Hang on the Box, 挂在盒子上
Okay folks, Mouseketeer blog-roll call; this week's review is all about poetry and music …
"Poetry as music?" you ask. Not really; why do certain poetry blogs favor name-dropping various CDs and musical artists for no apparent reason? Is it because they are listening to that very track on that very CD as they write their morning's posting? Perhaps. I like the idea of "original thought" when it comes to certain insights, however. Ron Silliman has a very thoughtful piece about the Bob Dylan documentary that was aired on PBS a week or so ago. Marci Johnson's #9 CD she is currently listening to is Super Furry Animals, Phantom Power. Collin Kelley totes Dustin Brookshire and his acoustic songwriting. Yesterday I mentioned Eduardo C. Corral's Cyndi Lauper quip. He also wrote a humorous bit on lip-syncing at home:
I've always loved lip-syncing. I'm talking about full blown lip-syncing. I stand in the middle of my room and move and shake and dance my body as I "sing." I get a kick out of acting out the emotions tied up in the songs. If it's a sad song I beat my chest, and throw my arms around. If it's a happy song I make these quirky gestures with my hands, and shake what Buddha gave me. It releases the inner Drag Queen in me.
Then there are poets who are also musicians, and their blogs incorporate both. Joy Harjo's new CD, Native Joy for Real, looks fascinating; Harjo being both a fabulous poet and fabulous saxophonist. My grin-of-the-moment, spit-coffee-all-over-my-computer-in- excitment, however, is learning the Chinese characters for punk rock, 朋克摇滚, because I have been listening to the girl Chinese punk rock group Hang on the Box (挂在盒子上) for months, ever since I found it on CDBaby.com over the summer.
It is their song "Kill your Belly" (完全张显另)I have been hitting "repeat" over and over, though. A review of their music reads in part: "Only a punk-rock genius can come up with: "Kill your belly/Kill my belly/Kiss your belly/Kiss my belly/Keep your belly/Keep my belly/F**k you, I don't need you!/Ooooooo," while cowbells clatter in the background and one of the girls hums kazoolike. It's one minute, 17 seconds of pure brilliance."
Perhaps cowbells is what Modern Poetry needs? Or should we go in a more classical direction? Ginger Heatter recommends Yo-Yo Ma: The Cello Suites Inspired by Bach. Oni Buchanan, being both a poet and a pianist, promotes her Portraits, Pictures & Prints for Piano, a compilation of piano works inspired by the visual arts. And finally, T.E. Ballard asks, which rock chick are you? I would like to be the well-paid one with good dental insurance, thank you very much.
October 16th, 2005 at 12:39 am
Hey Zachary,
Do you know Oni? We both attended the same grad school. Good woman. Fine poet.
I always writing while listening to music. I find it odd that some writers need silence to compose.
October 16th, 2005 at 2:00 pm
You know, I have never actually met Oni. I am terribly shy at meeting talented people; I would probably squeek and flee the room.
I pulled her book down from my library shelf because I thought it had something to do with the Japanese demon of folklore, the oni, only to really get into her “What Animals.” That was last year, some time before I ever considered starting a blog. But I was tickled to discover she had a blog and I’ll do whatever I can to promote poets I like.
As for silence and composition, it’s a strange thing but if there isn’t some sort of background hum in the room my brain has a hard time focusing (of course, I have also found I write well when the air-conditioning unit is on, what does that tell me? Hmmm).
October 16th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
I also listen to music while I’m writing. In July on my blog I posted a list of music I’ve been listening to lately while I write…I’m curious about whether other poets listen to music as they right, and what that music is, if they do. Here’s the link to my list http://poetryfactory.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_poetryfactory_archive.html
I’d add the the Icelandic band Sigur Ros to this list now. http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
October 16th, 2005 at 9:28 pm
I find background music a wonderful tool while writing, but it has to be just that, in the “background.” I end up singing along to anything with lyrics and break whatever connection I have going with the Powers That Be (very sad indeed).
Thus, I find opera good because I can hum along but not sing (no diva I) — Mozart’s “Marriage of Figarro,” Rossini’s “The Italian Girl in Algiers” — also jazz — Freddie Redd’s “Redd’s Blues” and Miles Davis’ “Ascenseur pour l’echafaud” — but my folk and rock collections collect dust when I am writing. Poor things!