So, it's a bit long. But if you have a spare like ten minutes, you should read it aloud to yourself. If you think about it, people didn't have writing for most of their history. Language evolved out of musical grunts, and poetry's the music made from those sounds. It's totally meant to be heard aloud.
And I mean, the best part is, you can hate it if you want. If it just doesn't sound good or offends you or is too long or something, that's the proper response you should be having. It's just supposed to make you feel SOMETHING. But trying anything new is always a fun thing.
Ginsberg was a beat poet, he came around right before the hippies. A lot of the ideals from this poem informed the hippies. Ginsberg got arrested for distributing this poem in pamphlets on the street. It was deemed obscene by a court because he talks about butt sex. But it's kind of a lament, about how Ginsberg felt there was all this crazy terrible stuff going down around him that he couldn't do anything but... Howl. Hahaha. It was illegal to do gay stuff at the time (1950s) and anything that wasn't in the norm was shunned and treated as if it didn't exist, Leave It to Beaver style. Ginsberg wrote this as a response to that attitude.
He first read it at a little coffee shop in San Francisco and people were floored. As an artist nowadays, it's hard to get people off on what you're trying to say. Everything's either been done well or to death already. It's hard to buck against social norms with traditional words anymore. Obscenity's been done. No one's shocked by anything anymore, except old people. How's a guy supposed to make a splash in such a hugeass pool? I mean, there's already so many competing for interest and like no one reads anymore. Especially not (ewwwww) poetry. Fucking standardized testing.
There is no real answer to a poem, and that's the secret. Scope "Howl." It's a great piece and it may even shock you a little.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179381
Currently Reading: Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Things...
Things have gotten a bit intense since the few days ago I started this blog. Japan, as I'm sure everyone knows by now, was hit by an earthquake a few days ago. Even though Japan is probably the most-prepared country on Earth for this, thousands of people still died. Not only that, but a nuclear reactor is suffering problems. The tone is of a fever pitch, as well it should be. That tone makes it hard to find accurate news sometimes. There's not really much to say on this other than my thoughts are with them. And cross our fingers that the good men and women working on that nuclear problem get it figured out. Bleh.
Instead of focusing on that, however, I'll give you a quick rundown of the last day or so. I decided to head up to DeKalb to go see my roommate's band, Casa Karma. They played with a few other bands: Chum, Didgy Slacker, and the Coop. Props to that light guy, who worked pretty much through the entire show.
This is my fourth Casa show. I hope no one took any videos of it, cuz I was raging. Here's a picture of your humble author at the last show, above Brewe-Has in Normal:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/167580_181558335215109_100000828309727_374241_8086946_n.jpg
The House Cafe, where they were playing, was way better ventilated than that loft tho. I didn't get near as sweaty.
I managed to get lost as hell a few times before finally making it to Mike's house, who's the guy on the far left in that picture (my roommate's the one playin the guitar I can't get enough of). I took a route that avoided the tolls, which in Illinois means "the middle of nowhere, with no identifying signs and the ones that they do have are wrong." Luckily, I had thought ahead and grabbed a bottle of New Amsterdam in Normal before leaving. I thought the show started at 9, so I began chugging as much gin as I could without gagging.
Dude, the thing about New Amsterdam is, it's not like other gin. I abhor the taste of gin. The first time I drank, I drank way too much gin and nearly died. But New Amsterdam has this weird cancelling-out thing. You can't even taste it when you mix it. Delish stuff.
We made our way over to the venue. Nice little shindig they got there. $5 22 oz fat tires, good times. I also had a beer called gumball head, it was one of the best beers I think I've ever had. Definitely goin back again. They also had 60-minute IPA on draft, but I was out of cash by then so I couldn't try it. :( Definitely head there if you can though.
Good jams were had by all. Afterwards, everybody crowded into cramped cars except for me and my walking companion, who had also gone to ISU but left cuz she hated it. I meet so many cool people at these concerts. I love hearing what other people think. General statement, but it's so interesting. All I hear is my commentary on life all day. Other people's is so different sometimes that it's awesome.
Must go now, lots to read for Poetry tomorrow and more Hemingway to peruse for the future. Hooah!
Currently reading: Same
Instead of focusing on that, however, I'll give you a quick rundown of the last day or so. I decided to head up to DeKalb to go see my roommate's band, Casa Karma. They played with a few other bands: Chum, Didgy Slacker, and the Coop. Props to that light guy, who worked pretty much through the entire show.
This is my fourth Casa show. I hope no one took any videos of it, cuz I was raging. Here's a picture of your humble author at the last show, above Brewe-Has in Normal:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/167580_181558335215109_100000828309727_374241_8086946_n.jpg
The House Cafe, where they were playing, was way better ventilated than that loft tho. I didn't get near as sweaty.
I managed to get lost as hell a few times before finally making it to Mike's house, who's the guy on the far left in that picture (my roommate's the one playin the guitar I can't get enough of). I took a route that avoided the tolls, which in Illinois means "the middle of nowhere, with no identifying signs and the ones that they do have are wrong." Luckily, I had thought ahead and grabbed a bottle of New Amsterdam in Normal before leaving. I thought the show started at 9, so I began chugging as much gin as I could without gagging.
Dude, the thing about New Amsterdam is, it's not like other gin. I abhor the taste of gin. The first time I drank, I drank way too much gin and nearly died. But New Amsterdam has this weird cancelling-out thing. You can't even taste it when you mix it. Delish stuff.
We made our way over to the venue. Nice little shindig they got there. $5 22 oz fat tires, good times. I also had a beer called gumball head, it was one of the best beers I think I've ever had. Definitely goin back again. They also had 60-minute IPA on draft, but I was out of cash by then so I couldn't try it. :( Definitely head there if you can though.
Good jams were had by all. Afterwards, everybody crowded into cramped cars except for me and my walking companion, who had also gone to ISU but left cuz she hated it. I meet so many cool people at these concerts. I love hearing what other people think. General statement, but it's so interesting. All I hear is my commentary on life all day. Other people's is so different sometimes that it's awesome.
Must go now, lots to read for Poetry tomorrow and more Hemingway to peruse for the future. Hooah!
Currently reading: Same
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Introducing...
Hey everybody, I'm Nick Walker. I'm 22 and I go to Illinois State University. I'm graduating with a BA in English Studies this year and am looking into grad school.
I mean this to be a political blog, but it'll probably just whatever's striking my fancy that day, be it what I'm reading, my writing, random thoughts, stuff like that.
My politics don't really fit into any one group, as I'm sure yours don't either, dear reader. I'm sure you'll be able to tease them out. I encourage trolls, but only if they have rational arguments. I love debating, and I can be convinced of views other than my own if you make a good enough point.
Suffice to say, I believe in well-regulated free marketism. Good luck figuring that one out. A lot of my other views are pretty controversial too. A lot of what we think of as "right" and "good" just because it's culturally significant is actually detrimental to society. More on this in posts to come.
Here's a link to another blog, where I've been arguing against libertarians. It started on Facebook, and has jumped to this blog, run by a friend-of-a-friend from Elgin.
http://elginomics.com/why-liberals-should-especially-love-the-free-market
Again, if you think I am wrong for a rational, well-defended reason, you can convince me. Please do. Don't half-ass it though.
Reading right now: Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, Influence: The Science of Persuasion
I mean this to be a political blog, but it'll probably just whatever's striking my fancy that day, be it what I'm reading, my writing, random thoughts, stuff like that.
My politics don't really fit into any one group, as I'm sure yours don't either, dear reader. I'm sure you'll be able to tease them out. I encourage trolls, but only if they have rational arguments. I love debating, and I can be convinced of views other than my own if you make a good enough point.
Suffice to say, I believe in well-regulated free marketism. Good luck figuring that one out. A lot of my other views are pretty controversial too. A lot of what we think of as "right" and "good" just because it's culturally significant is actually detrimental to society. More on this in posts to come.
Here's a link to another blog, where I've been arguing against libertarians. It started on Facebook, and has jumped to this blog, run by a friend-of-a-friend from Elgin.
http://elginomics.com/why-liberals-should-especially-love-the-free-market
Again, if you think I am wrong for a rational, well-defended reason, you can convince me. Please do. Don't half-ass it though.
Reading right now: Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, Influence: The Science of Persuasion
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)