I have another guest artist today, this time a renegade poet/writer/film-maker/trouble-maker named Cory Lovell. He is a passionate fan of music and directed the rock'n'roll documentary Deer Tick: To the City of SIN!, following the band Deer Tick on tour. His new chapbook collection of poetry and art, named Pop!, revolves around the central idea that pop songs (in any genre -- yes, including heavy metal) are our new hymns. Lovell explains, “These poems are my attempt at pop songs, sans music. Those of you who are instrumentally inclined are encouraged to put music to any of the poems inside. They’re meant to be sung!” So there you are, thrashers and doomsters, feel free to write music to the below poem (selected for this blog personally by Mr. Lovell) and share the ghoulish results by visiting the link at the end of this posting. Here’s an excerpt from the collection:
Underrated Saints (Immortal Rock Zombies)
The unique stupidity,
the simple-minded genius
of a religion made by, for, and of the mad masses that massacred
GOD.
The maudlin, musical marriage of
piety & sacrilege.
The queer union of
Jesus & Lucifer.
The rhythm of a thousand saints,
ordinary dregs, miracle sinners,
bringing us ever closer to the cosmos through
SEX & SOUND.
That a boy might know the
humility and hard-earned innocence of
St. Bob.
Whirling drunk in tutu and combat boots,
Fingers slashed and bleeding, tearing through the heart of sixteen.
That a girl might know the
worth of word and wood and work.
The soapy, satin soliloquy of
St. Karen (of Dalton).
Poor, yet beholden to none.
Lonesome, yet filled with others.
That a man might know the
trembling edges of a troubled woman
through the crying caterwaul of
St. Karen (of Carpenter).
So generous of love’s bounty
though fasting herself from it.
That a woman might know the
avalanche of arrogance of the meager motives of mortal man.
The deteriorating dignity of
St. Warren.
His quest to forgive the unforgivable,
to find the ones who were his friends.
(Cover illustration by Gary Grayson, additional artwork by Cory Lovell)
