Reflections on 14/03/17

Hi all,

Thanks to all of the group who came to support and film me last night for the open mic. The reception at The Dublin Castle was mixed, which to me gives insight on the politics of the pub.

I went on after all musical acts and recited firstly a 'jokey' song in James Blunt's You're beautiful- prompting some members of the crowd who appreciated the humour in it, whilst others saw it as a 'pisstake'- as was noticed by the members of the group. I then recited Ben Harper's Excuse me Mr which is rhetorical- during that reading I felt a lot more comfortable as the crowd were silent (in comparison) and were listening to the song. So from the rationale on the blog, we can see here that most were interested in lyrics and the politics of the music- which is contrary to my idea based on Kurt Vonnegut (see previous blog). The preachments are still important in music and in nightlife- at least in this venue.

However, the first recitation caused some people to see is as a mockery of the rock and roll open mic- in a way it was. There was a certain etiquette that performers were expected to fulfill and reading a pop song of the noughties was not that for everyone. Yet, there were members of the crowd who laughed and enjoyed the performance. Therefore, we can see that the venue does not dictate the behaviour of people, but people dictate themselves depending on their own expectations.

In terms of exclusivity and inclusivity; was I accepted? I felt I was. I was able to read poetry in the first place, that's a sign of diversity of acts. I wore my usual attire and felt comfortable enough to perform- I never felt threatened or disliked. If there was any dismay it was for performance content rather than person content- as a person I felt accepted.

Once again thanks to everyone for coming

ÉGA