SpokenWord Sampler

Besides an introduction by Lee Gotham recorded especially for this sampler, the tape includes excerpts from the following events: (1) Enough Said 1995-03-13, Karasick; (2) Enough Said 1994-12-19, Gotham and Diamond; (3) Enough Said 1995-02-20, Backo and Groupe de Poesie Moderne; (4) Enough Said 1995-02-27, Skarstedt and Suderman; (5) Enough Said 1995-01-09, Swifty Lazarus; (6) Enough Said 1995-04-17, Joseph; (7) Enough Said 1995-05-01, Stephens, Suderman, Diamond, and McGrail; (8) Enough Said 1995-04-03, Smith; and (9) Enough Said 1995-01-16, bissett and Nelson.

Video Description: Colour video of the sidewalk at night outside of Bistro 4 (Quatre) (4040 St. Laurent, Montreal, QC, H2W 1Y8, Canada). Closeup of a poster that reads "Enough said" with a logo above it looking into the window zooms out to a shot of the whole window. Window has horizontal blinds on the inside and various newspaper clippings taped to the outside.

Enough Said. Spoken word performance event series, here in Montreal. Weekly, for six months, full houses, people coming out to hear poetry, on a Monday night, consistently for six months. Spoken word, though, spoken word. Something between the library stacks and the reading from the lectern approach of the traditional reading series, and the television, perhaps, side of the equation. The fast food delivery of a poetry slam. Spoken words, there's a lot of room created like a community, I think in a spoken word event where you see a lot of interactive action. You see a lot of work coming out of the presentation of work, spoken words. So. Blah, blah blah, let's watch some spoken word. [Jazz music plays in the background, seemingly coming live from Bistro 4.] | Video Description: Camera pans right to a closeup of Lee Gotham speaking, then zooms into a closeup of the Enough Said poster.

[Cuts to Karasick performing 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 exclaim "I can't believe I wrote that." Laughter.] | Video Description: Medium shot of Karasick reading from a book. 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. Pauses performance to speak into the mic. Laughter.

[Cuts to Gotham performing a piece including the line, "In life, there are misleaders and the mistaken." Live jazz music plays in the background.] | Video Description: Long shot of Gotham performing a piece, Sam Shalabi sitting and playing guitar, and Unknown_Musician1 playing the drum kit. Gotham wears a grey collared shirt with sleeves rolled to elbows over a white collared shirt, black taqiyah-style hat with a small folded visor, and shoulder length brown hair. Shalabi wears a red button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up to elbows, large metal-rimmed glasses, and thinning dark brown hair. Unknown_Musician1 wears a blue and white argyle sweater with sleeves rolled up to elbows, a silver watch, glasses, and short curly dark brown hair.

Video Description: Zooms into medium shot of Sam Shalabi playing guitar and chewing.

Video Description: Pans to medium shot of Unknown_Musician1 playing drums. Gotham is visible on the right side of screen.

[Continues performing piece. Music by Unknown_Musician1 and Sam Shalabi continues in background. Gotham pauses.] | Video Description: Medium shot zooms into medium closeup as Gotham continues performing a piece. Zooms out to medium shot part way through. Gotham expands arms like flying bird while performing.

[Cuts to Groupe de Poesie Moderne performing a spoken-word piece mixed with group singing. A group member repeats the line "Ce soir." Various members speak in succession. Laughter throughout.] | Video Description: Cuts to medium shot of the Groupe de Poesie Moderne. Six members of the group stand in a circular formation, all facing the stage, with the centre apparently empty. All wear black shirts and pants. A seventh performer repeatedly emerges from the centre of the group formation, going up and down several times. Various performers speak.

[Cuts to Ferrier drumming while telling a story including the line "The banshee is known to sit wailing (?) the side of the tree."] | Video Description: Long shot of Trevor Ferrier sitting and telling a story while playing percussion. Ferrier wears a red Henley shirt with the sleeves rolled up, shaved head, and a thin moustache.

[Cuts to Suderman asking her friend Mary to help search for a Bible passage. Starts reciting from memory when Mary finds the passage. Reads from the bible. Audience laughter throughout. Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot of Suderman talking to someone off-screen. Suderman wears a black long-sleeved blouse and short black hair tucked behind ears. Takes the bible from Mary and starts reading from it. Camera zooms into extreme closeup, then a longshot as Suderman leaves the stage.

[Cuts to Swift performing a piece beginning with the line "I've seen a man stagger with a thousand arrows in his back." Recording of ominous ambient music plays. Applause.] | Video Description: Closeup of the mic on a radio-style stand hanging down. Swift enters the frame and performs a piece into the mic. Swift wears a black suit jacket over a white button-down shirt with a black bowtie, black rectangular glasses, and dark hair close cropped on the sides and parted just off-centre.

[Cuts to Njacko Backo performing Untitled Poem. Audience clapping along to beat.] | Video Description: Medium long shot of Clifton Joseph performing poem, stomping foot and gesturing. Joseph wears a brown button-up vest over a light green short-sleeved shirt, black-framed glasses, and short black hair.

[Cuts to Ann Diamond performing a piece titled "Shoe Salesman." Applause.] | Video Description: Medium shot of Ann Diamond performing a piece. Diamond wears pixie-cut blond hair with bangs and a jean jacket over a grey cowl-neck sweater.

[Cuts to Ian Stephens introducing and performing "Christmas Eve, 93" (titled "24/12/93" in Diary of a Trademark, The Muses' Co., 1995).] | Video Description: Alternating medium closeup and closeup of Ian Stephens at the stage. Stephens wears a wine-colour button-down shirt unbuttoned at the top over a wine-colour t-shirt, a stud on the left earlobe, a multicolour bead necklace, and short hair. Medium closeup of Stephens performing a poem by heart.

[Cuts to Dee Smith introducing and performing a piece beginning with the line "Brother to brother" repeated several times. Applause.] | Video Description: Closeup of Dee Smith performing a piece. Smith wears a green short-sleeve shirt over a black long-sleeve turtleneck, black Breton cap, pendant necklace, flower earrings, stud nose ring, plus several finger rings.

[Cuts to bill bissett performing Unknown Composition 1, vocalizing and singing into the microphone. Maraca in the background.] | Video Description: Camera zooms into closeup on bill bissett performing a piece and keeping rhythm with a maraca. Camera zooms in and out between closeup and medium closeup on bissett and his maraca. bissett wears thick-framed glasses, chin-length hair, and a graphic t-shirt.

[Cuts to David Jager introducing and performing "Smoke, Eat, Drive." Video Description: Closeups as David Jager performs a piece. Applause and cheering throughout. Jager wears a light brown striped button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow, dark brown hair falling onto forehead in strands.

Video Description: Cuts to a digital graphic of the Enough Said poster seen on the window at the beginning of the recording.

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

[End of recording.]