Performance Poetry...
...is an increasingly popular phenomenon. Not simply any poet reading their work out in public, but work that's written expressly to be read out by the author, with voice, rhythmical, syllabic inflections present. Often, performance poetry tends to fall flat if written, especially if it has a sociological or ethnic angle where the use of irony in voice and presentation is required to 'get it.' Often performance poetry contains a very real edge of anger as in the work of the English poets Linton Qwesi Johnson or John Cooper Clarke.
My impression is that the form lies somewhere on the continuum between stand up comedy and singing, with a smidgeon of 'testifying' thrown in (a la Baptist churches etc.) It also reflects the character of the very earliest forms of literature - stories told around campfire. Indeed, it is believed that Homer's "Illiad" was generated from a series of campfire tales.
Here's a relatively early example (from the late 1970s) of 'performance poetry.' This loses some of its very real anger on the page, but its core is visible.
Warning: This example is NOT 'comforting' reading and contains some coarse language.
Please excuse the USE OF CAPITALS, this was the only online version of this work I could find.
BEAZLEY STREET, John Cooper Clarke
Quote:
FAR FROM CRAZY PAVEMENTS
...THE TASTE OF SILVER SPOONS
A CLINICAL ARRANGEMENT
...ON A DIRTY AFTERNOON
WHERE THE FECAL GERMS OF MR. FREUD
...ARE RENDERED OBSOLETE
THE LEGAL TERM IS NULL AND VOID
IN THE CASE OF... BEASLEY STREET
IN THE CHEAP SEATS WHERE MURDER BREEDS
SOMEBODY IS OUT OF BREATH
SLEEP IS A LUXURY THEY DON'T NEED
...A SNEAK PREVIEW OF DEATH
BELLADONNA IS YOUR FLOWER
MANSLAUGHTER YOUR MEAT
SPEND A YEAR IN A COUPLE OF HOURS
ON THE EDGE OF BEASLEY STREET
WHERE THE ACTION ISN'T
THAT'S WHERE IT IS
STATE YOUR POSITION
VACANCIES EXIST
IN AN X-CERTIFICATE EXERCISE
EX-SERVICEMEN EXCRETE
KEITH JOSEPH SMILES AND A BABY DIES
IN A BOX ON BEASLEY STREET
FROM THE BOARDING HOUSES AND THE BEDSITS FULL OF
...ACCIDENTS AND FLEAS
SOMEBODY GETS IT
WHERE THE MISSING PERSONS FREEZE
WEARING DEAD MEN'S OVERCOATS
YOU CAN'T SEE THEIR FEET
A RIFF JOINT SHUTS - OPENS UP
RIGHT DOWN ON BEASLEY STREET
CARS COLLIDE, COLOURS CLASH
DISASTER MOVIE STUFF
FOR A MAN WITH THE FU MANCHU MOUSTACHE
REVENGE IS NOT ENOUGH
THERE'S A DEAD CANARY ON A SWIVEL SEAT
THERE'S A RAINBOW IN THE ROAD
MEANWHILE ON BEASLEY STREET
SILENCE IS THE CODE
HOT BENEATH THE COLLAR
...AN INSPECTOR CALLS
WHERE THE PERISHING STINK OF SQUALOR
...IMPREGNATES THE WALLS
THE RATS HAVE ALL GOT RICKETS
THEY SPIT THROUGH BROKEN TEETH
THE NAME OF THE GAME IS NOT CRICKET
CAUGHT OUT ON ...BEASLEY STREET
THE HIPSTER AND HIS HIRED HAT
DRIVE A BORROWED CAR
YELLOW SOCKS AND A PINK CREVAT
NOTHING LA-DI-DAH
O-A-P
MOTHER-TO-BE
WATCH THE THREE-PIECE SUITE
WHEN SHITSTOPPER DRAINS
AND CROCODILE SKIS
ARE SEEN ON ...BEASLEY STREET
THE KINGDOM OF THE BLIND
...A ONE-EYED MAN IS KING
BEAUTY PROBLEMS ARE REDEFINED
...THE DOORBELLS DO NOT RING
A LIGHT BULB BURST LIKE A BLISTER
THE ONLY FORM OF HEAT
WHERE A FELLOW SELLS HIS SISTER
...DOWN THE RIVER ON BEASLEY STREET
THE BOYS ARE ON THE WAGON
THE GIRLS ARE ON THE SHELF
THEIR COMMON PROBLEM IS
...THAT THEY'RE NOT SOMEONE ELSE
THE DIRT BLOWS OUT
THE DUST BLOWS IN
YOU CAN'T KEEP IT NEAT
IT'S A FULLY FURNISHED DUSTBIN
...SIXTEEN BEASLEY STREET
VINCE THE AGEING SAVAGE
BETRAYS NO KIND OF LIFE
...BUT THE SMELL OF YESTERDAY'S CABBAGE
AND THE GHOST OF LAST YEAR'S WIFE
THROUGH A CONSTANT HAZE
OF DEODORANT SPRAYS
HE SAYS ...RETREAT
ALSATIANS DOG THE DIRTY DAYS
DOWN THE MIDDLE OF BEASLEY STREET
PEOPLE TURN TO POISON
QUICK AS LAGER TURNS TO PISS
SWEETHEARTS ARE PHYSICALLY SICK
EVERY TIME THEY KISS
IT'S A SOCIOLOGIST'S PARADISE
EACH DAY REPEATS
UNEASY, CHEASY, GREASY, QUEASY
...BEASTLY, BEASLEY STREET
EYES DEAD AS VICIOUS FISH
LOOK AROUND FOR LAUGHS
IF I COULD HAVE JUST ONE WISH
I WOULD BE A PHOTOGRAPH
ON A PERMANENT MONDAY MORNING
GET LOST OR FALL ASLEEP
WHEN THE YELLOW CATS ARE YAWNING
AROUND THE BACK OF BEASLEY STREET
Soho Traveller in the arts
Posts: 2
(4/21/02 12:13 am) Reply
Re: Performance Poetry...
Hi. The whole poetry slam/spoken word/hiphop thing has brought back performance poetry big time. In the "modern era" the most famous reading was Allen Ginsberg's, when he read "Howl" in front of a small audience with Kerouac passing around a wine bottle. Wish I'd been there that night.
PW Earsman Traveller in the arts
Posts: 5
(4/23/02 2:14 am) Reply
Re: Performance Poetry...
Performance poetry is quite big here in Australia.
It may be just me, but sometimes I get the feeling that it is partly a rebellion against modernism (and, lets not forget, post-modernism) which far too often seems to be poetry written for poets rather than for (people).
Performance poetry appears to be filling that gap.
It may well be that Performance poetry is paving the way for a resurrection of formalism. I hope so.
There is room for all kinds of poetry in the literary world. It saddens me that there seems to be such animosity between devotees of modernism and formalism, and by extension, performance poetry.
Rap is performance poetry. (Well, it certainly isn't music.) The only problem I have with Rap (and it's a BIG problem) is that most of it seems to set out to offend. That's social commentary, not really poetry at all. The successful millionaire Rappers rail against the system, then climb back into their cadillacs to party at the Hilton.
Anyway, those who haven't met me yet, will discover that I'm a formalist who writes occasional vers libre, but vers libre that won't make your brain bleed. I'm not a huge fan of dense metaphoric language-games.
But I'm kind to animals and hardly ever prune shrubs too hard.
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies 
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies