There'll come a time when we define culture as post internet and pre internet. Whereas pre
internet poets would be published by radical paper presses and promoted by
leaflets, the post internet poets are published online-only or online-to-book
and promoted by Facebook or MySpace.
Many established promoters in
In terms of
quality the pre internet poets received
validation from the presses who would seek information on new poets from
established, poets, peers and press, whereas
the post internet poets seek validation from their peers through facebook and
myspace. But quality is compromised in the mutuality that the survival of face
book depends on. If you put this inline with the rise and rise of Slam (slum)
poetry events what you have is a spectacular cultural car crash .
“I’ll be a well dressed emperor if you say so, via my facebook, and if you say so on your facebook then you
too can be a well dressed emperor on my
face book”. The
fact that none of the Emperors are
wearing clothes is no longer the issue. A
“name” can so quickly feel established
through this exchange that poets feel
that they have “arrived” before in fact they have left anywhere. Prophets of their own hype. It's a set up. Book em danny!
Not that pre internet was a golden era of unblemished integrity and quality. In the
seventies you couldn’t go out at night without tripping over a dub poet. And in the eighties you couldn't go for a drink without being assaulted by a "rant poet". I can count on one hand the poets of those days that remain. Post
internet has released a similar flood of mediocrity; poets who stand upon stage like
rabbits caught in the heady headlights of
popular culture. It's feeble need for attention is the sensation of autumn leaves attempting to wrestle the me to the floor.
But the
truth will out. Those who think poetry is a conduit to greater things will
leave poetry behind as they pursue the possibility of higher sales in novels or
short stories. Most will disappear up their own plot lines and diminishing publishing opportunities or sales figures. Those who want to
go into comedy will do so leaving barely audible chuckles in their wake. Those
who go into drama and television will find themselves on the phone to their agents, alot. Those
who go into arts administration will either become great conduits for
creativity or bitter little empire builders like mini wizards of oz. More likely, in my experience, the latter. I have seen it done time and again. They wait for poetry to be popular again where they might pull out those same pieces of paper and declare dismissively "yeah I used to be a poet". Poetry is not a conduit to greater things. It is the greatest thing.