Taalam Acey

Last night, I had the opportunity to see Taalam Acey perform. Acey is the hardest working man in the business of spoken word poetry, and last night, a small but dedicated crowd got to witness his craft at Brownstone on Main as part of the Black Pearl poetry series.

Acey averages taking a flight every 3.5 days, and he books as many as three hundred performances per year at small venues like the one I saw him perform in. He has published two books and recorded nine CDs, and his wares are often sold out well before he is done performing. His schedule can be viewed on his MySpace page.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me to the performance. Luckily for you, there are many others who thought that recording Acey's artistry was a worthwhile endeavor. You can see evidence of Taalam and his way with words here, here and here.

The performance opened up with Ed Mabrey and Will Evans, both of whom bring an interesting approach to the spoken word game. There also was an open mic, which featured poets of varying skill levels on the mic displaying their craft.

Brownstone's upstairs dining area is very nice, and there is also limited outside seating. The downstairs bar (where the poetry event is held) features a standard pallet of beer and liquor. The drinks are a little more expensive than the typical campus bar. The menu features limited vegetarian selections.

If performance poetry is your bag, the weekly Black Pearl events might be your cup of tea. If not, definitely scour the wire for Taalam Acey appearances, because he is an artist in the true sense of the word.

Acey has an M.B.A., but instead of going the desk route to success, he used his talent with the English language to raise the stakes in the slam scene. He is the creme de la creme of the the genre, and he is a performer who is copied by more than anybody else in the field.

If you missed him this go round, don't repeat the mistake too many times. I have been lucky enough to see the Dylan Thomas of the 21st century perform more times than I can count. He is a gifted performer who must be seen to be believed.

Taser my Brain

John Kerry can't buy a break. He loses the Presidential election in a controversial fashion. Now he's tied to a different controversy, this one involving a University of Florida student getting Tasered at an appearance Kerry made. This goes on to prove that wherever John Kerry goes, mistakes are sure to follow. Kerry wishes he could have flip flopped his choice of appearances.

There is a nominee for attorney general, and that nominee is Michael Mukasey. They couldn't just leave the position unattended, although putting Alberto Gonzales in charge of the justice department or suggesting Harriet Miers was fit to be on the Supreme Court was about as close as America could get to legal anarchy.

People are up in arms about the decision of Fox to censor Sally Field at the Emmys because of her swearing and talking about the Iraq war on television. Like I've been saying, Sally Field could start a riot...she makes Don Imus look like Johnny Carson. Be careful with that one.

Leading scientists are predicting a huge earthquake in the near future in Indonesia. The quake might lead to a subsequent tsunami. Predicting natural disasters in Indonesia is about as difficult as forecasting a Keith Richards drug binge or a University of Texas football arrest.You know it's coming...you just can't say exactly when.

BBC details the technological advancements made in the U.S. and U.K. now that the two countries have turned into Big Brother. It's amazing how gadgets that are supposed to make us feel safer manage to make us feel paranoid and in danger.

Finally, research is out that suggests liberals are smarter than conservatives. Some people have countered and said that the units aren't really a measurement of intellect. Whatever the truth may be, social science does support the theory that President Bush is dumber than the average slug.