Open Microphone as sex with Sigourney Weaver

"Actually, it's more of a guideline than a rule"...well, that's what Bill Murray"s character said about his "rule" to never sleep with demon-possessed people in "Ghostbusters" when Sigourney Weaver came onto him.

I'm sorta that way regarding open microphone events. I think they have ther value for people starting out presenting their work, very democratic and usually a safe place to stick your head up and make yourself heard. However, having been to a few from New York to LA, ad having paid my dues and earned my stripes, I largely graduated out of them for my own reasons years ago.

I saw too many where anyone could get up and read anything and get the same homogeneous, meaningless praise and applause as the person before and after. Some would say that this is nurturing, but if we don't, at some point, show variance in our response, or that variance is not based on anything other that the virtues of the piece or pieces performed, how will the young author ever get a sense of what is, not necessarily "good" but well-received?

Tonight I, and perhaps Tag, are going to go by the National Poetry Month reading at the local barnes & Noble, just to see what sort of turnout there is and evaluate some of the local talent. We're recruiting for a troupe, and we might actually even throw in and read. Besides, it is a good opportunity to see how well the local B&N people do with their setup, since I'm doing a private reading and book signing later this month there.

Someone, I am sure, will mention that I, as a rule, don't do open microphone events.

Bill Murray said it best...Besides, they're great places to meet interesting women, preferably not demon-possessed.