Saturday, February 18, 2012

A Good Death

A Good Death
(By Walter Beck)
I died a good death
Didn’t I?
I made a statement as nice and clean
As anyone under the guillotine.

I died a good death for you;
So you could sweep up the remains
Before the gold shoulders
Knocked on your door.

I took your honorable mentions
And consolation prizes;
I accepted the half-hearted rumors
Of a good fight on my behalf.

I died a good death for you;
So you could retire in glory
And move your ten-pound pretty boys
Up the line.

I died a good death for you
So you couldn’t the broken strings squeal
On my way out.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Soundtrack to a Chapbook: A Selection of Songs to Enjoy While Reading Life Through Broken Pens

Soundtrack to a Chapbook: A Selection of Songs to Enjoy While Reading Life Through Broken Pens
By Walter Beck

Thanks to Mr. Eric Norris for giving me the idea.

In the few interviews I’ve done as a writer, I always mention rock & roll as one of my biggest influences and it’s true; if you were to come over while I was writing, you’d find me sitting at my desk with a lit cigarette hanging from my lip and my pair of Sony MDR-V150 headphones blasting out noise from hell. So here’s a list of songs, a soundtrack of sorts to my forthcoming chapbook. I got this idea from a poet named Eric Norris who threw together a soundtrack for his amazing book Nocturnal Omissions: A Tale of Two Poets (written with Gavin Dillard). Eric’s soundtrack is one of love; mine isn’t.

MC5 “Kick Out the Jams” (Live)

Rage Against the Machine “The Ghost of Tom Joad”

Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company “Piece of My Heart”

Jimi Hendrix “Star-Spangled Banner”

Jefferson Airplane “We Can Be Together”

Ministry “Stigmata” (Update Mix)

Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind”

Dropkick Murphys “Which Side Are You On?”

Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side”

Nine Inch Nails “Mr. Self-Destruct”

Ministry “Just One Fix”

The book comes out March 8th, but go ahead and play these tracks. Consider it a sneak preview, a special trailer, a chance to get the sonic vibes of my first book.

Life Through Broken Pens, available exclusively on March 8th, 2012 from Writing Knights Press: www.writingknights.com