Poetry Flash from Deutschland: Till Müller-Klug
Dateline: 3/17/98Till Müller-Klug is a German Cyber Slammer. He has been known to perform at his home club in Berlin, SO36, using only the light from a reindeer cigarette lighter for illumination. We love his poem, "Great Guy."
--Bob Holman
Great GuyThis evening at eleven o'clock you start your new life. Your new life is called Vera, your old life is called Gabi. You stand in front of the mirror and look forward to your new life. You turn off all the lights in your flat. Like a janitor you go through the rooms, turning off lamps and appliances: amplifier, CD-player, desk lamp, the gas stove is off, Gabi's room is off, on the way to the hall you feel your pockets, left, right, the jacket pockets, left, right, you stand still, put your right hand to your heart, on the inside pocket, nothing, you forgot the keys to your flat.
Like a stressed janitor you repeat your rounds, you turn the lights on again and search: bathroom, desktop, hall table, kitchen table, window sills, nothing, next round, bed, wardrobe, your clothes from yesterday, bookshelf, Gabi's couch, the pile of old newspapers, washing bag, your clothes from the day before yesterday, the stereo, the desk top again, nothing, pause, concentrate, grab the diary, you reconstruct the last twenty-four hours, forty-eight hours, seventy-two hours, you haven't left your flat for three days, your keys could be anywhere and nowhere, you bang your diary on the table, stay calm, your flat is sixty-eight square meters in size, if you search every single square meter, you'll find the keys. Fourth round, you rummage through every place in the entire flat, empty the drawers out, poke the end of your shoe through pens, clothes, bits of paper, photos, letters, nothing, in the last square meter of the kitchen you collapse onto a chair, look at the microwave clock, half past ten. Your new life is probably just hailing itself a taxi. Your new life will sit in the bar and wait. Your new life will be wondering. Your new life will be getting older from minute to minute. Anger is growing inside you, anger at your forgetfulness, anger at your flat, anger at the flood of bits and pieces, anger at the constantly growing pile of scrap, because your flat doesn't have a cellar, anger at this blue-white kitchen, showplace for the last three nights of fights, Gabi-talks, talks like looping cassettes, swamp debates, vicious circles, fear of this blue-white kitchen, fear of another night of fighting, it's a quarter to eleven and your flat won't give up the keys. Your flat wants to lock you in. Your flat is a jealous cunt.
Eleven o'clock. You grab a beedsheet and begin to plunder. You trample through your flat, stuff the necessities into the bedsheet: favorite CD's, laptop, books, clothes, wash bag, from the stereo you rip the hottest components: DAT-recorder and minimixer, the bedsheet groans, you compare its size to the size of a locker at a railway station, if you take a big locker you still have room, letters, a poster, you get your alarm clock from Gabi's room, look around you, mementoes weighing tons, too heavy for your bundle, you take a Gabi passport photo and sling the loot over your shoulder. Like a Santa Claus you march through the hall and reach for the door handle. Your flat gives up. Your flat whines. Like a mongrel your flat shows you its throat. Jangling the bunch of keys, which are sticking in the door. You pull the keys out, weigh them up in your hand and throw them backwards over your shoulder into the dark flat. Something tinkles. Mirror, picture frame or glass cupboard, you don't look. The door shuts behind you.
You really are a great guy.
--Till Müller-Klug
(translated by Rohan Corby)
Till writes:
I'm a Berliner and thirty years old. My CD The Talking Drug with sound and music from Stefan Pucher will be out in Summer. In Berlin, Poetry Slams are held monthly at the EX'N POP, Mansteinstrasse 14, organized by Wolfgang Hogekamp and MCed by Rik Maverik. Here also the first German Slam Competition was held on Reunification Day last October 3rd. Bastian Boettcher from Weimar won, Boris Preckwitz and me scored second. The next day saw a City Battle. Hamburg took the title before Munich, Berlin East, Duesseldorf and Berlin West (for this battle the wall was reerected).
What I like about Slam Poetry: it can easily get in touch with other events. I opened for the bands The Tschaikusis and Madonna Hip Hop Massaker, performed poetry in the theater piece Maerchen... at the Schaubuehne Berlin and am still seeking new connections -- don't stop till you get enough!
Bastian Boettcher is planning a Slam in Weimar on April 17th. I am planning a CD-Release Gig at the theater festival Reich und Beruehmt (rich & famous) on May 9th at the Podewil Berlin, Klosterstrasse 68-70, together with the writer Alexa Hennig von Lange and the DJ Daniel Hacksmann.
Okey Dokey!
Till
