1995-03-13 Adeena Karasick

Video Description: Colour video, different degrees of closeup of the stage at Bistro 4 (Quatre) (4040 St. Laurent, Montreal, QC, H2W 1Y8, Canada). A single mic stand. The stage, slightly below street level, is set against a full-wall window looking out onto the St. Laurent Blvd. traffic---with both pedestrians and vehicles regularly passing by. The windows from across the street are also visible. People frequently pass in front of the camera. A decal of the word "said," as a fragment of "enough said," is visible on the window.

And glad to see the enthusiasm hasn't waned. As everyone is more or less comfortable and ready and not grumbling and over-ready we're gonna forge straight right into the evening's offerings. I have a lot, all of a sudden, of open mic participants, half of which I'm going to insert between the two sets our feature performer will give us this evening, and without [long pause midsentence.] | Video Description: A medium shot of Lee Gotham in front of the microphone, making introductory remarks. Gotham wears a yellow long-sleeved shirt and a matching yellow bandana tied around head. The camera zooms in for an extreme closeup as Gotham pauses.

Further ado?

Well, I'm just making sure there isn't any further ado, but uh, I suppose (?) without any further ado, in this corner, hailing from Toronto, Ontario, published doubly with Talonbooks, Memewars and The Empress Has No Closure, both of which, among other items, by the way, are available in this corner, and anyway, during the evening, just come on over, acquaint yourselves with Adeena Karasick. Would you all please welcome Adeena. [Applause.] | Video Description: Extreme closeup zooms out to a medium shot as Gotham introduces Karasick. Gotham adjusts the mic.

[Performs a piece beginning with chanting and followed by the line "Once, upon, I came to you when I could not be integrated" Applause.] | Video Description: Varying degrees of closeups as Karasick performs a piece. Karasick wears a black zippered vest over a black long-sleeved shirt, gold dangling earrings, and shoulder length black hair that is loose and slightly curled.

[Thanks the audience. Explains that she will be reading pieces from multiple works, and that some relationships are only good for two things: "a poem at the beginning, and a poem at the end." Laughter. Performs a piece beginning with the line "Incidentally accidental, it was an accident." Laughter throughout. Applause.] | Video Description: Varying degrees of closeups as Karasick introduces the piece, until maintaining a medium closeup while Karasick performs.

[Explains the Poetry Express project in Toronto, in which poets performed on a bus. Performs a piece beginning with the line "Keep your eyes on the road." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Karasick flips through papers on a blue box over a trolley cart, which also holds an almost full glass beer bottle. Medium closeup as Karasick performs a piece.

[Introduces and performs an excerpt of a longer work called Archetorture (Wave7Press, 1990) that, Karasick explains, explores memory and her mother's death. Applause.] | Video Description: Flips through papers on trolley. Sips beer. Flips through papers again. Medium closeup as Karasick performs a piece.

[Tells story about travelling in Germany. Performs a piece beginning with chanting and followed by the line, "And I go in to take the (?) to Meine, to Meine," which contains both English and German. Karasick interrupts the poem to explain how food vocabulary is often the first words picked up in a new language, and then continues performing. Laughter throughout. Applause.] | Video Description: Sips beer. Shows audience an illustration in one of her collections (cover unidentifiable.) Performs a piece. The camera maintains a medium closeup. Closes books, sips beer, and it overflows with foam. Exits the stage and the frame.

Well, for any and all of those down on Toronto, there's one very good reason we might reconsider, at least momentarily, for the evening, the value of our sister city. Okay, we are going to segue into, segue, word for the evening, into a short open mic segment. As we have a number, we'll dispose of the first four of them. Number of things on the horizon in the spoken word genre here in Montreal in the near future, first of which [pause] for immediate release, Saturday twenty fifth of this month, that's a little more than a week away, Building Dance just east of St Laurent on Pine Avenue, Wired on Words, the set release of spoken word projects number three, Ian Stephens, Diary of a Trademark on audio cassette, with a number of local support performers. Come on out, Saturday March twenty fifth, Building Dance, just east of des Pins. Building Danse (?) cool presentation, I may add. Okay, let's do this open mic thing. Please get up, stretch your legs, get to the bar, every drink counts to keep the ball rolling (with?) Enough Said, Vincent Tinguely, Vince, my fellow Fluffy (?) friend, come on up to the microphone, please.] | Video Description: Adjusts mic and introduces next segment. Pauses and reaches to his left to grab a folded up piece of white paper. Reads from it. Calls someone to the stage. Medium shots and extreme closeups throughout.

[Explains a dream he had involving Donald Sutherland who said, "I like to write as if I am reading." The audience collectively says, "I love you" in response to Tinguely's balloon prompts (see video description.) Vince says, "thank you." Applause.] | Video Description: Camera varies between medium shots and extreme closeups as Tinguely sets up unblown balloons and addresses the audience. Tinguely wears large wire-rimmed glasses, a black t-shirt, and white hair. Introduces the piece. Tinguely blows up a pink balloon, invites the audience to say the word "I" that is written on the balloon by waving it above his head. Continues with varying colours and sizes of balloons, each with one word printed on them to spell out the phrase, "I love you." Tinguely leaves the stage.

[Asks an unknown person to move away so the blackboard is visible (off-camera), which assumingly has bears the names of the open mic performers. Invites Kevin, the next open mic performer, to the stage.] | Video description: A medium shot as Gotham speaks into the mic briefly, gesturing for something to be moved out of the way, and introducing the next performer.

[Explains that an old love poem to a lamprey eel and a collage of a lamprey eel were discovered while cleaning. Performs a piece titled "Lamprey, d'amour, My Life is Complete." Finishes the piece and continues to explain the relationship with the lamprey eel. Applause.] | Video Description: Closeups and medium shots as Kevin introduces a piece, performs a piece, continues explaining the piece afterwards. Kevin wears a black long-sleeved sweater and short light brown hair. Kevin holds a large sketchbook that features a collage of a lamprey eel.

[Thanks Kevin, invites Sabrina to the stage.] | Video Description: Medium closeup as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic and adjusts it.

[Introduces and begins performing a piece beginning with the line "images hanging in fountains." Pauses.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Sabrina adjusts the mic and it tilts downwards. Sabrina wears a patterned black and white long-sleeved shirt and long medium brown hair with bangs swept to the side. Sabrina begins to perform, then pauses.

Video Description: Lowers the mic.

[Says to Gotham that she "will just be loud" and that she will likely "flail" and knock the microphone off its stand anyways. Continues to perform the aforementioned piece.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Sabrina speaks with Gotham who is off-camera, then an extreme closeup zooms out to a medium closeup as Sabrina performs piece with her arms crossed, periodically looking at a small piece of paper tucked in her right hand tucked under her left elbow.

[Introduces and performs a "travelling poem" beginning with the line "I knew you were bound for the USA," dedicated to a member of the audience. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium closeup to extreme closeup as Sabrina performs a piece.

[Introduces and performs an "angry woman poem" beginning with the line "I'm a woman agonized by a torturous itch." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium closeup as Sabrina performs a piece.

[Performs a piece beginning with the line "I put my foot on an oil can." Applause.] | Video Description: Closeup as Sabrina performs a piece.

[Thanks Sabrina, invites Rondo to the stage.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic and adjusts it.

[Introduces and performs a piece about Crad Kilodney titled "Crad." Applause.] | Video Description: Loose and extreme closeups as Rondo performs a piece. Rondo wears a black open cardigan overtop a black shirt, short dark hair pulled back with bangs loose, two thin dark necklaces.

[Ambient sounds (white noise).] | Video Description: Black screen with static.

[Announces upcoming literary events. Reintroduces Adeena Karasick. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Gotham speaks into the mic.

[Performs a piece beginning with chanting and followed by the line "When the word is bound (?)" Applause.] | Video Description: Reorganizes papers on trolley. Asks Gotham for something indiscernible with gesturing. Medium shot and extreme closeup as Karasick performs a piece.

[Performs a piece titled "Autobahn Cruise" (Memewars, Talonbooks, 1994). Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Karasick performs a piece.

[Performs a chanting piece that includes the line "just a little bit harder" from an unknown project called Squalor. Pauses performance. Says, "I've lost my page." Recommences. Laughter throughout. Applause]. | Video Description: Medium closeups and medium shots as Karasick performs a piece. Partway through, looks through folders of papers on the trolley to find another page. Recommences.

Video Description: Readjusts the microphone that has begun to tilt downwards.

[Introduces and performs a piece called "Parasite Maintenance." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shots and extreme closeups as Karasick reorganizes papers on trolley and performs a piece.

[Introduces and performs a piece titled "Aghast" (The Empress Has No Closure, Talonbooks, 1992). Shortly after starting to perform, briefly pauses and laughs. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Karasick performs a piece, pausing briefly to laugh near the beginning.

[Introduces and performs a chanting piece beginning with the line "can't get enough serotonin." Applause.] | Video Description: Reorganizes papers on trolley. Medium shot as Karasick performs a piece. Gathers papers and water glass and leaves the stage.

[Encourages the audience to ask for an encore. Applause.] | Video Description: Gotham speaks briefly into the mic and claps.

[Explains that "things are more uptight in Toronto." Audience laughs at something unknown, Karasick asks, "what?" Performs a chanting piece beginning with the line, "Ululate pullulations, exhorting (Mortimer?) writhed in (bendable?) straddles." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Karasick introduces and performs a piece.

[Notes that the last piece Karasick performed will be featured in an issue of Pawn. Mentions that Karasick's books are for sale at the back. Mentions it is his birthday. Audience begins singing "Happy Birthday," banging on tables, and clapping. Lee invites D. Holmes to the stage.] | Video Description: Extreme closeups and medium shots as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic. Stands back and smiles as the audience sings. Speaks into the mic again.

[Performs a piece beginning with the line, "Large V8, large grapefruit juice, cup of coffee." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shots and medium closeups as Holmes performs a piece. Holmes wears a red sweater over a grey collared shirt and short light brown hair swept to the left.

[Performs a piece beginning with the line, "What do you find more in, the lake, do you find more in." Applause.] | Video Description: Seems to ask someone off stage whether he can perform a little longer. Medium shots and extreme closeups as Holmes performs a piece.

[Thanks Holmes.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic.

Video Description: Black screen with white text that reads "Four minutes of this video have been removed."

[Mentions that the Fluffy Pagan Echoes will perform next week. Invites David Jager to the stage. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic.

[Introduces and performs a piece called "Words." Applause.] | Video Description: Closeups as David Jager performs a piece. J. wears a light brown striped button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow and dark brown hair falling onto forehead in strands.

[Asks the audience if they want to hear an angry poem. Cheering. Introduces and performs a piece called "Smoke, Eat, Drive." Applause.] | Video Description: Closeups as David Jager performs a piece. Applause and cheering throughout.

[Introduces and performs a piece called "Missing." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium closeups and medium shots as David Jager performs a piece.

[Introduces a piece called "Dream Chicken." Mumbles while looking through papers. Performs piece. Applause.] | Video Description: Looks through papers. Loose and regular closeups as David Jager introduces and performs a piece.

[Sudden cut to Gotham mentioning Endre Farkas will perform in the coming weeks. Invites Mitsiko Miller to the stage.] | Video Description: Extreme closeup zooms out to medium shot as Gotham speaks into the mic.

[Mentions that "this is a very good evening." Mentions song by Anita Franco. Introduces and performs a piece called "Ennui" in French. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Mitsiko addresses audience and chews gum. Miller wears a black blazer over a black-and-white horizontal-striped shirt, black pants, and bleached hair in a shaggy pixie cut. Miller takes off denim jacket and reveals a black cardigan underneath. Medium shots and extreme closeups as Miller introduces and performs a piece.

[Introduces and performs a piece titled "Seguir Adelante, But Going Nowhere" Applause.] | Video Description: Closeups as Miller introduces and performs a piece.

[Reminds audience that the Fluffy Pagan Echoes will perform the next week. Notes that the next performer is part of the group. Invites Justin McGrail to the stage. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic, adjusts the microphone, and pushes the trolley out of the way.

[Mentions the Toronto Star trolley "freaks him out." Introduces and performs an untitled piece beginning with the line "It's not about who's around, secret whispers exclusive soundings." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot of Justin McGrail addressing the audience. Camera pans down to show outfit. McGrail wears white button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a small collar, a dark plaid kilt falling just below the knees with a sporran on a chain in front, tight black pants, white hiking socks scrunched up above black lace-up boots, a bracelet on each wrist, a necklace with a pendant, and short dark hair falling onto forehead. Medium shot to extreme closeup and back again as McGrail performs a piece.

[Thanks Adeena Karasick. Tells audience to buy books. Thanks Danielle "and company" for the venue. Reminds audience of event on des Pins mentioned earlier. Cut off mid-sentence.] | Video Description: Medium shot as Gotham speaks briefly into the mic. Video suddenly ends.

[End of recording.]