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16 october 2000

i had a super duper weekend

I had the most scrump-dilly-icious weekend in recent memory! This may take two parts, it was so exceptionally neato.

Okay, so on Friday, I went to the concert of any folk-rock junkie's dream --- Janis Ian and Don McLean! Not only that, but all I had to do was walk around the corner to the Stevens Center, half a block from where I live. Then, to top it all, I had an aisle seat ten rows back. After the whole show was over, I got to meet both of them, and they signed my ticket stub! I was a very lucky girl indeed.

Now, you have to know that I like the music of my parents' generation better than my parents ever did. From Simon and Garfunkel and Janis Joplin, to James Taylor and Joni Mitchell; I love the acoustic singer-songwriters. I like poetry, and I like guitars. Thus, the obsession. Of course, I was one of maybe ten people under the age of thirty in the audience of 1200. Most everyone was about forty-five or older, and as excited as I was to be there, but for different reasons. From the guy who still had his Janis Ian vinyls (and the unrequited crush,) to the four women who felt she helped get them through college; this was a primo crowd for people-watching. It was like watching the Stevens Center become a Twilight Zone-esque fountain of youth, seeing all those Baby Boomers get all giddy over the music of their wonder years.

One thing I really like about being a folk girl is that most of the concerts I attend don't require earplugs. That, and people sit down through most of it. So you really get to hear what's being sung, instead of having to jump over screaming people and dodge flying undergarments.

For me, this was an opportunity to hear music that was, at one time in our country's history, nearly revolutionary. These were the things that had never been said before, things that weren't always pretty.

Take the most well-known of Don McLean's songs, "American Pie". Much to my disgust, Madonna has recently re-recorded this song using a karaoke machine and a Muzak chainsaw. Some songs do not need to be reinterpreted, and this is one of them. What so many younger people don't know is that "American Pie" arose from the assassination of John F. Kennedy. If you know this, and if you ever find yourself surrounded by 1000 people who lived through it, experiencing a live performance of this song is one of the most memorable moments you'll ever have. McLean invited us to sing along, and we did. But invariably, at moments the audience would become silent and let him carry us into the next verse. We were alternately joyous and close to tears for nearly fifteen minutes.

Not all music stars need to end their performances with fireworks and smashing guitars.

I had seen Janis Ian a couple of years ago in a small club in Texas, but seeing her this time was even better. I don't know a lot of women of any age who can keep their composure during the song "Seventeen". I can barely keep myself together when it's in the CD player.

Then Saturday arrived, and I drove up to Asheville for the LEAF (Lake Eden Arts Festival). The preliminary round of the Poetry Slam was to begin at 2:00, and twenty-two people showed up. (That's a lot, considering that only twelve would go into the finals that night.) There were five of us from Winston-Salem, which was nice because we could cheer one another on. We all ended up making it into the finals, and in fact carried the top five spots going into the evening. Jim Nave, the emcee, said that this looked like it was going to be one of the best LEAF slams in recent history. Considering the depth of poets competing, we agreed.

I didn't get a final number of people who attended the finals, but Nave threw out the number 500. Whatever attendance was, it was standing room only in Lake Eden Hall. People sat on the floor, on tables, squeezed in doorways --- for poetry. I've been doing this now for eight years, and it still blows my mind.

The finals begin and we have to do well, because six people will be eliminated. I do a recent favorite, "Welcome to Cracker Barrel", and put myself in good position. Six people are then whittled to four in the next round. Then comes the round that often makes or breaks the LEAF slam.

It's improv. As in, people write topics on sheets of scrap paper, and you pick one up and do a poem on the spot. Sound difficult? It is. However, for Bob Moyer (of W-S) and me, it's an opportunity to increase our lead and ensure that we advance further. My topic? "Kids In Middle School". Considering the middle school for me pretty much sucked, I had plenty of material lurking in the back of my mind for that one.

The same four poets, Lelaynia, Karl, Bob and me do one more poem in the fourth round. Jim then eliminates two poets, leaving Bob and me to go head to head in the last round. I am a point-and- a-half ahead of him, which is a fairly substantial lead in slam. But anything can happen at a slam, and you never underestimate your competition. I've held onto a strong piece for this, "Too Fat to Be a Supermodel."

Did I mention there were prizes? LEAF is one of the few slams in the country where there's a big pot at stake --- winner takes home $302. I could use $302, yep. There were also generous monetary prizes for the top eight poets, much to Jim Nave's credit. The guy knows how to run a show for both his performers and his audience, and he's our friend. Everyone loves Nave. Yay!

Our cumulative scores from all five rounds are added --- and I got it! I won the LEAF slam! It was so exciting! Not only that, but at LEAF, the audience is the prize. Because this is also an endurance contest of sorts (you really need to come prepared with six or seven strong pieces,) the more rounds you win, the more you get to perform for a very receptive, warm, energetic audience. People come from all over the country for this, and they're ready to hear some good stuff and be entertained. It was a fabulous night for all involved, and we all went home satisfied with a job well done. And with gas money!

I'll tell you about Sunday tomorrow. It was cool, too. I made a table.