Lost & Found Underground; Anne Waldman

Wow. We're. Live. By. The book. Above. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Love. Love. Love. That. Song LOL. Fire. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Man I. Would. Love A.

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Is easy. It's all. So black there.

Get. It. Thank God. For. A long. Long. Time. Day in my life.

And I thought. Why. Why. Why. Why why. Time. In. Life.

I hear that right this morning.

And all. Right. Oh. Yes. Paul Ryan with the band. Yeah yeah I. Hear that. Right right.

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not that far today. And I mean that. Go. Back to. The.

Song. I. Find that. All along for a. Long. Long. Long. Long. The. Long. Long long. Long time. Thanks. For. The area. Thanks. Thanks.

Thanks. Thanks thanks. Thanks. Thank. God. Long. Live. Band. My. Band. And I. Don't. Know. Why I.

Like it. Hot. Dogs. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Ray. Thank God.

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A. Hundred we on with one we all in the. Way the young men sent to fight in the unfamiliar surroundings of Vietnam. There were some familiar sounds wrong. I don't want 18 going home to be doing. I'm Scott Simon join me for a two part series on the radio in Vietnam. What

was and what wasn't heard. The Antonov radio first termer but National Public Radio Monday evenings at 6:00 on KGO new folder. OK well you know tune into that. I heard the first part of that Vietnam radio special is quite good so tune in for the second part next Monday coming up. Let's go through what we heard here the last cut was on Jimi Hendrix burning of the midnight lamp that was by request from Electric Ladyland. Blues Magoo's before that we ain't got nothing now. Or get a member. Anyway Big Brother and the Holding Company before that at my request also with cuckoo from their first album Fleetwood Mac Rattlesnake Shake from then Clay on the count five good psychotic reaction. Got that off of a compilation album. Untitled nuggets sounds of the psychedelic 60s before that we heard

something I dedicated to the politicians out there seems to be a lot of them this year. David Peel and the Lower East Side with the Chicago conspiracy from the pope smokes dope. Before that Country Joe and the fish with a very early version of I feel like I'm Fixin to Die Rag recorded in 1965. It was from The Life and Times of Country Joe. Before that Lyndon Baines Johnson himself with the Tonkin Gulf speech concerning the alleged attack of the destroyer Maddox five Vietnamese P.T. boats in the Gulf of Tonkin which basically started the escalation of Vietnam. Before that a couple songs about politicians. I'm with a politician from Wheels of Fire and we sort out with the birds. I want to grow up to be a politician. Got enough of the best of the birds and we're going to do something a little different here tonight and I just love to do different things. And you are going to take a

break from the music for a few minutes and bring you some live poetry here on the station and in the studio with me now is a poet of national renown who happens to live here in Boulder. And Waldman Welcome to the show and thank you. Good evening. I'm glad you could come down I know you're very busy and so going out and everything's. It's a challenge. All right. That's what we like to hear it sounds. So. This is a show a show about the 60s. I just want to know like what what you were doing back in the 60s were you writing poetry back then. Yes I'm afraid so I was living in New York City I grown up in New York City on MacDougal Street. And I went off to colleges and 62 and I was back a lot I was going to school in Vermont but came back home a lot. And then in 1965 I went out to the Berkeley poetry conference which was very inspiring generated a lot of

enthusiasm about community and what many contemporary poets were doing at that time and then. And then in 66 I went back to the city and started working. Right away at the St. Mark's Poetry Project which is still ongoing now. So over 20 years old I really saw an arts program that began in 65 although poets have been meeting for quite some time in the parish hall and in the doing that go. Across the street and some of the other cafes but they've moved into the church parish all night. 65 opponent Paul Blackburn was really the father of that scene. And then Grant came down through the Office of Economic Opportunity under Johnson to help alienated youth on the Lower East End. And so we seize the day. And that's the box. You know what I really needed especially related so we began a very amazing program which over the years has involved

hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of poets of all kinds and varieties and international poets as well coming from other countries and. We had a you know reading series on Going Green series magazine. Production nonstop all night long on the mimeo machine publishing a lot of you know small pamphlets. You know what I'm getting sounds pretty radical to say the. Very scripts are also using that space we are working with the mother. Dashers and then I'll be all right. And the soup kitchens and the Black Panthers and a lot of activity. So is the St. Mark's poetry project still going on I'm guessing para same going still going on the same spot. That's incredible incredible. And there's a sort of annual New Year's Eve celebration where people come together

who've been involved over the years and we're doing another symposium this spring. You're going back they're going back for that. And it's alive and well you know struggled along all these years and getting different funding and and so on but it seems as strong as ever. It's great Who's going to be back there. I will be there of course many of the. I'm not sure about Ed Sanders last year we had a conference with Ed Sanders Ed Dorn who's you know in Boulder at center with only five other bugs. Right. Andre Codrescu. Really are and who was quite a you know character on the scene back then many of the old timers. Lawrence Ferlinghetti if you know what he says he was there we had him read it several times over the years. I'm not sure he'll be there this spring. I'm not sure that would be something I'd love to go out there want to bet again. It's April. Things around the 8th we can acknowledge him. If you want to read them which is your I'd I'd like to read a few things I haven't read in years. We're reading back this is called Revolution.

Spooky summer on the horizon I'm gazing at from my window into the streets. That's where it's going to be where everyone is walking around looking around out in the open suspecting each other's heart to open fire all over the streets like streets you read about every day. Who are the network we travel through on the way to the center which is energy filling life and bursting with joy all over the screen I can't sit still any longer. I want to go where I'm not feeling so bad. Get off this little island before the bridges break my heart is a sore thing to know I want to sit in the middle watching movies then go to bed in my head. One is banging on it with a heavy stick like the enemy. Who is he going to be turns into a face you can't recognise then vanishes behind a window behind a gun like the lonely hero stalking the main street cries out. Where are you. I just want to know all the angles of death possible under the American sky. I can hardly see for all the buildings polluting the sky until it changes into a barrage of bottles then

clears up for a second while you breathe and you realize you're still as alive as ever and want to be but would like to be somewhere else perhaps Africa start all over again as the race gets darker and darker and the world goes all the way I always thought it would. Where the when are you someone we recognise out of our collective past which is turning over again in the grave. It is so important when one dies you replace him and never waste a minute. So that's about nine hundred sixty seven. It sounds like something like something I've felt before. And that a lot of good images in them. This is a piece I did with a tape recorder and I had it on I think the radio was on and I was picking up voices from the street. And then I went back and transcribed some of it. So it was so early experiment also probably the same periods 67 68 and it's untitled tape all my life little political overcoats ocean human

hills valleys and you breezy la la la la la la Brooklyn burglary and arson fire engine siren button Nixon P-ROC Chicago over San Diego all in creating clearing and. Looming into the light of Mike's eyes. Very strange. Emerge emerges such a SAD light weeps dope fiends unite and drive the vermin from our way and shoo shoo stereo it's Friday on this TV and the weekend weather has star ted. How you doing. Cloudy and cold clear and mild and energetic outlook for an elephant. Look out. It's the. Residence knows models in my live it says not. A mood set soon in black hearts everywhere. It's a bad mood repeating Breathe In Breathe Out

Breathe In Breathe Out Breathe In Breathe Out Breathe in breathe out. Now close your eyes. Now open now close. Now open. Now look inside why it's me. See I'm a girl trapped in a mine mine. It's so refreshing to hear things like that. They are living in this age of Reagan and just say no to everything and it's all nicely. There's something like that. What was the name of that one. That was a title tape. And I remember a you know there was a censor of mine disaster I know that's where the line trapped in a mine. Mine came from and. Chicago over San Diego I could probably trace that back. And some some terrible burglary an arson scene in Brooklyn. What did the president's nose have where did you go next since you know it's I mean I was on Nixon's nose and now we have Reagan's hair.

So well I have cued up a little something you did when to do this of a song called Oh plutonium that I that came out of a spontaneous poem written at a benefit for Rocky Flats I think back in probably seventy six or eight somewhere in there and it was 77 and then it was I wanted to extend it in a way I mean it seemed like a good medium the medium to take it and take it a little bit further and it was produced by a woman named Lynn Lynn in New York City and so we worked with various local musicians I was going to ask you who was on that cut. New York musicians Yeah New York uses musicians I think some who had been through Boulder and the refrain that oh my child was going around the time saying oh oh. Don't you move gumming. I just want to say that I on behalf of all the boulder peace activists I really appreciate all the things that a lot of local poets have

done benefits for Rocky Flats and such you and Allen Ginsberg are Lasky have done a lot and raising money for the anti-nuclear and Iraqi plans type of them life you know I feel were always available to be called on and there's a lot lot of activity going on right now. You know there are a lot of demonstrations coming up and did a benefit at the art auction I guess about a month ago I want to go out of our sentiments grab a good turnout in a lot of younger people. I think a lot of high school students came which is good and is getting them inspired to take some action. Need some young blood. OK we're going to take a listen to that. Oh please don't. Thanks. Thanks thanks

thanks thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. With the thank. Thank you. Thank. Thank you thank. Thank you. Thanks thanks. Thanks too. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks thanks. Thanks.

Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thank you. Thank.

You. And that was a true underground classic I've ever heard one. This is the lost and found underground so we gotta play I don't have to even though there have been other now from the sixties hopefully underground classics and Wildman of course with oh plutonium. And beside his open Tony and French.

Speakers I don't think it's a great it's a great piece I like it. I play it occasionally. So what are you what are you doing now and where are you still with no rope. Yes very much so we're developing quite an exciting MFA program which will begin this summer in late June and run concurrently with the summer writing program which is also going to be very strong. And many of our recurring visiting faculty will be back such as William Burroughs and Allen Ginsburg Marianne Faithfull. I want to be here were hoping to do a concert with her and fielding Dawson the prose writer Andre could dress who put him Amy Bruce improved Diane de Prima Jack column by many of the local rockers sounds like a great summer. It seems very strong we're actually going to have the second week will be a surrealist week surrealist conference Stan bracket will be talking about and showing some films and will do a kind of survey during that week

and then the last two weeks will focus more on performance and oral tradition and so on the first week will be contemplative week or we can get our you know interest our students in a contemplative. Practice or everybody sits around with their eyes with their busy mind rather than their eyes open I have been doing here OK. And OK we were talking during the break about a book that you are working on a book just doing the final proofs right now it's an homage to the poet Ted Berrigan who was a very important poet and friend and person and a real central figure in New York City on the New York City scene he taught workshops at St. Mark's Church. He was a very strong force behind a lot of the activities a great teacher for many people a guest here in a rope in fact we offer a Ted Berrigan scholarship. For the summer writing program. So I'm editing a book of memoirs homages poems his own. I

worked in in the form of letters and interviews there's a lot of artwork and photographs or works by Jasper Johns Andy Warhol and others. So it's quite an exciting collection and actually a you know about a 25 year slice of urban literary history. And then another book off the 20 years of the St. Mark's poetry project which will be quite a large and theology. And it sounds like quite an endeavor to do something like You know it's sort of getting it's a blast from the past it's very intense going through a lot of this material and and it's I think a lot of it holds up very strongly and it was a very important community which is ongoing. You know people have gone through various changes and moved out of the city but return to that it's still quite a reference point. And of course the poetry program is really almost an extension of that and you know it's important to get on the same wavelength so to speak and things are very strong here these days. So that's good that's good.

It's still the Jack Kerouac school I guess I'm sorry underground title. You know we had to sort of join with the rest of the Institute and become an official department writing in politics but I you know it's still referred to as the subtext for all the whole ball of the right sort of always be called you know to Jack Kerouac school. But I've also been working with a local video artist Carter Johnson on a. A video programs are working with poetry in performance and we work today for quite a few hours trying to put some finishing touches on that. It's called eyes and all heads. And that's been very exciting sort of working with a new medium and working with a very interesting dancer from the Roper who's been a student of mine in Marnie Grant and Phil Lang also a music student there. Is that a video that people at the institute will be able to do or that yeah you know we'll see what happens with it I think it'll be shown around and you know might become more available. But it's the fun has been in the process really. That's how it is with a lot of men.

So how about another poem. OK this isn't one more from the 60s this is a sestina which is a very traditional form Dante wrote in this form. Arne Arnaud Danielle was credited with inventing the Sistine a it's a poem in six verses with sticks and words that repeat in a comeback and repeat in a pattern. And my six end words if you want to follow them are yawn revolution again television poetry Mecca Drene and personally and for me this is remains my quintessential sixties poem and it's untitled how the sestina yawn works sestina literally means sixes were little sixes so it's playing with that number. How the sestina yawn works. I opened this poem with a yawn thinking how tired I am of revolution the way it's presented on television isn't exactly poetry. You could use some more meth Adriene if you ask me personally. People should be treated personally there's another yawn Here's some more method. Thanks. Now about this revolution. What do

you think. What is poetry. Is it like television. Now I get up and turn off the television. It was getting to me personally I think it is like poetry yawn It's 4am yawn yawn this new record is one big revolution if you were listening you'd understand met the dream isn't the greatest drug No not met the drink it's no fun for watching television you want to jump. Have a revolution about something that affects you personally when you're busy and involved you never yawn. It's more like feeling like energy. Like poetry I really like to write poetry. It's more fun than grass acid GHC method. If I can't write I start to yawn and it's time to sit back watch television see what's happening to me personally. War strike starvation revolution. This is a sample of my own revolution taking the easy way out of poetry. I wanted to hit you all personally like a shot of extra strong method dreams so you become your own television become your own yawn. Oh giant yawn.

Violent revolution silent television. Beautiful poetry most deadly method dream. I choose all of you for my poem personally. It was fantastic. I love that sense of repetition that just keeps going on. It's a wonderful form. It's very playful and the trick is to have the words still work after you know six verses actually there's a final I forgot to mention the final code of three lines where you bring all six words back and three lines. So there's a lot of strain on those words. I think you pulled it off very well. Thank you teacher that I could tell you when I was going through that was the quintessential 60s poem if I've ever heard one though. Well I was living on at 33 St. Mark's Place and in fact I just gave up that apartment I had all kinds of friends and former family and people staying there over the

years and now it's that whole corner is being turned into some sort of shopping mall at least that's the plan it's oh boy addressing Mark's theater was. I think everything should be turned into a shop. Let's turn this studio into a shopping mall with who've been anywhere but down the block where W.H. Auden lived. There's there's the house is still extant there's a little plaque. A little plaque on the shopping mall now will come to Jordan with his blockers. I think been declared some sort of historical historical and I thought it might say like in this spot used to be historical. Turkle spot in case you tune in might we're sitting here when and all the men a nationally known poet who happens to live here in Boulder and Billy added with the Jack Kerouac School of this somebody put you still a director you have been a great help.

But I'm the MFA program and the summer writing program. And Susan Edwards who's a wonderful teacher is now running the B.A. So we're expanding actually good. What else you got over there you know something else you like to read or maybe something a little more recent you'd like to hear I have the think I know it in my head I should by now it's very simple to contra chant because you know I mean it feels like a 60s poem that would fit in I think with a lot of people here are current events current events yes. And it's it's called addiction. Trot trot Kong drug addiction the addiction in this case. Contract contract contract Ponto you conned rock entourage conned all the time I mean in this

case all wrong. The music in this case all wrong contra and come cry bombed. Contrast contrast contrast Bondo the smuggling the dirty deals the contraband in this case on the wrong contract contract contracted contract contract contracted those deals those con to make sure loot come to Macy's lieutenant colonels deals all wrong Contra on track on drug addiction in contra contra contra addiction and back off back off contra past. All right. So that still seems to go on although there was a headline today I haven't checked out the paper about Contras getting out of Nicaragua.

Someone said that because the poor Contras don't have any money because all in all Congress didn't give them any money that they might have to leave they're gone. That's so sad. But I'm sure they'll go down right down through somewhere and something else to do. Well I think Congress will fundamentally on the right so that's just the way it always is. I was down there about a year ago in the program Nicaragua why didn't I say they have a wonderful annual festival where poets from all over again get themselves there and you know it's a lot of exchange and interaction with the local poets is you have such a strong political tradition. I didn't with it so I take it you gave a reading done and read and read a lot of other poets and read their work I actually state I was very lucky to stay with a wonderful woman poet Christiane Santos who I'm trying to help bring to the states and. She works with this office you know Damon Harris advising women of

their legal rights. So I was able to actually spend time with people and see what they're up to in terms of trying to build their country and vision. That's a lot of people from Boulder have been down it's wonderful. In fact I appreciate living here. That reason that there is so much interest in awareness and sensitivity and Boulder is in a way so so in the sea of conservatism. I know it's a little magic bubble. Yeah I think that's why a lot of people live here and there are a nice true. So you have anything to add or to have something on. Well we're not going to run any events that are coming up that are. Right like that people cannot. Well there are always ongoing events there. There's a wonderful coffee house that's run by students but a lot of the faculty and often local artist participate. Not sure the next date on that.

Various concerts and student readings. Bobby Louise Hawkins wonderful prose writer is moving to town. She's going to be on my core faculty with the NSA program and she'll also be teaching in the air this spring and her course would be open to you know local people. Wonderful teacher and performer she'll be reading Joanne Kiger terrific poet former wife of Gary Snyder part of that wonderful Nexus and. Generation based in in San Francisco she'll be really miss California should be coming out and reading it see you in April. There are some things happening in April. How about one more poem. OK well what would you like to hear. Female work. Female work. I thought there was one other thing about work I guess that. I often use more aggressive words is much less masculine warrior side I should have had you on two weeks ago I did a Women's Week special all women cause I think it's

wonderful. Well that was that was quite successful I thought to see you. Women's Women's Week. I didn't get a chance to go up there I was so busy that I didn't there was a program here with you know based on that material in the review and you know quite lively and it's going. So this is this poem was inspired by reading an article in The New York Times about how women poets only wrote about their periods. I thought I haven't done that yet so I wanted to write that. So I took up the challenge and this is a kind of ritual an act meant of what it's like. And it's called her back in the world. I see the Kerr act in the world. My body thinks it sees the gaping correct in the world. My body does it for me to see blood flowing through the body crack. But he said your rivers to the moon but he twists me to the source of the moon. It turns me up oh under a

wave it sets up the structure to make a baby then tears it down again. Architecture of Roman body haunting me. Someone is always watching the ancient flow. It doubles up my mind over not fertilised I see the current back in the world. Thoughts intersect in the body. He. If not keep me down let me go my way alone tonight. No man to touch me or slash in me. I see the slash in the world tonight. It keeps me whole but divides me now that I'm left to bleed out on the street to bleed in the snow no blood oh this is a South American song scent of only ender. Well this is a cactus song thing of a blood flower a rose in the crotch o a collapsable legs my body enchanted me to this my body demented to this it is Evan though me tree I'm shedding I'm compressed in the pressure of my heart it is life pursuing the car back in the world oh words sing to me of nowhere no me tree I'm collapse

words go down to my belly back swelling to put my body next to the earth. This is periodic It comes at the full moon let me go howling in the night. No men to touch me don't fathom my heart tonight man no one wants to be around this factory this beautiful machine but I shun your company anywhere. My flexible body imagines the car ARAC her own. See the cognac in the universe the curse the glorious curse is upon me. I don't come to my house don't expect me at your door I'm in my celibacy rags. Why and propose center guards as there is our core back in the world tonight. It's a long woman's body. It's a break in the cycle of birth and death. It's the rapid proliferation of cells building up to die. I make up the world and kill it again and again I offer my entrails to the moon although I'm not fertilized architecture haunting me collapsable legs you must carry the wound you get away from me. You keep your distance. I will

overpower you with my set of life and death. You came through the car back in my world. You men who came out of the back off words come out of the belly groaning as the world is pulled apart. Enchanted to this body a lab rated on this body took the measure of the woman to explain the fierceness of this time I am walking on the periphery of the world. It's supposed to be humorous but I think I might go with about as close as I'll ever know what it's like to hear it I guess. I'd like to thank you for coming down and you really appreciate it you're your program and thank you so much. Now we can do it again sometime. Fine. And yet another another poet who used to live in Boulder for a while I guess he's originally from New York quite a bit.

Wow summer all summer long and I hope you'll be doing as resident sees with the MFA. He lives in New York now I take it and that comes back to Boulder home for the summer. Of course we're talking about Allen Ginsberg who cut a single with the glue arms who are a local punk band back in the early 80s and they put his his palm birdbrained music on and listen to that that's another underground classic. Thanks again and thank you. It. We're. Angry. Angry. Although. That might.

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