PREVIOUS ISSUES : CULTURE Last Updated: May 7, 2008 - 9:03 AM   SFR Picks: April 2-8 By SFR Staff Published: April 2, 2008   Email this article   Printer friendly page   WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY  Word Up “Poem-Palooza is a way of democratizing every form of poetry so that they all share the stage together,” Valerie Martinez, Santa Fe’s recently announced Poet Laureate and the event’s coordinator, tells SFR. Poem-Palooza is a rapid-fire, two-hour variety show headlined by Tyehimba Jess, author of Leadbelly (winner of the National Poetry Series). The multimedia event also features slam poetry star and international champion Danny Solis, literary-style readings by Jon Davis and recent Andres Montoya Poetry Prize winner (and SFR contributor) Gabe Gomez. The Dead Poets recite poems from those no longer with us and wordsmiths from the Santa Fe Indian School, McCurdy High School in Española, the College of Santa Fe and the University of New Mexico Slam Team kick the local flavor. Moreover, taking poetic license with what constitutes “poetry,” Poem-Palooza includes a film, by Malik Daniels, which is built around a script of poetry. There’s even a music- and poetry-laden dance performance by Rulan Tangen. Warm up for Poem-Palooza on Wednesday with “Sibling Rivalries,” a panel discussion that explores the tension between spoken word and “literary poetry.” (Emiliano Garcia-Sarnoff) THURSDAY-FRIDAY  Titters from a Transvestite It was incredibly brave of British comedian Eddie Izzard to take the stage dressed in full drag during his 1999 international tour, Dressed to Kill. Brave not because he shamelessly flaunted his unusual, marginalized sexuality (he has described himself as a “male lesbian”) to a world still majorly captive to simplistic Manichean ideas about gender, but brave because he would almost certainly be written off as a chubby Dr. Frank-N-Furter (who was then Britain’s most notorious transvestite and antagonist of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show). Izzard defied expectations, though, in more ways than one when his brand of nerdy, historically erudite, stream-of-consciousness comedy won over American audiences, proving that we had room in our hearts for at least two British cross-dressing funnymen. (Izzard had already attained considerable success in the UK, but let’s face it: Success in Britain is a bit like tallness in midgets.) The bloke has two back-to-back nights at the Lensic to prove that America will never tire of funny-looking, self-deprecating Brits—blame it on the Revolutionary War. (Daniel McNichol) SATURDAY  Unholy Union Crico Baker has a lot of body parts. Other than his own, that is. Baby-doll heads line the shelves of bookcases in ROCKpaper, the offbeat gallery and shop he owns with partner Corey Horne. When Michigan/Santa Fe-based photographer Jane Rosemont visited ROCKpaper Gallery, she was struck by the heads (not literally) because she was already interested in photographing baby-doll parts. Upon asking Baker about the heads, he told her he had a huge collection of them as well as other doll body parts, at his house. Rosemont viewed Baker’s collection and, Baker tells SFR, “After that, we were just meant to be friends.” Secret Keepers, the brainchild of this union, is haunting. Uncomfortably beautiful, the photographs feature baby dolls, cracked and torn, bruised and busted. To Rosemont, the dolls represent both innocent youth and the loss of that innocence over time. In addition to the portraits of dolls, Isn’t It Iconic? explores the mystery, timelessness and sadness of decaying statues of saints. They are posed as if telling one another secrets, heads bent, pensive in their own ceramic way. If Santa Feans need another reason to take the half-hour jaunt down to Madrid, this thought-provoking and sublimely heartbreaking show should seal the deal. (Charlotte Jusinski) MONDAY  Cryptic Sounds The Bay Area-based experimental band Xiu Xiu is an enigma of enormous proportions. However, it appears frontman Jamie Stewart has no problem with that. The three EPs and six LPs that litter Xiu Xiu’s colorful catalog vary in sound and range from experimental pop/punk to ambient noise. Influences such as The Cure and Joy Division have clearly seeped into the complex mind of Stewart, revealing a love for the ’80s version of gothic rock. Now on a self-described “crusade” to promote its latest release, Women As Lovers, Xiu Xiu makes a stop in Santa Fe to present its latest lineup, which features bassist Devin Hoff, percussionist Ches Smith and mult-instrumentalist Caralee McElroy. Stewart tells SFR that Xiu Xiu promises “to completely decimate the audience with blood-thirsty barbarian hoards,” whatever that means. It’s undoubtedly time to rock when Xiu Xiu, and folk songstress Thao, converge on the College of Santa Fe. (Kyle Eustice) © Copyright 2000-2008 by the Santa Fe Reporter Save This Page to del.icio.us Top of Page