{"id":10233,"date":"2025-06-06T02:08:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/?page_id=10233"},"modified":"2025-06-06T02:08:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:08:48","slug":"mtv-in-free-verse-word-pushes-at-poetrys-borders","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/performance-reviews\/mtv-in-free-verse-word-pushes-at-poetrys-borders\/","title":{"rendered":"MTV, in free verse: “Word” pushes at poetry’s borders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MTV, in free verse: “Word” pushes at poetry’s borders
<\/strong>USA Today<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(date unknown)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, MTV’s Unplugged<\/em> series plugged into the growing interest in poetry with a half-hour special called Spoken Word<\/em>. And the Word<\/em> became fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight, Spoken Word<\/em> returns with new, back-to-back half hours, starting at 8 p.m. ET\/PT. This time, says Unplugged<\/em> co-creator Bob Small, Spoken Word<\/em> will speak to more than just poetry lovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This one is poets and performers” whose “poems” don’t fit the traditional rhythm and rhyme, says Small. “They’ve taken writing and acting and music and created their own form.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the performers use musical accompaniment, like Maggie Estep, in her thumping Sex Goddess of the Western Hemisphere<\/em>. Some weave comedy into an unstructured monologue, like Eric Bogosian, one of the better known of tonight’s performers, whose play in New York have drawn critical acclaim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The readings–performed in front of an intimate group like other Unplugged<\/em> concerts–also broaches a range of issues. Jim Carroll mourns the loss of grunge rocker Kurt Cobain; veteran poet Gil-Scott Heron laments the “military and the monetary” that drive U.S. government policy and Hal Sirowitz mocks the obsessive bent of his mother in a fit of Woody Allen-esque neurosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spoken Word<\/em> builds on today’s poetry revival, which has flourished in the new crop of coffee houses across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s finally shaken the stigma of being retro–Jack Kerouac,” says Small. “It’s proven it’s here to stay.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening begins in a reflective mood, with Rapper MC Lyte’s letter to her biological father. In the candid monologue, MC Lyte reveals hermost tender side, which–as she writes to her father–doesn’t come through in her rap image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the performance that may create the most buzz is Revolution Ain’t No X-Cap<\/em>, by Danny Hoch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Everyone who’s seen it has been blown away,” says Small. Hoch, who’s performed in a one-man show in New York and works with prison inmates, unleashes a criticism of the black community for playing into white society’s material traps–all in a zestily written take-off of rap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I would love to work with this guy (Hoch) again,” says Small. And the opportunity should come; Small hopes to spin off Spoken Word into its own weekly series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MTV, in free verse: “Word” pushes at poetry’s bordersUSA Today\u00a0(date unknown) Last year, MTV’s Unplugged series plugged into the growing interest in poetry with a half-hour special called Spoken Word. And the Word became fresh. Tonight, Spoken Word returns with new, back-to-back half hours, starting at 8 p.m. ET\/PT. This time, says Unplugged co-creator Bob Small, Spoken Word will speak to more than just poetry lovers. … Continue reading MTV, in free verse: “Word” pushes at poetry’s borders<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3985,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"folder":[38],"class_list":["post-10233","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9VlUH-2F3","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4068,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/jim-carroll-music-and-spoken-word\/jim-carroll-spoken-word-collaborations\/","url_meta":{"origin":10233,"position":0},"title":"Jim Carroll: Spoken-Word Collaborations & Soundtracks","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"See also: Albums: Spoken-Word\/Lecture Doctor Sax and the Great World SnakeReleased: 2003By: Jack KerouacPerformed by: various artistsLabel: MintGenre: Spoken word (dramatic reading) This two-CD set offers a dramatic reading of Kerouac's previouslyunpublished screenplay. Carroll performs multiple roles and is featured in almost every scene. Robert Creeley narrates. Other readers include\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover Art - Doctor Sax and the Great World Snake (2003)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/drsax.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4477,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/jim-carroll-music-and-spoken-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":10233,"position":1},"title":"Music & Spoken Word","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This page provides an overview of recorded music and spoken work works, from rock & roll to poetry, on his own and with others, and even covers and tributes to Carroll. These works are organized by category. Music: Jim Carroll\/Jim Carroll Band Spoken-Word\/Lecture: Jim Carroll Spoken-Word: Collaborations Music: Collaborations Music:\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10041,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/jim-carroll-biographies\/jim-carroll-career-overview-1967-2001\/","url_meta":{"origin":10233,"position":2},"title":"Jim Carroll Career Overview: 1967-2001","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"June 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This was written originally as a promo for spoken-word performance bookings. I need to figure out how to make the layout better correspond to the original intent. - Webmaster Download PDF of the original promo A living legend, poet\/diarist\/rocker Jim Carroll has mesmerized standing-room-only crowds for overtwenty years with his\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4196,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/jim-carroll-biographies\/jim-carroll-all-music-guide-2000\/","url_meta":{"origin":10233,"position":3},"title":"Jim Carroll – All Music Guide","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"All Music Guide (2000) *By Jason Ankeny Download PDF Born: 1949 in New York,NYGenre\/Styles: Rock, Proto-Punk, New Wave, PunkInstruments: Vocals, SongwriterLabels: Kill Rock Stars, Mercury, Atlantic, Giant (more) To rock audiences, Jim Carroll's crowning achievement was the hit \"People Who Died,\" a brutally emotional punk record saluting the victims of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10050,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/research\/jim-carroll-biographies\/jim-carroll-short-biographical-sketch\/","url_meta":{"origin":10233,"position":4},"title":"Jim Carroll: Short Biographical Sketch","author":"Cassie Carter","date":"June 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"James Dennis Carroll Born: 1 August 1950 (12:03 AM), Bellevue Hospital, New York City Parents: Agnes (nee Coyle) and Thomas J. CarrollTrivia: Carroll's father was a bartender. His grandfather was also a bartender who worked for Dutch Schultz during Prohibition.Siblings: One older brother, Tom. Education: Catholic grammar schools (c. 1955-1963)Trinity\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4519,"url":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/works\/jim-carroll-music-and-spoken-word\/spoken-word-lecture-recordings-by-jim-carroll\/","url_meta":{"origin":10233,"position":5},"title":"Spoken-Word\/Lecture Recordings by Jim Carroll","author":"catholicboy.com","date":"January 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"See also: Spoken-Word: Collaborations Pools of MercuryReleased: 1998By: Jim CarrollLabel: MercuryGenre: Music and spoken word Get this album on Amazon Curtis's Charm: Original Motion Picture SoundtrackReleased: 1996By: Music by Mark Korven with songs by My Brilliant BeastLabel: Rabid Dog ProductionsGenre: Film soundtrack Carroll reads \"Curtis's Charm,\" from Fear of Dreaming.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/naropa-university_174.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/naropa-university_174.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/naropa-university_174.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10234,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10233\/revisions\/10234"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.catholicboy.com\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=10233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}