Björk, Burial, & Beautiful Poetry

that's 3 b's and one p

Thank you for reading WORDINGHOUSE with Adam Jon Miller. Since this is my first post, I feel it deserves a short intro. Each week, on Mondays, I am going to throw 3 things your way that I find interesting, inspiring, mesmerizing. I hope you will take this journey with me and subscribe so newsletters easily find their way into your inbox. Typically topics will include subjects I personally take a deep dive into—music, literature, film, food, art, culture. I am going to mainly tell you about things I like and spend time with—I’m going to break them down into a few simple paragraphs and leave links in case you want to dive in, too. And since this is WORDINGHOUSE, a home that is always “wording,” we’ll end with a weekly word. I hope this becomes a place for us all to converse, explore and enjoy. And, off we go …

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What I’m listening to — Björk: Sonic Symbolism, a podcast.

Whether you are a Björk fan or not (O’ I AM), this is a beautiful podcast series: a look into the mind of an artist.

As she takes you on her journey through soundscape, Björk and her friends discuss in gorgeously rendered Icelandic accents, her “emotional landscapes,” sonic inspirations—everything from the micro-beats made by tapping her fingers on a table to the visual artists she has worked with to curate her album covers. She shares where she has lived, how she has loved, and in turn been broken, and what has inspired her along the way.

In each of 9 episodes, she reflects on the time surrounding the creation of one of her studio albums minus her latest, Fossora, which I assume will eventually be added to the catalogue. This podcast may not be for everyone, but for artists, writers and those looking for a way to think outside-of-the-box, those who would like to glimpse the world through a Björk-colored lens, it’s totally worth it.

While I have you, in case you just want to give Björk a listen, but don’t know where to begin, here are my top 3 favorite Björk albums: Post, Homogenic, Vespertine.

And while I still have you, here are my top 3 favorite Björk songs: Hyperballad, Jóga, Unravel.

In a 2006 interview, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke said Unravel was his favorite song (of all time). I believe it—I found a live performance where Radiohead does a medley where Everything’s In It’s Right Place merges into a cover of Unravel. But, for myself, I prefer the straight up Björk version.

Björk - Uravel (Live@Riverside Church, New York, September 5th, 2001, HBO broadcast

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What I’m not drinking right now but wish I was — Burial Beer Co., a fantastic brewery.

This is truly an artist’s brew, a hipsters’ brew, a lover-of-all-fine-things’ brew. The makers of Burial are marketing geniuses. From the can’s cover art—featuring intricate, dark works from the visual artist David Paul Seymour—to the name of each liquid creation, to the beer itself … it’s all masterful. They truly put “craft” in craft beer.

The beer names and descriptions are clever and pure fodder for philosopher, writer-types. You can’t beat names like To Streak Blood Across My Brow, Total Disbelief in All Reality, and Irreverent Observations of a Compromised World. Come on now!

They even have a fun What’s Your Burial Beer Name game on their website. Mine is Abstracted Anguish Along a Metaphysical Avenue to Uncharted Enclaves.

Just so you know this isn’t just me blowing hop-flavored smoke, in both 2021 and 2022, Burial was named Craft Beer & Brewing's Readers Choice #1 Small Brewery in the World and #1 Small Regional Brewery in the World.

If you are ever in Asheville, stop by their South Slope location and grab a pic with Sloth and Tom Selleck. I managed to get one of Vera a couple years ago.

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What I’m reading — The Best American Poetry Series, an anthology.

Currently, I have out my copy of the 2010 edition, guest edited by Amy Gerstler. The Chicago Tribute plugs the series as “A ‘best’ anthology that really lives up to its title,” and I completely agree.

As a fledgling poet, i consider any given year’s edition as both entertainment and an educational guide on the study of craft.

I’ve been reading this anthology off and on since my college days, and sometimes I can place myself in a memory from the time when i first read a poem in the series years back. It’s crazy.

There is a poem called Hallelujah Terrible by Mathew Lippman in the 1997 edition I remember loving (I haven’t owned this book for many years; probably lent it out; I think I’ll rebuy it).

But, I can remember reading it in the house I grew up in—it makes me think about my parent’s bedroom where I remember first sitting and reading it, and the feeling of chills upon finishing it. I suppose this is a testament to the power of poetry, it’s way of capturing a moment and feeling and holding them in time together.

Here are a couple poems I like that were chosen for the 2010 edition:

The Darker Sooner by Catherine Wing

From Wing’s usage of “the darker sooner” as a noun—so cool—to the last word of each line (all but the third, which ends in an “ere”) ending in an “er” or “or,” to the poem’s sing-song rhythm; while it is not a traditional sonnet, it does have 14 lines and hints at the theme of love lost.

Dear Final Journey, by Lynn Emanuel

It’s hard to resist this shape poem. The thing about shape poems is how they immediately jump out at you. After reading ten poems that are hugging the left margin, you get this. In my reading the poem is the freighter that travels towards a new beginning which starts at the end, with the word Hello. And unlike most poems, it travels towards the left margin.

I just realized the poem’s shape can mutate on smaller screens, so here is a snapshot from the Boston Review’s website of how the poem, Dear Final Journey, is meant to look:

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Plus,,,,,, at the end of each post, we’ll be highlighting a Weekly Word—

for today, let’s stay on the “b” theme.

Bombastic

Dictionary.com says of this adjective:

1. (of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious.

Used in a sentence: My goal for WORDINGHOUSE is to remain honest, and to steer clear of the bombastic variety of newsletter.

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And PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS on anything and everything. I want to hear from you as often as you want to be heard.