April 29th, 2005
Diner Poetry Club
Nothing like a good poetry reading to make you
feel better after sitting and staring at the walls
of unsold books and wondering why the fuck anyone
in their right mind would spend years of their
lives writing and trying to promote poems.
One of those nights, where everything just seemed
to flow. The folks came out to their first Mingus
Tourette poetry reading, and looked like they
had a good time. Got a wink and a hug. So that
was a bit of a relief. The other readers were
good - the Thomas Wharton made me laugh. One of
the non-fiction readers thought I was either the
devil or a drunken twat who should be consigned
to the meatwagon. But what did I care - I sold
two books.
And then, after the reading, met a couple of young
poets, and a playwrite and a couple of raving
poets and a fellow book poet, and we all sat down
for nachos and hummous and the gin and tonic and
coffee and laughed and talked loudly, even though
we were new to each other, it was all easy, because
shit, we were all writers, in some form. So we
giggled about reading shocking poems and performing
on stage and television and told nasty stories
and laughed about Appleby's '77 Monte Carlo with
the white vinyl seats -which is just a thing of
majestic beauty.
And I'm really fucking tired from staying up too
late too many nights in a row, and I'm having
a hard time saying anything cohesive, but it was
just really fucking good to be able to sit at
a table with six other writers like that and talk
without any pretension, knowing we all face down
the same things sometimes. Not something I could
have done last year at this time, or the ten years
before that. Sitting, sipping limes, learning
new things about new poets and their old lives
and laughing, just laughing into the night. Have
to value that.
And so, that ends poetry month, just about.
 April 28th, 2005
The Unclean - Official Press Release Day, Good
Lord the Excitement
My publisher wanted me to post this, in the
misguided belief that there is anything in this
world that could encourage poetry book sales.
Like that library reading tonight. Or being arrested
in Hanover with a handgun and Neil Bush's ankle
in my overnight bag.
As it is, this show should be fucking amazing.
A whole pile of Shelley's new paintings, and like
fifty new poems. Published on a wall. We install
this weekend - I thinks the arm will be sore.
I'll take some photos once it's done.
--- --- ---
Iconoclastic Art / Poetry Fusion Exhibit Takes
on the Streets
For Immediate Release
April 28th, 2005
Edmonton, Alberta
Beginning May 3, the highbrow traditions of art
and poetry take a seat in the gutter at Shelley
Rothenburger and Mingus Tourette’s exhibit,
The Unclean. This multimedia
fusion of painting and verse, located in the basement
of the Fringe Gallery, takes a hard look at the
urban subculture of the street.
“I’ve crafted paintings of people
who live hard lives,” says Rothenburger.
“To do this, I’ve reversed the tradition
of portraiture. Instead of having subjects who
are revered in high standing, I’ve captured
those who are usually reviled.”
 For
Rothenburger, the most stimulating aspect of the
project was collaborating with a poet, and integrating
their art forms along a common theme. The MFA
graduate, known for her oft-brutal and satirical
work, plans to mix her visuals with the words
of the hard-nosed Edmonton poet, Mingus Tourette.
“We’ll be writing the poems directly
onto the walls, between the paintings,”
says Tourette. It should be quite powerful to
see her canvasses up there beside my words, telling
the stories of these people we’ve effectively
detached from our society.”
The Unclean’s experimental
mixture of portraits and poetry is on display
from May 3rd to May 31st at the Fringe Gallery,
located at 10516 Whyte Avenue.
Shelley Rothenburger was born and raised in Thunder
Bay, Ontario and now resides in Edmonton. She
graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts in 2000
and has had multiple solo, juried and group exhibitions
nation wide. Her work can be viewed online at
www.mbradica.com/shelley/.
Mingus Tourette was born and raised in Western
Canada and now resides in Edmonton. He is the
author of the controversial nunt, recently short-listed
for the Stephansson Award for Poetry. He was the
ringmaster behind the Write The Nation Tour, a
national poetry tour set in a pink ambulance.
His work can be found, um, right here.
April 27th, 2005
Il Duce, Laureate
A couple of months ago, Marvin threatened to
write something about the lack of an Alberta poet
laureate.
As National Poetry Month rolls to a halt, rumours
abound that a poet laureate post may soon be announced.
Or not.
Personally, I like what DM reader
Clay had to say about the matter last month:
"As an Alberta ex-pat I would like to throw
my vote behind a fist-fight for poet laureate.
I reckon that while no one in Alberta will care
to have a poet laureate, a whole lot of people
would love to see poets fight for the title.
I can see Mingus covered in blood, on the shoulders
of his training team, pouring gin from a half-shattered
bottle down his throat. Hopefully that's the picture
that makes it into the school books."
For certain! The truth is, the fistfighting would
go over far better than any sort of civilized
reading. Imagine the public salivation if they
locked myself, Hildebrandt and Bowling in a steel
cage with only one key that could only be used
ONCE.
The drama.
As such, I would like to read you this masterpiece
of modern poetry which I read to an audience last
night. The only sound was the gentle beat of the
drums and the faint cacophony of women coming
with restraint in their jean pants.
---
With rolls of hundred euro bills
stuffed in his pockets
He struts down the red lit lane
wearing his seal-fur cape
sweeping past the warm greetings
with a turquoise blunt
hanging from his lips
as the whores whisper his name
Il Duce, they cry
make love to us
and he smiles and obliges them
at home in the canals
April 26th, 2005
Evening with the Authors
Besides developments with Morrie and Sierra,
I've been chatting with Marvin, Vic and my publisher
about future projects. We've been talking about
t-shirts, and talking about writing out the story
of the ambulance using this strange four man approach.
Sounds a bit cracked, but it could entirely fuck
with the notion of 'a book', so I'm all for it.
As such, I was gently reminded that I should crack
open Tento Yuriko's notes again and start looking
for material that might fit the bill. Found this
short poem in something he called his 'avian series'.
Seemed fitting this evening.
---
the day the spring buds burst
a magpie and a robin twitter
who cares about poetry!
---
And now, for an announcement you can't ignore:
Evening with the Authors
(Edmonton) Looking for an evening of hot stories?
This Thursday, drop in at the Whitemud Edmonton
Public Library for an hour of FREE readings from
award nominated authors. Readings will cover the
seamy tales of Alberta politics, a child’s
fascination with the moon, and poems about killing
cows with a grenade!
Authors shortlisted for the 2005 Alberta Book
Awards (Writing Section) will present a sampling
of their work at a special “Evening With
the Authors” this Thursday, April 28. Finalists
in the categories of Novel, Short Fiction, Poetry,
Non-Fiction and Children’s Literature will
read from their shortlisted books, and speak about
the inspiration and origins behind the works.
The public is invited to attend this free event
at the Edmonton Public Library, Whitemud Crossing
Branch (Whitemud Crossing Shopping Centre, 4211
- 106 Street) on Thursday, April 28, 7 pm. Authors
will be available during intermission and after
the program for questions and book signings. Mingus
Tourette will bring his clippers and will be offering
free hair cuts.
Authors confirmed for the evening are:
Joan Marie Galat (Children’s Literature)
David Hollingshead (reading for Greg Hollingshead)
(Fiction)
Marc Lisac (Non-Fiction)
Mingus Tourette (Poetry)
Paul Voisey (Non-Fiction)
Thomas Wharton (Short Fiction)
“Evening With the Authors” is presented
by the Writers
Guild of Alberta, in partnership with the
Edmonton Public Library.
Admission is FREE. Light refreshments will be
served. Shorn choda is available.
April 25th, 2005
Fuck the Blogosphere
Most blogs are retarded.
Imagine this publication, run through the retard
filter on a daily basis. I'm sure it would be
a hundred times more popular.
red arm blues
file under: dumb shit
this weekend, i was totally out working on my
ambulance and DAMN, did I totally fuck up and
give myself a sunburn.
DUDE, summer's here!
Worse, no get this, i was working in this short-sleeved
shirt, and screwing in this headlight that i been
thinking about installing for like SIX months,
and worse, I gave myself a farmers tan. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO........
And it gets worse!
Somehow, it's only my right arm!!! Everything
else is normal, but my right arm is completely
red from the middle of my (totally bulging lol)
bicep. So screwed!
Besides that, the weekend was pretty mellow. Completely
fell asleep on Friday night (lame, i know) and
had to do some work on Saturday, but Saturday
morning, I totally got up and fucked ass on some
new poems for this new art show that's coming
up this weekend. so that's what it's like to be
sober????
btw, didja notice i said 'fucked ass', instead
of 'kicked ass'. that's my new phrase - neologizing
all over!
So yeah, then went out to Mom's house, and she's
doing good and shit - looking good. Good to get
some good homecooking and just read and talked,
spring cleaned the ride. Watched some cider house
rules which is a john irving book, but a movie
too, which rocks. And then, Saturday night, had
this totally strange dream about Sierra and she
was older and heavier but I still completely dug
her, but there was this other chick, i can't remember
who, and she was trying to keep us apart.
So confused!!! What does it mean?
Anyways, completely slacking today on the poetry,
which sucks cause i only have like three days
to finish all the poems and i'm like freaking
out, even though K said he could read them this
week, which is super-rad. ok. ok. check this one!
hope you like it. ROCKS. (and thanks to all the
dudes and dudettes who're posting last week -
like twenty posts a day, even hippy day, so keep
it up and soon I'll be the number one blog in
the universe and can totally put out a book and
CASH INNNN. Roxorzz1!!!
PS. Check this poem! It's totally emotional and
stuff.
---
the devil’s talking
and he’s making a lot of sense
as we share a box of wine
in the bus station
hoping the alcohol
will kill all the diseases
between us
---
But What Happened Last
Week? By God, Find Out Here!
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April 25th - May 1st, 2005