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IS POETRY A GIMMICK?
DO NIGHT CLUBS PIMP THE POETRY VIBE FOR PROFIT? A NATIONWIDE PIMPEDEMIC!
ARE POETRY OPEN MICS A GIMMICK?
By Michael Guinn-www.mikeguinn.com
This article’s primary purpose is provoke thought and elicit feedback from poetry lovers and spoken word enthusiast, Slam Teams and Touring Poets as well as all the literary folks and most of all promoters and host. Hopefully this will create positive dialogue that elevates the appreciation of this art form and how it should be perceived by a whole new audiences. Again this article is not an attack on night clubs and should be seen as point of discussion by those who make a living or aspire to make a living as a full or part time poet or spoken word artist. Its time to ask questions. This is only the first. Let the discussion begin.
What if you are a new or old poet who has spent pain staking hours crafting what you think is the perfect poem?
You re-write, rehearse and revise it over and over again until you believe it to be .... pure art. You are proud of it, so proud in fact that you want to go share it with the world!
So you begin looking for places hoping that it is a place that embraces the passion and pure art of your poetic self -expression. So you search newspapers and the Internet and then you come across a flyer that advertises poetry, comedy and karaoke with live band to boot. Usually an event like this is hosted by some comedian or radio personality or someone in a certain poetry clique whose primary concerns are for a pay check and could care less about the quality of the environment let alone the historical ramifications of having poetry in that environment or the quality of work done by those poets.
Because that poet is only a pawn, a filler for the real entertainment which is the comedian, the music/band, ladies and the drinks. So you go with the assumption that this might be a place where you could perform, share and be embraced and appreciated by an AUDIENCE THAT APPRECIATES THE
ESSENCE OF THE ART THAT IS POETRY.
But you quickly discover that the fancy flyer, radio hype and all the glitz are just a bunch of BS and that they could care less about your art. And the venue usually ends up being some smoky overcrowded, over priced night club whose patrons main goal is to come drink, get high or laid and whose management has been persuaded that they can get large crowds if they link spoken word with comedy because poets will come and perform for free and its really a hot movement right now. But what happens is that you go into an environment that has not been cultivated to appreciate your work, your words or the fact that you are trying to share the art of poetry from your soul. Now not all nightclubs do this. Not all nightclubs pimp the passion of a person’s craft for profit. Not all night clubs have event coordinators and promoters whose primary concern is so much for money and popularity that they are willing to sacrifice the elevation of the ART by exploiting it in an atmosphere that damages its integrity, creditability and pure artistry.
Because of this, pure poetry open mics are quickly becoming a lost tradition. One that use to provide spaces that truly embraced and nurtured the purity of poetry. In essence..those venues became HOME.
Do you think nightclubs know or care that they are destroying the fabric of a tradition that for years has been the foundation for some of the most prolific voices in literature today? There are countless venues that truly make an effort to provide that space. THAT HOME for new and old voices.
Its time for poets and spoken word artist to stop allowing themselves to be used as part of a gimmick by night clubs whose main concern is dollar signs and bar tabs and not the elevation of this art. How we as artist ever going to reach a level of respectability and comparable compensation if we continue to allow ourselves to be exploited this way? What we bring forth with our work is an art that is gaining new life and a resurgence in the literary and entertainment communities.
Its value has never been more evident than in Tyler Perry's new Movie, Madea's Family Reunion. The entire film from beginning to end was laced with poetry and spoken word. The poem by the sister at the club, the fusion of Poetry's Matriarch Ms. Maya Angelou and the spoken word speech by Ms. Cicely Tyson at the reunion. All of this is proof that what we do has value, purpose and is the reason why we should reap all the benefits of our art.
NOW NOT ALL NIGHT CLUBS DO THIS. I Repeat not all nightclubs and other businesses only see what we do as a way of boosting profits and not the artform. Some actually care enough about the movement to provide a space... JUST FOR POETS! I suggest you seek out THOSE venues and take your poetry BACK!
Be better writers, better self promoters, exercise better judgement in choosing venues in which you speak.
And when you do.. Speak. Speak well and command an audience.
There is a renewed sense of self that is lending to a re-emergence of poetry and spoken word as a voice for the people.
Its up to us to step up and answer the call by doing everything we can to promote our art in places that truly embrace it. How are we ever going to get a Grammy category or a BIG book deal if we allow what we know is a viable voice in the industry, TO BE DEMENANED FOR CLUB GREEN!
Now I am not the most eloquent or well-read brotha or well spoken for that matter. And I too have been a participant in this. but now I know better.. and I also know and realize that you guys are my voice as well as God's instruments and it is all of our collective responsibilities to support those who support THE ART AT IT'S PUREST!
It’s up to the poets and poetry lovers to support venues that provide that space, that HOME where our art can flourish. Its time to hold these promoter-pimps accountable. Poets your work has value. If it did not the venue would not be promoting your craft as entertainment. Recognize and Realize that. OK!
Q & A.
Do you think your work is worth more than just your getting free admission?
Do you feel that your work is precious and deserves to be compensated or at the very least FULLY appreciated?
Do you believe that poetry in nightclubs taints an audience's perception of the art?
If so the next time you pick up a fancy flyer promoting poetry/comedy and karaoke think about the ELEVATION OF THE ART OF THE POETRY.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED!
Michael Guinn is a globally recognized writer/poet who resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. This article is in no way should be regarded as a personal attack on nightclubs or specific venues. But as a reminder to people/poets seeking places to hear and share poetry that sometimes the art gets does get lost amid the lights and smoke of a nightclub atmosphere. Visit www.mikeguinn.com for info on Dallas events. (817) 937-8301 Please come out to 5th Avneue Soul Sundays, Dallas Slams, Pugsley's Library, Barnes and Nobles Frisco, Fort Worth Slams and other venues where POETRY IS THE PRIMARY INTEREST. Visit meetup.com, www.mikeguinn.com and other sites nationwide to get more on venues, times and dates.
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