have gotten a better response than the poems themselves. And certain audience members are apparently still in shock after my post-rock Celine Dion remix. I am proud yes. Weirdest moment was the brief disappointment afterwards that I hadn't taken all my clothes off. Who'd have thought? Maybe next time. Maybe not.

Given our almost total lack of rehearsal, I was pretty happy with our performance and with some work to beat it into shape I think it could be a fine one to flog around the slightly edgier festival circuit. I feel that Carmen and I have found a good balance between the personal and the profane and the hmm that's a bit of both isn't it.

I like that there's still a place for this kind of mischief in the Overload Poetry Festival.

A chapbook of the poems is available from the green Safeway bag beside my bed.

The gig has also sparked off a bit of debate over at the Overland blog - http://web.overland.org.au/?p=1648

Harmony

2009-09-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the world is dived into two kinds of people. People who like Harmony Korine, find him challenging and inspiring and funny, and the people don't like him even a little bit.

So I'm sitting here, as I do, and I'm watching interviews with Harmony Korine on youtube, which I've never done and feeling this amazing connection somehow. This idea that there are all these amazing pictures in his head that come out when he makes films, but maybe when he does interviews he has a hard time getting those images across and people think he's just a kook.

I'm a word person, not a visual person so much, but I understand how difficult it can be to explain the process of creating your art. And I love that he doesn't censor his vision to make it prettier or more obviously accessible. His characters get to be weird and fucked up without having to be . . . washed. People can be handicapped without being cute, sad without being tragic, people can be awful and wonderful and not make any sense, and that's fine.

Apparently his last film had flying nuns too - and a castle full of celebrity impersonators. So of course I have to see it now. 'Mr Wonderful' it's called. I saw the trailer, looks amazing. But where to find it? I don't want to download it, I'd rather he got the money. I'll order it if no video shops around here have it.

And so I think this divided world of ours needs more Harmony Korine, I think he makes it a nicer place for us all.

"I'd do the sequel to Titanic. I'd use a rowboat. I don't know if it'd sink."
Harmony Korine on Letterman

Or maybe

2009-09-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Fuck it, I'm going to use this blog to write down recipes, which I never do. Rarely read them, never keep record of what I've cooked so I can remember next time.

Half a punnet of chopped strawberries, one tablespoon sour cream, handful of crushed brazil nuts, handful of chopped dried apricots, as much golden syrup as you like and a pinch of cinnamon - mix in a bowl.

Roll in a sheet of filo pastry.

Place in 200 degree oven for 20 minutes or until brown.

Eat.

use as excuse to procrastinate on a blog at 5am.

Easy as.

Tomorrow we'll do main course.

Reality, my idiot friend and I

2009-09-01T11:40:00.001-07:00

I like the idea that almost no one is reading this. I could say anything at all. But then I've said so much over the years on stages and in print and CD, online and all the rest of it that sometimes by the time I get to this blog, I'm just worn out of words. This twisted on compulsive need to communicate all the time.

I should be memorising lines for these shows, or sleeping, or doing something other than this.

I'm fucking nervous and edgy and the idea of sleep seems foreign right now. There's too much to do, I can't get my head around it all.

I have to look for a house.

I need to prioritise.

I leave this for tonight with an odd sense of deja vu and a random poem from the archive.

Reality Whore Manifesto

I am a reality whore
I don’t need money
don’t you know that artists
eat air, breathe words
the slash of paint on canvas
the lull of a guitar the screech of a trumpet?
Invoke the name ---- ----- to
locate other reality whores in your vicinity
I’ll sell myself any day of the week
for some small truth

Truth in advertising?
Truth in fiction
truth in the days you can’t tell
if you’re dreaming or you’re
actually waiting for a tram
the line becomes blurred
it’s why we crave the visceral
the nights too close to madness
the unavoidable slap of next mornings
is a small price to pay to know you’re alive!

We do not come in peace
we come with lists of demands
that can never be met
we’ll find the hole in the sand
you’ve buried your head in
wrench it out crying
Look! It’s all around don’t deny it
don’t deny this one small thing we have
the knowledge that we exist
that some things are solid
can be both touched and tasted

We will fight for this knowledge
to keep it safe from those
who would take it from us
take hallucinogens to prove that reality
not only exists but has many layers
we will explore the possibilities
as far as they stretch
want you to understand
and may lose sleep if you don’t

In reality we are no more or less
significant than any other speck of star-trash
the universe might swallow us whole
without the slightest shudder
we are not so important
still we have been given the gift of reason
the ability to search for truth and beauty -
created angels because we understood
that we are not perfect

‘Each to their own’ the prophet said
each to the world they see around them
we simply ask that you accept
there is much more than what you’ve seen
said the sun turned around the earth and you were
wrong, we did not drop off the edge
there was no edge to find
we continue to learn

Reasons to be cheerful # 1

2009-08-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

Monkey Punch Dinosaur
http://monkeypunchdinosaur.blogspot.com/

Brought to us by literary superhero Adam Ford.

What's it about? Monkeys punching dinosaurs. Yay!!!

New poem

2009-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

In response to last weeks absurd controversy following a Channel 7 sketch comedy show that poked fun at bullies, and the particular kinds of private schools that seem to breed them bigger and meaner than just about any other institution you could poke a restraining order at. People, would you watch these shows before you get angry! They were clearly not having a go at the kids being bullied. The intent of the sketch was not only implied, it was outright stated. Still there was controversy, in much the same tone as all the people who had never seen a Bill Henson photo but were damn sure he should be run off the planet. At least the Prime minister stayed out of it - for once.

Why don't we ban something worthwhile. Why don't we ban Aden Young. Sorry, I just saw a preview of Mao's Last Dancer, which is wonderful except for Aden Young. Just about the post the review to Rhum, will put the link where everyone can see it.

Outrage violence Outrage

Psychologist says it's a new low
We have to be very, very careful now
of what we say and do
its a sign of how low society has sunk
I think Australians are getting sick and tired of comedians
making jokes about things that are really not funny

scenes of a boy being cyber-bullied
on a channel 7 sketch comedy show
provoked anger in various sectors
of the media and family services groups
Outrage over the skit comes as a court today
decided to extend an order banning Channel 9 . . .

I really don’t think this is the sort of material
that should be broadcast at any time

Outrage at the Chaser
Australian Idol judges
Dave Hughes
Outrage at Kyle and Jackie O God
aren’t you? Shocked
No I mean really? Shocked

Recently ‘Pete and Myf in the Morning’
were fired for not providing the network
with sufficient controversy

I think Australians are getting sick and tired
We have to be very, very careful now
Don’t laugh, psychologists warn
laughing leads to perversion
of societal values
dancing with stars causes blindness
clouds are forming in the south
a joke is no joke
this is very, verrrrry serious

The Herald Sun’s Andrew Bolt is
available for comment in the event of an outrage
the Prime Minister today appeared shocked
beyond the pale of the milk of sacred cows

this raises another important question
about comedy, and particularly comedy from the left
and that question is
where is the comedy of the Right?

Comedians should be as accountable
as football players and members the judiciary system
the police and the advertising industry
We say no to the self-regulation of comedy
all jokes must be pre-approved
by every right-thinking parent in Australia
I don’t think I’m being "unreasonable"
I’m not a "wowser"
or a "gay churchy loser"

Today Tonight takes you behind the scenes
for a closer look and discovers
some things just aren’t funny
when asked where the line was
The Chaser’s Julian Morrow replied he wasn’t sure
to which politicians and church groups replied
AGHAST with renewed vigour
the buck stops at the kiddies
and true it is that kiddies are expensive
we’re in a recession people
this is no laughing matter

Monetizing

2009-08-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's described as 'monetizing' now - selling adspace on your blog. I don't update often enough or get enough hits to bother anyway, but the term seems creepy to me. I have every wish to make a living from my art, but hosting random ads and then trying to lure my friends into clicking on them seems somehow wrong. Maybe if I was getting thousands of hits on all my various pages I'd think differently, but I hope not.

And speaking of selling crap, I went to a preview screening of 'Orphan' last night. Oh it's bad. People laughed. It wasn't a comedy. There was potential there but the premise was hackneyed and the plot was a mess. See review at http://rhum.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=484:orphan-film-review&catid=40:mr&Itemid=111
I got kinda stuck into it in the review but I don't think it's undeserved, particularly considering all the good films I saw doing MIFF reviews last month.

Durn it

2009-03-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

And once again I signed up for a blog and then completely forgot about it. Between email, facebook, myspace and various other pages that I hardly look at or update (MP3.com.au, JJJ Unearthed, ABC Contribute, etc, etc) it gets hard to keep up. And so often I find myself online looking at bullshit and not doing anything productive. 'Tis a familiar story to many I'm afraid, and unfortunate since the internet offers so many opportunities, not only for communication but for generating work, which I need to do.

Currently I'm organising a tour for May and June, starting in Perth, working up to Geraldton and Broome and then across to Darwin and down to Alice Springs. I have no idea how I'm going to afford it, but if I can pick up some workshops then I should be ok - and I'm moving out of my house so I don't have to worry about rent at least. Got a couple of gigs booked in Perth and leads on a few others, fingers crossed.

Also working on a show with my dear friend Carmen, 20 minutes of poetry on sex and personal politics, very raw some of it, it's coming up well and I have high hopes for the possibilities it could hold.

Now to work.

2009-03-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

And sometimes everything gets so crazy. Sometimes I don't know where my head is and there's fourty things I think I should be doing but I can't focus. Too many projects that are more in my head than anywhere else.

So I'm going to try to use this as a tool to help me focus, rather than another distraction. This will keep me honest, because if I'm not doing the work that I'm supposed to be doing then it will be right here in the public domain. So much of life seems to be lived in public now. I have no wish to air my relationships, past or present, or to bitch about anyone in particular, I just have a need for communication. Strange to find that in a poet really.

And right now I'm supposed to be calling a friend to discuss a show we're writing, so that's what I'm gonna do, and I'll post more about it when we've got it together.

Steve