now that you have finishes memorizing your poem, i am assuming that you are going to try to read it somewhere or mutter it to yourself at work to keep nasty co-workers at bay- your choice, partner. for argument’s sake, lets go with the first option…

STAGE TIME

i say, leave the paper home. dont even bring it with you to the spot. i mean, if you haven’t got it memorized yet, trying to sneak in a few readings of it at the venue is not going to make much of a difference.

some folks do bring the paper with them and even take it onstage. my opinion- this is a cop out. if you dont think you can do it with out the page then don’t. end of text.

UP ON THE MIC

no intros, no explanations. these are just more cop outs. dont try to get audience

sympathy with-

“i just memorized this”

“first time from memory…”

i say- just go up there, adjust the mic, get your breath, plant your feet, (UH OH! AUDIENCE BANTER! please ignore. its just folks looking for extra spotlight. if they really love you, they’ll just let you do your poem. you are under no obligation to reply to anything they say. there will be plenty of time for that later.), take a swig of water and go for it.

optional- tell them the title. i like doing it cuz i think its an important part of the poem but to each their own. note- if its “untitled” then dont say that… not a rule just one of my pet peeves.

stay in your rhythm. respect applause and laughter but dont calculate that into your memorization process. notice what happens when real funny mofos (like shappy & beau) hit the stage. they keep their flow goin regardless of laughter. bad ass = comedy.

THE AFTERMATH (you nailed it!)

when you finish- take a breath, step back from the mic, give the audience some kind of signal to applause (bow, kiss your heart, tap the mic- whatever you like), say a lil sumthin (“thanks” is just fine), and WALK AWAY A WINNER.

if you want to have a breakdown, wait till the next person hits the mic and then lose it. likewise, if you feeling extra jubilant, dont pump your fist in the air & go all ROCKY up there.

THE AFTERMATH (you blew it onstage!)

OK! You Fucked Up! no worries. the earth is still spinning. if you blow a line- try to repeat the ones before it till you find the line again.

helpful hint- keep your mouth shut when you are not saying anything. if its all open and sheet, we are going to expect something to come out.

check it- i fucked up “mercy on the bettlefield” at least three times on the CD recording. no one was the wiser. why? cuz i just kept on truckin. when in doubt, hit the gas. only a select few will know that you messed up and trust me (a seriously cynical bastich) none of them will shout you out.

if you really blank out. ef it! if you are close to the end of the poem- PUNCH OUT, MAVERICK! call it quits right there and leave the stage (still bow, be gracious and troop like a champ), go to a nice quiet spot, and bang your head with a shoe or have a shot. your choice but theres always tomorrow, scarlet.

DISCLAIMER

all this advice comes from a person that at heart is a serious introvert. i am not a fan of glory hogs or people that insist on talking all the time. (i know… kettle meet pot) the point being is that this is the system that works for me and what i would recommend if you were a friend that was asking me for advice. if you do all the above and don’t feel comfortable- change it around, mix & match, bob & weave.

i got one more thing to add to this but we’ll save it for another day…

for a change of pace, a blog post about one of the great mysteries of spoken word (not!)… how to commit your stuff to memory. i remember that one of the first things that impressed me about spoken word was how can a person spit a five minute diatribe right off the top of their heads like that… it wasn’t long before i stopped being impressed with spoken word and overblown rants but memorization is still a skill that can help a poet gain a deeper insight into their work and its local & global effects… here ya go…

1. recite the poem straight from the page into some kind of recording device (tape, cd, iPod). if you are not that particularly in love with the sound of your voice (personally, i cant stand to hear my stuff played back), play some appropriate instrumental (very important) music softly in the background.

recite the poem in your normal tone, then a faster version, an ultra

slow one, and then back to your normal tone.

then play this for yourself every chance you get. it’ll be just like

learning the words to your favorite song. when you hear the ultra slow version, you will start reciting the lines ahead which lets you know you’re getting there

(i stole the tip of recording your poems from Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry which is a pretty fun book to have in your collection)

2. with the printed version in front of you, copy the poem onto a

blank sheet of paper. continue doing this till you think you have it

memorized, then try writing it from memory onto a new sheet of paper. No Peeking! if you cant do it then start from the top. rinse, lather, repeat till you get it.

some folks claim that writing on a yellow legal pad with a red pen

makes everything stand out more. me, i just steal some paper from wherever i’m at and just go for it.

to keep from boring myself, i also try to write it in different styles (print, script, shorthand, continuous, different paper positions, etc.)

the point should be to make your body say to your brain… “hey, i’m gettin a fuckin cramp here! learn it already!!!”

regie gibson also claims that every poem should be written in longhand at least once to cement the physical relationship between the poem and your body… werd!

(dont throw the used paper away! use the margins to write notes on performance or for future edits)

NEXT. when you think you have the poem fully commited to memory, recite it to a friend who has the hardcopy. do not stress fucking it up. its your friend for chrissakes! if i do fuck up, i like to keep truckin thru till the end. three fuck ups and we start again. this is just me, i know some people want to get it right from jump street. please do what suits ya.

when you have it down. once again, throw a little wrench in the situation. play some loud music while reciting. go to the other end of the rehearsal spot and YELL it out. go right up to your friend and whisper it. use your imagination but try to target your weak spots (loud mofos should try the whisper, calm cats should get all rock -n- roll, etc.)

hope this helps!

ps- if anybody has any other memorization tips, please pass it on.

1. i had my first scotch at the age of 4

2. have a minor in Spanish Lit

3. a die hard fan of “desperate housewives”

4. had my first car before i had my first license

5. once grinded with Sharon Stone at the China Club

6. have only traveled to two countries- ecuador & the U.S.

7. believe you can communicate with the dead

8. my favorite pet was my parrot named Baretta

9. was arrested twice on misdemeanor charges

10. used to sport a mullet



feel free to take your best shot

* borrowed from phil west’s LJ

blame raina

Your Type is

ESTP

Extroverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving

Strength of the preferences %

1 17 22 50

ESTP type description by D.Keirsey

— The Artisans called Promoters are not only concrete in speech and utilitarian in achieving their goals, they are also directive and expressive in their social interactions. They have no hesitation at all in approaching strangers and persuading them to do something. And others do their bidding, even on slight acquaintance.

Promoters are men and women of action. When someone of this personality is present, things begin to happen: the lights come on, the music plays, the game begins. And a game it is for the Promoter, the entrepreneur, the troubleshooter, the negotiator. Promoting is the art of winning others to your position, giving them confidence to go along with what you propose, and Promoter’s seem especially able to maneuver others in the direction they want them to go. In a sense, they are able to handle people with much the same skill as Crafter’s handle tools, operate machines, or play musical instruments. You might say that people are instruments in the Promoters’ hands, and that they “play” them with great artistry. Promoters make up approximately ten per cent of the general population, and if only one adjective could be used to describe them, “resourceful” would be an apt choice.

Life is never dull around Promoters. Witty, clever, and fun, Promoters live life with a theatrical flourish which makes even the most routine events seem exciting. Not that they waste much time on routine events. Promoters have a knack for knowing where the action is. They always seem to have tickets to the “hot” show or “big” game (or can get them when others can’t), and they usually know the best restaurants, where the headwaiters are likely to call them by name. To be sure, Promoters have a hearty appetite for the finer things of life, the best food, the best wine, expensive cars, and fashionable clothes. And they are extremely attentive to others and smooth in social circles, knowing many, many people by name, and knowing how to say just the right thing to most everyone they meet. None are as socially sophisticated as Promoters, none as suave and polished-and none such master manipulators of the people around them.

[Teddy Roosevelt][Winston Churchill][General George Patton][John Kennedy]

Ernest Hemingway is an example of a Promoter Artisan temperament style.

ESTP type description by J. Butt

— ESTPs are spontaneous, active folks. Like the other SPs, ESTPs get great satisfaction from acting on their impulses. Activities involving great power, speed, thrill and risk are attractive to the ESTP. Chronic stifling of these impulses makes the ESTP feel “dead inside.”

Gamesmanship is the calling card of the ESTP. Persons of this type have a natural drive to best the competition. Some of the most successful salespersons are ESTPs. P.T. Barnum (“Never give a sucker an even break”) illustrates the unscrupulous contingent of this type.

Almost unconsciously the ESTP looks for nonverbal, nearly subliminal cues as to what makes her quarry “tick.” Once she knows, she waits for just the right time to trump the unsuspecting victim’s ace and glory in her conquest. Oddly enough, the ESTP seems to admire and respect anyone who can beat her at her own game.

“If I was any better, I couldn’t stand it!” To an ESTP, admission of weakness feels like failure. He admires strength in himself and in others.

“Shock effect” is a favored technique of this type to get the attention of his audience. ESTPs love to be at center stage, demonstrating feats of wonder and daring.

Qualitative analysis of your type formula

You are:

* slightly expressed extrovert

* slightly expressed sensing personality

* slightly expressed thinking personality

* moderately expressed perceiving personality

i attribute all the improvement in my knee to this lil wonder drink- tart cherry juice. not to sound like an infomercial but the stuff tastes damn good, it’s pretty cheap and it works. if you know anyone who is suffering from any joint pain, this might be the right gift.

with some dead on the money critique (more edits!) from a good friend with a fine ear, we can lay the glow of monday’s set to rest. the next step is to try to memorize more of my pieces and get at least a solid 40 minutes of material in my head. also on the to do list, re-edit “Brooklyn Back Break Beat.” that poem has a couple of fine moments but the rest is all bubble gum & duct tape- it keeps it together but not in the most aesthetic way possible.

let’s leave with a quote-

The quieter you are, the less you are identified with any time/space locus you’re standing in, the more you are everything around you and you are their motives as well as your own.

Baba Ram Dass

werd!

love like the silence after the kiss