1. I said it was a sucky poem....and the world agrees with me. Since Elizabeth Alexander's poem read at Obama's inauguration was released in book form it has sold a whopping 6,000 copies of its 100,000 copy print run. To be honest, I'm mildly surprised it sold that many. Then again, I guess she does have family and friends.
Then again, I don't know. For a poem, or a book of poetry, 6,000 copies might be really respectable numbers.
Yes, it goes without saying that I do not understand the appeal of most poetry and I believe in mocking it and its practitioners whenever possible.
2. Jesus, I can't believe it's been 10 years since Gene Siskel died. Roger Ebert's tribute to him can be read here. I've said it before, but it bears saying at least one more time, Siskel and Ebert were a huge influence on me growing up. I joined the Muse in 1990 because I wanted to be a movie reviewer, just like Siskel and Ebert. The whole trajectory of my life was influenced by the decision one day when I was around 12 to watch the two funny looking men argue so passionately about movies when flipping through the channels.
3. So there was conflicting reports as to whether or not the US was operating Predator attack drones out of Pakistan to attack terrorist targets. So some enterprising reporters used Google Earth to try and determine what as going on. Lo and behold, it worked. Predators are operating out of a military base in Pakistan. I love the internet.
4. I am oddly reassured by Wil Wheaton's declaration that "Watchmen is fucking awesome" and that it was worth the 20 year wait.
5. No need to buy Lotto 6-49 tickets as I'm going to win that $50 million-plus jackpot Saturday night. Just giving you a little head's up so you don't waste your money on a lost cause. It's the kind of public service we like to perform from time to time on this blog.
Last Five
1. Party pit - The Hold Steady
2. Girls on crutches - Hawksley Workman
3. Fifty mission cap - The Tragically Hip*
4. Another tricky day - The Who
5. Poets - The Tragically Hip (Swear to God)
3 comments:
Oh no- tell everyone to keep buying tickets. It will all just contribute to your winnings. Or so you think- I am actually the one who is going to win it all. So go and buy a few more tickets okay? I am not sure if that is enough money to keep me going.
Okay, I've officially made it my mission to get you to read and like at least some poetry. Here's the deal I'll even order the Watchmen graphic novel.
I'm trying to think of someone that you could appreciate. I'm thinking David Lee, who writes awesome poems about pigs, amongst other things. But you might not appreciate the rurality of it all. You would think that with your comic book fetish and dark side you would appreciate Edgar Allen Poe.
You should appreciate ee cummings' sense of humour but he's a little hard to get because of style. Ogden Nash?
My definition of a poet is someone who can put into words what most of us can only feel. There have been times in my life when a poem has summed up everything far better than I could. When Janice died the 2nd and 3rd stanza of W.H. Auden's "funeral blues" played over and over in my head (you would recognize it as the poem recited at the funeral in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
I believe that 6000 copies sold is actually a good number for a book of poetry. However, given the high profile that this particular poem should have, the numbers are dismal, which proves the point that it wasn't a particularly good poem.
As for Watchmen, I, too, was reassured to read Wheaton's declaration of awesomeness. I'm a lot less worried about it, after reading his review.
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