Thursday, December 15, 2005
Mark Hennessy knows a thing or two about touring.
In the early 1990s, his band Paw was Lawrence's most promising act. The quartet's label, A&M Records, dispatched the group to various exotic locations, ranging from France to New Zealand to Singapore.
The singer is back on the road after a long hiatus away from the microphone. But for the first time ever, Hennessy finds himself on a book tour where he is reading selections from his debut collection of poetry, "Cue the Bedlam."
"The second you stand up to read a poem in front of a crowd, you can either embrace the performance aspects of what you're doing or ignore them," he says. "I choose to embrace them to the extent that I like a circus atmosphere."
The 36-year-old musician wrote the majority of the lyrics on Paw's three albums, 1993's "Dragline" (which sold several hundred thousand copies), 1995's "Death to Traitors" and 2000's "Home Is a Strange Place." He admits there are noticeable differences between composing poetry and songs.
"In song lyrics you can get away with saying something like 'pet the dog' three times in a row without having it sound completely inane," he says. "The power of the music will allow you to get away with lyrics that - if not stereotypical or uninspired - still have the same sort of ability to move the way words on a page do.
Past Event
Mark Hennessy book release and reading
- Tuesday, December 20, 2005, 8 p.m.
- Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Mass., Lawrence
- 21+ / Free
"I think that music is the more powerful form. If I had to choose between the way Mozart's 'Requiem' or 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' made me feel inside, versus when I read 'Hamlet,' I still think music wins. Poetry takes time to process, and it's a more subtle thing. But it can be just as powerful a tool for understanding the world. For me it has been."
Mules and sinking ships
After Paw disbanded in 2000, Hennessy frequently moved around in search of his next career. The journey took him to places such as New York City and Krakow, Poland, where his brother lives.
Now residing in Durham, N.C., the Kansas City native is currently working toward a Master of Fine Arts in poetry at North Carolina State, where he also is teaching creative writing and poetry to undergrads.
Audio interviews
- A short history on Mark Hennessy's time in Lawrence, Kansas.
- Mark Hennessy on music and the blues.
- Mark Hennessy on the life of an "artist."
- Mark Hennessy reading his poem "For Renee: A Remembered Act of Kindness"
- Mark Hennessy reading his poem "How To Drink With Joelle (hand it over)"
- Mark Hennessy reading his poem "The Nothing That Is"
While the recently married writer is enjoying his studies, he is not quite so enamored with North Carolina itself.
"I don't like it nearly as well (as Kansas)," says Hennessy, who lived in Lawrence on and off from the time he turned 18.
"I always tell people I'm from a free state. It's strange for me to be around racism. In Durham just a couple months ago they were burning crosses. People there think that NASCAR is a sport. They refer to NASCAR drivers as athletes. They think George Bush is a good president."
It was actually while Hennessy was in Los Angeles where he became inspired to undertake "Cue the Bedlam" (Unholy Day Press, $12.50). The title of the collection refers to a time when he and two buddies were given free reign to drive laps at a go cart track by a preoccupied employee.
Podcast
Paw and the glory days of grunge, an interview with Mark Hennessy on Lawrence in the early '90s.
Listen to the interview
"Go carts with no supervision resembled in my head what bedlam is," he says.
According to his publisher, Hennessy's poems "embody anxiety and suffering, humor and redemption." And his work in "Cue the Bedlam" ranges "from the railroad yards of Kansas City, Kan., to the disastrous South Pole expedition of Sir Robert Falcon Scott, from mules in the salt mines of Wieliczka, Poland, to sinking ships in the Indian Ocean."
Hennessy says, "Some of the things are in blank verse, and for me to know that gives me a small feeling of accomplishment. The fact that I've taken all the bad, imitative poetry I did in my 20s and learned to deal with formal aspects gives me pleasure. I'm also proud that there are things that I've said well and in a novel fashion in the book."
Poet and former Paw lead singer Mark Hennessy.
No regrets
The former rock star says he still dabbles in music (he's busy concocting a version of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" set to the music of "House of the Rising Sun"), but as an active member of the scene he's all but retired.
"I love music," he explains. "I'm never going to be ashamed that it was part of my background. I feel better having that on my resume than being a member of ROTC or something."
Now Hennessy inserts the raw emotion characterized by the notoriously edgy Paw into his words on the page.
"One of the things that you have to get over is that your mom is going to read what you write," he says. "And while my mother may not be the person I most want to regale with tales of my self-abuse, there is nothing off-limits in poetry. If you can't talk about something in a poem, where are you going to be able to talk about it?"
Comments
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Phylgood (anonymous) says...
Great to see Hennessy back in town. I look forward to a renascent locals' muses. Welcome home, Mark, and congratulations. Phylgood
December 16, 2005 at 6:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lizardm (anonymous) says...
hmmmm.....nice photo, Richard - will be interesting to check out the new Mark
December 18, 2005 at 12:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spym00se (anonymous) says...
IS THAT JESSE??? Such a good dog...
December 19, 2005 at 9:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cvillehawk (anonymous) says...
Aside from just hometown pride, I really liked Paw's music. Thanks for keeping us up to date on what's going on with them.
December 19, 2005 at 12:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cutny (anonymous) says...
Hey...good to read about Mark. Thanks to Niccum for the update. Check out the book....it's good
December 19, 2005 at 3:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
d1smack (anonymous) says...
First heard of Paw after I bought (just by chance) Season to Risk's 1st CD. On the back cover, they mentioned a band named Paw and to check em out so I did. Dragline blew me away and still does. Im from Rochester, NY but was living in San Fran around 1990/91 when I got wind that Paw was playing some bar in Oakland. There was no chance in hell I was missing that show. I convinced one of my gf's (also from Roch) to check em out w/ me. So across the Bay Bridge we went. The bar was freakin packed. I wanted to get close to the stage (which had chicken wire up seperating the band from the crowd) so, I bought 6 bottled beers and stuffed em into my friend's purse. Didnt wanna lose my spot up close wasting it at the bar trying to get another beer. While at the bar, I didnt know it at the time, but one of the Fitch brothers struck up a conversation w/ me before splitting to get ready. I remember early during the show, Mark yelling at the audience to get into it!!!!!!! And the crowd did. By the end of the show, I was blown away and screaming out what I wanted to hear as an encore, Hard Pig, and then BAM, Hard Pig. I went freakin nutz. My friend was pretty impressed too. Thanx for the update on Mark. Glad things seem to be going well for him. And thanx to Paw and Mark for Dragline, one of the greatest CD's of All-Time. And thanx for Season to Risk for turning me on to Paw
February 1, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PawFan (anonymous) says...
I was so surprised when I found this site yesterday. I grabbed my brother and showed him. I was just doing a search on Mark Hennessy because I wanted to see if I could find the school that he teaches in so I could see what students wrote about him on ratemyprofessors.com. This came up first and I couldn't believe it. My brother and I have been fans for four or five years now. Thank God for Road Rash or we would have never found out about our favorite band.
It bothers me that Paw never became as famous as they deserved to be. There were a lot of great bands in the early and mid '90's but none affected me to the point that Paw did. Chris Cornell is one of the greatest singers ever (my second favorite), but I hold Mark Hennessy a step above him because of lyrics, substance in the songs, and a raw, powerful voice that I have never heard before or re-created by anyone. And also, no other bands would ever be able to make an album as perfect as Dragline and song as perfect as Pansy for me.
Mark didn't say in the interviews much about Grant and Peter Fitch besides the part about how some members were difficult to get along with. I hope everything is alright with them too.
It also seems hard to find Mark's book so that pisses me off. I also heard that he had another called The Caretakers but I couldn't find it.
By the way, if I found the right school, North Carolina State, no one wrote anything on him.
Fans from New Jersey
February 2, 2006 at 2:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jkane77 (anonymous) says...
I saw Paw in Washington State at the Bremerton Fairgrounds with Tool among other bands in May of 1994. I had Dragline and played it to death. I had to see them live. They did not disappoint as it was an amazing show. I'm sad to see they broke up, but am happy to see Mark has found a new calling.
February 3, 2006 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seanm57 (anonymous) says...
Mark, congratulations on the book. That is awesome. Good to see honybaby doing well. Dude, I was in Chapel Hill twice this past month....I shoulda looked you up. Your bud, Sean
February 3, 2006 at 4:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
silverdale (anonymous) says...
Hello mark, I know you might of heard this a thousand times but, I am one of your biggest fans. I remember seeing PAW for the first time in seattle, at Rock Candy. I was there to see another friends band (Mindfunk). Well let me say... YOU guys rocked the F-ing house!!! When you opened with (Gasoline), I was looking at goose bumps on my arms! When you played at bremerton fairgrounds, i knew i couldn't miss that show.
Let me just say..your a true inspiration, congrats on the book.
Best wishes, mark.
February 7, 2006 at 9:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wil (anonymous) says...
It's a shame to find out Paw split up. I was searching the net to get some more info about one of my favourit bands; an ended up with this article. It's probably strange to read that I didn't find out before; it's probably even stranger to read I'm from Holland (Europe). Their music in the snowboard movies (Totally Board), made Paw popular with me and my friends. I'm still trying to get the original cd's, but that seems inpossible around here.
Mark, keep the grunge alive....
Good luck, Wil (Amsterdam, Holland)
February 15, 2006 at 5:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kvshedevil (anonymous) says...
Interesting how you are STILL coasting on Paw's coat tails to get your book, that has nothing to do with Paw, noticed.
April 25, 2006 at 12:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AlejandroPaw (anonymous) says...
Hello Mark:
My name is Alejandro and alive in Chile, I am fan of Paw, in Chile is very difficult here to obtain discs but equal I have them, enchant to me are all, deceo you best in your book and thanks to you to Paw for so many wonderful moments in my life. Alejandro Chile "Paw Best Band of the World" by always.
Paw____________________ Henessy_____________________ThanYou.
May 10, 2006 at 9:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
marktomhennessy (anonymous) says...
dear kvshedevil,
playahata-
how could i be riding the coat tails
of a garment that i helped to make?
your logic is unsound and makes you
sound not only stupid,
but bitter as well-
peace
m
May 22, 2006 at 11:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GavinJ (anonymous) says...
Good to hear you're doing well and I look forward to picking up a copy of your book. Good analysis of kvshedevil's remarks.
May 24, 2006 at 8:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sda (anonymous) says...
greetings from Melbourne... yep another post of gratittude and admiration . cheers to ya champ thanks for the down under tour back in the mid 90's the framed Death to Traitors tour poster still takes pride of place !! Good to hear the creative streak has skipped to another format . Must be a buzz to have chapters of your life recorded for posterity ...sure beats beats dodgy photo albums !! ...now to get me a copy of the book .!!
March 12, 2007 at 6:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cmtusa (anonymous) says...
Hey Mark,
Congrats on the new book. I'm sure you don't remember me, but I met you in 2000 at Jimmy's (a bar in New Orleans where you were playing that night). At the time, I was working on an M.A. in English, and you mentioned that you had considered majoring in English when you were in school. I still listen to your music, and I often tell my students about it as well (I teach at LSU in the English Department). Drop me a line when you have a chance and let me know where I can purchase your book (cmtusa@lsu.edu).
All the best,
Chris Tusa
www.ChrisTusa.net
September 25, 2007 at 9:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cmtusa (anonymous) says...
Actually, we met in 1990. Jesus, where have the years gone:)
September 25, 2007 at 10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )