Kaufmann & Shute, “Twombly’s Siracusa” (KSE #151)

A.J. KAUFMANN   &   BILL SHUTE

“TWOMBLY’S  SIRACUSA“   (KSE #151)

The third Kaufmann-Shute collaboration, Twombly’s Siracusa is our attempt to capture in verse the essence of the work of the visionary, revolutionary American painter Cy Twombly. Twombly is someone who simultaneously brought painting back to its origins on cave walls and on animal hides while extending painting beyond the action painters and abstract expressionists into an artistic world like no one else’s. He is truly a genre unto himself, as might also be said about Tapies, O’Keeffe, or Warhol. There is also a classical base to much of Twombly’s work, a core—-often submerged, and often halfway erased visibly on the canvas—-rooted in Roman history-mythology or classical literature. And often Twombly’s work integrates the process of creation INTO the work itself. There’s no one remotely like him, and his work is endlessly fascinating and inspirational.

A.J. and I, being both fascinated and inspired by his work, decided to take on this ambitious project in the Spring of 2009, and we spent six months coming up with the concept, structure, stanza form, pattern of images, historical base, etc. and then doing the actual composing of the stanzas, with countless e-mails and attachments and Instant Messaging between Poznan, Poland, and San Antonio, Texas. Our classical base for this piece is the Siege of Syracuse from 214-212 BC, where the Sicilian city of Siracusa was overrun and conquered by the Romans, and the Sicilians used in the defense of the city a number of odd armaments created by the great inventor-scientist-mathematician Archimedes, who is a strong presence in our piece. But Twombly’s Siracusa also resonates beyond that period in Sicily, all the way up through the present, and as in Twombly’s work, the creation of this piece is integrated into the piece itself.

Twombly’s Siracusa is our most ambitious collaboration so far (and it’s not without humor—-after all, who can use the phrase “cunning stunts” with a straight face!), and it is constructed with as much mirroring and symmetry and balance as a Persian carpet.  After all, as Hart Crane once wrote, “Poetry is an architectural art.” We feel that it will reward multiple readings and that it will remain fresh whenever one turns to it. Try it for yourself and see!

And when visiting Houston, Texas, please stop by the Twombly Gallery at 1501 Branard, near the Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel. I visit it two or three times a year when travelling through Houston, and it was a visit in early May 2009 that convinced me that A.J. and I just had to do this project now.  And we did!

A.J. and I are presently developing a fourth collaborative chapbook, although that one will be more of a “joint exhibition” than a true collab as the first three were. More on that in early 2010.

TWOMBLY’S SIRACUSA (KSE #151) is now available. 

In the US, books are $4 each postpaid, or you can get any three KSE chaps for $10 postpaid.  Send a check (or well-concealed cash) made payable to Bill Shute, 14080 Nacogdoches Rd. #350, San Antonio, Texas, 78247.  Outside the US, you can get any book for $5 postpaid, payable via paypal. Just write to django5722 (at) yahoo (dot) com and request a paypal invoice. For your 3-for-$10 deal, along with TWOMBLY’S SIRACUSA, you can choose from any of these other in-print chapbooks:

#150, MICHAEL LAYNE HEATH, “Loons of a Dogman” (sound library series, volume 48) ;

#149, A. J. KAUFMANN, “via alighieri” (cinema poetry series, volume 3) ;

#148, MISTI RAINWATER-LITES, “vegas the hard way” ;

#147, BILL SHUTE, “nobody knows, nobody sees” (cinema poetry series, volume 2) ;

#146, MK CHAVEZ & MIRA HORVICH, “pinnacle” ;

#145, A. J. KAUFMANN & BILL SHUTE, “blues for duffy power” ;

#144, ZACHARY C. BUSH, “spin” ;

#143, A. J. KAUFMANN, “symbolisme psychédélique” (sound library series, volume 47). In memory of Sky Sunlight Saxon, issued simultaneously with KSE #142 ;

#142, BILL SHUTE, “plink, plonk & scratch” (sound library series, volume 46). In memory of Sky Sunlight Saxon, issued simultaneously with KSE #143.

#141, LUIS CUAUHTEMOC BERRIOZABAL & CYNTHIA ETHERIDGE, overcome ;

#140, BILL SHUTE, subtraction ;

#139, A. J. KAUFMANN, antiquewhite rain (sound library series, volume 45) ;

#138, BILL SHUTE, the stumble (sound library series, volume 44) ;

#134, RONALD BAATZ, headlights from the otherside of the world ;

#132,  DOUG DRAIME, knox county (photographs by Lena Ozuna) ;

#130,  MISTI RAINWATER-LITES, odd years .

 

A.J. Kaufmann, “Via Alighieri.” (KSE #149)

A.J. KAUFMANN
“Via Alighieri” (Cinema Poetry Series, Volume 3)
Kendra Steiner Editions #149.

The bleak industrial and emotional wastelands found in Antonioni’s classic film “Il Deserto Rosso/Red Desert” are created anew in this haunting, disquieting, yet strangely beautiful ten-page poem from “The Bard of Poznan.” Available NOW from KSE.

The third in our Cinema Poetry Series.

Vol. 1, ROCKET ATTACK USA (inspired by the Barry Mahon film of the same name, out of print).

Vol. 2, NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES (inspired by the 1971 film VANISHING POINT, still available from KSE).

Volumes 4 and 5, by AJ Kaufmann and Bill Shute, will appear in the first half of 2010.

Ordering information at

http://kendrasteinereditions.wordpress.com/available-kse-chapbooks-as-of-41809/

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Read Paul Corman-Roberts’ essay on A.J. Kaufmann at Full of Crow:
http://fullofcrow.com/crowreviews/2009/11/cellos-et-ghosts-little-white-book-aj-kaufmann/

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Read a review of NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES at The Ragged Edge:
http://www.raggededge.btinternet.co.uk/nonblog.html
(it’s the 20-11-09 entry)
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Thanks for your support of the KSE family and of independent artists.

 

…

Misti Rainwater-Lites, “Vegas The Hard Way” (KSE #148)

 

MISTI RAINWATER-LITES, “Vegas The Hard Way” (KSE #148).

An extended poetic meditation on the delicious and corrosive absurdity that is Las Vegas. F**k the Pushcarts and the Pulitzers. Want a snapshot of 2009 America that will stick to your brain the way peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth? This is it. You need it. For ordering information, go to the “Available KSE chapbooks” page to your right. Only $4 US/$5 elsewhere, postpaid.

the original edition of FOUR TEXAS STREAMS

Here’s a rarity for you, one which I just found a copy of in my garage. This is the original, pre-KSE edition (12 copies printed, 10 of which were inscribed and given to friends and fellow poets—I kept 2) of FOUR TEXAS STREAMS, which later became the FIRST Kendra Steiner Editions chapbook in March 2006 (see the Bibliography page for the history of this work). KSE moved over 200 of these, many sold at the readings I did in support of my 2006 Word Mechanics book 12 GATES TO THE CITY.  FOUR TEXAS STREAMS was also a good seller at Volcanic Tongue in Glasgow, whose blurb about it read,

Great short companion piece to Shute’s newly-published Twelve Gates To The City, four poems that combine the always affecting personal detail that defines much of his work with an appearance by Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys illuminating the night/day dynamic of a solitary shift worker on the fringes of consensus reality. Privately-printed hand-numbered edition. Highly recommended.

Without KSE #1, FOUR TEXAS STREAMS,  and the excellent response it received, we might not have continued the KSE imprint and thus we might not have issued the 150 chapbooks we have so far. I credit the influence of musicians who ran/run their own labels such as Jandek with his Corwood Industries, Paul Bley with his Improvising Artists Inc., and Big Bill Bissonnette with his Jazz Crusade (and not forgetting Fred Cole out in Oregon) in providing me both the inspiration and the model for KSE.

While FOUR TEXAS STREAMS is long out of print, it was included as a bonus at the end of my book-length poem POINT LOMA PURPLE, issued by Word Mechanics in 2007, and there are some copies of that still available. As we reach our 150th chapbook, it’s nice to remember how this all started… Thanks to all who have stood by KSE by buying and/or talking about and/or writing about our chapbooks. We have some great work lined up over the next few months and the next year that won’t let you down. Stay tuned…

mmmm

3 new chapbooks from KSE

We’ll have individual write-ups about each of the 3 new chapbooks within a week, but these are now available for ordering (see the “kse ordering information” page to your right), so here they are:

#151, A. J. KAUFMANN & BILL SHUTE,

“twombly’s siracusa” (inspired by the work of Cy Twombly) ;

 

#149, A. J. KAUFMANN,

“via alighieri” (cinema poetry series, volume 3) ;

 

#148, MISTI RAINWATER-LITES, “vegas the hard way” .

 

Remember, $4 each, or 3 for $10 postpaid in the US.

$5 each postpaid outside the US.

Each is a limited, hand-numbered, hand-assembled edition of under 60 copies.

INNER MYSTIQUE ‘zine #2 (1983)

INNER MYSTIQUE ‘zine #1 (circa 1981-82)

INNER MYSTIQUE RADIO (circa late 1980’s)

 

With the recent retirement of Bruce “Mole” Mowat from CFMU-FM, Hamilton, Ontario, after three decades, I remembered that I had a show on CFMU in the late 1980’s (I’d guess 87-89, but I’m not sure). It was called “Inner Mystique Radio” (after the Inner Mystique magazine I ran in Oklahoma in the early 80’s and the Inner Mystique column I did for Chris Stigliano’s FUD/PHFUDD/BLACK TO COMM magazine for many years). As I remember, Bruce had a block of time on a weeknight (the flyer above says Thursday, so that must be it…at least for part of the run), and offered me an hour of it for my radio show, which I recorded in my basement in Catawba, Virginia, on cassette and then mailed to CFMU. I would often do them 2-3 at a time. They would get an original run and would later be re-run…and at least twice they were used when a sports game was rained out! Of course, this was circa 1987, so there was no internet streaming audio at that time. I never did hear them being broadcast directly…but I did hear them indirectly a number of times in a surreal situation I must describe for you. As these shows aired, people would call in to the CFMU studio and ask to talk to Bill, the host. Of course, Bill the host was not there, but Bruce or whoever was airing these would give the listeners (with my blessing) my home phone number, and I’d then get a phone call from a stranger in the CFMU listening area who was listening to my show. I would have no idea what show they were listening to, so I’d ask them “what’s on now” and that kind of thing, and eventually I’d halfway remember what show was on. I could also hear my show and often MY VOICE coming through the phone as someone was listening to me over the air in Ontario, Canada…and I’d be in rural Virginia talking to this person—-often an inebriated person—-and hearing myself in the background. There was something odd about that experience!

About 45-50 of these shows were recorded over a 2 year period. I was broke at that time, so I made no backup copies, just sent the original cassette tape to Hamilton. About 10-12 years ago, I was sent about 15 airchecks of these shows, but alas these airchecks were recorded in a manner that made the show run about 5-10% faster and thus higher-pitched, and I found them unlistenable.

What was played? Well, much of what you’d expect: then-rare (is anything from the 60’s “rare” anymore? The most obscure 45s and private pressing albums are now on someone’s MP3 blog or reissued on CD/vinyl) garage-psych singles and album tracks, obscure rockabilly, free jazz, blues, obscure soul and R&B singles, British beat, sound effects, junk-store lounge vinyl, avant-garde contemporary classical, etc. But I’d also throw in, say, a complete Eddie Condon jazz radio show from the 40s or an old-time-radio detective program such as “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.” I would also champion recent releases on labels such as Eva and Psycho (and later Breeder, if anyone remembers that! ) and Ace and Bear Family and Collector-White Label and the like. I also did two Christmas shows and played a number of things from b**tlegs. The earlier shows tended to be more focused and more oriented around garage-psych…the later shows were more diverse (I remember my son Eric, then 2 or 3, said “Hello, Canada” into the microphone on one of the shows) . I really enjoyed the shows and thank Bruce for the opportunity. That was my third and final go-round in the radio broadcasting world. I’ve appeared as a guest on some radio shows since then, but I’ve never done my own again. And that’s the story of Inner Mystique Radio.

NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES (KSE #147) now available!

BILL   SHUTE

“NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES”  (cinema poetry series, volume two)

KSE #147

After a two-year break, KSE’s “Cinema Poetry Series” is back! The previous volume—-ROCKET ATTACK USA (KSE #49)—-sold out quickly and was praised in both Arthur Magazine and in the small press section of Kenyon Review, and the intention was to do at least five of them, but on the second one I hit a barrier and never got around to finishing it.  Then a few months ago, A.J. Kaufmann suggested that the series be revised because he wanted to do one, so that gave me the jumpstart I needed to do another one of my own. Thus, there will be two new Cinema Poetry volumes coming out: this one by me, and next month VIA ALIGHIERI by A. J. Kaufmann. And A. J. and I plan to do two more in the first half of 2010. But let’s get back to the subject at hand here…

NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES (KSE #147) is inspired by the classic existential road movie, VANISHING POINT (1971), directed by Richard C. Serafian and starring Barry Newman as Kowalski. I initially saw it at the drive-in as a teenager circa 1972-73, and it blew me away. I’ve probably watched it dozens of times and it still blows me away. Making a film that satisfies both the drive-in action fan and the art-film crowd is difficult, but I’ve always respected those who have done it, and on some level I feel as though I’m doing a literary version of that balancing act with my own poetry.

NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES, like the film VANISHING POINT, captures a journey…although it’s been changed from Denver to San Francisco, to Denver to L.A.  And as Kowalski travels from Denver to Grand Junction to Vegas to L.A., he meets two characters familiar to KSE readers: Brad Kohler, east of Vegas; and Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, east of Barstow. With each poet’s permission, I’ve created a fictionalized version of him and quoted a few lines of his poetry from a previous KSE chapbook. The book ends in, I hope, a kind of transcendence (as does the film), but YOU the reader will be the judge of that.

NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES. It’s a journey I’ve made. Perhaps you have too. Perhaps you will…

In the US, books are $4 each postpaid, or you can get any three KSE chaps for $10 postpaid.  Send a check (or well-concealed cash) made payable to Bill Shute, 14080 Nacogdoches Rd. #350, San Antonio, Texas, 78247.  Outside the US, you can get any book for $5 postpaid, payable via paypal. Just write to django5722 (at) yahoo (dot) com and request a paypal invoice. For your 3-for-$10 deal, along with NOBODY KNOWS, NOBODY SEES you can choose from any of these other in-print chapbooks:

#146, MK CHAVEZ & MIRA HORVICH, “pinnacle” ;

#145, A. J. KAUFMANN & BILL SHUTE, “blues for duffy power” ;

#144, ZACHARY C. BUSH, “spin” ;

#143, A. J. KAUFMANN, “symbolisme psychédélique” (sound library series, volume 47). In memory of Sky Sunlight Saxon, issued simultaneously with KSE #142 ;

#142, BILL SHUTE, “plink, plonk & scratch” (sound library series, volume 46). In memory of Sky Sunlight Saxon, issued simultaneously with KSE #143.

#141, LUIS CUAUHTEMOC BERRIOZABAL & CYNTHIA ETHERIDGE, overcome ;

#140, BILL SHUTE, subtraction ;

#139, A. J. KAUFMANN, antiquewhite rain (sound library series, volume 45) ;

#138, BILL SHUTE, the stumble (sound library series, volume 44) ;

#134, RONALD BAATZ, headlights from the otherside of the world ;

#132,  DOUG DRAIME, knox county (photographs by Lena Ozuna) ;

#135,  BILL SHUTE, stereo action (sound library series, volume 42) ;

#130,  MISTI RAINWATER-LITES, odd years ;

#126,  MICHAEL LAYNE HEATH, grey rage (dyed) .

Only one copy of any chapbook per customer, please.

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Our next two releases will be

KSE #148, MISTI RAINWATER-LITES, “Vegas The Hard Way”

and

KSE # 149, A. J. KAUFMANN, “Via Alighieri” (cinema poetry series, volume three)

new Zachary C. Bush interview at Orange Alert

 

Our friend, poet ZACHARY C. BUSH newly interviewed at Orange Alert (his second interview with OA). He discusses his new books ANGLES OF DISORDER (Blaze VOX) and SPIN (Kendra Steiner Editions)…and a lot more!
http://www.orangealert.net/zcb

And don’t forget that SPIN is still available from us. Check the “available KSE chapbooks” page to your right. Spin is ZCB’s FOURTH chapbook for KSE and his first solo KSE chapbook, coming after the long-out-of-print volumes NEXT EXIT: FOUR (w/ Brad Kohler), INTERVALS (w/ Bill Shute), and SHANTI (w/ Bill Shute).

Zachary will be issuing a full-length poetry book, AT SWAN DECAPITATION, from Vox Press soon, and a second solo chap from KSE is scheduled for February 2010.