Thanks to Marina Williams and everybody at ARTpool Gallery for having me out to perform a couple of my literary parody songs on Saturday night in celebration of their 5th Anniversary. It was a wonderful way to kick off National Library Week, plus we had great weather and a whole lot of fun! My favorite moment of the show was hearing the audience chant "JOYCE, JOYCE, JOYCE" during my first-ever live performance of "JOYCE Around," a tribute to James Joyce and all things Irish. There was also something special about performing "THE RAVEN is Hard to Handle" under a crescent moon. Perhaps Edgar Allan Poe was looking down on me and laughing at my silly mustache. Special thanks to Clinton Lee at Brentwood Photography for the fabulous photos!
I look forward to spending more time at ARTpool now that my literary bags are being sold there. Just look for the library shelf filled with books and birds!
Support libraries and local art!!!!
"THE RAVEN Is Hard to Handle"
"JOYCE Around"
Stand-Up Librarian Designs now available at ARTpool Gallery!
“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” - Edgar Allan Poe
Everybody knows I love Edgar Allan Poe so I can't let the day of his birth go by without mentioning it or sharing my video tribute to him yet again (yes, again!) If you want to learn more about the video and how it came about, please visit my blog post about it by clicking here.
Direct link to "The Raven is Hard to Handle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSwsZ8L3S6Y
More than filming the video, I have enjoyed performing "The Raven is Hard to Handle" live at my shows. It is an example of how so many other people of all ages love Edgar Allan Poe and perhaps have forgotten how fun classic literature can be. I doubt Poe truly knew the power his words would have on future generations...or that you can dance to it! I am also so flattered when I see the kids in the audience get excited about the poem and sing it back to me or want to wear my Raven wings or hats. It reminds me that I am being heard and received in the manner that I always envisioned for Stand-Up Librarian: Reading + Pop Culture = FUN. Learning is FUN! I never wanted to just do stand-up comedy or write on this blog. I wanted to utilize all of my interests and talents to share my love for books, libraries, bookstores, music and fashion. In just wanting to honor one of my literary heroes, I discovered a path for myself that also enables me to fulfill one of my dreams that I thought was impossible: being a rockstar. While I may never sell-out stadiums like Aerosmith and U2 or sing live on the aerial trapeze like Pink, I am a literary rockstar to a few kids I know and that is pretty cool. One of my goals this year is to do more programs and shows for young people. Oh and if I can perform "The Raven is Hard to Handle" live on stage with The Black Crowes, now that would be awesome! (Call me, Chris Robinson!) So HAPPY BIRTHDAY and THANK YOU, Mr. Poe for inspiring so many of us to write, to dream, to explore the oddities that not only make us unique but enable us to dream...BIG.
With the "fans" that truly matter. If something I say makes them pick up a book, I did my job.
Thanks to Edgar Allan Poe and The Raven, I am able to soar to heights I never knew was possible.
On October 7,
1849, Edgar Allan Poe passed away at age 40 for reasons that to this day are
still a mystery.It almost seems a
fitting end for the man who is often called the ‘Father of the Detective Story’
and while we may never know the true ending to his life, what we do know is
that he had incredible talent for composing words in short stories, essays,
book reviews, and poems like The Raven, published in 1845.
I would love
to brag about all of the Poe works I have read but the truth is, classics like
Poe’s aren’t always so easy for me to understand.Sometimes I feel like Judy Holliday in “Born Yesterday” with
a Poe book in one hand and a dictionary in the other looking up all of the
words I can’t comprehend.“I
looked up every word!” OK, I just did a scene from that play in my acting class
so I have the script “laying here…lying here.”
And I know I
am not the only one who has this trouble of grasping language from another
time.At least I hope I am not alone.Perhaps there are some kids out there
that have my back on this?I also
have a hard time memorizing words.It has always been a challenge for me as an actor and comedian to
remember my lines – even the words I write myself!So sometimes I need music to help me grasp the
material.I need rhythm.Something to sway my hips to is also
helpful.
It is with
these admissions and to honor the great Edgar Allan Poe that I have created a
literary parody song that was not only so fun to do but truly helped me learn
these three verses of The Raven poem!You are on
your own for the rest of it.Thanks to one of my favorite 90’s songs “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes, I am proud to share my brand new literary parody song “The Raven is
Hard to Handle” where I actually sing!Not necessarily well, but certainly with lots of passion and heart.Oh, don’t you just love Poe’s The
Tell-Tale Heart? "Villains!" I shrieked. "Dissemble no
more! I admit the deed!Tear up
the planks!Here, here!It is the beating of his hideous
heart!"No, I didn’t memorize
that.I have like 20 Poe books
here on my desk leftover from the video shoot.
As is my mission as the
Stand-Up Librarian, I want to promote libraries and show my love to my fellow
librarians, so this video is no different.There are several “shout outs” in my costumes and especially
on my purse guitar!I love
literature as much as rock n’ roll, so grab a set
of Raven wings and get ready to rock...at the library!
RIP Edgar
Allan Poe!
The Raven parody idea came to me after making this hat!
Sitting in my "library" wearing my literary creations that I made or re-styled from other pieces I had.
With my friend and acting teacher Corinne. I asked her to shush me only 1 minute before we filmed it!
Wearing my silver & black Raven wings. I originally had READ on the back in red but it looked like dripping blood. Too dark even for Poe!
***Please visit: www.StandUpLibrarianDesigns.com if you want me to make you a Raven hat or headband! Or if you are looking for some fashions that are literary fabulous!
