Sweaty Poetry Animals: An Interview with Azriel Johnson of Writing Knights Press

Sweaty Poetry Animals: An Interview with Azriel Johnson of Writing Knights Press

By Walter Beck

Earlier this evening, I sat down with Azriel Johnson, Grand High Poobah of Writing Knights Press to talk about his press and the upcoming three day poetry bash, known as “The Grand Tournament”, to celebrate one year of Writing Knights.

Walter: So tell my fans, followers and minions about Writing Knights Press and what you do there.

Azriel: Writing Knights Press began when I realized that the only way to get something done right was to do it yourself... okay that's a lie... it actually began with rejection...I had started hitting Local Cleveland Poetry events, namely Lix & Kix in Lakewood. At the same time I was spending a lot of time around DIY musicians who were making their own DA Levy style CDs and just having barrels of fun at the same time as this I was trying to get my name out into the Cleveland Scene by performing at a local coffee shop but I wasn't finding my voice as strongly as I would have liked.

Walter: So you basically took the DIY attitude of punk and made it work for poetry?

Azriel: Sort of... yeah... I took what I liked from the existing scene and put it into my own chapbook, saw how easy it was and asked my other poet friends if they'd like to join up, the events came after the first two chapbooks, mine and another poet's from Oregon. No one else was publishing me, and I still wanted to get my name out there so I had to do it myself.

Walter: I dig it. And how many writers since have joined your Midwestern poetry revolution at Writing Knights?

Azriel: Let’s see... as of the end of this month there will be 25 chapbooks, and the number of different performers/acts we've had I don't even know how many.

Walter: Damn, sounds like you've lit quite a fire. What about the feedback your writers have gotten? The reviews their books have received? Basically, what does the poetry underground think of Writing Knights Press?

Azriel: One of my recent authors has really gone crazy with promotion and has like two reviews and I think three more on the way... another has a couple reviews... one of our authors has his chapbook featured in an exhibition in Vancouver.

Walter: So the name is getting out there and I trust you're quite pleased with that.

Azriel: Trying. Definitely. I actually don't know what the underground thinks of Writing Knights, I’ve never had someone from the "underground" come up to me and say "thanks I love your work" but then again the underground is kind of subjective huh?

Walter: It is, trends come and go, people's tastes change. What sort of poetry are you looking for to carry the Writing Knights banner?

Azriel: Is it too pretentious to say "everything"? *laughs* Well that's basically the truth. We've had 25 books and they are all extremely different from one another. We do shy away from purely academic work only because I feel like purely academic doesn't speak to the heart as much, not saying there is anything wrong with academic in some senses... just saying.

Walter: Right I dig; it doesn't speak on that raw human level that you're looking for

Azriel: Sometimes... again everything is subjective. I’m sure somewhere there is some academic student who feels like his guts are being ripped out by a plain spoken book worm with no life experience. I’ve just not met that person yet.

Walter: Well keep an eye out

Azriel: I will.

Walter: Are you always on the lookout for new talent or do you only accept submissions during certain times of the year?

Azriel: We are always accepting new submissions. We have two main versions (but are looking at a third and eventually a fourth). The chapbook submission, which is a set of pieces (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, word related images) that reflect what the artist is trying to accomplish; then there are individual submissions which we post on the site to get more people interested in us in that sense..

Walter: What's your third version of submissions?

Azriel: The third is something we are calling "FourPlays" which are basically a mini chapbook consisting of 4 30 line or less poems. They are lower cost and easier to distribute.

Walter: Sort of like demo tapes? Sorry, I think in music.

Azriel: It’s okay I do too. I was thinking Singles... but yes.

Walter: Singles sounds better, still it's a good idea.

Azriel: Definitely.

Walter: Well moving on from the ins and outs of Writing Knights Press, what's this we've heard about a three-day poetry battle going on in July?

Azriel: Well, in July Writing Knights reaches its one year anniversary and to celebrate we are having a poetry performance of epic proportions.

Walter: What can poetry fans and poets expect?

Azriel: A lot of poetry. There is bound to be intrigue and drama, probably vomiting, stage blood, rock and roll poetry.

Walter: I like your thinking. I mean, I'll just be honest with you, I've been to "poetry readings" and I find it boring as hell when somebody gets up there and reads their work with all the enthusiasm of a pile of dead dog shit and at the end the audience gives them the polite golf-course applause. That's dead poetry to me.

Azriel: I agree, which is something I’ve tried to avoid with Writing Knights events, there have been some snags, but we've been lucky that most of our performers have been performers and not just readers.

Walter: Sweaty savage poetry animals.

Azriel: The sweatier the better.

Walter: Now is this just a big festival bash or what? I mean, is there a competition? Prizes? Writers like free beer, just putting that out there.

Azriel: well it’s a festival and competition all in one. The intention is for 36 poets to gather to do battle in order to win one of three "real" book deals with Writing Knights.

Walter: We're talking full-length poetry books here, not just chapbooks?

Azriel: Yup, 100 page book for the winner, 50 page books for the two runners up, bound like real books and everything. 

Walter: Sounds pretty enticing to me. How is this poetry competition judged?

Azriel: That is the million dollar question... we are actually working that out now... we're mulling ideas over, but we are probably going to let the other competitors judge it... there are going to be six pools of poets and poets from outside of a pool will be asked to judge it, that way no one can judge against their own immediate pool competitors.

Walter: Sounds about as fair as you can get.

Azriel: There have been some detractors from this idea saying someone might be advanced into the later rounds because someone might have a vendetta or might strategically vote them higher to have a better chance against them, but I figure either everyone is going to score fairly, or everyone is going to do this, either way it'll turn out fair.

Walter: Are they judged strictly on their poetry or on their performance as well?

Azriel: A combination... the bugs haven't been worked out but I am thinking: Command of Language, Command of their own Poetry, How they Affect the Audience...there will probably be some other things for the judges to consider.

Walter: So it's a total package deal when it comes to judging? Sounds like you got it figured out. Where is this big bash, when is it and how much does it cost to get in the door?

Azriel: Right now we don't have an admission price set... I'm not sure if there will be one...we might run strictly on donations... I have to work that out with the venue. I'd love to have it completely for free and only run on donations, but I'm hoping I can get a high profile poet to perform for us on the last day as a treat and we'll probably need to pay them.

Walter: Get a big name in there, eh? I think the crowd and the competitors both would love that. Anybody specifically you're considering or is that still on the drawing board?

Azriel: Drawing board mostly, but there are a few names I'd love to have: Billy Collins; Henry Rollins; Saul Williams...

Walter: I'd offer a few suggestions, but most of the big name poets I love are dead.

Azriel: Yeah well we can't get Jim Morrison so...

Walter: Unless you know somebody who's good at black magic who wants to try to resurrect Allen Ginsberg or Charles Bukowski.

Azriel: I unfortunately do not. I wouldn't mind bringing Shakespeare; I think he'd dig what we are doing.

Walter: Damn, well, there's always a catch ain't there? So if a poet out there wants to get in on this big bash, how do they sign up?

Azriel: They need to send an email to writingknights@live.com stating their intent to join the Tournament and any questions. Our publicist will respond with answers and remaining available time slots. Then the competitor will be asked to provide a 50 word or less bio to be introduced with.

Walter: How many slots are left open?

Azriel: As of this writing 34 of them we just got the OK on the venue yesterday.

Walter: Excellen.t Do you hope to do big bashes like this next year?

Azriel: if this one goes well definitely; I’d love to have one of these every year.

Walter: Well a bash full of sweaty rock n roll poetry animals sounds it could shake things up in the literature world Do you have anything else about this festival or Writing Knights Press that you want to share with my legions of fans, followers and minions? Or poetry in general or anything else? This is your chance to ramble about whatever's on your mind.

Azriel: Yeah, I'm hoping that the reach of Writing Knights can extend to every corner of the world. I want our audience to be everyone. I hope that everyone can find something they like in the Writing Knights catalogue. I think that poetry can be universal and that even the people who don't get it right away will still be challenged enough and inspired enough to try to get it, or if not, to try to make their own kind of expression. Our only real originality is our personal truth and we can express this truth through our work, no matter what it is.

Walter: I dig it, brother. Thanks for talking to me and we'll look forward the Writing Knights Grand Tournament.

Azriel: As will I.  Thanks for your time. 

www.writingknights.com

https://www.facebook.com/events/200409796722559/

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.

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)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwFeN0Zl1bQ

Rage Against the Machine “The Ghost of Tom Joad”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMaCg4fpJKg

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8PGDlh6GfM

Jimi Hendrix “Star-Spangled Banner”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa-q-ztyZZw

Jefferson Airplane “We Can Be Together”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxA3Q96a8XE

Ministry “Stigmata” (Update Mix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR5NTCqTIIc

Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96i2WCgdqa0

Dropkick Murphys “Which Side Are You On?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AI0agUKkQw

Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNknGIKkoA

Nine Inch Nails “Mr. Self-Destruct”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce3xOgg9mtk

Ministry “Just One Fix”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbXciBKcfQ8

The book comes out March 8^th, 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 8^th, 2012 from Writing Knights Press: www.writingknights.com

Early Morning No Salvation

Early Morning No Salvation

(By Walter Beck)

6:15 AM

Brings no mercy

To the Jesus Freaks

Who post a rambling status;

Trying to guilt trip me

With that crucifixion bullshit.

I’m out of cigarettes

And watching Newt destroy the Republican Party;

It’s a bad time

To see poorly worded diatribes.

Your Christ was nailed to a cross,

So what?

So were thousands of other criminals;

It’s no different

Than a man getting strapped to a gurney

And having his veins pumped full of chemicals.

If Christ were killed today,

Kids would be wearing lethal injection needles

Around their necks.

Pissing as a Crime

Pissing as a Crime

(By Walter Beck)

Late at night;

Blowing militant smoke

Across a stained screen.

Rolled hobo cigarettes

Smoldering to the slow, stop, start, creep

Of half-recorded audience tapes.

It’s a hard night

When the lesbians drank all your rum.

For some,

Cocksucking

Is just a political act;

And for some

Pissing is a crime

In the land of the free.

This Bullet Had My Name on It

This Bullet Had My Name on It

(By Walter Beck)

The bullet had my name on it,

From the cold glass & steel palace,

The bullet had my name on it.

After a year

Of shaking off rusty iron,

Feeling alive and free,

This bullet had my name on it.

“Go quietly,

Shut up,

Or die”

As they whisper down the line.

19 years;

The sharp shards of plastic

Raining down

From broken Eagle’s wings

And no fires in the night

To offer salvation.

Triggerman,

I can’t see you in shadows

And you’re too chickenshit to look at me,

Just like any other Silver Loop.

Who are you?

Are you the same triggerman

Who threatened me in the summer heat?

Where do you come from?

Are you from Waldrip Creek Road?

Still trying to settle the score

From five bloody years ago.

Remember these words

When you pull the trigger,

Ending 19 years of hard work & dedication;

“Shoot coward,

You’re only going to kill a man.”

How a Neo-Liberal Tells You to Watch Your Fucking Mouth: An Experimental Work

How a Neo-Liberal Tells You to Watch Your Fucking Mouth: An Experimental Work

(By Walter Beck)

“I say, be yourself, and get your message across, and just try and respect the room dynamic; it’s very quiet, and has high ceilings and it’s laidback.  I don’t want to restrict artists, but try not to be filthy I guess.” –Unnamed promoter at an unnamed joint.

Half-assed and no guts; a good conservative would call me an anarchist, a communist, even the anti-Christ, they’d say I was the living embodiment of what’s wrong with the youth of America and accuse me of polluting the future generations, they would try to shut me up or get me banned, they ain’t afraid of a shirtless young punk with a loaded mic in his hand.

Coffee joint hipsters bitch of multi-national corporations, no fear facing a faceless enemy, but too scared to tell one-crazed rock n roll poet to watch his mouth on the stage.

They don’t want me to ruin their vibes, such a fragile ecosystem that one well-placed middle finger would mean complete extinction.

How to Write Poetry: An Experimental Work

How to Write Poetry: An Experimental Work

(By Walter Beck)

1. One part strong rock n roll
2. One part poetry that’s alive & dangerous
3. ½ part grit
4. ½ part gut
5. ½ part soul

Stir all ingredients in a cocktail mixer, strain onto a sheet of notebook paper, garnish with a mic, spew in public, light cigarette afterwards.

Dear Preacher

Dear Preacher

(By Walter Beck)

Dedicated to GE”J”S

Dear preacher,

You have the gall

To question my honesty

In those words “On My Honor”;

You have the sack to tell me

That I should do the “honorable thing”

And leave.

Dear preacher,

Where is your fruit

From spitting hellfire and damnation?

Where are your fans and friends?

You’ve done a fine job;

They all learned how to judge and condemn

Just like you.

I’ve seen my harvest

From nine years in a staff uniform;

I’ve seen it in the bright eyes of the kids

Who recognize me on the street

Always excited to see me;

I’ve seen it in the loyal eyes

Of my brothers and sisters on staff,

A Family that you could never know;

And none of them give a damn

That I march under the Rainbow Banner.

Dear preacher,

You don’t know what it is

To soar on Eagle’s wings.

You have grown old and bitter

Drowning in your venom;

And I taught the kids how to rock n roll,

How to be free

And live as they are.

Holiday Queen

Holiday Queen

(By Walter Beck)

A skank that sparkled

Like the stars of nightmares.

I had seen her kind before;

Legs that could spread

Across an entire frat party,

A plastic sheen

That gleamed like cheap Ziplocs.

She was another body on the couch

With a glazed, bored look in her eyes.

My only question was,

“Does my cousin read Bible verses

While he fucks your brains out?”

Christmas (Doesn’t Age Like Wine)

Christmas (Doesn't Age Like Wine)

(By Walter Beck)

I remember

Being a kid;

Christmas was the one day

That stretched on forever.

I would be up at 3:00,

Hanging with mom in the living room

Munching candy out of the stocking

Waiting impatiently

For dad and my brother to wake up;

I was on top of the world for one day a year,

I was the happiest kid on Earth.

At 24 on Christmas Day;

Slumped in a chair at my mother’s

With another cheap bribe in my hand

And a nose full of amyl

To keep my flesh from exploding.

I just wanted to go back home

So I could get fucked up again.

Killer Tunes: The Music of Murderers, Cult Leaders and Suicide Advocates

Killer Tunes: The Music of Murderers, Cult Leaders and Suicide Advocates

By Walter Beck

There are some types of music routinely associated with criminality, it’s not uncommon for artists of certain genres to have a criminal record and you may even find a criminal record from musicians you never would have guessed (Merle Haggard, attempted robbery, served time in San Quentin). But what about artists who are more known for their bloody activities than for their music?

Varg Vikernes, Murder, served 15 years in a Norwegian prison.

Most Americans probably don’t know who he is, unless you’re a serious black metal fan, but over in Europe, this man is one of the most notorious killers in popular culture. He was sent to prison on a 21 year sentence for the murder of fellow musician Euronymous and was suspected in a series of church arsons.

Varg had already established himself as a musician in the metal underground with his solo black metal project Burzum. But his sensational trial and conviction kept him in the spotlight and he recorded two albums in prison, Dauði Baldrs and Hliðskjálf. These were ambient, minimalist records as compared to his raw black metal work. Varg was released in 2009 and has since resumed making music as Burzum.

Charles Manson, Murder/Conspiracy, incarcerated since 1969, currently in Corcoran State Prison

Charlie is America’s boogeyman, a deranged cult leader who convinced a horde of young people to commit a bloody massacre. Various theories have arisen as to why Manson directed the murders, some say it had to do with a bizarre race-war fantasy of Manson’s known as “Helter Skelter” and some say it was Charlie’s revenge for being rejected by the music industry.

Manson was an aspiring folk musician who had recorded several demo sessions in 1967 and did one full studio session. He was going nowhere in the music business. Since his incarceration he has been a prolific musician with 19 full-length albums and four 7” singles to his name. Most of these were recorded in prison with his latest album Trees being released in November 2011.

Due to his infamy and continuing bizarre behavior, it is unlikely that Manson will ever be released from prison.

Jack Kevorkian, Second-Degree Murder, released in 2007, dead

Kevorkian, known popularly as “Dr. Death”, was a physician known for his advocacy of the right-to-die, demonstrating his suicide machines for a National audience. Many Americans agreed with Kevorkian’s views and his imprisonment for second-degree murder in 1999 was regarded as unjust.

What most people don’t know is that Kevorkian was also a jazz musician and in 1997, at the height of his notoriety released an album of acid jazz known as A Very Still Life in a limited pressing of 5000. The album received good reviews in many underground jazz circles.

Kevorkian died in 2011.

So here’s the question, what do we do with these artists and their records? Do we ignore them for their infamy and say they’re the product of a depraved mind, not even worthy of a glance? Is the blood of innocent victims on our hands if we listen to these albums?

Here’s my opinion, listen to the music objectively and judge it as art, I have recordings by all of these artists and yes, they were twisted in the eyes of many, but they also have talent as musicians. If you’re worried about “supporting” killers, than don’t pay for the records, download them. The artist won’t get a dime of your money and you may be able to listen to them more objectively.

Notes from the Stage: A (Crazy) Year in Review

Notes from the Stage: A (Crazy) Year in Review

By Walter Beck

Well I hope everyone who wanted to see me live was able to, I did a personal record of thirty-one shows this year. I also set personal records in terms of set-list; until this year, I usually did a five-minute set, ten was a long set. But this year, there were several shows where I did sets of twenty, thirty, even forty minutes. My longest set of the year was my last show, the public debut of The Smell of Fear and Doughnuts, it ran all together around forty-seven minutes (I taped it, but the audio quality is too muddy to post). I also released three separate live albums this year, all with their own qualities. And of course, I did my first out-of-state show this year.

So yeah it’s been one hell of a year, let’s break it down:

Longest Set: Coffee Grounds, December 15^th, the debut of The Smell of Fear and Doughnuts

This was my last show of the year and the one I promoted the most, I mean I’m pretty shameless and relentless when it comes to promoting my own shows (I don’t have an agent or manager, I gotta do this all myself, the booking, the promotion, the works), but I plugged the hell out of this last one.

The set ended up being forty-seven minutes all together, like the work itself it was split into five different parts. I was nervous about how it would go, but the crowd ended up really enjoying the excerpts.

I did some “b-sides” during the show, I opened up with “Thad’s Story”, a campfire tale written and performed by Thad Dunn that’s partially told in Indian sign language about a man and a beautiful woman, “pay attention, something important is about to happen”. And I also told the story of how I almost got sued when Part II came out because I called my bosses “assholes”.

Smallest Crowd: ZimMarss Showbar, December 14^th

This was a last-minute show I did the night before my big Coffee Grounds gig, so I didn’t get a chance to promote it like I normally would have. It was a frustrating show because since I didn’t hear about it until the last minute; I couldn’t put together my usual set-list. I ended up doing mainly covers, poems by Charles Bukowski, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Frost and TS Eliot. I did do one original, “Gonzo Razorback”, a poem I wrote while Jimmie and I were warming up for the show at Big Shooters, another favorite bar of ours.

So since this was last minute, I ended up performing in front of three people plus the sound guy.

One note about the show, since I ended up taking the stage late (I pulled an Axl Rose, I didn’t get up there until half-hour after the scheduled time), I had a few beers in me and was fairly tipsy by the time I hit the stage and reeling from too many beers adds a certain gritty touch to performing Bukowski’s work.

Most Theatrical Show: ISU Student Lounge, May 1^st, Equality Speaks: Unplugged

This was one of my favorite shows this year, it ended up being the only public display/action of “Equality Speaks” (the group fell apart for a variety of reasons), but we had fun doing this show. It was a mix of poets and musicians and I asked Micah how crazy I could get. I have been known to push boundaries in terms of performing. He said “go for it”, I mean, this was the last show before summer break.

So I got up there in the most outrageous outfit I’ve ever worn on-stage; I had on a white lacy skirt, held up with my rainbow suspenders, red gonzo shirt, black leather jacket, I had full make-up on (lipstick, eye shadow), my hair was braided and dyed a mix of green, orange, purple and red (it looked like someone puked a bunch of Skittles on my head) and my beard was dyed green. I looked like the bastard love child of the drag queens of ZimMarss and Motley Crue.

The show itself ended up being incredible, I got an extended set and the ended it with an explosive powerhouse of three of the most hardcore poems I’ve ever written.

There were other shows where I broke out the theatrics; I brought the stage blood back at a gig in November at ISU and at camp this year at a couple of “underground” shows (staff campfires), I did one wrapped in my rainbow pride flag and another where I was shirtless with “RANSBURG SUCKS” written across my chest in red paint.

My performance at Equality Speaks: Unplugged was recorded and released as my first album Mental Cage Menstruation: Life Cycles & Blood Loss at the Sycamore Lounge.

Most Shows in One Day: Downtown Terre Haute Block Party, August 27^th

This was insane; I had three separate poetry bookings that day for the Block Party, I had one on the big stage with the Coffee Grounds Poets, one as a “street poet” where I walked around with other poets, stopping at random places and reading poetry and I had one performing at the Wabash Valley Pride tent.

I was wearing my bright pink “Gay for Ginsberg” shirt, rainbow suspenders, jean shorts and I was barefoot. Yep, spent the whole day and all the shows shoeless; by the end of the day, my soles were jet black. When I was doing the “street poet” gig, a reporter came up from the TribStar and interviewed me and yes, he noted that I was barefoot.

The one major drawback of the day was by the end of it I was exhausted, my performance at the WVP tent was less than spirited. By that point the crowds were dwindling and I was just burned out, I still got up there and performed, but it was my weakest performance of the year.

Favorite Live Album: Will Give Head for Gigs Stripped: Live at the Verve

This was probably my most unusual gig of the year for me, it was my first performance as a duo, I performed with my buddy Eli Van Sickel accompanying me on his Dobro, plucking out bluesy bits while I read poetry.

Eli had his computer with him and recorded the show; it’s the longest of my live releases (clocking in at around twenty-five minutes) and definitely has the rawest sound. It was an “audience” recording, but it captures the feel of the show perfectly.

Quick Bits:

Venue with the Most Shows:

Coffee Grounds, nine

Most Shows in One Month:
June, five

Venues Performed at for the First Time:

The Verve, ZimMarss, Halcyon Art Gallery, ISU Homecoming, Downtown Terre Haute Block Party, Printer’s Row Lit Fest (Chicago)

First Encore:

October 13^th, ISU Student Lounge, Creative Writing Society Open Mic Night

Countdown

Top Five Shows:

1. Printer’s Row Lit Fest, June 5^th, Chicago

2. Coffee Grounds, December 15^th, last show

3. Equality Speaks: Unplugged, May 1^st, ISU Student Lounge

4. Coffee Grounds, October 20^th, 3^rd Anniversary Show (I was the guest host)

5. The Verve, November 21^st, with Eli as Will Give Head for Gigs

Well thanks to everyone who came out this year and watched me perform, for those who missed it, I have a couple of live recordings out and there are live videos up online. That should give you a taste of what to expect when I’m on stage.

I’m planning on doing even more shows in 2012, breaking this personal record and maybe even hitting the road and exploring new territory.

I’ll see you on the stage…

Winter Nights

Winter Nights

(By Walter Beck)

Trudging through nights that grow longer

When it's too cold to go barefoot;

Slow-sludgy riffs of Steele's growl

"Paranoid".

Waiting

For letters that say something

Other than "thanks but no thanks";

A strange bunch,

As Eric the Skinhead called them.

Just one

To give me half a chance;

It's all part of the game

But times like this,

When all I think of is another drink

And of going home,

It gets harder and harder to play.

Another friend of mine

Got married,

And I only knew

Because he said so online.

He was one from the old days.

Is it right to call them old days?

It's only been four years

But it seems like a lifetime.

My old man said he was extremely worried about me;

I don't blame him,

Nights in a cheap apartment

With a whiskey eggnog,

Fiddling with a cheap box cutter,

Muddy Waters on the stereo.

The snobs sometimes sneer at me

With my cheap food, cheap smokes

And cheap wine;

But it's the only living I know.

One night

When I was reeling from too much

Eric the Skinhead said

This would all pay off one day

That he wanted to see me succeed;

It was enough to get up to face another day.

From the Archives: A Burned-Out Mind on the Homefront

This poem is out of the dusty archives, this one goes back to August 2007 and it's one of my earliest "experimental" poems. I was in Terre Haute, having just moved there, I was feeling very frustrated and depressed, having just been through the Ransburg Affair. So I was listening to Eyehategod and started looking at their song titles.

Look for more poems from Walt's Dusty Archives!

A Burned-Out Mind on the Homefront
(By Walter Beck)

Sitting here, locked in for days, friends gone in their own lives, the phone lies dead, feeling like I’m Serving Time in the Middle of Nowhere, tray full of butts and ash, a symbol of an addiction gone mad, snuff residue laces my fingernails, am I just a Jackass in the Will of God?, cheap arguments with a bloodline, increasingly desperate searching on the GODMACHINE looking for cheap thrills and a moment’s satisfaction, a burned out hero just walking 99 Miles of Bad Road, remains of a Corruption Scheme, a sense of a Lack of Almost Everything, when he says I Am the Gestapo, entering the Age of Bootcamp, and in the end just Turn Troubled Tables.

*Song references from Mike Williams