Gigs that bleed integrity
I just finished working on an intensive week-long project with poet, Sh’maya, called Nabokov’s Present Tense. It was a great sell-out show and a dope collaboration process. You can read the text from our set here.
It reminded me of why I write and perform, and why I choose not to play every gig that gets thrown my way. Sometimes I say I’m busy, which–whilst true, is not always my motivation for declining. Let me explain– actually better still — if you listen to Michael Port’s audio stream at thinkbigrevolution.com, “You Are Like You market” , you’ll understand why.
Nabokov are ebulient and daring promoters with artistic integrity; it’s a shame that they are something of a rarity in the local london arts scene. In my experience most are, to use our vernacular, ‘on a hype ting‘. The down-to-earthness (humanity) of so many gigs, in so many scenes, is sucked out in favour of an unrealistic, unwarranted, don’t-miss-this hype. Nobody is fooled, and the scenes reflects that.
What makes a show is the people who come. If all the people stay at home, they will still be people. If only the artists show up, it will be a rehearsal. The people make the show. Why the human-factor, community aspect is ignored or downplayed in so much local gig marketing is beyond me, surely it’s the collective soul the very show ought to embody?
I haven’t given up hope, I know there are some great promoters out there, and I hope to connect with over the next few months. If your one of them, holler – lets talk… lets grow a show.
Picture by hurting bombz
Lock and key, Part 1
Last week, as part of my other life as a part- time technologist/school teacher, I’m working late grading my students mid-term reports in my computer lab. I don’t notice that the janitors are locking the entire joint up for the night. Clearly they hadn’t noticed me either. It’s not ’til I’m leaving that I discover I’ve been locked in. I try some corridor door handles, once just casually, then again with the slight urgency and confoundment you see in horror flicks, the old rattle-the-handle-and-look-over-your- shoulder-quickly routine.
I stopped short of the ‘now look here, open this door I tell you’ melodrama, not ’cause it wouldn’t be funny, but because when the only way out is locked and you don’t have a mobile phone, you quickly realise that there’ll be plenty of time for audience-of-1 humourif you don’t think fast.
By some sweet mercy I had, earlier that very day, picked up a skeleton key from the janitors office (you couldn’t make this stuff up, honestly). That got me through a couple of doors only to come up against a huge Hogwart-style oak door requiring some old skool key. A bit of a caper ensued: fumbling into the staff room, finding a phone, calling up a colleague, getting directions, groping ’round some more in the dark, unlocking then locking doors behind me, and stumbling through an obscure fire escape that locked behind me, trapping me in a locked courtyard–all the while unable to shake the feeling that I was somehow breaking the law! By this point I’d had enough I threw the keys in the bag, scaled the school gates and whistled off into the night.
Considering I had been reflecting on the question ‘What is School for?’, and that I am paid to draw out the potential of students, there seemed something funny/symbolic about being literally locked in the building myself.
Uncluttering
Just read this article on clutter, and realised that clutter of any kind has, unwittingly, been my sworn enemy for too long. It has frustrated , obstructed and sometimes thwarted everything purposeful in my life, within and without for far too long. It often resorts in what has become known as Yak Shaving. To quote Seth Godin, ‘Yak Shaving is the last step of a series of steps that occurs when you find something you need to do’. What’s more is I’ve had enough. Earlier on this year I thought I had left my Facebook profile because of the clutter it imposed on me from without. I know better know: I deleted what was merely a reflection of my world within.
I just thought of a line from the movie Changing Lanes that made me shudder,
“You know, booze isn’t really your drug of choice anyway. You’re addicted to chaos. For some of us, it’s coke. For some of us, it’s bourbon. But you? You got hooked on disaster.” – Sponsor
Time to throw some stuff out.
PS- This is not my desk… mine is much worse.
Grateful new year
Today I met Mikey, a labourer originally from the north side of Chicago. He was selling maps, and tea candles in a subway. But he seemed neither lost or in need of the light encouragement passers by in Elephant and Castle sometimes offer. I listened as he told his story, it was tough and gritty, and he gestured emphatically to tell it with hands of a matching description in spite of the freezing London air. “I’m not on drugs, and I’ll have a job by next week”, he insisted, and I think he’s right. “I’d rather do it myself” he added, when asked him about staying at a hostel. I understood and agreed that I would probably do the same, and then I read this amazing letter on gratitude by Kevin Kelly and now I’m not so sure. Reading has aleady began to change the complexion of ‘09 for me, and for both of these encounters I am grateful.
Photo by bartmaguire; creative commons license
“We are at the receiving end of a huge gift simply by being alive. It does not matter how you calculate it, our time here is unearned. Maybe you figure your existence is the result of a billion unlikely accidents, and nothing more; then certainly your life is an unexpected and undeserved surprise” – Taken from Kevin Kelly’s letter on gratitude.
verbswish newsletter || Well I’ll Be #9 (Mar ‘08)
Hey e’rybody! beware the (good) vibes of March, February was great – see the ‘Oh My Daze!’ post on
the blog, but in short had a great TRANSTATIC launch + joint b’day celebration with friend and band member Abimaro
You had to be there, so if you weren’t (tut-tut), we’ll try and do another one soon – dont sleep. In the meantime…
Well I’ll Be…
- Running
- up and down London like clockwork, or the sweat of a goldsmith near a furnace. Let me explain: Myself and full band play north London’s Clockwork Bar this Thursday 6th, featuring as part of POESY, a night of music and poetry.
(Doors from 7pm). 96-98 Pentonville Road, N1 9JB.Then on the 18th were at Goldsmiths University, which hosts a night of music called ‘Double Take’,
(Rm 167, nearest tube new cross, from 7.30pm)Finally, this month were at a night called Furnace in Balham, a meld of passionate, spontaneous
word, music, theatre fusion. (Georges Pub, Balham Hill, £5 otd, map).
Yessir – (aren’t you glad I explained that;) - Spinning
- records. [verb]swish a DJ? I hear you say, well something like that, but it’s more part of an experiment we’re doing
here at TRANSTATIC that I’ve dubbed ’swish spins’. No rocket science here, we’re just curious about what people like, and whether they like what we like. The playlist from the first couple sessions have already gone up – as well as the rules. For this month’s competition, there is an album from one of the sessions up for grabs. To enter just email a request: info at transtatic.co.uk. So far I’ve been digging in the crates pulling out old Bacharach cuts, Masakela jawns, but also some new Daft Punk stuff, and some of Herbie’s Grammy winner.
Oh, in fact one tune has been so huge… I have to give it it own section >>> - Taking
- ‘Every Step’ back (as in rewinding) – Tawiah’s etherial new single, it made i-tunes track of the week and is a good look for UK soul. Much has rightly been said about her twisted soul sound, but the lyrics and theme on this track have also won me over: “Can you hear the wind as it blows / without ears the leaves dance”.
- Tipping
- my hat once again to all for showing out for the launch. Big ups to Michaela, racking up yet more coach miles for TRANSTATIC. Check her new facebook page here. Thanks also to Shabazz for stepping out from behind the camera, for his amazing track‘Better Now’. Big ups to Tryumf on the decks, (Look out for his poetic single, ‘Proverbs 31 Woman’ on Ras Kwame’s 1xtra show, big in the game), last but not least shout out to globetrotting Ama in Rio, who desparately wanted to be there but couldn’t. Nuff Love.
- (Re)reading
- Eat this book – Eugene peterson, Tunesmith – Jimmy Webb, The Gospel of St Luke, Selected Poems – Langston Hughes
Right, I think that’s all the fun. I’m of to the drycleaners, the post office, and the bank (no laughing). I’ll save the
fun up for April’s WIB
peace
[v]s
www.verbswish.com
swish on facebook
www.myspace.com/theverbswish
[verb]swish newsletter || Well I’ll Be #8 (Feb ‘08)
Hi there,
crisp isn’t it? – this London weather were having. Wherever you are I hope this finds you well, whatever the weather. As for me…
Well I’ll be…
- Pointing…
- you to the new facebook page, check it out, go wild and ‘Become a fan’. While your there on facebook, you can also join the J-Word appreciation society we’ve set up. It takes it’s name from a piece I wrote 3 years ago that people seem to still enjoy – hence the facebook group.
- Tinkering…
- around with a few new instruments, not quite what the neon-red astronauts were playing at Kanye’s grammy gig (what was that!!) – but off the handle all the same.
- Distributing…
- invites for the official TRANSTATIC launch (publishers of Selected Swishes), it’s on the evening of next Friday 22nd. I was going to say secret launch, but some of you may have the heads up via facebook. Thanks if you’ve gotten back with an RSVP online or otherwise. If you haven’t had a chance yet, we’ve got pairs of invites up for grabs, so register for the verbswish.com site TODAY and your name gets added to the guestlist. We’ll email you the location (ooooh). There will be surprise performances from special guests and cake. Need I say anymore? So if you like surprises and you like cake… well you’ll be there!
Later
[verb]swish
www.verbswish.com
swish on facebook
www.myspace.com/theverbswish
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Who/what is [verb]swish?
A type of word + a sound, in a noun? a lyricist; a name, a style, a purpose, a privilege
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A lyricist from South London, a collector of swishisms, someone.who.is.still.hoping
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