Microreview Monday
Monday, August 24, 2009 at 07:49AM ;)
Jambandbootleg
Paul Siegell
A-Head Publishing, 2009
$12.00
Like his dazzling debut Poemergency Room, Paul Siegell’s second collection jambandbootleg buzzes with exuberance so huge the book can barely contain it. From the blurb by his dad—“What a rush!” to the “(((Whooo’s got my publisher?)))” where most would put “acknowledgments” to the “SETLIST” instead of a “Table of Contents,” Siegell’s book embodies the non-stop sensory overload of a super-fun show.
Like the bands he idolizes—Phish, the Disco Biscuits—Siegell’s poetry has an improvisational quality, but not an optional one; there are surprises, certainly, but so too is there skillful decision-making at work; he is causing effects to happen for a reason. Or as he puts it in “SET III” “for Dionysus speaks: / Apollo descends w/ boundaries.”
In “Meet Me at Will Call” he writes:
I. Today
I was told
over the phone
that I sounded
“happy”
And he sounds that way over the page, too, which makes this book refreshing, a romp—a cover-to-cover experience of Dionysian excess, ecstasy, and escape. In poems that take concert-going as their well-spring, Siegell carries on the visionary tradition of Ginsberg and Blake. [Kathleen Rooney]
Reader Comments (6)
Mm-hmm & right-on! Great review for a great book! I agree -- "jambandbootleg buzzes with exuberance so huge the book can barely contain it."
Monday is back!
good stuff. sounds like something i'd like. i'll totally check it out. paul's site looks cool, too.
I agree with you 100%: Siegell's work is exciting, inspiring and a pleasure to experience!
Just an aside: "Siegell’s poetry has an improvisational quality, but not an optional one" - Again, I agree that the language of Jambandbootleg has a one-of-a kind spontaneous style. But, "not optional" is a sloppy way to emphasize the fact that the poetry's amazing impact comes from the meticulous and clearly thought-out way Siegell uses and places each word in the most unexpected way.
Whoa, "booey." Thank you for your readership and support. I very much appreciate this review and the care with which it was written. Everything's cool. 100%. Thanks again, Kathy!!!
I agree Paul, great review AND book. Bottom line - READ JAMBANDBOOTLEG!