JOHN SHAW R.I.P.

The artist and filmmaker who I knew as John Shaw (AKA John Palmer Shaw) passed last month, but I just heard today through our mutual friend Bill Considine. John was one of a kind, who was in New York and DC at times when I was too and our paths crossed over the years, but unfortunately we didn't spend as much time together as I now wish we had.

He ended up living in Montreal from where he made the trip all the way to me in Jersey to include me in one of his films, this one called: 21 POETS (you can find it on Vimeo here). I wasn't happy with the results because I was having a particularly tough brain day (my post-op problems getting in the way of my reciting a poem I should be able to recite backwards it's so familiar to me) and hair day (I've been cutting my own hair for years by just looking in the mirror and snipping what sticks out, so views from the back or sides always surprise me!)  but...

...viewing his film today, I realize it's a precious piece of history that captures John's aesthetic, which means it doesn't conform to any preconceived ideas or parameters about what a film or poem recitation (or any of his art) should look like or be. John did his own thing, like me, and I am grateful I could be a part of it. My condolences to his family his many friends and fans. May he rest in paint and poetry.