Last night I went to see The Presidents of the United States of America at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. The Presidents of the USA is a band I’ve listened to since I was about nine years old. Their first album was the third CD that I ever bought. The first two were the soundtrack to the Lion King and Michael Jackson’s greatest hits (Picture a lanky nine year-old with an over-bite trying to do Thriller in front his parents’ mirror.)

So when I heard The Presidents were coming to a close-enough city, I figured I would drag my friends along to see them. However, no dragging was necessary. It turns out that my friend Jordan had the same CD in his nine year-old collection that I had in mine. Apparently he got two CDs for his ninth birthday, Presidents of the USA and one of Salt-n-Peppa’s albums, both of which he still has. It’s painful to admit, but we listened to Salt-n-Peppa for part of the way to Providence. Jordan knows “Shoop” start to finish, and sadly, I know more of the lyrics than I would care to admit (I had an older sister.)

So, after a moderately eventful drive to Providence and a few adult beverages in the parking garage, we went in. The place was nearly empty and we got right up to the front, next to a man who appeared to be about 45. Normally I like old people at a concert. They make me seem less creepy by contrast. However, this old man was a little too aggressive. But, my friend Jordan put things nicely into perspective. He said, “The old guy got to push some kids around, probably made his week.”

The show itself was good and exactly what I expected. The band really seemed like they enjoyed what they were doing. They were really appreciative. They’ve been playing the same songs for fifteen years, but I don’t think they mind at all.

I’ve wanted to see them play since I was a little kid and now I have. Next on the list is Michael Jackson. Just kidding. Actually I’m not.

Side note: My favorite part of the concert was just before they came out on stage. Jordan turned to me and said, “I hope the lead singer is wearing crazy pants. He used to wear crazy pants.”

And if your wondering, when they came on stage, his pants weren’t crazy.

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We live in the most interesting of times. But times are always interesting….if you know where to look. About a month ago editor-in-chief Mike Pontacolini told me that the current issue of Murder Dog featured a three-page interview with poet Li-Young Lee. Once I heard the news I got to my car and made way to the library newsstand as fast as I could. I drove on a pedestrian roadway and parked illegally. I even forgot about buying beer before 9PM, as if this weren’t Connecticut. Then, I threw it on my coffee table, saving it for a day when only the words of Li-Young Lee could bring me out of a funk. Since then forgotten, I return to it now to one again appreciate how Lee’s face appears in the middle of a hip-hop magazine, sandwiched between such ads as, “the world’s 1^st massive sword hidden in a belt…curves around your waste in total comfort and deploys lightening fast,” and “drink money, smoke money, make money… Hunid Racks, the Energy Drink for the Real Hustlers.” Here is the letter I plan on sending to the editors, along with a resume:

Dear Murder Dog,

I recently bought an issue of your magazine on hearing that there was a three-page interview with Li-Young Lee in it. I cannot say I wasn’t shocked once I realized what kind of magazine this is. But though I am surprised to find my favorite poet appear in a hip-hop magazine, I admit that I am fascinated by every aspect of the idea. I’m about to turn to page fifty and I just wanted to let you know that I am more excited for this than when I received my first issue of Poetry. Unless your next issue features an interview with the aging W. S. Merwin, I will never buy it again. But thank you for this gift, nonetheless.

Respectfully,

Jen Orlando

Poetry Editor, Long River Review

University of Connecticut

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Thank you to everyone who submitted to the flash fiction contest! We got an overwhelming response — well over 60 people submitted! We are in the process of judging the entries now and we expect to announce the results by next Thursday. Stay tuned for the next contest, coming up very soon.

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It seems as though with the rising of the internet comes the rising ability to become known. Whether that may be a band on Myspace, a lonely boy on Facebook, or a writer trying to break into the literary world through blogging, it does not matter. This system is proving successful. Tila Tequila got her own television show simply because she had a lot of friends on Myspace. However, in the case of writing, you need to ask yourself if this success is a good thing. Should any writer who wants to be published be able to get published? At the risk of sounding like a rancid bitch, there really are some people who should not be writing. Writing is a form of art, and very few people can perfect it. Therefore, it’s frustrating when people who wear all black and smoke cigarettes think they can write merely because they wear all black and smoke cigarettes.

The idea of online writing itself is slightly unsettling to me, for it gets away from the fundamentals of literature. Words on a page. Reading has now become an interactive adventure, while pop ups are appearing every so often on your screen, and instant message conversations are scattered across the bottom tool bar. The idea of sitting down with a book is lost on most people now.

All of that being said, I do realize that I am taking part in online writing right now. I also am not proclaiming myself one of the few who should be perfecting the art of writing. I just think that people need to regress back to the fundamentals of reading and writing.

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