Thursday, August 9, 2007

Dippy Disc Jocks


Just got the CD recording of the radio poetry broadcast a few weeks ago and trying not to laugh/cry. I didn't realise until I listened just what type of "music" George FM broadcast. (No wonder the station manager looked at me with that nose-crinkling I-think-someone-just-farted-but-I'm-too-polite-to-say-so-out-loud look when I asked him if he was interested in broadcasting more performance poets!!)

So imagine this: some of NZ's most well-regarded poets, reading some of their most hard-hitting poetry, on the podium unaware that their words are being broadcast with an underbeat of the sugary ooh-ahh-sex confection that passes for music these days.

In my case (not, I hasten to add, that I'm a "well known" poet at all- in fact unaware that I had been promised as a "hip hop" style poet (!!)), I chose one of my saddest, most lyrical poems to start.
I have just found that I read Riverbeach (below) to an audible underbeat of pop-beat and a male voice cooing "oo-eer feel mah body".....

Hardly the most appropriate beat for a poem mourning Casey's passing, I feel. Anyway. At least the pavement audience liked the unadulterated version of it - and heard my last poem, which was obliterated by squawking ads on the broadcast.

It is an interesting side observation that we poets were asked by the radio station to limit our readings to 3-5 minutes max on basis of "the short attention span of our audience" whereas the same audience are expected to listen to 5 minute "songs" with repetitive butt-crunching, mind battering lyrics, followed by around ten minutes of shouty ads......I might sound like a grumpy old lady but WHY D'YA THINK THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GETTING BORED DUH?

On the other hand, I enjoyed myself thoroughly on the day, and despite the apparent mindlessness of radio jocks, would do it again. Thanks Carole!

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