Andrea Gibson, Poet & "I Sing the Body Electric (Especially When My Power's Out)"
I mentioned the other day when I was talking about the new Fall Out Boy album and the song, "Champion", a poet, Andrea Gibson. Specifically I wrote about a line from their poem "I Sing the Body Electric (Especially When My Power's Out)". I can't even remember the first time I heard this poem but it was many years ago now, and the video of it I'm pasting below came out after I'd seen a live recording of them reciting the poem at some school. So I'm guessing eight-ish years ago or so. I included a picture in that other post of the tattoo I have of a line from this specific poem. I'm not the only one to have had that line tattooed on themself either, but I think it speaks differently to different people.
A few years back I was finally able to see Andrea live at a bar about 45 minutes from my house. To say the experience was meaningful to me would be a severe understatement. See, what I didn't know when I fell in love with this poem was that Andrea wrote it in dealing with a chronic illness of their own. But, I felt that connection something powerful because my own battle with Fibromyalgia was the main reason I wanted the tattoo in the first place. So imagine my complete shock but also incredible thankfulness at hearing the story behind that poem just before I heard them recite it in person.
After that show, I was first in line to meet them at their merch booth, having purchased their latest book at the time "Pansy" prior to the show.
(An aside: I consider myself a pretty level-headed person. Pretty even-keeled. I don't freak out about much, it's not an act... it just takes a lot to illicit an emotional reaction from me, especially about things I enjoy. It doesn't mean I enjoy them less, I'm just generally not easily excitable. That's just me. I say that so you know what it means when I write this next part.)
I went to that merch table, first in line, and Andrea came up from the stage to sit behind it. I took one look at them and I think I lost my fucking mind. I handed Andrea the book I bought and tried desperately to show them the tattoo on my arm through a face full of tears. I cried like a baby as I attempted to explain what exactly it all meant to me. I failed miserably of course, though Andrea was gracious and extended a hug to me over the table. Thankfully my friend Amy gently guided me away with my signed book in hand a moment later.
Now maybe it was different because I'd just spent the better part of two hours on a fantastic emotional roller coaster of their own making, as I listened to them recite some of my favorite poems in the world. As well as a ton of new ones I either hadn't heard or were brand new to the book in my hands. So it's a fair bet that my emotional stability had faltered quite a bit by the end of the show.
Listen, I know that spoken word poetry isn't for everyone. That freestyle poetry isn't for everyone. That political, gender, lgbt poetry isn't for everyone. That poetry... isn't for everyone.
That's cool. It doesn't have to be. But if you've not listened or read one of Andrea's poems before, give it a shot. Doesn't have to be one of these. There's pages all over the place to find their work. And there's not just "Pansy" or their newest album "Hey Galaxy", or newest book, "Take Me with You", there are others. Books, albums, videos... poems in a format easy to consume but maybe not so easy to digest.
If you want to try others, start with the artists at Write Bloody and see where it takes you.
I have tickets for Friday to see Andrea speak live again. And I'm already freaking out about it.
I go to a lot of live shows. I LOVE live music and comedy and I have many favorites. And many of them have helped me through some pretty dark and tough times. But there's something magical about spoken word poetry heard live. And for me, even more so about Andrea's poetry, not just because I enjoy it but because I find so much of myself in it.
A few years back I was finally able to see Andrea live at a bar about 45 minutes from my house. To say the experience was meaningful to me would be a severe understatement. See, what I didn't know when I fell in love with this poem was that Andrea wrote it in dealing with a chronic illness of their own. But, I felt that connection something powerful because my own battle with Fibromyalgia was the main reason I wanted the tattoo in the first place. So imagine my complete shock but also incredible thankfulness at hearing the story behind that poem just before I heard them recite it in person.
After that show, I was first in line to meet them at their merch booth, having purchased their latest book at the time "Pansy" prior to the show.
(An aside: I consider myself a pretty level-headed person. Pretty even-keeled. I don't freak out about much, it's not an act... it just takes a lot to illicit an emotional reaction from me, especially about things I enjoy. It doesn't mean I enjoy them less, I'm just generally not easily excitable. That's just me. I say that so you know what it means when I write this next part.)
I went to that merch table, first in line, and Andrea came up from the stage to sit behind it. I took one look at them and I think I lost my fucking mind. I handed Andrea the book I bought and tried desperately to show them the tattoo on my arm through a face full of tears. I cried like a baby as I attempted to explain what exactly it all meant to me. I failed miserably of course, though Andrea was gracious and extended a hug to me over the table. Thankfully my friend Amy gently guided me away with my signed book in hand a moment later.
Now maybe it was different because I'd just spent the better part of two hours on a fantastic emotional roller coaster of their own making, as I listened to them recite some of my favorite poems in the world. As well as a ton of new ones I either hadn't heard or were brand new to the book in my hands. So it's a fair bet that my emotional stability had faltered quite a bit by the end of the show.
Their book, Pansy, I of course devoured over the next day and a half. And fell in love with a poem about Andrea's dog, I think most dog-lovers can feel pretty sappy about, "A Letter to My Dog: Exploring the Human Condition". It makes me cry every time.
Listen, I know that spoken word poetry isn't for everyone. That freestyle poetry isn't for everyone. That political, gender, lgbt poetry isn't for everyone. That poetry... isn't for everyone.
That's cool. It doesn't have to be. But if you've not listened or read one of Andrea's poems before, give it a shot. Doesn't have to be one of these. There's pages all over the place to find their work. And there's not just "Pansy" or their newest album "Hey Galaxy", or newest book, "Take Me with You", there are others. Books, albums, videos... poems in a format easy to consume but maybe not so easy to digest.
If you want to try others, start with the artists at Write Bloody and see where it takes you.
I have tickets for Friday to see Andrea speak live again. And I'm already freaking out about it.
I go to a lot of live shows. I LOVE live music and comedy and I have many favorites. And many of them have helped me through some pretty dark and tough times. But there's something magical about spoken word poetry heard live. And for me, even more so about Andrea's poetry, not just because I enjoy it but because I find so much of myself in it.
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