July 16 & 23: David Meltzer parts one and two

I've been quite remiss on keeping up with blog postings so, without further ado, Poet as Radio presents a two-part interview with beat legend David Meltzer, by Marina Lazzara!

David Meltzer (born February 17, 1937) is an American poet and musician of the Beat Generation and San Francisco Renaissance. Lawrence Ferlinghetti has described him as "one of the greats of post-World-War-Two San Francisco poets and musicians."

David Meltzer's most recent collections of poetry include David's Copy: Selected Poetry (Penguin Poets) and When I Was a Poet (Pocket Poets series #60; City Lights Books. Among the anthologies and interview collections Meltzer has edited are San Francisco Beat: Talking With The Poets (City Lights Books); Reading Jazz and Writing Jazz (Mercury House); The Secret Garden: The Classical Kabbalah (Station Hill Press). As a musician/songwriter, these recordings are available with diligent searching: The Serpent Power (Vanguard), Poet Song (Vanguard). His late '60s agit-smut trilogy, The Agency, is available on remainder tables on-line.

Marina Lazzara is a local poet, musician & gardener. She received a MA in Poetics from the New College of California, where she studied with David Meltzer. She has published here and there, including Processed World, Big Bridge, Fence and Amerarcana: the Bird & Beckett Review. She is currently the editor of the eco-poetics journal, Plastic Ocean and a guitarist & vocalist for San Francisco's psychedelic-rock band, The Rabbles, who practice & conspire at Lightrail Studios.

In part 1, David talks about growing up in New York, listening to the Bebop greats, writing for the page, and writing for the ear. Also, our in-studio guest, Candy Shue, fills us in on what "remainder tables" means.

July 16, 2011- Part 1: Click here to listen

In part 2, David talks about the relationship between poetry and music, and the nature of the self as manifested in different media. Please forgive some sound/volume difficulties in the first part of this one -- it was our first time operating the controls on our own. We'll get better, we promise! But perhaps most importantly -- we get to hear David read from his works!

July 23, 2011 Part 2: Click here to listen