The Journey to COUNTY OF KINGS

There are a million ways to tell a story, most likely more. After taking a long hard look at my life and the work that I've pursued I have realized that more than anything I'm in love with the art of story telling, in all its forms, shapes, and sizes. Whether it be a book, a play, a film, a song, a dance (the list can go on and on) all of them have at the very core one purpose to convey a message, a story. To that end I have always been a supporter of those who have a particular skill or talent when it comes to telling a story.

I've had the good fortune to been able to work with and be in the presence of some of the most talented artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
First there was the show, dubbed as a staged-memoir by Lemon himself,

Then there was the book:

County of Kings by Lemon Andersen is definitive tale of coming of age in New York City during one the most tumultuous times of modern history. Amidst the birth of hip-hop, the proliferation of drugs, and an unthinkable disease that ravaged many communities. Lemon shows the reader how he struggles helped him to find his voice, his purpose in life.

Breathlessly intertwining poetry and prose to create a one of a kind memoir that can only be described as the rhythm infused child of the classics Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. County of Kings is sure to become a classic not only for its powerfully poetic verses that conjure not only a different place and time but often different characters. The narrative prose gives the readers insights into multidimensional characters that are difficult to describe but easy to fall in love with.

County of Kings is not only the story of a young boy coming into his manhood, but the story of a poet and writer finding his voice and honing his talent. In a lot of ways this book is a love story to the all of the pieces of literature that deeply influenced the author.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone whether reading is your thing or not. Whether you grew up in Brooklyn or not. This is a story for the ages.

For more information on Lemon Andersen visit www.SpitKing.com and to purchase a copy of the New York Book Festival book of the year for 2010 visit Amazon.

The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene

All the way back in September 2009 I wrote a blog about a book that HarperStudio had published

Since that blog I had put several of my friends and associates on to the book. Sharing the blog with them as well as my opinion on how the book had really open my eyes to a new way of viewing the world and my place in it. Well since then several of my comrades and like minded individuals picked up a copy of the book and read it, so many folks bought copies of the book that it became a National Bestseller.


My friends and associates are well educated folks from diverse backgrounds with just a diverse group of beliefs, values, and opinions so I didn't really expect everyone to get on the same page about a book.


Now in the past there have been quite a few books that I knew of that were national bestsellers, I knew that they had hit bestseller lists through out the county because I work for a publishing house and in the lobby of the building I work in the book would be prominently featured the way The 50th Law is featured in the photo to the left. Often times I saw this books mentioned or featured in the major print publications or televisions and radio shows, however very rarely would I actually see it everyday in the hustle and bustle of my life. This is one of the few books that actually saw everyday people, that I could relate to, reading this book. To me that is the definitive sign of a book being a bestseller beyond hitting a list, which to me means absolutely nothing.

Versus

Id vs ego
You vs I
Us vs them
Life seems ridden
With strife & struggle
...Then what choice
Do we have
But to fight
War is in bred
As much as love
To deny that
Is to deny
Your very humanity
Oh what a tragedy
When we refuse
To see ourselves
For who we really are.

4 AM EST

It's 4 AM in NYC and I'm still up, which I suppose is not really saying much when you reside in the city that never sleeps. And I guess that if I lived the Sex in the City lifestyle saying that I'm up at this time would be followed by steamy story of partying the night away. But I'm not Keri and my life is more like Dry Humping in the City, you know, all the drama and hijinks of Sex in the City only with rub burns and no Jimmy Choos.

Now don't get me wrong there's the no other place I'd rather be or live, and the saying is true if you can make it anywhere. But that's mostly because you make so much more money working in NYC then any other place, on average. However, that's completely offset by the fact that on average New Yorkers spend more than half of their earnings on rent. In NYC the only difference poor and middle class, is that the poor people can't get credit.

Which brings me to why I am up so late, I feel like I just don't know enough like there so much information, so many new things to look at new games, books, movies, shows, cars, clothes, and the list goes and on. I often find myself coming home and sitting in front of my home computer after sitting in front of my work computer all day; looking up information, doing work or just fucking around. Today was one of those days, I've must have spent more than 10 hours in front of a computer.

I truly wonder what this means. How this much constant information and bombarment of messages is doing to me as a human being. I don't go out without having my iPod with me, my earphones on, avidly searching for my favorite tracks. What happened to the days when you listened to music at home? Or live at a ballroom or concert? I tune the hussle and bussle of the city out with my music high, there are times when I worry that I might go def by the time that I'm 40. Especially when my doctor said "if you keep listenig to your iPod too loudly you will go def by the time you're 40."

So this need to tune things out is because of the overwhelming amount of messages that I take in just in one day alone. Just looking out my window I could easily see one huge billboard promoting Wicked, and another three on the street. Its hard enough to stay focused on the day ahead, on my responsibilities and proper role in a solely profit driven society is somewhat of a soul-sucker (i.e. that which sucks the very spirit out of your life and you wonder it's very point and purpose.)

It gets to be too much sometimes so I tune it ouout, to function, survive and thrive. But there are days and weeks like this where it seems I've lost the strength to tune it out, and that's the moment advertisers wait for.

And that's what I think about at 4 am on Saturday morning as I wait for sleep to take hold of my eyes.

Lemon Andersen, the Spit King, the featured poet at Capicu Poetry!

THE CAPICU POETRY OPEN MIC

Friday, May 14th
$7 Cover
Doors Open @ 7 PM

Feature Poet:
LEMON ANDERSEN is a critically acclaimed and award-winning renaissance artist. As a poet he has the greatest number of appearances on HBO’S RUSSELL SIMMONS PRESENTS DEF POETRY—Eight times in six seasons. He is also an original cast member of RUSSELL SIMMONS PRESENTS DEF POETRY JAM ON BROADWAY—in which he won a TONY award for his writing and performance, as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Notice Lounge
198 Union Avenue

(bet. B'way & Montrose)
Williamsburg, BK, NY 11211
G Train to Broadway, J train to Hewes

Music by: DJ Sambarella

Performances, visual art, & other goodies provided by: Jani Bomba Rose, Roberto Plena Irizarry, Ralphy Tatuxmen Perez, and many more.

Sponsored by:

Futuvision & Platinum Mic Studios

18 & over, dress casual but neat.

Attend This Event