Word Against the Machine
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Word Against the Machine Words Have Power __________ Jane 'SpokenWord' Grenier & Albey 'onBass' Balgochian Word Against the Machine Copyright © 2019 by Jane Grenier [email protected] Artwork by Albey Balgochian Cover Design & text by Jane Grenier An AlbeyJane production albeybalgochian.com janespokenword.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored digitally, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except for brief quotes embodied in critiques, reviews and articles. ISBN: 978-1-5136-5199-6 F I R S T E D I T I O N Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for. Foreword Some lived through a high, Technicolor, groovy time. Some were younger brothers and sisters who lived that time vicariously through their elder siblings and their friends. Some were not born until later, but always appreciated that time and what it stood for. This is longing for the beats, the hippies, the hipsters, the rockers, the glitter-popsters, the punks, and the free- jazzbos. The work encompassed in the sprawling package of poetry and music that is Word Against the Machine is reminiscent of other times while occupying a space that is truly new. There is something here for everyone, no matter what generation. Jane "Spokenword" Grenier and her husband and partner- in-crime Albey "onBass" Balgochian--with contributions from generational guru John Sinclair, along with Art Collins and Michael "Warrior" Bonds--lay it down on all from above and from below. Their luminescent poetry and music transport the reader and the listener to another time and place. Isn’t that what is wanted of art? From rebellion to weed culture to protest to all that (free) jazz, the word and the struggle to spread it are laid bare, split open on the greasy, bloody cultural dissection table for all to see. Jane’s lyricism lays only a thin fantasy veneer over words that beg to be yelled, to be screamed through the world’s biggest, loudest, clearest megaphone. Paying tribute without being derivative, she bangs the gong. She bangs the gong all night long. i Albey contributes not only line drawings that act as mysterious sign posts throughout the poems, but also the soundtrack to Jane’s words through avant-garde bass improvisation. Improvisation as performed on the 12-tone scale of Pluto according to Sun Ra. Improvisation as in strings tormented, both bowed and pizzicato. Tormented. Tormented with the tormenting words squaring, cubing the torment. The recordings inform Jane’s words with tempest in a way that the printed page cannot. Her poetry serves as a timeline for her generation ... and others. Dig if you will, my brothers and sisters … but be afraid. Be very much afraid. Because winter has indeed come to America. In fact the trumpian golem himself has come to America and Jane has called him down from the parapets. Barney Kilpatrick Accidental Witness and Dilettante; New Orleans, 2019 ii Creating the art of poetry & music for the modern century. "Because my words speak to power, they are political by nature. Because the music is played from the depths of soul it is groove bassed by nature. Because you listen we experience a pure moment of zen together." Respect and gratitude to all our family and friends for their unconditional love and generous spirit. Miles Nastee Balgochian, Chelsea Grenier & Raoul Hernandez, Darryl Jones, Charley Drayton, Reggie Scanlan & Sally Cornelsen, James Barney Kilpatrick & Valerie Brys Kilpatrick, Miguel Algarin, John Sinclair, Art Collins, Michael Warrior Bonds, Haydee & Steve Ellis, Robert O'haire, Charlie Steiner & Leona Strassberg Steiner, Vanessa Rishell, Valerie & Liz, Carol Englender & Tony Cooper, Diane Jenkins, Saco Yasuma & Amir Bey, Yuko Otomo & Steve Dalachinsky, Trudy Silva & Bruce Morris, Andrea Wolper & Ken Filiano, Helen Gillet, Annie Ellicott, Simon Berz, Jeff Robinson & the Lizard Lounge Krewe, Michelle La Poetica Richardson & the Dencity Krew, the New Orleans Krewe, and all the incredible people that come out to support the arts. The Tyler Krewe; Reko, Frankie, Reek, Meghan. The Ross Krewe; Dave, Schlomet, Josiah, Grace, Kenissa. The Hawthorne Krewe; Adja, Graham, Sumaiya. Rest in peace our beautiful friends. Cecil Taylor and Chrissie Amphlet. You are missed. Respect & One love. iii iv Contents Forward .............................................................. i Acknowledgements .......................................... iii Contents ............................................................ v Preface ............................................................. vii Questing ............................................................ 1 I Write ............................................................... 3 I Am A Poet ...................................................... 5 Darkness of Knight ........................................... 7 Political Speak ................................................... 9 Winter Has Come to America ......................... 11 Masters of War ................................................ 13 Righteousness .................................................. 15 bang bang ........................................................ 17 Anthrax and Bombs ........................................ 19 Revolution ....................................................... 23 Bang Your Dead .............................................. 27 Blood on the Track .......................................... 31 JIMI ................................................................ 33 Reparations ...................................................... 35 Those Who Control the World ........................ 37 Cerial Killer Moms ........................................ 39 Ode to Women ................................................ 41 Time is Now .................................................... 43 Politcal Speak-Reparations Society is Sleeping with the Enemy ................. 45 I Can't get no Saddest Faction The Night the Lights Go Out ........................... 53 I Dance Unveiled .......................................................... 57 Collaborations ................................................. 59 MP3 List .......................................................... 61 v vi Word Against the Machine "In a racist society, it's not enough to be non-racist you have to be anti-racist." Ms. Angela Davis In this time of upheaval, hatred, bigotry, oppression, lies, and extremism by politicians and organized religions, we cannot be silent, we must make our voices heard. I am driven to challenge the norm, expose underlying darkness, irritate the senses and stimulate consciousness, while optimistically offering alternative paths to peace and enlightenment. I write to exorcise my frustration with the state of the world. The greediness of capitalism. Man's inhumanity to man. The miss-treatment of non-white people. The religious oppression of blind faith. The inability of so many white people to empathize with the plight of fellow human beings. And the sad, unthinkable astonishing, fact, that a large number of people voted for a lying, misogynist, racist, rude, crude, obscene, delusional con man as the head of our country. The word along with the pen and ink work by Albey reflects the ongoing struggle of humanity versus the machine in an ever changing world. His impassioned musical improvisations on bass give depth, soul and connection to the pieces. We are the warriors that uphold the resistance. With these words and music, we challenge to you to step outside of yourself, to see the world through 'other' eyes. We challenge you to say good-day to a stranger. We challenge you to make a difference. We are honored to have these activist street poets join us to voice their 'Word Against the Machine'. vii John Sinclair is an American poet, writer, and political activist. An emerging poet in the mid-60s, he managed the Detroit band MC5. In '68, he served as a founding member of the White Panther Party, a militantly anti-racist socialist group and counterpart of the Black Panthers. Arrested for possession of marijuana in 1969, his ten year sentence galvanized a protest movement. The John Sinclair Freedom Rally featured noted artists of the '60s counterculture including John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Bobby Seale, and Allen Ginsberg. Sinclair was freed in December 1971, but he remained in litigation. His case against the government for illegal domestic surveillance was successfully pleaded to the US Supreme Court in 1972. One of the main driving forces behind the effort to legalize marijuana, he is taking a victory lap and has recently opened a coffee shop in Detroit. Art Collins is a native Bostonian. A force on the poetry/spoken word scene, Art believes in the extra ordinary power of words and considers his work entertainment that awakens social consciousness. His poetry motivates action and stimulates the mind. A Co-host of the Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam, and a member of the 2008 and 2010 Lizard Lounge National Poetry Slam Team as well as a member of the Brother's Keeper Poetry/ Theatre Ensemble. He educates in the Boston Public School system while continuing to deliver his unique style of spoken word poetry to an international audience. viii Michael 'Warrior' Bonds a native Bostonian is a multi- talented and respected spoken word artist and author as well as Motivational Speaker, Mentor and Youth