THE CROWN, THE VIETNAM WAR, AND GUNPOWDER

People have asked me what I think about THE CROWN, and I say the casting for the royal family was great, and the acting by Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Vanessa Kirby, who play them is terrific (though the role of Margaret's photographer love and eventual husband, Tony Armstrong Jones, was terribly miscast, Matthew Goode has nothing like the physical charisma the original had), and the writing is very good giving emotional and psychological depth to the royals, creating dialogue and drama that I doubt ever really existed. My guess is that the royals are as banal, shallow, and superficial as they seem to be, (and we know that factually Princess Margaret was a bigoted, racist, self-indulgent, narcissistic horror) and that being a witness to their actual private lives would be as boring as being a witness to their public ones usually is (which is why Princess Diana was such a breath of fresh air).

People have asked me what I think of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary THE VIETNAM WAR, and I say I can understand the perspective of those on the left who feel it doesn't cover enough of the leftist perspective on and experience of that tragic mistake, or even those on the right who feel the same way from their side. But for me it is the documentarians' perspective that counts, and this is theirs, a work of filmic art that is relatively comprehensive, given the enormity of the subject, relatively balanced, and relatively successful, especially emotionally. I witnessed some of the scenes in the movie (the protest ones, including the throwing of metals by Viet vets, over the fence etc.) and lost friends in the conflict, so to re-experience this through the film moved me, despite the fact that given the chance I would have done an entirely different film on the subject.

People have asked me what I think about the recent three-part TV series GUNPOWDER, starring Kit Harrington, about the plot to blow up the English Parliament and King James I during the early years of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Though it had some moments of historically appropriate acting and writing (some great Shakespearean turns of phrases) and costuming etc, it also had scenes shot in ways that made Harrington seem like a boy in the presence of men (I guess for whatever reason as a producer he wanted to be shown as a small man compared to many of his followers, but then his director and cinematographer shot him in ways that at times made him seem boyish and even unattractive, which counters the main reasons audiences fell in love with him in GAME OF THRONES. So, in the end, it's not something I would recommend.

I CALL THEM BOOKS

In the front of most of my books is usually a list of previous books of mine. Some people over the years have questioned my including what many call "chapbooks"—a term used for books that have no spine, so if you place them in the normal way on a book shelf you couldn't see any title or author names (usually they're either side-stapled, or saddle-stitch stapled as in most magazines).

Many only consider "perfectbound" books (i.e. with spines) to be "real books." I just never felt that way. Some of my favorite books would fall into the category of "chapbook" and as a result not be taken as seriously as they should be—and most often these are poetry books. They are also sometimes unique works of art, as objects, their covers and typefaces and designs making them precious in ways that add to the pleasure of holding and reading them.

So here are some poetry books without spines that came out in 2017 that I didn't get a chance to write about but I don't want to go unmentioned.

Douglas Crase's THE ASTROPASTORALS—a beautiful slim volume of poetry from Pressed Wafer—shares the poetic craft and impact of the late John Ashbery's work, while still articulating Crase's own unique poetic voice and approach to the question of what makes a good poem. He is known in some poetry-loving circles as a poet's poet's poet, someone whose work is like a rarely experienced delicacy that must be savored to fully appreciate.  Here's some lines from "Theme Park":

Too much of a subject can interfere,
Be a drag, so subvert the procedure to which it refers
That the wisest course is to visit it just for fun,
Have fun, and make a clean getaway—wisdom
Already shed in the shiver of pilgrim foot
On the longed-for soil.

Geoffrey Young's THIRTY-THREE, from above/ground press, is thirty-three sonnets from one of my favorite poets whose work in recent years is often published privately in such limited editions that most poetry lovers wouldn't get the chance to see them. But these poems were selected from those rare chapbooks so give a taste of what's in them. His poetry is always sharp witted and sharply witty in ways no other poet achieves. I have never been dissatisfied with any of his books (many being so-called "chapbooks"—he calls them that himself) nor am I this time. Here's some lines from "Smooch":

Will you follow the poem no matter where it goes
No matter who's standing in the way, who's dragging you down
Who doesn't get it, and can't hack it?
When you get to the finish line

If you've got five people still with you
You should kiss their fucking feet.

Mark Terrill's COMPETITIVE DECADENCE from newferalpress is a selection of poems (and photographs by James LaFratta) that once again confirm why I've loved Terrill's poetry since reading his BREAD & FISH (on my top ten list of favorite poetry books since it came out in 2002 from The Figures, a press Geoff Young was running back then). This new collection lives up to my expectations with his usual intensely accurate observations about what it means to live a fully conscious life. Here's some lines from "Idiot Savant":

Eye to eye with an animal—
no language in common and yet
nothing is missing—
while the beasts hunt other beasts
in the light that shines at night.
From which moments on
do all other moments
suddenly become subordinate?

THE GOLDEN GLOBES

Missed the first half hour, but the next two and a half hours was pretty inspiring, lots of powerful speeches and comments about it being time for women to have parity in pay and opportunity and recognition and calling for an end to sexual harassment and abuse across the board in every situation and occupation.

The highlight being Oprah's acceptance speech (she won The Cecile B. DeMille award) that got a standing ovation and a series of stand-up-again ovations and brought tears to the eyes of many of the "stars" in the audience, and I'm sure to many viewers at home, certainly mine.

And Frances McDormand has got to be the coolest and most unpretentious award winner ever with her blunt manner and acceptance speech, and same for Barbra Streisand's little speech before she gave the award for best movie, first pointing out that they announced her as the only woman director to win a Golden Globe and that was in 1984!

And, as others pointed out, LADY BIRD won for best actress in a comedy or musical for Saoirse Ronan, and it won for best comedy or musical movie, but even so the creator of the movie, writer/director/producer Greta Gerwig wasn't even nominated for best director! Time's up indeed.

PEAKY BLINDERS

PEAKY BLINDERS is an English TV show friends have been telling me for a while that I must see. So I binged the first season this week and can see why. Set in Birmingham, England, just after WWI ended, it tells the story of the Shelby family who run a gang called The Peaky Blinders. There was historically a gang called that but mostly before the war. This is a fictional story using some historical characters (like Winston Churchill) but mostly fictional ones to create a compelling mix of fantasy and reality all flavored with brutality.

It's as if Guy Ritchie had been hired to make BOARDWALK EMPIRE. Lots of contemporary music and authentic period other stuff, from costumes to stylized versions of the male haircuts of the time. The star is Cillian Murphy, an actor who never disappoints, and this may be his greatest performance yet. He's supported by spectacular performances by Paul Anderson as his older but less stable brother and Helen McCrory as his fearless clear-eyed (mostly) aunt.

If you don't mind graphic violence, it's an engaging if exaggerated bit of alternative early 20th century English (as seen mostly through the eyes of Irish, "Gypsies," and various other ethnicities) history.

ANOTHER OLD FAVORITE QUOTE

"...human affairs still continue to be the consequence of mistakes, misunderstandings, and myths."   —William Saroyan (from DAYS OF LIFE AND DEATH AND ESCAPE TO THE MOON)

SOME RANDOM PHOTOS OF POETS AND MORE

 Joel Lipman, Michael Harris, Hubert Selby Jr., me, and Eve Brandstein at Poetry In Motion in L.A. c. 1987?

me and Rachel E. Diken Thanksgiving or Christmas in NJ 2016

me and Lee Ann Brown outside The Poetry Project at St. Marks NY early 2017

ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY

That's the name of a big collection of a lifetime of poems (subtitle: Poems 1960-2017) due out on April 24th from Seven Stories Press and distributed by Penguin/Random House.

I am humbled and honored by Seven Stories taking on such a big project for poetry, my poetry, and can't help feeling it is the reward for my lifelong commitment to poetry and my life as a poet.

I am especially blown away, as they used to say, by the quotes about the collection from poets and creators whose work I respect and honor. You can read them (but have to hit the phrase "see more" to get all that are posted) here:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564282/another-way-to-play-by-michael-lally/9781609808303/