FLYPOET

Welcome to my blog!  Thank You for checking out this new expression of mine.

My first entry is on the Flypoet event I attended in Inglewood, CA this week.  This monthly event has poets, some comedy and usually at least one live music act.

I am impressed with the production and the Flypoet founder John Hensley.  To put on an event like this that lasts on a monthly basis for several years is an impressive feat.  Pure poetry or spoken word by itself unfortunately does not appeal to the masses.  What John has created is an actual scene, and with enough variety and enough talent to attract the folks willing to invest $15 & the $8 valet. 

John is a white dude catering to a mostly black audience.  He fit right in which impressed me, as I am someone who keeps my afrocentricity more private.

A VIP booth would have been $80 which I thought was outlandish, but again, John has created a scene where people want to be.  It was unfortunate that some of these booths were vacant as the show started, but because they were prepaid, they were not accessible & a number of guests were relegated to standing room only.

The most annoying thing about the show for me were the waitresses periodically passing thru.  They obscured my view of the stage and their whispered conversations did not add to my experience of the poetry.  The only solution I could think of were to have mute dwarf waitresses, but I’m not sure how that would go over.

The opening performer did some comedy, sang and rapped.  Her rapping was the best part.  Her humor was mostly good but unfortunately inappropriate when she was doing her impersonation of Latino kids sharing Black History Month which happened at her daughter’s school.

The 2^nd performer was Steve Connell.  This guy got on stage and goofed around with the audience & musicians for the first 5-10 minutes.  He was the worst dressed guy in the place with his skanky flannel.  He was also hilarious & has his own one-man show.  He was the only white performer this evening.

Watching him goof around gave me no idea he would unleash explosive and inspiring poetry with expression that was simply all-out, channeled and executed with exquisite skill. Steve completely rocked the house.

Next was Ahmad, a musician who had the single ‘Back in the Day’ sell over 500,000 copies.  As I was a first time Flypoet attendee, I did not understand he was a music only act, so my poetry compadre Marie and I were waiting for him to do some straight up poetry.

Ahmad’s songs were catchy but his stage performance was a little sketchy and uneven in my eyes.  He seemed to have some kind of discomfort or shadow over him.  His final song was a cover of Florence and the Machine which was an interesting choice given the audience.  He didn’t acknowledge its source which Marie and I found to be unprofessional.

The next poet, Paul Mabon, was half comedy, and I perceived him to be the most easygoing performer of the evening.  He had Sinbad type moments as a big jovial presence onstage.

He executed the most vulnerable poem of the evening about a pastor committing child abuse with a presentation that made it seem like it was his own experience.  The crowd didn’t seem to know what to do with the subject matter as nervous chatter popped up here and there.

Mabon’s poetry was clearly not at the level of Connell or the final performer, Sekou the Misfit, but as the happiest and calmest stage presence he was the most memorable to me.  He wasn’t trying to impress anyone, he was just comfortably and naturally up there doing his thing. 

His closing interactive piece of “You Ain’t Got No Man” had the crowd rollicking more than any other piece of the night, as he listed myriad ways to spot single women.

Sekou the Misfit closed the evening.  He was advertised as “one of the most gifted and accomplished spoken word artists in the world”.  After seeing him perform, I do understand this titling.

Marie and I nicknamed him “The Narcissist”.  His poetry and intricate and incredible. This guy is a pro.

At the same time it was tough to not experience him as far away if not slightly ‘off’. He seemed extremely proud of himself.

I experienced his poems as deeply ingrained in Victim Ideology. Yes they impressed but to me they seemed to be saying what a victim he was to love, sex & life, and how it’s possible to perceive it that way.

I have conflicting thoughts and feelings about this cat.  He certainly delivers with almost a vengeance.  He’s fluid, his poems are long, interesting and even captivating at times with his visual language.

Yet when said and done it was a momentary experience.  There was not much to carry forward other than being impressed with what he did onstage.  This is not a guy I would want to hang out with.

--Reported by Super Kev