maclothier

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Verses

Jenny - don't be fooled by the 20th century's intense pre-disposition to free verse! There are a lot of "formal" poets out there, meaning poets who are interested in forms, some of which (the sestina, por ejemplo) are quite challenging to do well. And the skilled poets who take free verse as their preferred mode, do think in terms of "rules and boundaries," but might think in terms of the content of the poem driving the form rather than the form of the poem driving the content. I highly recommend Charles Olson's mid-century essay, "Projective Verse":

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/p...

For many of these poets, their "forms" aren't necessarily traditional forms such as sonnets - it's just a matter of coming to terms with those forms.

April 29, 2009 at 8:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Verses

Apologies to WCW for the spacing snafu in my quotation!

April 23, 2009 at 3:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Verses

Healthy and spirited debate about poetry...HOT DAMN!

Robert, it seems, in your statement, "It simply needs to do something new," that you're subscribing to the Pound axiom of "Make it new." But is sheer "newness" enough? How then to explain something like Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock version of "The Star Spangled Banner"? While his interpretation of the tune could be considered "new," he's still playing an old song, and a song which had its music lifted from an earlier drinking ballad. Hendrix's version also seems so powerful because the original context of the lyrics, the War of 1812, was now joined/replaced/overlaid by the War in Vietnam. So, Hendrix is actually tapping into a deep tradition rather than just "simply...do[ing] something new". The complexity of the tradition and context aid in making Hendrix's "new" version so compelling. That and it kicks ass!

Also, has poetry ALWAYS been "a personal and intimate endeavor"? It seems to me The Iliad and The Odyssey, while dealing with personal themes, are national poems - epics. Shakespeare's plays, Dante's work, Whitman - all personal and intimate on some level, but all definitely fit for mass consumption! Poetry once had a significant place in newspapers around the country, though the quality of the verse was definitely "questionable"...wasn't Sandburg often published in newspapers? (Not saying Sandburg is bad.) But I say, "Why not poetry in newspapers?" The UDK publishes the inane telephone commentary of (hopefully drunken) KU students as the "Free For All" - a very small space couldn't be set aside for poetry?

But I'm also reminded of Williams...

It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.

A point to all of this? Not really - just thought I'd join the fray!

Matt

April 23, 2009 at 3:06 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Top 10 Creepy Rock Songs for Halloween Mix!

And excellent inclusion of Donovan's "Season of the Witch." Maybe some Jethro Tull also? The usual suspect, "Aqualung," or something like, "My God," or "Hymn 43"?Deep Purple's "Child in Time" might also make my list, but now I'm just getting into classic rock tune!

October 31, 2008 at 2 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Top 10 Creepy Rock Songs for Halloween Mix!

I don't really think "Gallows Pole" stands up in spookiness to the epic "No Quarter." The eerie synth opening, followed by the menacing guitar riff, back to the eerie synth, then, "Close the door, put out the light, you know they won't be home tonight. The snow falls hard and don't you know, the winds of Thor are blowing cold...walking side by side with Death, the Devil mocks their every step. The snow drives back the foot that's slow, the Dogs of Doom are howling low." Yes! Thor? Death? The Devil? Dogs of Doom? Count me in.And how about Shel Silverstein's (and Dr. Hook's) "Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball"? How about: White ones, black ones, yellow ones, red onesNecrophiliacs looking for dead onesThe greatest of the sadist and the masochists tooScreaming "Please hit me, and I'll hit you"I don't remember that one in Where the Sidewalk Ends!

October 31, 2008 at 1:44 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Rockin' in the free world

Alas, this story revealed nothing about what kind of band Fourth of July is or wants to be. But then again, can you gain a sense of a band through an article? Possibly not. If so, what was the point of the article? (A slightly crappy question, yes, but one that must be asked.)

July 4, 2008 at 3 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Democrat$ and the FI$A Bill

Nor does it explain why the change in voting patterns, particularly as it relates to the point Joel made about Boyda and Moore.

June 25, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Thoughts on Wilco (or MIA)

And for those who are curious...WalkenHummingbirdA Shot in the ArmAt Least That's What You SaidYou Are My FacePot Kettle BlackImpossible GermanyShe's A JarSay You Miss Me Handshake DrugsWar on WarVia ChicagoJesus, etc.Too Far ApartTheologiansI'm The Man Who Loves YouKingpinI'm A Wheel----------------------------MisunderstoodPassenger SideCalifornia StarsHate It HereHeavy Metal DrummerThe Late GreatsRed-Eyed and Blue>I Got You (At The End of the Century)>Hoodoo Voodoo

May 15, 2008 at 4:57 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Thoughts on Wilco (or MIA)

I had a great experience with Wilco yesterday...Got downtown about 4pm and heard the strange sounds of a band playing and realized SOUND CHECK! Broke into a light jog to hear the end of "Say You Miss Me" (played later that night) and "Thanks I Get," one of my new favorite Wilco tunes. Grabbed a burrito and a Pacifico at Chipotle, and then bounced around bars in the area - hitting the Pig, Cielito Lindo, then the Sandbar. My wife and friends met me around 6, and they had no problems parking. The atmosphere downtown, with the weather and the various concerts, was very nice. Stopped by Pepperjax to grab some 99 cent bottles before going into the show around 7:30. The line took almost no time to get through, and it was a short trip to the beer tent and then to the right front of the stage. Wilco were in fine form, with multiple selections from every album. Cline is a 21st century guitar god, and my non-Wilco fan friends thought the band was very good - and they were impressed by the piano player/guitarist on the right and the amount of different things he did, and his goofy "rock star" moves. I think Tweedy can sometimes be a bit heavy with his dry humor, so it's nice to see the drummer (Glenn Kotche) and the "douche" (Pat Sansone) bring an air of irreverence to the proceedings. Lizziemarie - apologies, that was probably me singing badly in your ear. All in all, a glorious Lawrence evening for me, topped off with a beer at Louise's Downtown. As I read somewhere else, "[I]t just seemed like we were seeing the world's coolest band in a friend's back yard." It really did feel that way!

May 15, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Radiohead "In Rainbows" Listening party -- 10/10/07 at Fatso's

Are you telling me Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" isn't an actual album?! That's going to screw up my whole album filing system!

October 10, 2007 at 2:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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