CLASSIFICATION
Swallow ID:
5367
Partner Institution:
Simon Fraser University
Source Collection Label:
Reading in BC Collection
Sub Series:
Reading in BC Collection
ITEM DESCRIPTION
Title:
Jack Spicer discussion on serial poems and reading from "The Holy Grail" in Vancouver on June 15, 1965 part 1 of 2 #751
Title Source:
cassette and j-card
Language:
English
Production Context:
Documentary recording
Genre:
Reading: Poetry
Identifiers:
[]
Rights
Rights:
Copyright Not Evaluated (CNE)
CREATORS
Name:
Spicer, Jack
Dates:
1925-1965
Role:
"Reader",
"Speaker"
CONTRIBUTORS
MATERIAL DESCRIPTION
Image:
Recording Type:
Analogue
AV Type:
Audio
Material Designation:
Cassette
Physical Composition:
Magnetic Tape
Storage Capacity:
T02:04:00
Extent:
1/8 inch
Track Configuration:
2 track
Playback Mode:
Stereo
Sound Quality:
Good
Physical Condition:
Good
Other Physical Description:
Black and white clear jewel case with J-card
DIGITAL FILE DESCRIPTION
Channel Field:
Stereo
Sample Rate:
44.1 kHz
Duration:
T00:34:58
Size:
48.6 MB
Bitrate:
32 bit
Encoding:
WAV for master files and .MP3 for online files
Channel Field:
Stereo
Sample Rate:
44.1 kHz
Duration:
T00:34:48
Size:
47.2 MB
Bitrate:
32 bit
Encoding:
WAV for master files and .MP3 for online files
Dates
Date:
1965-06-15
Type:
Performance Date
Source:
J-card
LOCATION
Address:
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Latitude:
49.2528
Longitude:
-123.1145
CONTENT
Contents:
Side Track No. Comments
One 009 Introductory comments by Jack Spicer
036 The Serial Poem was a kind of joke to begin with; the name of it, that is, not the poem itself. Spicer refers to Robin Blaser’s poetics and the similarities between their serial poems’ style
050 Spicer refers to Duncan’s poems “Medieval Scenes” (Selected Poems) and “The Opening of the Field” as his two best poems that are also “pure honest-to-god serial poems”
066 Spicer reflects on what a serial poem is. First you have to know what it isn’t in order to determine what it is
082 You have to go into a serial poem not knowing what you are doing. You have to be tricked into it. You can’t do what D.H. Lawrence did in Birds, Beasts and Flowers and say that this is a serial poem
096 A serial poem has to be chronological
107 Spicer says Stevens’ Harmonium is closer to the serial poem. His poems written over four years do connect and seem to proceed under their own laws
117 Olson and Pound are good examples of how the planned poem can get caught up in and become a serial poem. Olson’s Maximus Poems changed as he began his writing
140 Olson started out as a man facing history and the poems have become something more than that, which Spicer is sure has scared Olson many times by the way that the poems go
158 The real serial poem takes you on a path that you have no idea about, and which permits no looking backwards
190 Spicer says he wrote The Holy Grail being completely unsuspicious that what he started out to write would become a book of poems
196 When the first book was completed, Spicer experienced surprise at the form that took place in the book. He discusses the voices in search of the Holy Grail and the Book of Percival
227 Spicer thinks what makes people (Duncan, Robin Blaser, himself) write serial poems is the fact of becoming focused on the individual part enough to have a better chance of being an empty vessel to be filled up by whatever is outside
244 Spicer discusses his process of writing the “dictated poem” in one sitting to avoid the poet later imposing a voice on the poem
253 Spicer is asked if in the meantime other poems are happening to him
256 Spicer responds that this is probably true, yet they rarely have anything to do with the poem, and can result in you dictating the path to the poem rather than the poem dictating to you
290 Spicer discusses “the Hunting of the Snark” as a narrative poem which in some ways resembles a serial poem
299 Questioner notes that Spicer argues you cannot interfere with the pathway, you cannot look back. Spicer interrupts question with a comment that the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice was an attempt to enter this concept into Greek poetry
305 Questioner asks then when do you know you’re on the wrong path?
313 Spicer responds by discussing his process with his “textbook of poetry”. (The Heads of the Town, Up to the Author, (Homage to Creeley)
326 Spicer talks about Yeats coming closer to the serial poem than most other poets
330 Spicer says cheating at this game is permissible as long as it’s done at the right time
339 Spicer introduces The Holy Grail by referencing poems by Tennyson (Idylls of the King)
349 Spicer reads from The Holy Grail
426 Poem 4 fades out on recording and fades in again at Poem 5
476 Side one ends at Poem #6
Two 007 Side two begins at start of Poem 6
342 End of reading of The Holy Grail
347 Spicer invites questions about things not understood in the poem
358 Question asked if the medium of dictating ended after “The Book of Arthur”
359 Spicer says the dictation about the death of Arthur had to end with his death
368 Who are the Tony(s) in the poem?
368 Spicer responds that proper names are a disturbance in the poem that must be addressed then left behind
383 Question about the reference to ocean in “the Book of Lancelot”
385 Spicer talks about the reference in terms of Irish versus non-Irish and a lack of an ocean off the Irish Coast. The ocean is always at the outside, the periphery of the legend although the Grail legend does not mention an ocean
392 Who was the Old Flash?
392 Spicer says it was a Frankie Trish quotation from a baseball game
397 Questioner says he’s at a loss with The Book of Lancelot, seventh poem
399 In response to Spicer’s “why”, questioner says he has problem with the horse being called “Dada”
400 Spicer says the Book of Lancelot is the most laboured. (Dada refers to the word hobby horse chosen by the Dadaists). Spicer says many things in this Book are radically wrong, and the poet is conscious of himself during the poem. The Book of Guinevere, however rescues it
412 Spicer repeats that Guinevere is a bitch and questioner asks why he keeps saying that
423 Spicer says the book took nine months to write and that all mammals have different gestation periods, all books do too
438 Spicer explains the Foolkiller, as a Western American Story meant to frighten children
456 Spicer discusses character of Percival as the best person in the Grail story
465 Spicer found it annoying when the character of Percival entered the dictation because he thought the poem was finished
473 Tape Side two ends mid-sentence
Notes:
SFU BC Readings formatting
NOTES
Type:
General
Note:
Jack Spicer: serial poems, The Holy Grail Vancouver BC, June 15, 1965
part I
side 1: 34:10
side 2: 33:57
#751
RELATED WORKS