Fuckthelivingfuckthedead by Nick Tosches (DSA 54082)

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Poet Nick Tosches sharing his sulky remarks and lines on this one. The CD is organized as a performance (or rather is a recording of one) with Patti Smith once joining in. The music shuffling on the background is acoustic and very simple, with percussion usually on the fore and violin and guitar backing. At some points ('Contrapasso') melodies prevail, but not interfering with Tosches' declamation – then the music, if any, is sparse and percussive. Toches is a brilliant performer (reader), his suggestive declamation frequently overshadowing the poems themselves in its poetic breach. Not exactly a compliment for a poet, eh?

Tosches' poetry is meditative, sullen and 'deep', yet (crafting an individual 'form') brutal, occasionally vulgar, but not 'visual'. The ending piece, once again a melodic lament song 'Wild Leaves', is written and performed by Patti Smith, with Tosches rumbling about "raping the corpse of culture" coming as close to the truth as anyone. All in all not a bad spoken word / performance CD, but perhaps lacking some visceral text(ure)s here and there. Then again, the 'truths' were uttered, and not every disk is supposed to comply with the rest of your plans, or to come close to fulfilling this one.