River of Red Wine and Other Poems

Rating:
Summary: Basic Micheline
Review: For many in the Beat scene, Jack Micheline fully embodied the "Street Poet" -- a poet who not only stayed close to the street where the action was, but also one whose reveries followed the bright lights and dark alleys of a seemingly endless city, taking in everything, whether beatific or repulsive, energizing or dull, overheated or completely cool, and, just as important, let it go by without letting it trap him in euphotia or rage. This approach presents a kaleidoscope of images, dazzling and subdued. Perhaps at its deepest artistic level, this shimmering river of words works its way into an improvised poetry where changing rhythms and free associations reach the most basic pulse of the reader or listener. Musicians particularly appreciated Micheline's public readings, which could resemble jazz scatting. As with many Beat poets, the music of Micheline's verse reflected the stimulus and internalization of bop and cool jazz. Part of the magic of this poetry is the way Micheline can sustain a strong melodic line even when the sense of his words falters -- which happens often enough. The Beat milieu placed a strong emphasis on personalities and the adventurous stories that radiated from them. This was one of the forces that made the Beat movement break out of the accademic literary modes of the mid 20th century, and one of the reasons why readers keep coming back to the classic Beats. An unfortunate casualty of this tendency, however, was that it left some figures such as Ira Cohen, d.a.levy, and Jack Micheline in the position of legends, remembered for their stories, while their poetry went unread by all but a relatively small group of adicionados. The most recent wave of interest in the classic Beats includes a health interest in the poetry behind such mythologized figures, and, in the process, Micheline may move out of the role of cult hero to a widr audience. It seems fortunate that this relatively small volume, essentially the same as the first edition, is still available as a book of its own. The volume focuses attention on Micheline's basics, and carries with it some of the aura and immediacy of the book when it first came off the press.

Rating:
Summary: Basic Micheline
Review: For many in the Beat scene, Jack Micheline fully embodied the "Street Poet" -- a poet who not only stayed close to the street where the action was, but also one whose reveries followed the bright lights and dark alleys of a seemingly endless city, taking in everything, whether beatific or repulsive, energizing or dull, overheated or completely cool, and, just as important, let it go by without letting it trap him in euphotia or rage. This approach presents a kaleidoscope of images, dazzling and subdued. Perhaps at its deepest artistic level, this shimmering river of words works its way into an improvised poetry where changing rhythms and free associations reach the most basic pulse of the reader or listener. Musicians particularly appreciated Micheline's public readings, which could resemble jazz scatting. As with many Beat poets, the music of Micheline's verse reflected the stimulus and internalization of bop and cool jazz. Part of the magic of this poetry is the way Micheline can sustain a strong melodic line even when the sense of his words falters -- which happens often enough. The Beat milieu placed a strong emphasis on personalities and the adventurous stories that radiated from them. This was one of the forces that made the Beat movement break out of the accademic literary modes of the mid 20th century, and one of the reasons why readers keep coming back to the classic Beats. An unfortunate casualty of this tendency, however, was that it left some figures such as Ira Cohen, d.a.levy, and Jack Micheline in the position of legends, remembered for their stories, while their poetry went unread by all but a relatively small group of adicionados. The most recent wave of interest in the classic Beats includes a health interest in the poetry behind such mythologized figures, and, in the process, Micheline may move out of the role of cult hero to a widr audience. It seems fortunate that this relatively small volume, essentially the same as the first edition, is still available as a book of its own. The volume focuses attention on Micheline's basics, and carries with it some of the aura and immediacy of the book when it first came off the press.