An Interview with Poet Ellyn Maybe

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on May 24, 2012)

Ellyn Maybe is a formidable figure in contemporary American poetry today. Her work in fusing the so-called separate arts of music and poetry into one art form has been groundbreaking. Her most recent work, a CD of her poems set to music called "Rodeo For The Sheepish", continues to garner praise and notoriety wherever it is heard or performed. This interview was conducted via email on May 11 and 12, 2012:

S.R.: What was it that drew you to poetry in the beginning?

E.M.: When I was living in Manhattan, I was walking by a bookstore and a poem came to me inspired by something that I saw through the window. Something tends to spark a poem and then the poem comes quickly.

S.R.: What is it that you hope to achieve with your work?

E.M.: Resonance.

S.R.: What is it that most inspires you in your daily life?

E.M.: The arts. Watching a YouTube clip of Leonard Bernstein talking about Beethoven or seeing Ray Charles doing Ring of Fire or hearing Lou Reed singing Perfect Day are inspiring, stimulating things for me which I thrive on. Plus, I work at a literary center so I see a lot of poetry readings and other various events, including film screenings, talks, etc. I also attend events around Los Angeles. I've been doing that for many years.

S.R.: What would you say is the most exciting or fulfilling thing your work in poetry has given you opportunity to do, and why?

E.M.: My poetry has been nourished and appreciated which has led to some really amazing things. It's an ongoing process.

S.R.: Is there a specific opportunity or event that stands out to you? Why was it particularly special for you?

E.M.: When Greil Marcus, the amazing music writer, got in touch to write about Rodeo for the Sheepish, it was a very touching experience. He had heard half of City Streets on KALX in Berkeley. When your work impacts people whose work you admire, that is incredible. Many years ago, I gave my chapbook to Howard Zinn and Michael Parenti and they both wrote back lovely things immediately. That was amazing.

S.R.: Why are you so drawn to music, and what further projects do you have in mind to bring your passions for poetry and music together?

E.M.: I've always found music a kindred language. I'm planning to do another album with my band and continue writing and performing with them.

S.R.: What were your objectives for "Rodeo For The Sheepish" in particular? What do you think could have been done better? Do you feel that it has lived up to those objectives?

E.M.: I didn't have particular objectives for Rodeo for the Sheepish. It happened somewhat spontaneously and we were very happy how it turned out. The fact that The Ellyn Maybe Band now exists is awesome. We're writing songs together and have performed in Ireland and at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK as well as Shakespeare and Company in Paris.

S.R.: What are your other hobbies/passions? How would you like to bring them all together some day?

E.M.: Film, theater, art. I would like to collaborate in these various art forms. Expand my horizons. Some of this is already taking place. I wrote a book of poems inspired by my cousins' nature photographs. I would love for Rodeo for the Sheepish to turn into a musical someday, but don't really know when that will happen. Five videos have been made for the songs on Rodeo and there are ten tracks so, hopefully, they will all have a video someday.

S.R.: In a lot of ways poetry is as much about humor, play, and having fun as it is about serious issues and art. Which of these would you most like readers/listeners to take from your art? Or do you prefer a balance between them and why?

E.M.: I hope the mixture is something that people find compelling. Humor and sadness dwell in there and hopefully add to the emotional landscape.

S.R.: What do you think is most important for a poet in this digital age? Do you think it helps or hinders the art?

E.M.: I think connecting with others is very important and also finding community. It's crucial and I have found it to be helpful. Being computer savvy helps with social media, that sort of thing, but you don't have to be too technical to do it.

S.R.: What would you like to see change for poets?

E.M.: It would be truly awesome if the financial situation would get a bit brighter!

Ellyn Maybe's FaceBook

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Buy "Rodeo For The Sheepish" on Amazon

Spoken Word Review: Ellyn Maybe's "Rodeo for the Sheepish"

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on April 16, 2012)

A friend of mine said I was brave. But we all know there's a thin line between brave and stupid, and sometimes it's hard to know the difference. When Ellyn Maybe 'liked' my Facebook page, without thinking, I offered to review her latest work "Rodeo For The Sheepish." Never mind that she is a giant in the world of poetry. And never mind that she has worked with the likes of Viggo Mortenson, performed at the Glastonbury Festival (the same year as U2), has her own band, The Ellyn Maybe Band, and eats little known poets like me for breakfast (in terms of accomplishments). Brave or stupid?

One thing I came armed with to this endeavor was a similar love of poetry and music. While much of the world sees them as the same (often using the same word for both in language), the U.S. seems singular in its need to debate the point. Are they the same? If not, which is the superior art form and why? Does it somehow degrade one or the other to suggest they are the same? There is a growing legion of poets and musicians who are answering by putting music and poetry together. Musicians provide the score of either original music or cover tunes to which poets read their work. The results can vary considerably.

Ellyn Maybe teamed up with Harlan Steinberger for musical composition and Tommy Jordan of Geggy Tah for vocals for her latest answer to that debate. The end result: "Rodeo For The Sheepish." I'll cut to the chase by saying straight out this is the best of the attempts to marry poetry and music I have heard thus far.

At first, the music strikes one as 1980s pop updated for a new generation. Listen more and it grows. All true art has the ability to grow and never stop. I soon found myself choreographing for it in my mind. What better compliment is there than that? And Maybe's poetry is a deceptively light tripping through 20th Century pop culture and bent social order. She describes with painful accuracy what it is like to be a woman in today's world and what it is like to be an artist.

For me, it really gets going in the second half of the album. Tracks like "Silvia Plath," "Room Part Two," and "People" make me come back again and again. There is a magic in those tracks - a witty turn of phrase and a compelling sense of rhythm in both the poetry and the music that reverberates through the soul. By far my favorite track, however, is "Being An Artist." It is humorous, both self-deprecating and self-glorifying at once, and an overwhelming chronicle of truth. The music is contagious, joyous, begs to be danced to. Who can resist drums like those?

When I first listened to the album, I felt a sense of disappointment. But like all truly good and challenging work, it grew on me into something fabulously unique and wonderful. The world is just a tiny little bit more joyous because this album was made.

Are music and poetry the same, or at least equal? I think Ellyn Maybe's "Rodeo For The Sheepish" answers a resounding yes! As for brave or stupid, maybe the not knowing is part of what makes life a work of art in and of itself.

Buy the CD/mp3 on Amazon.
Find Ellyn Maybe on FaceBook.

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