Give me noise, keep your chocolate
As it would seem, there is a growing amount of distaste for Valentine's Day or really any prepackaged American hallmark holiday. At least for me personally, I am constantly reminded of our calendar status by whatever seasonal crap they are selling in the third row at Walgreens. Every year I try to remain just a tad closer to oblivion of USA pop culture and its soul sucking-ness. For real, you don't get this crap most elsewhere on earth. I think its for the better.
My generation (at least the smarter ones) have become starved of a pre-established rich cultural environment, we are driven to find philosophical diversity and spiritual enlightenment everywhere we can (read: Internets), because we sure as all fock don't get it from that gift card that perfectly expresses they way I feel about a girl or how much I care about your birthday. Jesus, how will she know I want her to get better soon? We -- or at least me an my contemporaries -- have been left no choice but to identify microscopic cultural niches that actually benefit the growth of the individual. If I didn't have my artwalks, potlucks, drum-n-bass scene, emerging bike culture and design software, I might just have to explode myself. The only alternative is to join the mindless drones following whatever Viacom Top 100 songs/products/fashions you just can't live without. Keep your chocolate hearts, just show me some humanity please.
But hey, maybe I'm just sweating cynical bullets because I am sans-date this evening. In which case, I offer those in like the following:
The Dorsch Gallery is hosting a one-night only poetry reading at the space. From what i gather, it may be the reading of related poetries by Plath and Hughes simultaneously or back to back. There will be seating, moody lighting and refreshments. It starts at 7 p.m., at 151 NW 24th St., in the heart (bleh) of Wynwood.
This time don't fail me:
An interlocked reading of the poems of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.
Though separated by thirty-five years, perhaps no two books in the English language are more a part of one another than Sylvia Plath's "Ariel" and Ted Hughes's "Birthday Letters." Plath left the manuscript to "Ariel" sitting on her desk the night she killed herself in 1963, but it took Hughes, her husband of six years, until 1998 to answer questions about her death in his own poetry, in a collection titled "Birthday Letters." For the first time, poems from these these two books will be read in conjunction with one another, on Valentine's Day 2008, three days after the 45th Anniversary of Plath's death.
Also, much to my surprise I caught wind of Churchills Pub's least celebrated most tolerated yearly festivities. In its fifth year in seamless, shrieking, gutteral, hi-freq operation -- ladies and gentlemen, I am proud promote the International Noise Conference. Perfect for those with little or no regard to the longevity of their eardrums. A dadaist exposition of relentless sound and music with no remorse for the damage to the senses.
I have attended, even participated (no-holds-barred climax of percussive freedom by Late Night Curly 2007) for three years in a row, and wouldn't miss 2008's line-up for all the healthy ears in the world. There will be over 115 individual acts over the course of three days. This is not your Thursday night recycled hipsteratti electro from France. Oh and fuck Valentine's Day.
The official line up can be found at Squelchers dedicated INC page. Highlights include Curious Hair, Dino Felipe, Doormouse, Haha Help and Peasants With Feathers. Those noted are local performers, so support them. INC is a free event at Churchill's Pub located at 5501 NE 2nd Ave., Thursday through Saturday.
