poetryweblog
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Literary links linger'd over by a poet....

Thursday, April 21, 2005
Recent Readings

Gary Snyder read here tonight, the eve of Earth Day, in the gracious auditorium of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Anna Walsh and I arrived when the line stood at about 300 people. Wow! We thought we'd know everybody, but no, many were academics, or Greens, or old naturalist hippies (god knows how they survive in Buffalo).

Snyder read poems around the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, destruction of the Buddhas in Afghanistan in April 2001, 9/11. He read lovely haibun, too. His head movements birdlike, a slight cold burring his voice. That compact Asian quality everyone always notes in his stance.

I spent much of the reading staring out at the incredibly detailed sillohuettes of the trees against the darkening sky.

***

A week ago tonight, I caught Patti Smith for the 8th time. She was in town (straight from Italy, and she was heading straight back) with Ralph Nader. She did a tiny set, two songs: "My Blakean Year" and the Gandhi one, and read her poem, "Radio Baghdad." Michael Meldrum accompanied her steady strum.

It was too brief.

***

The night before, another poet: Bob Dylan, at Shea's. Now, I've never seen Dylan perform before. I was excited to do so at last, particularly at this venue. However, it was perhaps one of the least entertaining music shows I've ever seen. Bob just did not connect with the crowd at all. He delivered the lyrics in a semi-incoherent sputer, bent over the keyboard. (I did enjoy the little boogie he did during the harmonica solos, though.) The arrangement of every single song had been dramatically changed. The musicians were good, but given little chance to show off or solo, as the emphasis was always on the (mostly incomprehensible) words.

Amos Lee and Merle Haggard were far more enjoyable, to our deep surprise but delight.


posted by Celia Thursday, April 21, 2005
. . .


. . .