Words and Music

warch · 10-21-2002, 12:45 PM

I just got some tix I am excited about. The show is McSweeny's vs. They Might Be Giants. I know this matchup just did "battle" at a writing festival in Philly- the 215 festival, which sounded like a cool thing. Did any of yall go? Dave Eggers is the evening's master of smart ass, TMBG providing appropriate musical response. All of this to bring up the entertaining aspects of spoken word. Anyone out there into it?

Griff · 10-23-2002, 07:22 AM

hmmm.. guess not.

Can you explain the format?

warch · 10-23-2002, 04:29 PM

Well...first in Austin and now here in Mpls, whilst innocently drinking my way around town, minding my own damn non-literary business, performance poets would crop up. Some I happened to catch in bars, clubs with open mic nights and more lively poetry slams. Info on that here But, barely verbal myself, it was not something I sought out, yet admired when I found it interesting. This summer the National Slam was held here and I did go to some rounds- it was fascinating. I think I was just catching some serious contenders, seeing the best. And it was great. Its competitive but supportive too. It is, of course, very closely linked to hip hop- there's also a strain that is more literary/jazz based. Music, dance have featured in some instances, but the focus is words. Not a quiet beatnik reading- but rather rowdy at times.

The McSweeny/Giants show is another thang. Its prose readings, but with musical response. I dont think its specifically a competition, but framed as an exciting battle of...well...maybe giants. The event is thurs 10/24. I should know more afterwords. But really wondered if any Philadelphians had seen it awready. Guess not. Maybe it'll suck. We'll see. I'm intrigued.

perth · 10-23-2002, 04:33 PM

like word jazz?

i hear this stuff on npr late every friday night here. its... interesting.

~james

Griff · 10-23-2002, 04:46 PM

... got me thinking of Mike Meyers, "Woman, whoa man..."

warch · 10-23-2002, 04:50 PM

Hari.....et.

warch · 10-23-2002, 05:16 PM

Whoa..man! Ken Nordine! I didnt realize he had this NPR gig. Nordine has this trippy, hypnotic, low voice I first heard in 1970's Levi's adds. I know his wordjazz from an old album, vintage 60s, my friend Blonde Mark would play, Nordine muses on colors,"Bursting, Burgeoning, Burgundy" as I recall, its quite humorous and always a hit at parties. Its cool he's still "out there". He is unique. The voice...

MaggieL · 10-23-2002, 07:16 PM

"...what a quaint notion: olive trees!"

warch · 10-28-2002, 12:03 PM

Report on McSweeny vs TMBG:
It was very very fun. The Fitzgerald IS a small old theater. It was really like a variety show.
One of the highlights was the opener, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. I wont do justice explaining it but...Mom (Tina) searches yard sales and thrift stores for old slide shows- vacation snaps, birthdays, and a fabulous 1978 McDonalds corporate presetation. Dad (Jonathon) writes strange and charming songs inspired by the images- The McD's slides inspired a rock opera. The performance includes daughter (Rachel), 8 on drums and background vocals. My favorite number was called "Look at Me!Look at Me!".They have a web site if this intrigues you enough.

They happily announced their booking on the Conan show- Nov 5th I think.

There were three other performers, two pretty forgetable- a kinda funny cartoonist and a hipster doofus guy too wrapped up in his romance of being a "hobo" - but Dave Eggers was great, reading an excerpt from his new book, "You Shall Know Our Velocity" and cracking himself up along with the audience. TMBG added appropriate background music as needed. He could have read the whole thing.

The last set was all TMBG and fun. The best stage banter I've heard. Rocking comedy and everyone was on their feet.

So basically this thread is just about odd, yet interesting performances.

perth · 10-28-2002, 12:23 PM

actually that sounds pretty cool. in my angst-ridden youth i spent a lot of time in coffee shops smoking cloves and drinking espresso. the bad poetry backed by even worse 'bands' seemed wonderful at the time. nowadays i dont think i could stomach the poetry, music, espresso or cloves, but i still kind of miss the 'magic' of it.

~james

elSicomoro · 10-28-2002, 02:45 PM

Sorry I didn't get to this thread sooner...

James, were you angry, yet didn't know why?

If I ever reincarnate Sycamore (the musical deal), it will most likely be a spoken word deal...I dabbled a bit with it in the 90s. I still have a couple of tapes I made whilst living in DC and in my travels to Chicago...they're Rollins-type deals. I keep threatening to go to one of these hip little joints we have here in Philadelphia...

Don't unleash me.

The last 2 Recoil albums have been a mix of singing and spoken-word. You might like them Warch. Unsound Methods and Liquid are the two CDs...I like Unsound Methods in particular. Doug McCarthy (formerly of Nitzer Ebb) does two incredible tracks ("Incubus" and "Stalker"); there is also a spoken worder out of NYC named Maggie Estep that does a couple of great tracks. And of course, Alan Wilder (formerly of Depeche Mode) creates perfect backdrops to the words.

warch · 10-28-2002, 05:52 PM

(As she draws deeply from her sparking clove)
*Cough, sniffle, pushes glasses back up nose*. I was never quite cool or consistently angry enough to pull that off- smells kinda good though, and I do like coffee, ooh! are those rice crispie squares? neat!

Warren-T a word dabbler, eh? I marvel at the balls to go up to an open mic. You should do it Syc,...cause It'd be marvelous. Unleash. You should at least give us bit. Creative urges, eh? They should be answered, not taken for granted.

From the dark, faceless audience, I enjoy the comedic, absurd approach. I like my heavy with a twist. I confess I've heard of none of the names you suggest, save Senior Rollins and Depeche Mode.

perth · 10-28-2002, 05:57 PM

Quote:

You should do it Syc,...cause It'd be marvelous.

i agree. then post mp3s.

~james

j03L10T · 11-12-2002, 12:43 PM

Can anyone remember if Soundgarden split up before or after Temple of The Dog? I really don't know why this is important to me at PRESENT, but I was really upset to hear that they were breaking up at THAT moment in time. My Bobby cat is talking in his sleep right now, and I just remembered the Pearl Jam song "animal". I think that I am very fortunate to be single and to have such a nice pet to keep me company, and it licks!

11-12-2002, 12:50 PM

Well after. I believe Soundgarden split in 1996, and Temple of the Dog was around '92-'93.

10-21-2002, 12:45 PM	#1
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Words and Music I just got some tix I am excited about. The show is McSweeny's vs. They Might Be Giants. I know this matchup just did "battle" at a writing festival in Philly- the 215 festival, which sounded like a cool thing. Did any of yall go? Dave Eggers is the evening's master of smart ass, TMBG providing appropriate musical response. All of this to bring up the entertaining aspects of spoken word. Anyone out there into it?

10-23-2002, 07:22 AM	#2
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	hmmm.. guess not. Can you explain the format? __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

10-23-2002, 04:33 PM	#4
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	like word jazz? i hear this stuff on npr late every friday night here. its... interesting. ~james Last edited by perth; 10-23-2002 at 04:52 PM.

10-23-2002, 04:46 PM	#5
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	... got me thinking of Mike Meyers, "Woman, whoa man..." __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

10-23-2002, 07:16 PM	#8
MaggieL in the Hour of Scampering Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia) Posts: 4,060	"...what a quaint notion: olive trees!" __________________ "Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..."

10-23-2002, 04:29 PM	#3
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Well...first in Austin and now here in Mpls, whilst innocently drinking my way around town, minding my own damn non-literary business, performance poets would crop up. Some I happened to catch in bars, clubs with open mic nights and more lively poetry slams. Info on that here But, barely verbal myself, it was not something I sought out, yet admired when I found it interesting. This summer the National Slam was held here and I did go to some rounds- it was fascinating. I think I was just catching some serious contenders, seeing the best. And it was great. Its competitive but supportive too. It is, of course, very closely linked to hip hop- there's also a strain that is more literary/jazz based. Music, dance have featured in some instances, but the focus is words. Not a quiet beatnik reading- but rather rowdy at times. The McSweeny/Giants show is another thang. Its prose readings, but with musical response. I dont think its specifically a competition, but framed as an exciting battle of...well...maybe giants. The event is thurs 10/24. I should know more afterwords. But really wondered if any Philadelphians had seen it awready. Guess not. Maybe it'll suck. We'll see. I'm intrigued.

10-23-2002, 04:50 PM	#6
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Hari.....et.

10-23-2002, 05:16 PM	#7
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Whoa..man! Ken Nordine! I didnt realize he had this NPR gig. Nordine has this trippy, hypnotic, low voice I first heard in 1970's Levi's adds. I know his wordjazz from an old album, vintage 60s, my friend Blonde Mark would play, Nordine muses on colors,"Bursting, Burgeoning, Burgundy" as I recall, its quite humorous and always a hit at parties. Its cool he's still "out there". He is unique. The voice...

10-28-2002, 12:03 PM	#9
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Report on McSweeny vs TMBG: It was very very fun. The Fitzgerald IS a small old theater. It was really like a variety show. One of the highlights was the opener, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. I wont do justice explaining it but...Mom (Tina) searches yard sales and thrift stores for old slide shows- vacation snaps, birthdays, and a fabulous 1978 McDonalds corporate presetation. Dad (Jonathon) writes strange and charming songs inspired by the images- The McD's slides inspired a rock opera. The performance includes daughter (Rachel), 8 on drums and background vocals. My favorite number was called "Look at Me!Look at Me!".They have a web site if this intrigues you enough. They happily announced their booking on the Conan show- Nov 5th I think. There were three other performers, two pretty forgetable- a kinda funny cartoonist and a hipster doofus guy too wrapped up in his romance of being a "hobo" - but Dave Eggers was great, reading an excerpt from his new book, "You Shall Know Our Velocity" and cracking himself up along with the audience. TMBG added appropriate background music as needed. He could have read the whole thing. The last set was all TMBG and fun. The best stage banter I've heard. Rocking comedy and everyone was on their feet. So basically this thread is just about odd, yet interesting performances.

10-28-2002, 12:23 PM	#10
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	actually that sounds pretty cool. in my angst-ridden youth i spent a lot of time in coffee shops smoking cloves and drinking espresso. the bad poetry backed by even worse 'bands' seemed wonderful at the time. nowadays i dont think i could stomach the poetry, music, espresso or cloves, but i still kind of miss the 'magic' of it. ~james

10-28-2002, 02:45 PM	#11
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Sorry I didn't get to this thread sooner... James, were you angry, yet didn't know why? If I ever reincarnate Sycamore (the musical deal), it will most likely be a spoken word deal...I dabbled a bit with it in the 90s. I still have a couple of tapes I made whilst living in DC and in my travels to Chicago...they're Rollins-type deals. I keep threatening to go to one of these hip little joints we have here in Philadelphia... Don't unleash me. The last 2 Recoil albums have been a mix of singing and spoken-word. You might like them Warch. Unsound Methods and Liquid are the two CDs...I like Unsound Methods in particular. Doug McCarthy (formerly of Nitzer Ebb) does two incredible tracks ("Incubus" and "Stalker"); there is also a spoken worder out of NYC named Maggie Estep that does a couple of great tracks. And of course, Alan Wilder (formerly of Depeche Mode) creates perfect backdrops to the words.

10-28-2002, 05:52 PM	#12
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	(As she draws deeply from her sparking clove) Cough, sniffle, pushes glasses back up nose. I was never quite cool or consistently angry enough to pull that off- smells kinda good though, and I do like coffee, ooh! are those rice crispie squares? neat! Warren-T a word dabbler, eh? I marvel at the balls to go up to an open mic. You should do it Syc,...cause It'd be marvelous. Unleash. You should at least give us bit. Creative urges, eh? They should be answered, not taken for granted. From the dark, faceless audience, I enjoy the comedic, absurd approach. I like my heavy with a twist. I confess I've heard of none of the names you suggest, save Senior Rollins and Depeche Mode.

11-12-2002, 12:43 PM	#14
j03L10T going nowhere slow Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: L.A. Posts: 252	Just wondering- Can anyone remember if Soundgarden split up before or after Temple of The Dog? I really don't know why this is important to me at PRESENT, but I was really upset to hear that they were breaking up at THAT moment in time. My Bobby cat is talking in his sleep right now, and I just remembered the Pearl Jam song "animal". I think that I am very fortunate to be single and to have such a nice pet to keep me company, and it licks!

11-12-2002, 12:50 PM	#15
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Well after. I believe Soundgarden split in 1996, and Temple of the Dog was around '92-'93.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)