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Paul Blackburn

N.B. Numerous Blackburn recordings, by him and ones he made, at the UCSD Blackburn collection.

PoemTalk #59, discussing Paul Blackburn's "7th Game: 1960 Series"

Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.

Reading at Blackburn's home with Howard Lindh, Summer 1971

"[Lindh Howard] reading his poems at Paul Blackburn's home (Summer 1971). Blackburn reads from the June Journal 1971. Also, Blackburn and his son Carlos T. attempting to talk."

Recorded on audiocassette. Featured in the Joris and Peyrafitte tape collection.

Sound Warning: The sound levels in this recording vary greatly, especially in the first 4 minutes. Some parts may be inaudibly quiet, while others may be very loud. Consider keeping you device's volume as low as possible.

Complete Recording (25:30): MP3

Reading at SUNY Cortland, April 1, 1971

Blackburn reads poems from The Nets (1961), The Cities (1967), In. On. Or About The Premises (1968) and The Journals

  1. Introduction (0:32): MP3
  2. Call It The Net (2:41): MP3
  3. The Net of Moon (2:08): MP3
  4. The Net of Place (3:34): MP3
  5. Brooklyn Narcissus (2:37): MP3
  6. Park Poem (1:48): MP3
  7. Hot Afternoons Have Been In West 15th Street (2:33): MP3
  8. The Unemployment Bureau (0:59): MP3
  9. 7th Game : 1960 Series (2:38): MP3 [TEXT]
  10. Faces: 1 (2:48): MP3
  11. This Couldn't Happen Again (0:36): MP3
  12. She Holds His Hand (0:38): MP3
  13. Ritual: 7 (1:50): MP3
  14. The Franklin Avenue Line (1:05): MP3
  15. The Yawn (0:30): MP3
  16. Clickety-Clack (2:52): MP3
  17. The Necessary Goddess (1:20): MP3
  18. The Proposition (1:31): MP3
  19. Introduction to A Dull Poem (2:42): MP3
  20. A Dull Poem (2:41): MP3
  21. Sunflower Rock (2:33): MP3
  22. This Is Not The Same As Sharing Anyone Else's Despair (2:29): MP3
  23. It Might As Well Be Spring (1:40): MP3
  24. "For a long time you were lonely..." (0:33): MP3
  25. I Pass, You Pass (0:27): MP3
  26. Invocation to Venus (0:20): MP3
  27. Ten Years (1:39): MP3
  28. Birds: Amsterdam (2:38): MP3
  29. Train to Amersfoort (1:40): MP3
  30. Wet (0:38): MP3
  31. Gin (3:03): MP3
  32. Selections from November 1967 Journal (5:55): MP3
  33. The Game (1:28): MP3
  34. Musee Des Augustins: Toulouse (1:27): MP3
  35. The Probability (0:41): MP3
  36. From March 1968 Journal (3:03): MP3
  37. Rituals Preparatory to the Voyage (1:53): MP3
  38. Peeing All Over the Peninsula (5:54): MP3
  39. The Request (0:41): MP3
  40. My Sainted (1:02): MP3
  41. It Takes an Hour (2:03): MP3
  42. Introduction to 'This Is The Way The World Begins' (1:06): MP3
  43. This Is The Way The World Begins (6:11): MP3
  44. Introduction to November 1969 Journal (1:20): MP3
  45. Selections from Novemember 1969 Journal (8:45): MP3

    46. Complete Reading, Part one (1:00:00): MP3
    Complete Reading, Part two (43:57): MP3

(recording courtesy of Bernie Earley, Full Time Lecturer, Department of English, SUNY Cortland)

"7the Game: 1960 Series" is also featured on PoemTalk Episode 59.

Reading (presumably in San Francisco, July 1971 — date and location are uncertain)

  1. Introduction (1:13): MP3
  2. Blackburn's Introductory Comments (1:56): MP3
  3. Paris-Toulouse Train (4:26): MP3
  4. The Tissues (2:43): MP3
  5. Introduction to Peeing All Over the Peninsula (1:58): MP3
  6. Peeing All Over the Peninsula (5:26): MP3
  7. from the November Journal (8:43): MP3
  8. [Untitled] ("sundaysundaysundaysundaysunday") (1:13): MP3
  9. We Definitions (0:17): MP3
  10. "Sailboat reflected in the lake" (0:20): MP3
  11. Li-Ke-Un (0:12): MP3
  12. "Anything you want" (0:18): MP3
  13. Along the San Andreas Fault, Along the Santa Fe Trail (for Mike McClusky) (1:14): MP3
  14. As It Ends (1:20): MP3
  15. The Assassination of President McKinley (3:04): MP3

Complete recording (36:02): MP3

(recording courtesy of Robert Creeley)

Reading, Unknown Location, c. 1969-1970

  • Complete recording (35:43): MP3

PennSound only link to full reading with Donald Hall, Diane Wakoski, John Thorpe, and Ebbe Borregaard: MP3

Reading at Bard College, December 6, 1968

  1. Oh shake it up baby (4:43): MP3
  2. Paris and not spring either (0:51): MP3
  3. What you do is pick 'em up and pack 'em in (1:27): MP3
  4. The Expensive Meal (0:59): MP3
  5. Off and Running (3:28): MP3
  6. Facing South (0:34): MP3
  7. Signals: 3 (0:31): MP3
  8. Birds: Amsterdam (3:14): MP3
  9. Gin (3:33): MP3
  10. Train to Amersfoort (1:57): MP3
  11. Paris-toulouse Train (2:37): MP3
  12. Musée des Augustins: Toulouse (1:26): MP3
  13. Valencia: Winter (0:59): MP3
  14. Fog (0:53): MP3
  15. The Probability (0:50): MP3
  16. Cutting the Mustard (0:21): MP3
  17. Malaga, Port (1:08): MP3
  18. Chase Death (1:21): MP3
  19. The Quality (1:18): MP3
  20. As It Ends (0:41): MP3
  21. The Net of Place (3:50): MP3
  22. Night Cappy (3:27): MP3
  23. The Metamorphosis (1:04): MP3
  24. Motivations: 1 (0:14): MP3
  25. The Assassination of President McKinley (3:06): MP3
  26. Getting a Job (0:55): MP3
  27. Two Songs for the Opp (0:43): MP3
  28. On the Rocks (2:05): MP3
  29. The Slogan (1:11): MP3
  30. A Dull Poem for Louis Zukofsky (5:10): MP3
  31. Scoffing It (0:33): MP3
  32. Sunflower Rock (2:24): MP3
  33. It Might As Well Be Spring (1:37): MP3
  34. Pre-Lenten Gestures (5:46): MP3
  35. Ritual: 7 (1:40): MP3
  36. She Holds His Hand (1:18): MP3
  37. L'orcus (0:21): MP3
  38. Faces: 1 (2:37): MP3
  39. The Proposition (1:31): MP3
  40. Who Needs Legs? We Do (1:18): MP3
  41. Poor Dog (2:14): MP3
  42. translation of Guillaume de Poitiers' "Farai un vers, pos mi sonelh" (4:53): MP3
  43. translation of Peire Vidal's "Estat ai gran sazo" (4:28): MP3
  44. City Sunset (0:51): MP3
  45. The Interview with F. Scott Mcnut (1:02): MP3
  46. The Tissues (2:43): MP3
  47. The Request (0:47): MP3
  48. My Sainted (0:48): MP3
  49. Ritual 17: It Takes An Hour (4:29): MP3
  50. Buzz (2:27): MP3
  51. Mary Jane (2:41): MP3
  52. The Candidate (0:28): MP3
  53. Jazz 1968 (0:24): MP3
  54. A Structural Problem (0:33): MP3
  55. From November Journal: Fire (7:58): MP3

Complete reading (1:55:31): MP3

Reading at St. Marks, 1969

With introduction by Anne Waldman and Sam Abrams
Reading available at UCSD archives: External link

Recording, 1966

Includes excerpts from "Lines", "Trees", "Words", "A Miracle Has Happened", "There Are Doors", "How to Sublet an Apartment to Friends", "The Unemployment Bureau", "Spring Thing", "So Who Needs Legs We Do", "Laurel", "Cancer Ejaculations", "Going Up", "Flowers All over the Wall", Two Poems after Li Po ("Resentment" and "Poem to a Dead Girl"), "The Assassination of President McKinley", "Face 1", "The Necessary Goddess", "Origins", "You Light It", "Between Sets", "Ya Lift a Cold One", "The Young", "Listening to Sonny Rollins at the Five Spot", "The Voices (for Alma - October Sun)", "The Man Turned against Himself", "Getting a Job", "Flexibility or the Rich", "Park Poem", "Here They Go", "Ritual VI", "The Gathering Winter Fuel", "This Couldn't Happen Again", "She Holds His Hand", "Pals Together", "Sunflower Rock", two poems: "Cockcrow Barcelona" and "It Was Noted after the Panel Discussion", "Think I Know", "The Bones", "Scoffing It", "The Old Days", "Democracy in California (Napalm)", "Blues for Austryn Wainhouse", "That Things Go Well Is My Whole Spiel", "It's a Matter of Tracing It All Back", "The Flower Phantom Strikes Again", "The Geologist", "Rockhound", "The Weathers", "Eat", "More of It", "Style", "The Differences", "O Whence Are You Going", "The Eastern Slopes", "Measure the Takers", "The Forty Five", "Chicken Soup", and "Bags"

Courtesy of Simon Pettet

Also of Interest:

Robert Kelly discusses Blackburn's dedication to recording poetry (5:30): MP3

(recording courtesy of Steve Evans / The Lipstick of Noise)


Paul Blackburn on PennSound Daily

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. © 2012 the Estate of Paul Blackburn. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by PennSound.