Posts Tagged “mark flanigan”

I don’t consider myself a political person.

Today I woke up the same time as any other day: noon. I grabbed my two boys, my parrotlets Ernie and Louie, and ventured downstairs. Once in the TV room, where their food and water is, I noticed the DVR was recording. Somewhat groggy still, I wondered what the hell my girlfriend was recording now, fearing that her scheduled recordings of Run’s House were getting out of hand.

I turned on the TV and was immediately reminded that it was Inauguration Day.

I took a seat and listened to our freshly minted President orate, amazed by the scene surrounding the Mall. I was reminded of the swath King, among many others, had cut, and of the power and possibility of the spoken word. I was given pause when I was asked to consider giving up some of my hours at work to help someone else whose hours was being cut. I wondered how I could do that.

I was also thrilled to hear my religious denomination—non-believer—included in this particular Address.

When our new President finished, I smiled.

Like the many others who fled the Mall then, I went into the next room to fill my boys’ bowls. I was standing by the refrigerator when, inexplicably, I started to weep. I was overwhelmed by, not just the long shadow of slavery and inequality and cruelty to men and women, but also by an almost alien pride. Yes, for the first time in a long, long time, I was just so goddamn proud of my country. And filled with something approaching optimism.

I stood in the open refrigerator door holding a bottle of mineral water in my hand, thinking: OK, ladies and gentlemen, we got a good thing going here, let’s not fuck it up….

So, I gathered together the works for the edition, and waiting for me is Mark Flanigan’s new piece, “Self Portrait (Out of the Emptiness)” . Reading and formatting at the same time, I moved across nearly two decades of keeping up with Flangian—author, editor, performance artist, journalist, poet, musician, VOLK and semantikon organizer—and now, when semantikon would seem disarrayed and crestfallen, Flanigan is delivering a new moment—drawing a connection with the spaces between them. a song shared, a mirror clear.

Self Portrait…echoes the breadth of 17 years as I have read, heard and seen Flanigan move— “On the Bus” (the early 90’s) a surealistic dreamscape flourescent lit and flickering across the city as he travels honest, situated by his own best and worst intentions in ways—few others i know are able to summon. I have traveled along side him in the time since “Out of the Nest“, agitated him to convert his laundry day poetic meditations—what he calls “minute poems”, to shape them into book form and have also danced the salmon dance with him. In the time since we have started, I have listened as he has kept his own counsel—-and good council about the scope of journalism for his own generation while iot has been no small matter he has done so, having medicated himself with self-help indiscretions to forge Exile /d across the longitude of two publications, and now it seems clear, as Exile/d moves into its fourth epoch. Linking Flangian’s work on the site, you can find the gristle and see where he moves and how he moves more easily now— two features (one, two), his guest editor slot , his eBook “Minute Poems” all spoken for in Self Portrait(Out of the Emptiness). Presence and negotiations with, damnation, stories of empty barstools where he seats wrinkled ghost and wrinkled sheets instead of lonely nights, intrigues, promises and their  hangovers, stock and movement, a bright empty warehouses full of scrap paper, chalk and packet of bic pens. A seat at the second floor window—taunting anyone to ask him to fall out to join the story’s arc.

Common criticism of Flanigan’s work that there are too many names, places and interlopers for all of it make sense—it’s “self-loathing” and “it’s about the drugs”, I disagree and I am sure no one will notice I emphasize, isn’t that what good publishers are supposed to do? There remains a difference between what you are entitled to and what is entitlement. The Flanigan I know, never had any sense someone owes him an audience, so, leave when you need to. The Flanigan I know is no good at controversy, though sometimes he is its counselor— listen or don’t. I wonder when I hear such things—-what is i–t-that a good writer should not know with their body, their meditations and their lives? Who was that I seen leave? Wisdom—-Good writers leave with their audiences.

Flanigan by our numbers…(in lieu of vitae we cant publish as it belongs to someone else)
Nxt to 0 (said: Next to Nothing)
VOLK/c.s.p.i
Exile on Main Street
Semantikon
Fringe Fest
Performance Art series
Exiled From Main Street
Minute Poems
Self Portrait (Out of the Emptiness)…

yesterday we promised some magnolia electric company linkage related to this post…see below for complete lyrics to Blue Chicago Moon…

lo
Publisher
Semantikon.com/Three Fools Press

After nearly a year in between, semantikon is proud to open the 2009 year with site feature Scot Kaplan. With coverage in visual art, film and literature, Kaplan brings 3 essays (2 finished, and one ongoing for a new book), has opened his film portfolio and launches the January Edition with a slide show of works to be updated through March 2009 with additional slides, new works, audio clips and more.

Two first with this feature—1. Kaplan’s feature spans the entire site, so whether you head to the visual art gallery or his writing feature, it all loops back. 2.:Kaplan, as evidenced below, launches our guest blogger program—something all upcoming features, and we hope, some former features too will be taking up. While we’re on the topic of looping back, as usual, we’re working to get the site ready for post and we design a broadside poster after the features’ work, our free broadside this edition—in support of Kaplan’s feature a more unusual poster—as it features, a donut, or donaught after Kaplan’s essay, “Art or Dounuts”, which we read as a perfect loop back to Brenda Dervin (another one our favorite OSU researchers for finding meaning where there is none)

It’s much to late to spell check, so pull up a fire and hide your clocks…

More tomorrow on Mark Flanigan’s new Exiled From Main Street article “Self Portrait (Out of the Emptiness)” featuring lyrics from none other fellow Ohia’ans, Songs:Ohia/Magnolia Electric Company…

more after the sunrise and coffee. blog on.
lo |publisher
semantikon.com/three fools press