Do I like Wallace Stevens? No, I love him. He ranks at the top of my list of favorite poets, up there with Edith Sitwell and Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Do I like dramatic poetry readings? Sometimes. Depends on what the reader brings to the poem. Even if they're also the poet, it varies.
Does this recitations of "Carlos Among the Candles" work for me? Actually yes. Mainly because it doesn't sound like a "recitation" at all. The woman performing it gets at the conversational tone Stevens often drops into. A tone that doesn't decrease the sharpness of the verse at all. And yeah, she makes the most of the props as well.
2 comments:
This was an intriguing enough performance that I can understand you enjoying it for its content - too bad the acoustics in the room made her voice sound a bit hollow. Personally, a favorite of mine is Steven's poem 'The Snow Man' (one must have a mind of winter).
I'm old enough to remember the popularity of the Beat poets of the 50s and early 60s - I even attended a couple of coffee house events in Toronto were the poets rambled accompanied by a bongo player. Now that was weird.
Speaking of things one likes, I found this fine little video recently. Called My Grandfather's Memory Book' it's the depiction of a rather incredible treasure.
The acoustics were, well, what they were. It's potentially annoying to a viewer/listener at home, but the people who were there hearing it live didn't think that much. It was about the experience. "The Snow Man" is a poem that I've loved for a good long time. I've always had a hard time explaining why, though, and people tend not to get it. I should have figured that you'd be an exception.
Poetry events AKA "slams" were big in my college years, and I went to a few. Probably a little more sedate than the ones you remember. There was no Maynard G. Krebs on bongos, for one thing.
That was a neat short film. I'd guess the sketchbook look was some kind of computer effect, but it looked good. The "car windows with gangster cutouts" idea was hilarious.
Post a Comment