Spoken word

B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I saw Jeffrey Lewis perform the other week in London, and his support act was a guy doing 'anti-capitalist spoken word' (think his name was Professor Louie)...it did drag after a while, but was intoxicating for the first half hour or so, partly perhaps because I so rarely see anything similar.

That's reignited my interest in the whole area....other stuff I have dug in the past are the Last Poets and (especially) Gil Scott-Heron's stuff, as well as Saul Williams (interest in whom in turn has been reignited by that fantastic cover Robyn did of 'List of Demands').
 
STN

STN

sou'wester
For me it has to be John Cooper Clarke (cf 'Twat') and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Has LKJ ever released a spoken-word album? I've only seen him do it live.
 
ifp

ifp

Well-known member
a couple of months back i saw linton kwesi johnson, and he had a guy supporting him called Lesego Rampolokeng. they both did spoken word but have recordings with backing bands.

saw last poets years back too, they were amazing. probably not quite what youre after, but see if you can find a compilation series called Black and Proud, i really recommend it!
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
STN said:
For me it has to be John Cooper Clarke (cf 'Twat') and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Has LKJ ever released a spoken-word album? I've only seen him do it live.
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Of course, how could I forget LKJ? A lot of his songs I suppose are spoken word in all but name - the one about Blair Peach for example, IIRC.

JCC was the guy who did a cameo in 'Control', right? Will check him out - it sounded good.


@ifp - will check that comp. out - thanks. I've only got odd bits of their stuff, so can't claim to be au fait with half the things they've done.
 
ifp

ifp

Well-known member
just had a little search and there is a lkj album of him performing without backing - its called "a capella live"
 
A

adruu

This Is It
My favorites are not directly political. I think stand up does that job pretty well...

Hands down, Ken Nordine is the GOD of spoken word to me. Not directly political and definitely a surrealist, he's hilarious and the arrangements he talks over are pretty amazing.

Alan Moore's stuff is next level also. The conspiracy / dark politics renditions in Brought to Light are really some of the best stuff I've heard, although I am not a conspiracy kind of guy. The two albums he has on amazon are strictly off the cuff, free association from hell in a good way.

Steven Jesse Bernstein has (had) his moments.
 
RobJC

RobJC

Check your weapon
Went to a Henry Rollins spoken word once - that was intense, just like the man himself - describing what it was like having his best friend shot dead in front of him.
 
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S

shudder

Well-known member
I've seen too much bad slam poetry (don't ask) to be able to take much spoken word, although I admit that seeing Saul Williams once was, to borrow baboon's work, intoxicating.
 
mos dan

mos dan

fact music
does anyone remember a peel favourite a few years back called 'meanwhile, back in communist russia'? great name aside, i hated them so very very much. pseudo-plath-y spoken word lyrics over shit mogwai rip-off tunes.
 
A

adruu

This Is It
Just read the news on Pitchform about Saul Williams and Trent Reznor?!

Could be an awesome album

Check out what Saul wrote on his board

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the lovechild of me and Trent Reznor. I met Trent when he asked me to fill the opening slot of his European With Teeth tour. After only the 2nd show he asked if I might be down to collaborate on a song or album, whatever I saw fit. At the time we were both listening to the Kanye/Jon Brion collaborations and feeling like a cocktail of our two worlds would fare even more interesting…and harder. Since then, Trent Reznor has become the big brother I never had, offering his insight, expertise, and shared desire to fuck up the system while believing fully in the power of music and the intelligence of the masses. What we both first realized we had in common was a deep love of Public Enemy and their Bomb Squad production, which personally served as the backdrop of my adolescence and fueled the fire that matured my vision of the sort of artist I wanted to be. A lot of people get caught up on my lyrics and poetry, but my writing is always founded on beats and polyrhythmic backdrops. My background as a dancer (I used to dance for a rap group in ATL in the early 90s) has always made me crave hard rhythms. Through Public Enemy I discovered that my ability to dance somehow improved when I truly felt the power of the words. This album captures everything I have aimed for in a song.
 
M

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
adruu said:
Just read the news on Pitchform about Saul Williams and Trent Reznor?!

Could be an awesome album

Check out what Saul wrote on his board

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the lovechild of me and Trent Reznor. I met Trent when he asked me to fill the opening slot of his European With Teeth tour. After only the 2nd show he asked if I might be down to collaborate on a song or album, whatever I saw fit. At the time we were both listening to the Kanye/Jon Brion collaborations and feeling like a cocktail of our two worlds would fare even more interesting…and harder. Since then, Trent Reznor has become the big brother I never had, offering his insight, expertise, and shared desire to fuck up the system while believing fully in the power of music and the intelligence of the masses. What we both first realized we had in common was a deep love of Public Enemy and their Bomb Squad production, which personally served as the backdrop of my adolescence and fueled the fire that matured my vision of the sort of artist I wanted to be. A lot of people get caught up on my lyrics and poetry, but my writing is always founded on beats and polyrhythmic backdrops. My background as a dancer (I used to dance for a rap group in ATL in the early 90s) has always made me crave hard rhythms. Through Public Enemy I discovered that my ability to dance somehow improved when I truly felt the power of the words. This album captures everything I have aimed for in a song.
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He's playing in London soon


07 Nov 2007, 20:00
38 - 44 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 7XJ
 
M

mms

sometimes
mos dan said:
does anyone remember a peel favourite a few years back called 'meanwhile, back in communist russia'? great name aside, i hated them so very very much. pseudo-plath-y spoken word lyrics over shit mogwai rip-off tunes.
Click to expand...

hmm the accountant at my work was in them!
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
baboon2004 said:
I saw Jeffrey Lewis perform the other week in London, and his support act was a guy doing 'anti-capitalist spoken word' (think his name was Professor Louie)...it did drag after a while, but was intoxicating for the first half hour or so, partly perhaps because I so rarely see anything similar.

That's reignited my interest in the whole area....other stuff I have dug in the past are the Last Poets and (especially) Gil Scott-Heron's stuff, as well as Saul Williams (interest in whom in turn has been reignited by that fantastic cover Robyn did of 'List of Demands').
Click to expand...

Yeah I saw Jeff Lewis and Prof. Louie (Lewis' uncle apparently) the other night in Durham. Louie was OK but I find the whole anti-Bush/anti-capitalism schtick a bit obvious. Liked the one he did about cockroaches though...

Sent me back to listening to Tom Waits, stuff like 'What's he building in there?', such a sinister
hilarious piece that. The video used to get played on MTV 2 all the time funnily enough.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Benny B said:
Yeah I saw Jeff Lewis and Prof. Louie (Lewis' uncle apparently) the other night in Durham. Louie was OK but I find the whole anti-Bush/anti-capitalism schtick a bit obvious. Liked the one he did about cockroaches though...
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Surely you mean 'cock-a-roaches'? ;)

Yeah, in the end we were finding it quite funny. Preaching to the converted only has limited value...
 
G

gek-opel

entered apprentice
mos dan said:
does anyone remember a peel favourite a few years back called 'meanwhile, back in communist russia'? great name aside, i hated them so very very much. pseudo-plath-y spoken word lyrics over shit mogwai rip-off tunes.
Click to expand...

hahahahaha... yeh. Shite.
 
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