As a fellow creative writer, it’s always refreshing to see someone do something new and/or unique with the art of writing and performing. And friends, Chet Weise has done just that in Nashville, right under my nose. With what seems like bi-weekly renditions at Dino’s Bar and Grill in East Nashville of his event Poetry Sucks!: A Night of Poetry, Music, and All Sorts of Bad Language, Chet has taken the bull of bad poetry by the horns and matadored it into submission. Chet, himself a poet and songwriter, also dabbles as a guitarist in a punk rock band and was once an economics professor at Auburn University in an earlier life.
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- He’s also a space cowboy.
“Too many of America’s fathers, mothers, and teachers tell us: you’re inclined to be an engineer, you’re the type to be a businessman, or you have the mind of an artist. That’s crap. We’re all businessmen and artists. It’s just a matter of on which we want to spend more time and effort.”
Mixing in a variety of known, unknown, up-and-coming, wannabe, and successful poets and bands, Chet has concocted a winning formula for his shows that recently earned Poetry Sucks! a head nod as the “Best New Literary Event” in the Nashville Scene’s 2012 “Best of” issue.
But wait, it gets better. Coldfront, a magazine of pioneering poetry and poets, recently interviewed Chet and featured Poetry Sucks! on their homepage. Translation: The rest of the country, and perhaps the world, thinks that Chet and his brand of poetry are pretty badassical as well. Click here for the full transcript of Chet’s interview with Coldfront, and realize where these block quotes come from. Check the video at the bottom to hear some of Chet’s poetry. And, since I’ve talked so much about him, I’m going to let Chet close out this post.
“Being in Nashville really brings this all home– the mixing, blending, co-dependence, morphing, ying-yanging, of personalities, arts, and professions. It’s cool to see it all come together in a charming dive bar. Everyone loves partying with rats.”
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/40912230 w=500&h=281]
Poetry Sucks presents: Mach 3 – A Poem by Chet Weise from Doug Lehmann on Vimeo.
