Music Babble

Even better than I expected- cried like a baby at the end. And I’m not even a fan of Smith or Mapplethorpe’s work. A powerfully poetic depiction of starving artists refusing to give up, the connection between 2 people who truly seem like soulmates and it also conveys how important a role luck plays in achieving success (Patti really had a knack for being in the right place at the right time).

Also checked out Sylvia Plath due to Patti mentioning her. Holy ####ing shit. Not only is she the best woman poet I've ever encountered, she's probably the best American poet overall IMO. Such a travesty that she's pigeonholed as a "confessional poet" (seriously- #### that term) and that her suicide has obscured her talent. Made me assume she was just sad goth girl stuff but her inventiveness, bravery and mastery of language is staggering. Also inspiring that as her life and mind were spiraling out of control towards the end, she was shockingly prolific. Reading her collected chronological poetry results in a fascinatingly tragic narrative of sorts- highly recommended to all poetry fans.

Also recently finished “The Delicate Prey & Other Stories” by Paul Bowles. Can definitely understand why he’s considered one of the best short story writers ever- some genuinely creative and oftentimes shockingly creepy stories here.

Also read some of Jim Carrol’s poetry (Patti also mentioned him- they dated for awhile). Hit or miss but mostly enjoyable and pretty much what you’d expect- Rimbaud + the beats via the city-as-metaphor New York School (Frank O’Hara etc).