Glam metal of the '80s meets poetry at Mashed Poetics: Hairway to Heaven
New poems inspired by the likes of Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, and the Scorpions to be performed at this 2022 Verses Festival of Words highlight
RC Weslowski
Vancouver Poetry House presents Verses Festival of Words from April 21 to 30. Mashed Poetics: Hairway to Heaven takes place April 25 at 8 pm at the WISE Hall and will be broadcast on POETV.
THIS YEAR’S VERSES Festival of Words features a variety of spoken-word performances, including one that brings together the unexpected pairing of poetry and ’80s hair metal—Mashed Poetics: Hairway to Heaven.
Spoken-word poet and storyteller RC Weslowski founded the Mashed Poetics series in 2008. Weslowski—who is a two-time World Cup of Poetry Slam Finalist, Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion, Canadian Festival of Spoken Word Haiku Champion, voice-over artist, and educator who has been on faculty at the Banff Centre Spoken Word Program—says he first conceptualized the quarterly Vancouver-based event during a post-performance chat he had with Australian poet Sean Whelan. The Aussie artist’s show, Liner Notes, inspired Mashed Poetics’ style.
“Basically, they would have a DJ playing a full music album and all the tracks, and then poets would be writing new poems to the music,” Weslowski tells Stir. “And I was like, ‘Oh, I really like that idea—but it’d be cool if we had an actual band instead of just playing on a CD or record.’”
Weslowski enlisted the help of musician and series co-curator Trevana Spilchen, who goes by the stage name Spillious the Ridiculous One, to put together a cover band for the concept. The first Mashed Poetics show featured Black Sabbath’s album Paranoid, a request on Spilchen’s part. Since then, different poets have performed pieces inspired by albums by the likes of the Spice Girls, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Black Keys, Aretha Franklin, and Cage the Elephant, among others.
Weslowski says he chose Mashed Poetics: Hairway to Heaven’s upcoming 1980s hair-metal theme to create a fun, iconic night for the audience—and also because of his love for the titular Led Zeppelin pun.
With Weslowski MCing, the cover band Feathered Spandex (led by Spilchen) will take to the stage in the era’s regalia to play tunes by Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Heart, and more. Each song will be followed by a performance by a poet who will create a piece based on their experience listening to that song or band. Weslowski says that it’s up to the poet to decide how direct of an approach they want to take in their writing process.
“That’s usually what happens: you’re writing almost a literal response to the song, or the lyrics, or the band, or what have you,” says Weslowski. “But that’s not a requirement. It’s just ‘listen to the song, and whatever comes up inside you inspirationally, go with it.’”
Joseph A. Dandurand. Photo via Vancouver Public Library
The 10 poets in Mashed Poetics: Hairway to Heaven will be delivering their work live in a mix of in-person and Zoom performances. Participating poets include Billy Tuggle, a well-known figure in Chicago’s spoken-word/slam-poetry community who draws influence from his experience in the hip-hop scene; Magpie Ulysses, a slam poet and activist from Nanaimo who tells stories of a personal and environmental nature in her work; Britta B., a Toronto-based slam-poetry artist and educator who focuses on working with youth; and Kwantlen First Nation poet and author Joseph A. Dandurand. The show will also feature performances by Tania De Rozario, Icy Gaze, Derek Edenshaw, Catherine Lewis, Johnny MacRae, and Neko Smart.
Along with music and poetry, the event includes a game of hair-metal trivia at intermission with several prizes up for the win (two tickets to the Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Joan Jett, and Poison concert on September 2; a gift certificate to the Vancouver Rock Shop; and various vinyl records).
Weslowski says that guests can expect a party atmosphere at the show, with ’80s glam metal costumes encouraged.
“Get up, shake your booty,” says Weslowski. “Shake off all the dust and woe that we’ve been experiencing for the last little while, and hopefully we can have a good time with that.”
Tickets for Mashed Poetics: Hairway to Heaven are here. More information is at Verses Festival of Words.
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