Juliet Cook's Blog, page 151
February 12, 2012
A Dream Involving Family & Poetry
I don't remember all the details of this dream, but my immediate family members had decided to create a poetry book (possibly for Valentine's Day?), including three poems by each of us. Or at least by each of the women; I don't remember seeing my dad or any husbands in this dream.
It was handled as if this was a literary magazine project and one of my sisters was the editor. We had to send our poetry submissions to her. Instead of responding by email or mail though, during a family event, she announced that every one's poems had been accepted, except for mine.
At first I didn't say anything other than a fake overly friendly sounding 'okay'.
But then I decided to stand up and openly state that I knew it was because my family didn't like my CONTENT. After all, I was the only family member with a degree in creative writing, who frequently submitted my poetry and frequently had it accepted for publication – and now, none of my family members liked my poetic content enough to accept me – and none of them were even poets! None of them read contemporary poetry or wrote/submitted poetry EXCEPT for this one family project – but apparently even though I AM a poet, I didn't fit in to the family project idea of poetry.
As I gave this announcement, they all looked at me and each other as if any regular person would know that my content was over the top, unacceptable, unlikeable, and OFFENSIVE.
I left the room, but could still hear my mom and sister whispering about how my offensive content did not fit into this family.
***
(This sounds like more of a 'not fitting in to the family' dream as opposed to a 'poetry rejection' dream, because for the most part, if some publication does not relate to/like/accept my poetry, I don't really care all that much, since plenty of others do. BUT ever since I was a teenager, part of me has felt like I don't really fit in, including to my own family and I do really care about/love my family, and I AM really passionate about my poetry, so it was an interesting fusion.
I'm not sure quite sure where it came from though, because it's not like I've been having any family issues or poetry issues related to me personally recently. I mean it's true that my family members do not really relate to my poetry, but it's not like they talk negatively about me because of that or call me overly offensive.
Maybe the dream was partially inspired by my Valentine's Day 'what is love and what are true, in-depth relationships' thoughts and questions and the fact that I have been recently thinking about the next Blood Pudding Press collaborative project.)
It was handled as if this was a literary magazine project and one of my sisters was the editor. We had to send our poetry submissions to her. Instead of responding by email or mail though, during a family event, she announced that every one's poems had been accepted, except for mine.
At first I didn't say anything other than a fake overly friendly sounding 'okay'.
But then I decided to stand up and openly state that I knew it was because my family didn't like my CONTENT. After all, I was the only family member with a degree in creative writing, who frequently submitted my poetry and frequently had it accepted for publication – and now, none of my family members liked my poetic content enough to accept me – and none of them were even poets! None of them read contemporary poetry or wrote/submitted poetry EXCEPT for this one family project – but apparently even though I AM a poet, I didn't fit in to the family project idea of poetry.
As I gave this announcement, they all looked at me and each other as if any regular person would know that my content was over the top, unacceptable, unlikeable, and OFFENSIVE.
I left the room, but could still hear my mom and sister whispering about how my offensive content did not fit into this family.
***
(This sounds like more of a 'not fitting in to the family' dream as opposed to a 'poetry rejection' dream, because for the most part, if some publication does not relate to/like/accept my poetry, I don't really care all that much, since plenty of others do. BUT ever since I was a teenager, part of me has felt like I don't really fit in, including to my own family and I do really care about/love my family, and I AM really passionate about my poetry, so it was an interesting fusion.
I'm not sure quite sure where it came from though, because it's not like I've been having any family issues or poetry issues related to me personally recently. I mean it's true that my family members do not really relate to my poetry, but it's not like they talk negatively about me because of that or call me overly offensive.
Maybe the dream was partially inspired by my Valentine's Day 'what is love and what are true, in-depth relationships' thoughts and questions and the fact that I have been recently thinking about the next Blood Pudding Press collaborative project.)
February 11, 2012
LOVE?
Losing people who I thought were incredibly important, significant, and meaningful within my life really hurts me and causes me to question all kinds of things (including question myself – thinking 'am I not good enough?' and 'did I not try hard enough?').
I don't desire to feel incredibly strongly about or committed to someone who will suddenly/quickly feel less strongly about me.
I don't desire someone who takes more than he gives (creatively, professionally, or in any sort of relationship way) and/or who does not truly appreciate what he receives. I think that taking more than giving comes too close to chewing everything/everyone up and then suddenly spitting it out without really caring.
On a somewhat different but semi-related note, the phrase 'what if I lose everything?' sure as heck does not make me think about money. It makes me think about brain power, passion, caring and LOVE. Those are the kinds of things I do not want to lose, even (especially) in the midst of challenging/troubling/difficult times in my life.
I DO desire a uniquely powerful, caring, giving, loving, extra-special someone who is a true taste sensation, a wonderful treat, a gorgeous feast that will last & last.
I don't desire to feel incredibly strongly about or committed to someone who will suddenly/quickly feel less strongly about me.
I don't desire someone who takes more than he gives (creatively, professionally, or in any sort of relationship way) and/or who does not truly appreciate what he receives. I think that taking more than giving comes too close to chewing everything/everyone up and then suddenly spitting it out without really caring.
On a somewhat different but semi-related note, the phrase 'what if I lose everything?' sure as heck does not make me think about money. It makes me think about brain power, passion, caring and LOVE. Those are the kinds of things I do not want to lose, even (especially) in the midst of challenging/troubling/difficult times in my life.
I DO desire a uniquely powerful, caring, giving, loving, extra-special someone who is a true taste sensation, a wonderful treat, a gorgeous feast that will last & last.
Happy Peculiar Valentine's Day/Anti-Valentine's Day from Thirteen Myna Birds!
A new update is ready for you to lick up, with offerings by Lauren Eggert-Crowe, Ken Poyner, Valerie Loveland, Joseph Goosey, & John Grey.
"We had been thinking the exhibit was about love, but…on the black curtain, words ripple…nerves branch like lightning… inflating the tulle… ghosts of rain… a snowflake of consummate & varied value… my ear against the mottled blue…flames leaping from his eyes"
http://13myna.blogspot.com/
Silly Little Love Words Question?
So what do you call your extra special favorite man or woman when the two of you are strongly/deeply involved with each other but not married plus you are adults in your 30s (or older)? I'm not suggesting there's a right or wrong answer to this question; I'm just sort of wondering about other people's points of view on the matter.
It seems silly to me to call that individual your boyfriend/girlfriend, because you're more than just friends, but mainly because you're not little boys and girls anymore. I know a lot of adults still use the words boyfriend/girlfriend, but why? Isn't there something better?
I'm not a big fan of the word lover, which for reason makes me think of married couples cheating on each other or so-called polyamorous people who primarily desire a number of different sex partners, but might think it sounds better to call their multi-partner collections lovers instead of toys.
I don't want to call him a partner, as that could refer to any number of different things, including a business partner – and I'm sure not looking for a relationship that serves as a business model (and 'relationship' is another similar word issue, as is 'love', but I'll just stick to one at a time, I think).
I sometimes really like calling an extra special person my 'favorite thing', but 'thing' is a rather generic word and I don't want to make someone else feel as if they are a food product, a pet, or a piece of jewelry, when they are so much more than any one thing.
'Significant other' isn't bad, but has similar issues, especially associated with the word 'other'. Or maybe not; I mean it's not as if 'other' is a negative word; it's just not a specific word; but when it comes after 'significant', it definitely seems to mean something. I guess compared to the other words mentioned above, 'significant other' makes the most sense to me, but it still does not seem specific enough or special enough to describe a unique individual that I feel very strongly and passionately about.
Maybe the 'other' could be replaced with 'otherworldly', but then I start entering into my whole not making much sense to the average person type of vibe – and for the most part, that is okay with me – after all, I am a poet with artsy sensibilities. It would make fun and creative sense to me to call my 'significant other' a DELECTABLE POEM CREATURE or a DELIGHTFUL ELIXER or a DELUX PULSATING PORTAL or an EXTRA-SPECIAL MORSEL OF JOY.
But if I were to use one of those descriptive words in front of a relative, they might not have much of an idea what on earth I was referring too and it's not like I desire to go out of my way to confuse others. I guess when it comes down to introducing my special someone to a regular person, I can just refer to him as my friend (or just say his name) and save those strange creative words to use in front of him.
I don't really have a problem with that or consider it to be a big issue, but I do find it a bit oddly interesting that so many non-married but committed adults still use the words boyfriend/girlfriend – and thus I found myself wondering how some other people felt about these kinds of descriptive words and what kinds of words they might use.
It seems silly to me to call that individual your boyfriend/girlfriend, because you're more than just friends, but mainly because you're not little boys and girls anymore. I know a lot of adults still use the words boyfriend/girlfriend, but why? Isn't there something better?
I'm not a big fan of the word lover, which for reason makes me think of married couples cheating on each other or so-called polyamorous people who primarily desire a number of different sex partners, but might think it sounds better to call their multi-partner collections lovers instead of toys.
I don't want to call him a partner, as that could refer to any number of different things, including a business partner – and I'm sure not looking for a relationship that serves as a business model (and 'relationship' is another similar word issue, as is 'love', but I'll just stick to one at a time, I think).
I sometimes really like calling an extra special person my 'favorite thing', but 'thing' is a rather generic word and I don't want to make someone else feel as if they are a food product, a pet, or a piece of jewelry, when they are so much more than any one thing.
'Significant other' isn't bad, but has similar issues, especially associated with the word 'other'. Or maybe not; I mean it's not as if 'other' is a negative word; it's just not a specific word; but when it comes after 'significant', it definitely seems to mean something. I guess compared to the other words mentioned above, 'significant other' makes the most sense to me, but it still does not seem specific enough or special enough to describe a unique individual that I feel very strongly and passionately about.
Maybe the 'other' could be replaced with 'otherworldly', but then I start entering into my whole not making much sense to the average person type of vibe – and for the most part, that is okay with me – after all, I am a poet with artsy sensibilities. It would make fun and creative sense to me to call my 'significant other' a DELECTABLE POEM CREATURE or a DELIGHTFUL ELIXER or a DELUX PULSATING PORTAL or an EXTRA-SPECIAL MORSEL OF JOY.
But if I were to use one of those descriptive words in front of a relative, they might not have much of an idea what on earth I was referring too and it's not like I desire to go out of my way to confuse others. I guess when it comes down to introducing my special someone to a regular person, I can just refer to him as my friend (or just say his name) and save those strange creative words to use in front of him.
I don't really have a problem with that or consider it to be a big issue, but I do find it a bit oddly interesting that so many non-married but committed adults still use the words boyfriend/girlfriend – and thus I found myself wondering how some other people felt about these kinds of descriptive words and what kinds of words they might use.
February 8, 2012
Special offer from my Blood Pudding Press
My Blood Pudding Press is currently offering a LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER, available through Sunday February 12 - of 30% off ANY BPP purchases (poetry chapbooks and/or other items too) if you enter Coupon Code BLOODVALVE during check out.
Visit the Blood Pudding Press etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BloodPuddingPress
Visit the Blood Pudding Press etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BloodPuddingPress
February 6, 2012
Poetry Crush
Check out the uniquely multifaceted and interesting Poetry Crush: Valentine Issue (in which a number of Hyacinth Girl Press poets share their favorite erotic poems) -
http://poetrycrush.com/
I chose a poem by Lynn Crosbie and here was my small intro as to why -
"For me, in-depth intensity is far more erotic than semi-casual flinging. In recent years, my desire for powerful intensity is borderline brimming with uncertainty and unknowing related to ebbing and flowing, but that doesn't make it dissipate. I desire a new beginning, filled with a large scale, all kinds of strange tales and talismans, and strong sails. I crave a strange power to affix me, lift me up, and wet me into creatively drenched, passionate, powerful, deliciously visceral terrain."
******
On a semi-related note, as I was thinking about what poem to choose for this project and reading quite a few poems that I seemed to remember really liking and finding oddly erotic in the past, I discovered that a lot of those poems now struck me as interestingly kinky but definitely not erotic in any sort of loving, positive, powerful way.
Perhaps I used to be more sexually turned on by controlling/being controlled and playing around with dominant/submissive quirks, but not anymore - especially if that sexual experimentation seems like some sort of unemotional game or borderline uncaring mini-torture.
I then thought of a poetry-based interview I participated in some months back, in which I wrote -
"Content wise, my influences have often included, in one form or another: eating/being eaten, fetish-ism, desire, horror, and deviation from the norm/not fitting in to a mold.
If I re-read some older poems of mine with darkly fetishistic slants, I feel like some of their content is filled with kinky desires; unsure whether I want to control or be controlled.
More recently, although still interested in kinky desires, I do not want to control anyone else or be controlled by anyone else on any large scale. I want to be myself - and ideally, I want others to like and desire me for being myself."
If interested, you can read more here -
http://voices.yahoo.com/profiles-poetics-juliet-cook-9134663.html?cat=72
http://poetrycrush.com/
I chose a poem by Lynn Crosbie and here was my small intro as to why -
"For me, in-depth intensity is far more erotic than semi-casual flinging. In recent years, my desire for powerful intensity is borderline brimming with uncertainty and unknowing related to ebbing and flowing, but that doesn't make it dissipate. I desire a new beginning, filled with a large scale, all kinds of strange tales and talismans, and strong sails. I crave a strange power to affix me, lift me up, and wet me into creatively drenched, passionate, powerful, deliciously visceral terrain."
******
On a semi-related note, as I was thinking about what poem to choose for this project and reading quite a few poems that I seemed to remember really liking and finding oddly erotic in the past, I discovered that a lot of those poems now struck me as interestingly kinky but definitely not erotic in any sort of loving, positive, powerful way.
Perhaps I used to be more sexually turned on by controlling/being controlled and playing around with dominant/submissive quirks, but not anymore - especially if that sexual experimentation seems like some sort of unemotional game or borderline uncaring mini-torture.
I then thought of a poetry-based interview I participated in some months back, in which I wrote -
"Content wise, my influences have often included, in one form or another: eating/being eaten, fetish-ism, desire, horror, and deviation from the norm/not fitting in to a mold.
If I re-read some older poems of mine with darkly fetishistic slants, I feel like some of their content is filled with kinky desires; unsure whether I want to control or be controlled.
More recently, although still interested in kinky desires, I do not want to control anyone else or be controlled by anyone else on any large scale. I want to be myself - and ideally, I want others to like and desire me for being myself."
If interested, you can read more here -
http://voices.yahoo.com/profiles-poetics-juliet-cook-9134663.html?cat=72
January 31, 2012
Springy Poeticism Times TWO!
Even though my day started out a bit rough and tumble (see blog post below this one), it wonderfully improved as soon as I visited online and found out that TWO different new online poetry magazines went live today with my poetry inside their creative goodie bags. Yay!
A NEW Certain Circuits with one of my new poems here (click on my blood red hair):
http://certaincircuits.tumblr.com/
A NEW Lingerpost with one of my new poems AND one by PoetJoe H. Gallagher & me here:
http://lingerpost.org/?page_id=69
I'm thrilled I'm still writing and being published (and also publishing others - and on that note, a new Thirteen Myna Birds will be coming soon PLUS another poetic Valentine treat - stay tuned).
A NEW Certain Circuits with one of my new poems here (click on my blood red hair):
http://certaincircuits.tumblr.com/
A NEW Lingerpost with one of my new poems AND one by PoetJoe H. Gallagher & me here:
http://lingerpost.org/?page_id=69
I'm thrilled I'm still writing and being published (and also publishing others - and on that note, a new Thirteen Myna Birds will be coming soon PLUS another poetic Valentine treat - stay tuned).
Broken Springs
It was a gorgeous springy day today weather-wise, but…
I seemed to be having a broken springs/tainted strings mish mash associated with my brain.
I've recently gotten on a friend of mine's case a few times about too frequently using the word "broken" to describe himself/his brain, but my brain sure felt broken earlier today.
It was a tough morning for me in terms of a number of easy little things being overly difficult. I used to be detail oriented and good at remembering things in advance, but now I'm not good at remembering details – so if anyone expects me to quickly get something done at the last minute (without finding out about it, remembering it, and planning for it in advance), chances are I might have a stressed out little explosion – and unfortunately, they'll be stuck in the middle of my explosive devises too. Not that those explosive devises will be lashing out at THEM, mind you – but they'll sure hear me lashing out at myself and calling my brain inept and screwed up and disappointing.
Trying to quickly get something done at the last minute (without advance notice and planning in advance time) stresses my brain into shredded threads that don't like themselves, don't appreciate themselves, and focus too much on their weaknesses instead of their strengths.
This morning, I got all stressed out because at the last minute I was attempting to fill out a piece of paperwork that should have been easy, but wasn't – because I can't remember my dog's age, his date or month of birth, what vet appointments/treatments he might need, nor where the heck I put the past paperwork that might offer me such information. I used to be good at all of that stuff (as well as other forms of organization); now I am not. I certainly don't want my dog to suffer from a too-early demise due to my disabled brain strands.
Then from their I got to thinking about how frequently I seem to lose things 'cuz I can't remember where the heck I put them when I was attempting to organize them (from my calculator to my assortment of googly eyes that I wanted to use for making some homemade Valentine cards to much more). Then I got upset (not at HER; at ME) when my little niece stepped into my art room and blurted out that it was the messiest room she's ever seen – which is probably because I'm frequently having to unpack boxes in order to try to find things AND some boxes I don't even bother unpacking/organizing into a particular space in the first place, 'cuz then I'll soon forget where I put those.
It seems like every time I make a substantial and time-consuming effort to organize my space, I then forget the details of my organization by the next day – and I don't want to have a messy, unorganized space – but I also don't want to have a neat, organized space that involves unpacking multiple boxes and searching for things on a frequent basis. Both ways cause me to feel bothered and troubled by my seemingly inept brain.
In case you think I'm exaggerating about my broke strings and mutilated brain waves, consider this. I've now been living in my newish space for more than seven months and I still haven't memorized my address. I have it written down and have to look at that piece of writing every time I need to write it down somewhere else.
I know I need to focus on the positive not the negative, but sometimes (like this morning), I have an episode where it really bothers me that I used to have strong memorization skills and be a fast-moving individual; but now I'm more of a slow-moving, unorganized mess, whose brain sometimes can't remember easy things yet is frequently popping out all kinds of random things and weird things and big bizarre words.
On the plus side, at least I can use some of those big bizarre words as part of my poetry content – and that's definitely a pretty awesome plus side, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, in mere minutes, I shall post a positive, poetry-oriented blog entry above this negative little spurt.
I seemed to be having a broken springs/tainted strings mish mash associated with my brain.
I've recently gotten on a friend of mine's case a few times about too frequently using the word "broken" to describe himself/his brain, but my brain sure felt broken earlier today.
It was a tough morning for me in terms of a number of easy little things being overly difficult. I used to be detail oriented and good at remembering things in advance, but now I'm not good at remembering details – so if anyone expects me to quickly get something done at the last minute (without finding out about it, remembering it, and planning for it in advance), chances are I might have a stressed out little explosion – and unfortunately, they'll be stuck in the middle of my explosive devises too. Not that those explosive devises will be lashing out at THEM, mind you – but they'll sure hear me lashing out at myself and calling my brain inept and screwed up and disappointing.
Trying to quickly get something done at the last minute (without advance notice and planning in advance time) stresses my brain into shredded threads that don't like themselves, don't appreciate themselves, and focus too much on their weaknesses instead of their strengths.
This morning, I got all stressed out because at the last minute I was attempting to fill out a piece of paperwork that should have been easy, but wasn't – because I can't remember my dog's age, his date or month of birth, what vet appointments/treatments he might need, nor where the heck I put the past paperwork that might offer me such information. I used to be good at all of that stuff (as well as other forms of organization); now I am not. I certainly don't want my dog to suffer from a too-early demise due to my disabled brain strands.
Then from their I got to thinking about how frequently I seem to lose things 'cuz I can't remember where the heck I put them when I was attempting to organize them (from my calculator to my assortment of googly eyes that I wanted to use for making some homemade Valentine cards to much more). Then I got upset (not at HER; at ME) when my little niece stepped into my art room and blurted out that it was the messiest room she's ever seen – which is probably because I'm frequently having to unpack boxes in order to try to find things AND some boxes I don't even bother unpacking/organizing into a particular space in the first place, 'cuz then I'll soon forget where I put those.
It seems like every time I make a substantial and time-consuming effort to organize my space, I then forget the details of my organization by the next day – and I don't want to have a messy, unorganized space – but I also don't want to have a neat, organized space that involves unpacking multiple boxes and searching for things on a frequent basis. Both ways cause me to feel bothered and troubled by my seemingly inept brain.
In case you think I'm exaggerating about my broke strings and mutilated brain waves, consider this. I've now been living in my newish space for more than seven months and I still haven't memorized my address. I have it written down and have to look at that piece of writing every time I need to write it down somewhere else.
I know I need to focus on the positive not the negative, but sometimes (like this morning), I have an episode where it really bothers me that I used to have strong memorization skills and be a fast-moving individual; but now I'm more of a slow-moving, unorganized mess, whose brain sometimes can't remember easy things yet is frequently popping out all kinds of random things and weird things and big bizarre words.
On the plus side, at least I can use some of those big bizarre words as part of my poetry content – and that's definitely a pretty awesome plus side, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, in mere minutes, I shall post a positive, poetry-oriented blog entry above this negative little spurt.
January 29, 2012
Blah
Have felt overly tired all day long and feel upset and dissapointed in myself for not having a very productive day. Gave my dog a bath and I feel as if that's the only thing I really accomplished today. The bottom of my feet are bothering me, which is my own damn falt for having a semi-obsessive compulsive (and big time wasting) event for hours yesterday peeling gross dry skin off them. Feel like I'm looking old and ugly and having another little grey/white hair explosion.
So fucking tired I finally decided to take a little half hour nap circa 7:00-7:30 and then get up, make coffee and dinner, work on stuff. Instead my nap ended up lasting until 8:30 - I still felt just as tired (maybe even more tired) when I forced myself up - and I didn't feel hungry but I can't not eat, so I started cooking some salmon and ended up burning it. I am not a good cook. Blah.
Still feeling overly tired and like giving up for the day and going back to bed, but I guess I'll force feed myself a little more, keep my hands off the bottoms of my feet, and try to work on a few things. Still though, my overly tired and slow spell today (and also maybe PMS starting up) is making me feel like a rather worthless time-wasting loser. I hate feeling unproductive.
So fucking tired I finally decided to take a little half hour nap circa 7:00-7:30 and then get up, make coffee and dinner, work on stuff. Instead my nap ended up lasting until 8:30 - I still felt just as tired (maybe even more tired) when I forced myself up - and I didn't feel hungry but I can't not eat, so I started cooking some salmon and ended up burning it. I am not a good cook. Blah.
Still feeling overly tired and like giving up for the day and going back to bed, but I guess I'll force feed myself a little more, keep my hands off the bottoms of my feet, and try to work on a few things. Still though, my overly tired and slow spell today (and also maybe PMS starting up) is making me feel like a rather worthless time-wasting loser. I hate feeling unproductive.
January 26, 2012
Lady Gaga's fake blood baths would be better if they weren't spewing out of a clichéd mouthpiece
I think that Lady Gaga's music has bland, generic (and to me annoyingly meaningless) pop lyrics, which is the main reason I do not understand why she seems to appeal to so many poets. Personality wise, I think she comes across as an oddball/cheese ball fusion (not that there's anything wrong with that), but not in a poetically creative way. Poetry is a form of unique, artistic verbal communications, not unique, artistic personal dress styles.
I'm not anti-pop, mind you – but I'm surely not a fan of overly clichéd words – which are not poetic in any way that I can fathom or that makes interesting sense to me. Frankly, her blah bland clichéd lyrics annoy the shit out of my poetic sensibilities.
Fellow poets, please feel free to try to help me understand her appeal based on WORDS.
She LOOKS interesting, but how strongly does that relate to poetic sensibility or content? Not much at all, as far as I'm concerned, if the interestingly dressed person can't also create words as powerfully unique as their attire.
Furthermore, how do we know that she even chose her own look or did so for creative reasons, rather than money making reasons? What if it's not even her personal style, so much as an odd marketing scheme that ended up working? If it is her own genuine quirky flare, then what's the explanation for video of her as a singer, in which she looks more normal, before she changed her name to Lady Gaga? If she wasn't really "born this way", then what made her normal style suddenly turn more oddball?
If those are indeed her own unique oddball artsy design choices, she sure looks interesting, but how the heck does that relate to her clichéd lyrics; in which most of the lines sound high school level and like lines I've heard thousands of times; what is the artistic/poetic appeal of that blah blah blah riff raff?
It seems like I've heard many comments that speak favorably about Lady Gaga for looking attractive in her own non-traditional way – and yes, she has an oddly appealing gender-fluidity about her look – but she still has a model-like body type, which I think makes her less uniquely/oddly appealing than other singers who look less traditionally attractive then Gaga.
Especially when those other singers who look less traditionally attractive than Gaga also have their own uniquely interesting design styles PLUS offer much more interestingly creative and/or in depth lyrics. Peaches and Beth Ditto of the Gossip almost immediately pop out of my mind and I'm sure there are others too. So what makes Lady Gaga stand out as seeming super-duper special?
I do think people tend to focus on appearance and unusual dress styles too much, both overly positively and overly negatively. In terms of overly negative focus in that regard, it's nice to have someone go out of their way to stand out and be themselves, BUT tons of people do that; it's really nothing majorly different or vastly new to exhibit a 'be yourself and let me by myself' vibe. Don't get me wrong; I think it's a good vibe; but I don't think it's anything phenomenally new or different – and I also don't think it equates to performance art – even if spewing fake blood is part of your looks based performance (although I will admit, that's my favorite part of any Gaga performance I've ever seen; but it's not incredibly unique; Peaches has been doing that for years).
Yes some people still seem to have too much of a tendency to be uncomfortable with/make fun of odd dress styles way too much, so it's good to see strong/powerful/confident people feel free to express via their own chosen style, no matter what anyone else might think; even if people think they look like a bit of a freak show, so what? Be yourself. Dressing/acting the way one truly wants to is a good and powerful thing. BUT that goodness and self-empowerment (and possible empowerment of others too) does not equal extreme super powers or incredibly unique performance art, in my opinion. I think it equals a personal style-oriented confidence whether or not overly insecure people are overly flabbergasted by the matter.
Even if some people do consider Gaga to be an interesting/inspirational performance artist, I still don't understand how that appeals to poetic sensibilities, especially if her performance art is being enacted in the midst of clichéd lyrics. Am I missing something here?
I don't despise her music; I think she has a good voice. I'm not saying I dislike her look; it's fun and oddly interesting. I'm just saying I don't understand the appeal on any in-depth artistic/poetic level. I can understand how she might inspire different looking/acting teens/young adults to feel more comfortable/confident about themselves (which is a good thing); but I can't understand how she inspires adults, especially writers. When someone's primary form of expression is much more LOOKS based than WORDS based, how/why does that inspire word-based individuals?
Several years ago, I remember hearing a lot of positive buzz about Lady Gaga and her uniqueness. I had not heard any of her music yet, but based on the feedback I'd heard, I imagined it would be pretty interesting and different, both visually AND lyrically. Thus the first time I heard her sing her Paparazzi song live on Saturday Night Live, I was quite confused by her poetic appeal. I heard a Madonna like voice and cheesy repetitive pop. I felt like I'd heard the song countless times before, even though this was my first time hearing it. I thought Gaga looked semi-interesting and semi-sexy, but nothing so incredibly new and different that it drew me in deeply or empowered me or inspired me in any way. I've sense seen a few more artsy performances of hers, but not a single one has ever come anywhere close to inspiring or thrilling me.
In fact, she sometimes annoys me, seeming to come across with such a full-of herself, look-oriented vie – because even if someone's style looks different and interesting and oddly artsy, I find it irksome when someone's primary interest seems to be the way they look. I am not completely uninterested in appearance and style, but I am far more interested in complex, intense, word-based forms of personal (and larger scale) expression.
Mind you, I am the type of woman who thinks that ultimately everyone should be able to dress however they desire to dress, even if their style seems over the top, absurd, or ridiculous by other people's standards. One's style should be their own and should not have to fit main stream sensibilities. Still though, that doesn't mean I want to hear someone blabbing on & on & on about their appearance – the way I heard Gaga blabbing on & on about her fake hair during a televised Thanksgiving special of hers I started watching out of curiosity. The special seemed primarily focused on her looks, cover songs, and her goofball blabbing – until her overly lengthy hair blabbing episode struck me as so annoyingly, ridiculously full of herself that I had to change the channel. I'm the type of woman who sometimes feels like I focus too much on my own appearance, so if I have to change the channel because I think another woman is being way too appearance oriented for my liking, then she must be pretty darn full of herself.
Why/how did looks-based Lady Gaga inspire an online literary magazine called Gaga Stigmata? I like the name of that lit mag and am a big fan of quirky specific lit mags with content based on whatever the editors choose to base it upon (and I am also a fan of founding editor Kate Durbin's style AND much of her poetry; she LOOKS interesting AND can sure write much better/more uniquely than Lady Gaga). For a while, I thought about submitting to that magazine, because it seemed like a uniquely interesting publication. However, then I got to thinking more about it – and wondering how the heck I would write a Lady Gaga inspired poem – because nothing about her inspires me in a particularly powerful positive or negative way and I'm not about to fake it. I personally don't really agree with the lit mag's description of Lady Gaga as a "shock pop phenomenon". I mean her looks and fake blood might shock SOME people, because some people are easily shocked, but they sure don't shock me (and I don't imagine they would shock many other poets/artists) – and her lyrics bore me and irk me, so I sure don't find her phenomenal in that regard. Maybe her popularity could be interpreted as oddly phenomenal. Perhaps the oddness of her mass-appeal is the combination of cheesy pop lyrics with weird over the top artsy style – but again, she is sure not the first to have that kind of style, so what makes her seem different enough to stand out so much, including to some unique poets/artists?
If any of Gaga's lyrics were submitted as a poem to my literary magazine, they would swiftly and easily be rejected. Would any of you other poets publish any of her lyrics within your online or print literary publication? What if bland, clichéd words were submitted alongside a bizarrely dressed photo of the writer? Would that make her a better writer? How can an odd, artsy appearance change bland, boring words into poetry or poetic inspiration?
Not to get way overly repetitive here in terms of my confused little ramblings on this matter, but can another poet please try to help me understand Gaga's poetic appeal? I'm not anti-pop (although I definitely dislike lots of cliché); I think she has a good voice; I think she has a fun and interesting visual appeal; but how the heck does that relate to poetry or make her stand out as someone special to poets?
I'm not anti-pop, mind you – but I'm surely not a fan of overly clichéd words – which are not poetic in any way that I can fathom or that makes interesting sense to me. Frankly, her blah bland clichéd lyrics annoy the shit out of my poetic sensibilities.
Fellow poets, please feel free to try to help me understand her appeal based on WORDS.
She LOOKS interesting, but how strongly does that relate to poetic sensibility or content? Not much at all, as far as I'm concerned, if the interestingly dressed person can't also create words as powerfully unique as their attire.
Furthermore, how do we know that she even chose her own look or did so for creative reasons, rather than money making reasons? What if it's not even her personal style, so much as an odd marketing scheme that ended up working? If it is her own genuine quirky flare, then what's the explanation for video of her as a singer, in which she looks more normal, before she changed her name to Lady Gaga? If she wasn't really "born this way", then what made her normal style suddenly turn more oddball?
If those are indeed her own unique oddball artsy design choices, she sure looks interesting, but how the heck does that relate to her clichéd lyrics; in which most of the lines sound high school level and like lines I've heard thousands of times; what is the artistic/poetic appeal of that blah blah blah riff raff?
It seems like I've heard many comments that speak favorably about Lady Gaga for looking attractive in her own non-traditional way – and yes, she has an oddly appealing gender-fluidity about her look – but she still has a model-like body type, which I think makes her less uniquely/oddly appealing than other singers who look less traditionally attractive then Gaga.
Especially when those other singers who look less traditionally attractive than Gaga also have their own uniquely interesting design styles PLUS offer much more interestingly creative and/or in depth lyrics. Peaches and Beth Ditto of the Gossip almost immediately pop out of my mind and I'm sure there are others too. So what makes Lady Gaga stand out as seeming super-duper special?
I do think people tend to focus on appearance and unusual dress styles too much, both overly positively and overly negatively. In terms of overly negative focus in that regard, it's nice to have someone go out of their way to stand out and be themselves, BUT tons of people do that; it's really nothing majorly different or vastly new to exhibit a 'be yourself and let me by myself' vibe. Don't get me wrong; I think it's a good vibe; but I don't think it's anything phenomenally new or different – and I also don't think it equates to performance art – even if spewing fake blood is part of your looks based performance (although I will admit, that's my favorite part of any Gaga performance I've ever seen; but it's not incredibly unique; Peaches has been doing that for years).
Yes some people still seem to have too much of a tendency to be uncomfortable with/make fun of odd dress styles way too much, so it's good to see strong/powerful/confident people feel free to express via their own chosen style, no matter what anyone else might think; even if people think they look like a bit of a freak show, so what? Be yourself. Dressing/acting the way one truly wants to is a good and powerful thing. BUT that goodness and self-empowerment (and possible empowerment of others too) does not equal extreme super powers or incredibly unique performance art, in my opinion. I think it equals a personal style-oriented confidence whether or not overly insecure people are overly flabbergasted by the matter.
Even if some people do consider Gaga to be an interesting/inspirational performance artist, I still don't understand how that appeals to poetic sensibilities, especially if her performance art is being enacted in the midst of clichéd lyrics. Am I missing something here?
I don't despise her music; I think she has a good voice. I'm not saying I dislike her look; it's fun and oddly interesting. I'm just saying I don't understand the appeal on any in-depth artistic/poetic level. I can understand how she might inspire different looking/acting teens/young adults to feel more comfortable/confident about themselves (which is a good thing); but I can't understand how she inspires adults, especially writers. When someone's primary form of expression is much more LOOKS based than WORDS based, how/why does that inspire word-based individuals?
Several years ago, I remember hearing a lot of positive buzz about Lady Gaga and her uniqueness. I had not heard any of her music yet, but based on the feedback I'd heard, I imagined it would be pretty interesting and different, both visually AND lyrically. Thus the first time I heard her sing her Paparazzi song live on Saturday Night Live, I was quite confused by her poetic appeal. I heard a Madonna like voice and cheesy repetitive pop. I felt like I'd heard the song countless times before, even though this was my first time hearing it. I thought Gaga looked semi-interesting and semi-sexy, but nothing so incredibly new and different that it drew me in deeply or empowered me or inspired me in any way. I've sense seen a few more artsy performances of hers, but not a single one has ever come anywhere close to inspiring or thrilling me.
In fact, she sometimes annoys me, seeming to come across with such a full-of herself, look-oriented vie – because even if someone's style looks different and interesting and oddly artsy, I find it irksome when someone's primary interest seems to be the way they look. I am not completely uninterested in appearance and style, but I am far more interested in complex, intense, word-based forms of personal (and larger scale) expression.
Mind you, I am the type of woman who thinks that ultimately everyone should be able to dress however they desire to dress, even if their style seems over the top, absurd, or ridiculous by other people's standards. One's style should be their own and should not have to fit main stream sensibilities. Still though, that doesn't mean I want to hear someone blabbing on & on & on about their appearance – the way I heard Gaga blabbing on & on about her fake hair during a televised Thanksgiving special of hers I started watching out of curiosity. The special seemed primarily focused on her looks, cover songs, and her goofball blabbing – until her overly lengthy hair blabbing episode struck me as so annoyingly, ridiculously full of herself that I had to change the channel. I'm the type of woman who sometimes feels like I focus too much on my own appearance, so if I have to change the channel because I think another woman is being way too appearance oriented for my liking, then she must be pretty darn full of herself.
Why/how did looks-based Lady Gaga inspire an online literary magazine called Gaga Stigmata? I like the name of that lit mag and am a big fan of quirky specific lit mags with content based on whatever the editors choose to base it upon (and I am also a fan of founding editor Kate Durbin's style AND much of her poetry; she LOOKS interesting AND can sure write much better/more uniquely than Lady Gaga). For a while, I thought about submitting to that magazine, because it seemed like a uniquely interesting publication. However, then I got to thinking more about it – and wondering how the heck I would write a Lady Gaga inspired poem – because nothing about her inspires me in a particularly powerful positive or negative way and I'm not about to fake it. I personally don't really agree with the lit mag's description of Lady Gaga as a "shock pop phenomenon". I mean her looks and fake blood might shock SOME people, because some people are easily shocked, but they sure don't shock me (and I don't imagine they would shock many other poets/artists) – and her lyrics bore me and irk me, so I sure don't find her phenomenal in that regard. Maybe her popularity could be interpreted as oddly phenomenal. Perhaps the oddness of her mass-appeal is the combination of cheesy pop lyrics with weird over the top artsy style – but again, she is sure not the first to have that kind of style, so what makes her seem different enough to stand out so much, including to some unique poets/artists?
If any of Gaga's lyrics were submitted as a poem to my literary magazine, they would swiftly and easily be rejected. Would any of you other poets publish any of her lyrics within your online or print literary publication? What if bland, clichéd words were submitted alongside a bizarrely dressed photo of the writer? Would that make her a better writer? How can an odd, artsy appearance change bland, boring words into poetry or poetic inspiration?
Not to get way overly repetitive here in terms of my confused little ramblings on this matter, but can another poet please try to help me understand Gaga's poetic appeal? I'm not anti-pop (although I definitely dislike lots of cliché); I think she has a good voice; I think she has a fun and interesting visual appeal; but how the heck does that relate to poetry or make her stand out as someone special to poets?
