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Rights Notes
Property of California State University, Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, Special Collections and Archives
Description
This tape is from the private collection of Mel Weisburd, who recorded various poetry readings and radio broadcasts on his own machine. Tape #17 features a recording of the poet Bert Meyers, who was an unofficial student of Thomas McGrath's. Though he did not attend college, based on the strength of his poetry alone he was admitted to Claremont Graduate School, where he earned a PhD. He was published by Alan Swallow, and taught for over a decade at Pitzer College. It also features a reading of a Thomas McGrath poem by Mel Weisburd and an unidentified woman. Spanning between the two segments is a KFI Los Angeles radio broadcasting of “Sounds in Biographies” featuring the legendary lawyer, Clarence Darrow. Interspersed throughout the entire tape is a radio broadcast from KCBH Beverly Hills of “Opera and Church Music.” 00:00-13:21 Bert Meyers Poetry reading. All but one poem have been published in Early Rain, 1960, but the recitations deviate from the final, published, versions. The first, Wilshire bus, was not published until 2007 in, In a Dybbuk’s Raincoat : Collected Poems. The titles in quotes are the unpublished/unofficial title as given by Mr. Meyers. 1. Wilshire Bus 2. The cougar has been shot 3. Legend (“Lucky Aladdin”) 4. My Parents (“Family portrait”) 5. At My Window 6. In the Alley 7. On a Summer night 8. Because there’s so much speed 9. Once, in Autumn 10. Evening on the Farm 13:22-13:48 opera snippet from KCBH FM (Beverly Hills, CA) airing of Concierto from Coldwater Canyon “Opera and Church Music” from Vol. 5 of The History of Music and Sound, featuring examples of Italian, French, German and English Opera in oratorio. 13:49-16:32 a recitation of a 19 stanza poem,"He's a Real Gone Guy: A Short Requiem for Percival Angelman," by Thomas McGrath to the tune of "The Streets of Laredo." Only 7 stanzas are recited by an unidentified woman, singing with an acoustic guitar and “Mel” (presumably Mel Weisburd) speaking his part. Woman: “As I walked out in the streets of Chicago, As I stopped in a bar in Manhattan one day, I saw a poor weedhead dressed up like a sharpie, Dressed up like a sharpie all muggled and fey.” “He was beat to the socks, and his sick nerves were jumping Like newly caught fish in the sack of his face. He was wearing the monkey between his hired shoulders; It twitched like a bullseye: the sign of the chase.” Mel: Twenty-three years from the dark of his mother, From the water-borne dreams of before he was found; Sixteen years from innocence, two from state suffrage, And one year away from a hole in the ground.” Woman: “I can see by your threads that you’re not in the racket." Like knife-wounds his eyes in the corpse of his smile. "Have a couple on me and we’ll talk while I’m waiting. I’ve got an appointment but not for a while.” Mel: "Oh I once was a worker and had to keep scuffling; I fought for my scoff with the wolf at the door. But I made the connection and got in the racket, Stopped being a business man's charity whore.” Woman: "You'll never get yours if you work for a living, But you may make a million for somebody else. You buy him his women, his trips to Miami, And all he expects is the loan of yourself." Mel: "I'm with you," I said, "but here's what you've forgotten; A working stiffs helpless to fight on his own, But united with others he's stronger than numbers. We can win when we learn that we can't win alone." Ends abruptly 16:33-48:11 (pt. 1) & 00:00-21:28 (pt. 2) KFI Los Angeles radio show begins. The “Biographies in Sound” segment, featuring the “narrator and guide” W.W. Chaplain tells the story of famous lawyer Clarence Darrow. It was originally aired on NBC. This is a revised version from the two previous versions. It was Episode 88 and aired on 58-05-22. Biographies in Sound: "Clarence Darrow for the Defense," revised from a previous broadcast as a tribute to the famous trial lawyer. With the voices of Meyer Levin, author of the book "Compulsion"; Norman Thomas; Prof. T.V. Smith of Syracuse University, and others. The Leopold-Loeb case will be the focal point of the program--(WRCA). Announces George C. Marshall as next on July 3 (info provided by http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/dd2jb-Biography-In-Sound.html 21:29-51:34 Choral music from KCBH FM (Beverly Hills, CA) airing of Concierto from Coldwater Canyon “Opera and Church Music” from Vol. 5 of The History of Music and Sound, featuring examples of Italian, French, German and English Opera in oratorio.
Type
sound
Format
Original 1/4 inch audio tape
Extent
1 Tape of 1 01:39:45
Identifier
MW2016.004.17 cls_000004
Language
English
Subject
Poetry reading Meyers, Bert, 1928-1979
Place
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Provenance
California State University, Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy Memorial Library California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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