pitchfork poetry website up and running

My friend Josh Flanders has been working away at the pitchfork poetry mag website and it is now up and running. I need to add contributor photos & bios and do a little tweaking here and there but it is up now if you wanna take a peek.
Soon this site will also be the home of the pitchfork poetry web zine, so stay tuned for a new issue soon.

http://www.pitchforkpoetryprojects.com

trio at 3030 august 5th

all right! more music.

got an upcoming performance at 3030
this will probably be the last electro night there since the neighbors have complained and they have to cease hosting shows there.

the group:
brian dibblee- laptop
paul giallorenzo- synthesizer, objects
abraham gibson-electric guitar

there will be other groups playing also but i'm not sure who it will be. come out and say goodbye to electro night and get a dose of krang.

august 5th
9 pm
3030 w cortland
http://www.elasticrevolution.com

music at 3030 on july 19th

bored out of my mind with no job (again) and this long year of poverty just dragging on,but I am happy to report that I'll be getting off my ass on tuesday july 19th and performing at 3030 as part of the elastro electronic music series.

the performers:
rotten milk
todd carter
paul giallorenzo
fred lonberg-holm
abe gibson

groups will be assembled randomly by the roll of dice

tuesday july 19th
9 p.m.
3030 w. cortland
www.elasticrevolution.com

3 poems online at unlikely stories

some brand new poems online at

www.unlikelystories.org

check out 'the edge of town', 'slow going in post-apocalyptic scenes of crumbling civilization', and 'bloodyears'
somebody in el paso likes me!

MISTER gibson

last tuesday i officially became MISTER gibson when i married the lovely jessica lippincott in the tackiest town in the world- las vegas.
many thanks to woodenlung, j.ho, and minh for the bachelor drinkfest before i left chicago.
while in vegas, i lost 20 bucks on goofy ass slot machines, saw some rather tame female mud wrestling at gilley's, and was nearly farted on by a stumbling drunk on the strip. good times!

zygote #41

the good folks of zygote in my coffee have published another poem of mine in their latest,issue #41. take a peek at "poetry and vision" originally published in my chapbook 'new shattered patterns and the murmurwall conspiracy' (pitchfork press 2004) at www.zygoteinmycoffee.com

krang w/dibblee at myopic june 27th

i've got an upcoming performance w/brian dibblee (laptop) and maybe some special guests coming up
this monday
june 27th
at
myopic bookstore
1564 north Milwaukee Avenue
chicago, IL
7:30 pm
this is a free show

www.myopicbookstore.com

poem in new issue of zygote

another edition (issue 40) of zygote in my coffee has hit the web. check out my poem 'stoned in my bathrobe' at www.zygoteinmycoffee.com not to mention fine work from a.d. winans, doug draime, and michael estabrook

lightbox orchestra may 27th

I will be performing this friday as a member of Fred Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra. The show is may 27th at University of Chicago's Bartlett Performance Space (5640 S. University) It starts at 9 pm. Ivan Khilko will also play.

this incarnation of the lightbox orchestra is:
Fred Lonberg-Holm, Conductor
Jesse Seay-Flute
Aram Shelton-Clarinet
Kate Young-Bassoon
Josh Berman-Cornet
Ernst Karel-Trumpet
Amy Cimini-Viola
Matt Schneider-Guitar
Jason Stein-Bass Clarinet
Ken Vandermark-Clarinets
Jason Roebke-Bass
Michael Colligan-Dry Ice
Frank Rosaly-Percussion
Abraham Gibson-Guitar

30 Years of Abe

all of the sudden it is 2005 and i've been around for 30 years. celebrating my birthday today(along with archie shepp & bob dylan) with nothing feeling scary.
It's been a good week as chicago sputters into springtime, today outside it's MF'n beautiful, with lots of sun and sky.
A good week- I finally got to see the boredoms (last saturday night at logan square auditorium) I had pretty high expectations. I expected them to be so good that it would be like tripping without drugs. It was good to see them finally but I was a little let down and really tired as i made my way to the blue line station. Too much like a japanese butthole surfers. I expected it to be really precise, especially eye's parts, but it was kinda sloppy and didn't really hold my attention.
A good week- saw the final star wars movie on sunday so now after 28 years of this, I can finally get on with my life
and now shit, I'm thirty and the same. Tired, crazy, poor, crackling, inspired, etc.

peace out to mike w and his iron lung!

CCR Top Ten

10. Down On The Corner
9. Bad Moon Rising
8. Green River
7. Fortunate Son
6. Proud Mary
5. Suzie Q
4. Run Through The Jungle
3. Lodi
2. Lookin Out My Back Door
1. Effigy

111 essential records

1.peaches-the teaches of peaches
2.jim o'rourke-eureka
3.royal trux-cats and dogs
4. the pharcyde-labcabincalifornia
5.david bowie-the man who sold the world
6.portishead-dummy
7.pixies-surfer rosa
8.silver jews-american water
9. bob dylan-desire
10.oukast-the love below/speakerboxx
11.pj harvey-dry
12.can-ege bamyasi
13.pussy galore-rigth now!
14.makeup-i want some
15.rolling stones-exile on main street
16.grifters-one sock missing
17.meat puppets II
18.palace music-lost blues and other songs
19.kim fowley-outrageous
20.dinosaur jr-you're living all over me
21.ol dirty bastard-return to the 36 chambers
22.gastr del sol-upgrade and afterlife
23.kool keith-black elvis/lost in space
24.spacemen 3-the perfect prescription
25.velvet underground-white light/white heat
26.boredoms-vision creation newsun
27.brian eno-taking tiger mountain (by strategy)
28.clouddead s/t
29.butthole surfers-locust abortion technician
30.frank zappa-hot rats
31.sonic youth-sister
32.fennesz-venice
33.the fall-dragnet
34.minutemen-double nickels on the dime
35.13th floor elevators-easter everywhere
36.neil young-tonight's the night
37.the beatles-the white album
38.ween-chocolate and cheese
39.bongwater-the power of pussy
40.lou reed-coney island baby
41.melvins-honky
42.beck-mellow gold
43.cannibal ox-the cold vein
44.yo la tengo-fakebook
45.sly and the family stone-there's a riot goin on
46.mc5-kick out the jams
47.black sabbath s/t
48.ornette coleman-science fiction
49.lord high fixers-is your club a secret weapon?
50.neil young-on the beach
51.john fahey-the legend of blind joe death
52.tv on the radio-desperate youth, blood thirsty babes
53.arthur brown-kingdom come
54.husker du-zen arcade
55.loren mazzacane connors/alan licht-hoffman estates
56.lou reed-street hassle
57.the damned-machine gun etiquette
58.will oldham-joya
59.brian eno-before and after science
60.sonic youth-daydream nation
61.kinks-muswell hillbillies
62.steve reich-music for 18 musicians
63.spacemen 3-taking drugs to make music to take drugs to
64.didjits-hey judester
65.jimi hendrix-axis:bold as love
66.the cure-disintegration
67.yo la tengo-i can hear the heart beating as one
68.captain beefheart and his magic band-trout mask replica
69.sun ra-space is the place
70.big black-songs about fucking
71.doo rag-like we do
72.dead milkmen-big lizard in my backyard
73.thinkin fellers union local 282-lovelyville
74.sun city girls-valentines from matahari
75.talking heads-fear of music
76.the specials s/t
77.paul and linda mccartney-ram
78.elvis costello-this year's model
79.guided by voices-alien lanes
80.x-los angeles
81.contortions-buy
82.butthole surfers-rembrandt pussyhorse
83.oblivians-the sympathy sessions
84.sonic youth-bad moon rising
85.bonnie prince billy-i see a darkness
86.pink floyd-piper at the gates of dawn
87.mummies-play their own records
88.bob dylan-highway 61 revisited
89.gories-i know you fine but how you doin?
90.firehose-ragin full on
91.mighty caesars-english punk rock explosion
92.cream-disraeli gears
93.shannon wright-flightsafety
94.ween-the mollusk
95.orko-the psychotik alien
96.new york dolls s/t
97.cherubs-heroin man
98.negativland-helter stupid
99.melvins-houdini
100.john coltrane-meditations
101.kiss-hotter than hell
102.roxy music-siren
103.alice cooper-love it to death
104.eleventh dream day-prairie school freakout
105.royal trux-accelerator
106.beans-tomorrow right now
107.flying saucer attack-further
108.tom waits-frank's wild years
109.melt banana-charlie
110.lou reed-berlin
111.bob dylan and the band-the basement tapes

recommended books

in no certain order:

the knockout artist-harry crews
the pill vs. the springhill mine disaster-richard brautigan
planet joe-joe cole
london fields-martin amis
bluebeard-kurt vonnegut jr.
hunger-knut hamsun
radio free albemuth-philip k. dick
gravity's rainbow-thomas pynchon
ada, or ardor-vladimir nabakov
tarantula-bob dylan
the feast of love-charles baxter
the job-william s burroughs
how bluegrass music destroyed my life-john fahey
the outlaw bible of american poetry
the stranger-albert camus
last exit to brooklyn-hubert selby jr
the rosy crucifixion trilogy-henry miller
fear and loathing in las vegas-hunter s thompson
our band could be your life-michael azzerad
mexico city blues-jack kerouac
black mesa poems-jimmy santiago baca
pattern recognition-william gibson
car-harry crews
the biggest secret-david icke
the woman in the dunes-kobo abe
the sportswriter-richard ford
the cryptonomicon-neal stephenson
tales of beatnik glory-ed sanders
ham on rye-charles bukowski
the illuminatus trilogy-robert anton wilson
the crying of lot 49-thomas pynchon
in watermelon sugar-richard brautigan
the dream songs-john berryman
the cat inside-william s burroughs
the trial-franz kafka
the stargate conspiracy-lynn pickett & clive prince
collected poems-kenneth patchen
weaveworld-clive barker
body-harry crews
never mind the pollacks-neal pollack
pale fire-vladimir nabakov
the rachel papers-martin amis
ask the dust-john fante
tropic of capricorn-henry miller
waiting for the barbarians-j.m. coetze
cranial guitar-bob kaufman
speed-william s burroughs, jr
honeymooners-chuck kinder
shock value-john waters
a people's history of the united states-howard zinn
king of the roadkills-bucky sinister
house of leaves-mark z. danielewski
tristessa-jack kerouac
the lemon-mohammed mrabet
vineland-thomas pynchon
the nuclear age-tim o'brien
ubik-philip k. dick
prometheus rising-robert anton wilson
play the piano like a percussion instrument until the fingers begin to bleed a bit-charles bukowski
tropic of cancer-henry miller
breakfast of champions-kurt vonnegut,jr.
a coney island of the mind-lawrence ferlinghetti
the castle-franz kafka
bop!-sappho (a.k.a. wulf zendik)
children of the matrix-david icke
franny and zooey-j.d. salinger
hymns to saint geryon & dark brown-michael mcclure
schrondinger's cat trilogy-robert anton wilson
journey to the end of the night-louis ferdinand celine

zygote in my coffee

I've got poems online in the next three issues
of zygote in my coffee.
check out this month's-'schizzy connection'
at www.zygoteinmycoffee.com

The Human Pixel Project

I am taking part in a colloborative art project called the human pixel project with several other artists. 10 of my paintings "pixels" (size 1 inch X 1 inch)will be included with hundreds (thousands?) of others to form larger 5 foot X 7 foot pieces. This is all being put together by a dude named Peter Smuts in Somerville, MA. More information and visuals are available at this website:
www.TheHumanPixelProject.com

terry plumming pentagram soundsystem

I will be performing in a large improv ensemble (up to 100 performers) on Wednesday April 27th as a member of the terry plumming pentagram soundsystem during versionfest 2005. The show will take place in South Chicago (Bridgeport neighborhood) at the Zhou Brothers space on 35th and Morgan. This will be going on from 1pm - 7pm.
for more info:
www.versionfest.org
www.diabolical.org (terry plumming site)

rain now

rain now intense slapping against the window glass. freezing winds blowing through the cracks in this poorly constructed apartment. should go to sleep but i'm wound up with caffeine. hope and worry battling it out in my mind and guts. a little sunshine would do wonders.

over/underwhelmed

after midnight....cigarette after cigarette....many many months of unemployment... waiting for the mailman like my crazy grandma carol used to, checking the email ten times a day, picking up the phone that doesn't ring just to make sure it's working....lots of time on my hands....room full of unfinished paintings....notebooks full of poems that need some serious revisions....movie after movie on the vcr. earlier tonight it was woody allen's manhattan and now it's key largo....insane with songs in my headphones.....so much to do, too much time....still cold in chicago, locked up inside with cabin fever on the first day of spring

poem in THE CLIFFS

I've got a poem in THE CLIFFS "soundings". This is the first issue of a new poetry magazine edited by t.k. splake from vertin press in calumet, michigan. if you'd like to purchase a copy send $8.25 to:

THE CLIFFS "soundings"
P.O. Box 7
Calumet, MI 49913

music at hotti biscotti-tuesday feb 15th

i will be playing some skree & krang this tuesday feb 15th

come check it out at
hotti biscotti
3545 w fullerton
chicago il
show starts around 9:30
other performers TBA

oscar dummies

just watched garden state for the third time and i just can't believe that it got snubbed by the academy. never mind the mostly shitty soundtrack. never mind that zach braff is on a lame tv show. never mind that if you are "twentysomething" you are supposed to like this movie.
it's the best movie of the year. well written and very original. when you're first introduced to "sam" played by natalie portman, you're annoyed by her. By the end of the film you love her as much as he does.
this film is funny. it's absurd without being ridiculous (a motorcycle w/a sidecar, epilepsey helmets, a couple living in a boat at the top of an "infinite abyss")
and such a sweet ending that makes you want to cry for joy of being alive.

best movie of the year. no contest. those folks at the oscars are dummies. similar to the outcome of the recent presidential election no matter who wins they're all losers.

the aviator: come on. martin scorsese is turning into a disney dope. he sunk so low as to have U2 in the soundtrack of his last film-gangs of new york. and what's the deal w/making leonardo dicraprio his new leading man? maybe he'd be a more believeable howard hughes if he didn't have to glue a fake mustache on. even with it he still looks 15 years old.

sideways: a pretentious movie only pretentious wine sipping assholes would even consider for best picture. if you liked this movie you probably also like hanging out and drinking coffee at barnes and noble.

finding neverland: johnny depp playing pirate again. another actor who needs to lay off the disney schlock. don't use having kids as an excuse for making whimpy movies.

million dollar baby: there is not enough web space on the entire internet for me to rant about this hunk of shit so I won't

ray: i don't think biopics should even be eligible for oscars, unless they create a special catergory for them. seems pretty easy to tell a story that's already been written. best picture? best e true hollywood story.

bob dylan chronicles volume one

being terminally unemployed, when i am not chasing down a job thru the want ads or going to time wasting interviews, i am sitting around the apartment trying to get some reading done.
as i get older i find it harder to be impressed and even harder to be inspired. i don't think the last 10 books that i've read made any lasting impression at all. this is not true of bob dylan's autobiography-chronicles volume one.
this book is the real deal. after decades of hearing every possible perspective & critical analysis but his own dylan dishes the dirt.
when i was 17 the two biggies for me were bob dylan & the minutemen. every few months (maybe every six) i'd go dylan crazy all over. what can i say, i share a kinship w/the man being from the midwest & sharing the same birthday- may24th. but the last five years or so, dylan didn't have the same appeal that he once had.
the critics and record geek friends urging me to check out time out of mind and dylan's newer albums.their message being is you don't love this stuff-you're an idiot. sorry folks, but it just wasn't doing it for me. his voice that once had alot of "character" is totally wasted. he sounds like a frog w/throat cancer.
last year though the man really dazzled me w/his movie-masked and anonymous. here he was in a whole new genre, making something revelant and downright exciting. michael corcoran from the austin american statesman named it one of the worst "rock" films of the year (or maybe of all time I can't remember) but what does he know? he thinks toni price can sing and spoon is a great "new" band.
masked and anonymous is way more than a rock film w/so many layers and levels to it. even if you're not a dylan fan, you'd probably find something to like there (directed by larry charles of seinfeld fame) and if you are a dylan fan this movie is essential (more so than time out of mind)
chronicles volume one is the first (i hope more is forthcoming) installment of dylan's autobiography. it skips around and focuses mostly on his arrival in NYC, his dropping out of the woodstock nation, and strangely enough the new orleans recording sessions for the OH Mercy! lp. so many insights and revelations contained in these pages. he tells the reader who he was reading, what he was listening too, and what he was thinking. and he proves to the world he is a true artist whether it is songwriting, film making, poetry (you gotta read tarantula), or as a writer of philosophical memoirs, bob dylan is still the man, and more than just a moldy living legend. what will he do next?

coupla poems online

i've got a couple of poems online in the latest gnome. check it out at www.asteriusonline.net/gnome/

back in illinois

back in illinois after 8 years in austin.
but living in chicago is a first for me. austin? i don't miss it. sure there are some folks i miss, josh,spencer,taco. and i miss eating swad (best indian food in town, austinites take heed and head to swad)
first few months in chicago were emotionally cold & cruel. lived in a shitty basement apartment under a morbidly obese psychopath. went out and wondered-where is everyone?is this all there is?looking behind pillars in the subway station for "my people" hiding behind them.
moved into our new place two weeks ago and the city has blossomed, or i have in the dead of winter.got a show coming up, an internship at a great record label,and a poetry reading being organizied.things are going on.
hello chicago