“If you’re going through Hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
Things have been fairly infrequent around G [&] D as of late, and for that I apologize. It isn’t that there isn’t anything going on, it’s just overwhelming. We are still preparing the launch of Modern.Orphan.Designs. [M.O.D.], going through customer reviews of The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance and working on my next TWO books. Couple that with a serious bout of writer’s block and depression it’s making my job a bit more difficult than usual. But, again, as Mr. Churchill once said: “Never, never, never give up.”
Sir Winston Churchill
I’ve been working like mad on everything but G [&] D it seems and I know the site is suffering. I’m hoping by the new year content will be more frequent and this cursed dry spell will have been irrigated. My writing has taken another hit as well, in that I haven’t promoted the last FOUR installments of my Billy series [which needs a new title, for it might appear in a book one day...] and for that I also apologize. I know these apologies go over about as well as a pederast in the deep south, but I’m trying. Don’t fret, however, you can find the missing parts below:
My reading last month, according to those that were there, was a not-so-disappointing 8 out of 10 stars. I didn’t pr0ject enough, which I’ve always had issues with, and I read too fast, which again, I’ve had issues with since I started doing public readings in college. The poems seemed to go over well even if I had a shaky start, and by the end people were at least paying attention and I received a thunderous round of applause upon cessation. It’s about as much as a poet can ask for short of roses at their feet and perfumed water with which to decorate the crowd after bathing them in your immortal words.
In closing, I’d like to leave you with a song. It’s the Smashing Pumpkins’ brand new track “Song for a Son” from their upcoming album “Teargarden by Kaleidyscope” which will be released one song at a time until all 44 tracks (!!!) have been fulfilled. It is available here, for free, for you. It’s all I’ve been listening to as of late [check my last.fm] and the ONLY tour song I’ve ever asked Billy to record in the studio.
“This is a song for a sailor, the best I ever had, he sailed without a map.”
Put your maps away Orphans. Follow your heart instead.
The reversal technique is one of the more under utilized in trying to break away from writers block, likely because often you’re faced with a jibberish of words when you’re done. The art is simple, is there a poem or narrative you can’t quite bring to that break out level, is the language staying stale and dated? Take it and turn it upside down. Make the last line the first, and continue down the line. The last line of your new poem should be the title of your old poem. Make sense?
A poem called "Brown-Eyed Voodoo" Set in reverse.
Now you can edit as you reverse, since some sentences aren’t going to make a bit of sense, but only lightly edit, try to leave the integrity of the exercise intact. We’ll look at a poem called “Brown-Eyed Voodoo” for as an example.
Much like twin poems can help you when you’re in a slump, looking at a piece of work in a different light can help you as well. Lately I’ve taken to yet another age old teaching: the art of the cut and paste.
Basically in a cut and paste you do just that: you take your printed poem, cut each line out and tape them on a board or simple sheet of paper. Sometimes you can find sentences that don’t belong, or whole stanzas that need moved. Sometimes you lose a sentence and the poem changes entirely. I’ve found that this method works with visual arts as well. If you aren’t happy with a particular painting and don’t mind cutting it up, then try it. Dissect into a few pieces and re-arrange them. You’ll be surprised at what you find.
Sometimes the cut and paste can be simple, like so:
A cut and copy technique I used on an poem called "Dread."
This is an upcoming poem entitled “Dread” that I had no clue what to do with. The language was boring, the images weren’t coming through and basically it made no sense. But I knew there was something in there. I was sick to death of staring at my computer screen. So I cut the whole thing up, re-arranged it, scrapped the entire last half and still can’t figure out exactly what it means, but now I’m a hell of a lot closer.
Sometimes the cut and paste can be a bit more colorful, like so:
From an upcoming poem entitled "Sleep"
Sometimes stepping away from your chosen medium can work wonders. Can’t find the right word? Paint a picture of what you want. Can’t find just the right angle to photograph that lovely boy who eats lunch in the courtyard every day? Then write a poem about how you want the light to hit his hands, face or legs. It can help and relieve your mind of the pressure to perform under its chosen duty.
Quickly, in other news, I have a new–and I mean brand new–piece up over at Troubadour 21 entitled “The Introduction of Rose – Part V.” Head over there and let me know what you think! The Billy series is one I always wanted to finish but could never produce the drive so, once again, thank you T21.
I know I’m a little late with this, but it’s official: all of Kill Hannah’s gear is gone with losses totaling roughly $130,000. Mat Devine stated earlier on Twitter:
“Van found. Gear officially gone. Huge THANK YOU to all the bands, fans, family, friends for being so supportive. You mean the world to us.”
Guitarist Dan Wiese appeared on Good Day Philadelphia talking about the conspiracy theories surrounding not only their theft but the theft of at least 8 other bands in the exact same area:
There has been a donation site put together by the fans in an effort to help the band recoup at least a fraction of what they lost in this terrible crime. There has also been a “Find KH’s Gear” site set up with pictures of some of the stolen gear to look for on eBay, in pawn shops in and around Philadelphia and on CraigsList.
Thank you to everyone who reposted, reTweeted and remembered that it’s not just material things that were stolen, but a band’s livelihood.
For more information regarding any of this please visit the following:
Because of the quick action of the Philadelphia Police Department, ABC News and fans around the internet Kill Hannah’s van and trailer have been found. No word yet on gear. I’ll keep you updated.
