CRAC - Altervista

20
ROD SUMMERS
PS – Chinese, for these ping-pong balls are made in China.
PR – (general laugh)
PS – sssshsssssshhhhhsssshhh... He says: if I put a mask on my face to light a candle, that looks
crazy, doesn’t it? If I set a candle before the European flag, I put a mask on and light the candle,
then I am doing something political. He’s asking whether you know what he means by this.
RR – No
PS – Maybe you’ll understand when you are older
RS – (screaming) Emmah!!! Friiii iiiiiiih (bang! like a hammer on a table. Short hisses)
RR – (the students speak to one another)
PS – Sssshhhhssshhh! Well, we don’t like all poems actually. Sometimes we don’t like their
“sounds”, but I promise I am not going to make too much noise
RS – [Some shouts, some noise like a soldering device]
PS – The next poem is in Dutch, to make it easier
RS – [sounds like many birds chatting]
PS – So, these are the names of birds in Ducth
RR – [ clapping their hands in an all-pervading chat]
PS – This is the last poem and I need your help for it. The telephone, how is it when the telephone
is ringing? Why don’t you answer? I am asking you. In English we say “ring ring”, how is it in
Italy?
RR – Drin drin.
PS – Can you say “ring ring” for him?
RR – Ring ring
PS – No, just those at the right side.
RR – Ring ring.
PS – Ok, I need you to repeat that six times. Eh, let me say when to start. When the telephone isn’t
ringing and we lift the receiver, in England you hear “brrr brrr” from the other side. How is it here
in Italy instead?
RR – Tu tu
PS – (laughing). So, you say “tu tu”. [free onomatopeical sounds all around the room] Sssssssshhhh
So, you have to repeat “ring ring” six times and you instead “brr brr”
RS – [He lets the students try that, then speak out loud to approve that] Oooohhhh!!!
RR – [clapping their hands and chatting]
PS – Sorry, I can’t hear (Rod speaking to me). He says his short performances are over now and he
is asking whether you have any question about polipoetry (of course I will translate them for you)
or whatever else you feel like asking about. He says he is not at his ease while just going on
performing and he’d rather speak with you for a while, unless you prefer to listen to a one hour and
half longer performance...
R – [a student is asking]
PS – Polipoetry is one more way of expressing, by means of words too, a different way of making
poetry. Any other question?
R – [a student is asking]
PS – That’s a good question. He says he was born an artist and a poet at once, then hen got to know
Enzo Minarelli. He recorded some CDRoms (thirty-six, to be precise) of polipoetry. He has worked
both as a poet and as a polipoet since 1960. He would like you to listen to two sound stories now, he
once recorded as rap pieces.