You’re Invited: Live Rants in NYC, Dec 17
“Mic Check” — a new form of entertainment and expression for this time
Every counterculture has its live, spoken-word scene. Beatniks cafes, Harlem Renaissance, poetry slams, comedy clubs, gay bath houses, or the Moth, all the way back to Homer. We’re going to see if we can create a setting for one to emerge in 2020’s Soho.
Mic Check, (named affectionally for the Seattle WTO protests and Occupy where it was used for the “human microphone” amplification system), is meant as a cross between an academic lecture and a poetry slam. I’d suggest some modern references, but I don’t want to limit our first round of participants. It’s an open mic night (people sign up in advance) for people to rant, share, or lecture in ten minutes or less, with a slide presentation if they like. Politics, history, sex, culture, magick, media, memetics, social justice, performative play….it’s all good. Let’s metabolize reality together.
We’re doing it CX, a new social club and cooperative on Crosby Street in Soho. And this first one is free to all. Our presenters include some terrific journalists, intellectuals and artists who you will have heard of or be glad you now do. I’m going to try keeping the list of performers secret, so that “famous” people can present without a fuss, so that we always have room for surprise guests — and most of all, so that the COMMUNITY vibe of this thing isn’t overpowered by the star value of any particular speaker. We are in this together.
So please come! We’re doing our first one on Tuesday December 17. Doors at 7p, show at 7:30p. The event is free but you have to RSVP here.