Monday 17 February 2020

John Giorno & Anne Waldman ‎– ( Giorno Poetry Systems ‎– GPS 010-011) 1977




Boy, Anne looks fuuuuuming in the stark black and white photo inside the gatefold sleeve.Seething at her plight as a woman in a mans world no doubt.
Who would want to own this slowly suffocating planet i'd really like to understand? Of course i refer to the highly contagious disease of humanity rather than the creatures lower down the food chain,who seem to be just waiting for us to destroy ourselves so they can get back to business as usual.A man's world it is not,and women are just as responsible for this mess as those vile possessors of the Y chromosome.
It's 1977 and we're back at the birth of identity politics for those whose newly-manufactured identities needed shoring up a bit. John Giorno applies multi-tracking and echo-delay to banal statements in order to replicate the confused state of everyday consciousness,it says here.It was also good for business to be seen sharing stuff with a promient feminist.....although i notice his name comes first,and as always,in sex and poetry alike,the lady always comes second....if at all.
Anne Waldman is more ideological in her statements about being a woman.If she had worn a shirt and tie,and displayed her armpit hair, we might never have had Patti Smith inflicted upon us.Patti had a better hairstyle,or armpit hairstyle, I suppose? It's an example of which people with heads full of theories give self-expression to their frustration at being unable to find a contented place in daily existence. Ever one for a good title or two,as John Giorno says; Everyone is, indeed everything,is,ultimately a complete disappointment,mainly to ourselves.However,the cosmos couldn't give a shit,which is something we could all learn from.We are how we are because we are...get over it.What the bloody fucking hell do we expect???? The world is not your oyster, an oyster is your oyster,so make it last 'cause its the only one you're gonna get.


Tracklist:

A –John Giorno - Everyone Is A Complete Disappointment 26:15
B –John Giorno - Drinking The Blood Of Every Woman's Period 27:47
C –Anne Waldman - For The Voice Of Montserrat Caballe, Error, Sisters, Plutonium Poem, Billy Work Peyote, Sun The Blonde Out, Shaman Hisses You Slide Back Into The Night 25:10
D1 –Anne Waldman - Fast Speaking Woman 9:30
D2 –Anne Waldman - White Eyes 13:45
D3 –Anne Waldman - Musical Garden 3:45


7 comments:

albrecht koschnik said...

JZ, as you are on a Giorno Poetry Systems roll: will you post LIFE IS A KILLER and THE NOVA CONVENTION as well?

Jonny Zchivago said...

Indeed I will be.

northfieldhat said...

And a lot of these hipster guys used the free-love and liberation thing
as a license for what today would be sexual abuse.Not just the politically correct sexual abuse of flirting or catcalling, but piggish behavior.

Philip Johnson said...

Wasn't John Giorno gay?

Jonny Zchivago said...

Yes, pretty certain that Giorno was indeed.....gay.

northfieldhat said...

I meant in general, from that time. What Waldman probably had to put up with, and observed.

Jonny Zchivago said...

@northfieldhat yes understood.Free Love was certainly a 'Male' concept,which to their minds meant 'Free Sex'....the female victims probably expected the 'Love' part. I should be ashamed to be male really, but, thats how boys are innit? We can't change our programming as much as women can't change who they are. Its time we all accepted this.Same applies to racism, we are all basically bloodthirsty Racist Rapists, held back only by intelligent reasoning. I suppose its a Darwinist concept that now it is not in our advantage to go raping and pillaging everywhere.So we behave ourselves for a more comfortable safe existence? Thats evolution folks.