Poetry In Preview
The best poets are gathering together on Friday October 22 at the State Library of Queensland, not to share tips on how to rhyme but to battle it out for the honour of taking home the state slam title. Sixteen finalists will soon become one winner, taking home cash, prizes and the chance to compete for the national title in Sydney. The competitors get two minutes on the mic to impress judges (who are actually randomly selected from the audience) and two of the local contenders taking this challenge are Darkwing Dubs and Tenda McFly.
Tenda McFly
What made you enter this competition?
Up until last year's competition I had never really attempted to perform my poetry in front of an audience. I stumbled on to it randomly on google, and I realised that there was actually a scene for it in Brisbane. I entered last year's competition, I surprised myself because I actually did quite well and the crowd responded.
Idols and inspirations?
I want to captivate you like Saul Williams, have the poise of Maya Angelou and make you question things whilst making you laugh like Rives does. Well... ideally.
What do you do directly before going on stage and taking the mic?
I start pacing back and forth but when I get on stage I'm usually in my element. It's just that moment in between my name being mentioned and being up on stage that I usually dread.
Advice to others who want to do what you're doing?
There is this rewarding feeling that you get from knowing that someone else out there felt what you were saying, and more often than not, people will tell you. The worst thing you could do is not share your material with the world. Frankly, that's quite selfish.
Darkwing Dubs
What made you enter this competition?
Originally it was just something to get me out of my hip hop comfort zone. This year it's because performance poetry has become ingrained in my artistic practice. Plus nothing brings out the beast like a bit of competition and a roaring crowd.
Idols and inspirations?
2pac's fire, B.I.G.'s lyrical prowess, Saul Williams' cosmic rays, Ursula K. Le Guins mastery of language, Andre 3000's colouring outside the lines, Roald Dahl's giants and chocolate factories and peaches, South Park, the Brisbane poetry community, Guillermo Del Toro, West End markets and Blackstar coffee and dumb politicians and sitting in the sun and complaining about life and writing poetry about it because you're a middle class white boy who doesn't realise how goddam privileged you are.
What do you do directly before going on stage and taking the mic?
Get nervous I guess, then remember how much fun it is going to be.
Finish this sentence… If I won the Australian Poetry Slam 2010 competition, I would wander the globe getting in adventures and then ask Frank Miller to make a comic of my adventures before finally contacting The RZA to make the soundtrack for the movie version of my adventures.
Australian Poetry Slam State Final is on October 22 at the State Library of Queensland.
