“Coded Language”

I watched SlamNation tonight, a 1998 documentary about the National Poetry Slam. The Poetry Slam is basically a competition where teams of poets perform their work and are judged by the audience through several tournament-style rounds until a winner takes all.

I love spoken word so I enjoyed it a lot. It gives an interesting glimpse into the world of Slam Poetry and there are loads of great performances. There was one thing I didn’t dig much though and that’s the competition aspect of it. I get what they’re doing with it, I appreciate the opportunity it can afford up-and-coming artists to get their voices out into the public, and the possibilities for bringing contemporary poetry to people who may not otherwise be exposed to it — but somehow, something about the Slam being a competition cheapens the experience a bit for me. Plus, it was a little heartbreaking for me to watch all the backstage politics and the clashing personalities play out. That said, it is honest. It shows you what the competition really entails. But I guess I just take issue with poetry being a competition at all.

This is why I’m down with the HBO show Def Poetry. You get all the power of the poetry and the performances, even many of the same artists, but without the brutality of competition. Also, I have a super hot lusty crush on Mos Def. And yes, this is yet another instance of why I’m a stereotypical white person. (that was a pre-emptive strike).

One of the dudes in SlamNation — one of the winning dudes in fact — appears several times on Def Poetry. His name is Taylor Mali and he’s a teacher so a lot of his stuff is about his experiences in the classroom. I particularly enjoyed his poem “Totally Like Whatever.” At first I was a bit put off by his mocking tone. But I quickly realized that my reaction was fueled by my own embarassment at how I speak like that most of the time.

Saul Williams is another Slam Poetry star and I really respect his work. A comparison of the two poets reminded me of a criticism I took a few years back on one of my own poems. I was told that the poetic voice was too much like my own. I took that into serious consideration for awhile — but over time came to believe that my poetry should come out sounding like me. The poetry that speaks most to me is always the clearest, the most honest, and the closest to everyday experience and language. Taylor Mali and Saul Williams speak in their own unique voices, and if you watch the documentary you can see what a personal place these voices come from.

(If you can put up with the minor skipping on that video, it’s well worth it).