About Spoken Word: "Legendary Poet Featured at Words Aloud 8", by Liz Zetlin
The New York based poet, performer, painter, and activist John Giorno, will be Words Aloud’s special guest this November 4-6, as part of his 75th Birthday Tour.
So why is he legendary? you might ask.
Partly for the people he worked with, was influenced by, and loved. In 1962 he met Andy Warhol. They became lovers and Giorno was the subject of Warhol’s first film, “Sleep.” Inspired by Warhol, and friendships with Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, Giorno began applying Pop Art techniques of appropriation of found imagery to his poetry, producing The American Book of the Dead in 1964.
Partly for his high energy live performances, honed in appearances with the fabled William S. Burroughs.
Partly for his activism. Giorno helped pioneer the open exploration and celebration of queer sexuality in poetry in the 1960s. His anti-war work with Abbie Hoffmann resulted in his being labeled one of the “Hanoi Hannahs.” His AIDS Treatment Project set the bar for direct, compassionate action in the AIDS crisis.
Partly for his innovation. In 1965, he founded Giorno Poetry Systems to experiment with technology in poetry to create new kinds of sound and concrete poetry, as well as poetry installations and happenings. He also integrated poetry into consumer products including cigarette packs, fortune cookies and chocolate bars. His Dial-A–Poem at the Museum of Modern Art in New York made poetry available over the phone to millions of people.
And partly, also, as a practicing Buddhist, for being an important force in the development of Buddhism in North America.
That’s a brief look at this history, but what I find so exciting and inspirational is that he is still writing and performing exceptional poems that strike through the bullshit, right to the core. In “Thanx 4 Nothing,” a recent poem I saw him perform in Montreal, he talks about aging. In an interview with Marcus Boon, he explains how he thinks about this poem:
When a poem works the way that poem works, it becomes the reflection of the mind of each person in the audience. If there are 500 people in the audience, it’s like 500 mirrors looking at themselves. People think that when a poem works, it’s because of the lines of a great poet—Baudelaire, T. S. Eliot, Whitman, or whoever—but it’s not so. The lines, when they magically work, are the reflection of your mind.
To see Giorno, join us at the Durham Art Gallery on Saturday, Nov. 5. That same afternoon at the Williamsford Mill, he will do a guest performance at the Poetry Slam. On Sunday, November 6th, Ronna Bloom will interview him live on stage at the Durham Art Gallery. Look for the October Mosaic for the complete Words Aloud 8 program, or visit www.wordsaloud.ca.
