Last night, I saw Kathy Griffin (currently of Bravo Channel reality-show fame) at the Gibson (formerly Universal) Ampitheatre. By stand-up comic standards, she did a Springsteen-esque two-hour set, which contained very funny material about celebrity vanity, ego and image-vs.-reality.
One thing I took away from the show is the extent that the egos of today's "artistic talents" can be lofty and fragile. Consequently, one must be prepared to go on with life if you've bruised someone's ego and the person bruised decides to eternally banish the bruiser.
Poetry is, in its own way, another branch of show business. And, as with Kathy being snubbed by people as varied as Star Jones (who had her 86ed from THE VIEW for awhile) and Bill Maher (who apparently thinks she doesn't have enough "depth" for REAL TIME), I'm aware that irreverence may close some doors permanently.
All I can do as a poet/host is to realize poets are people too and try to avoid unnecessary cruelty, but at the same time be unafraid to have a dissenting opinion when the occasion warrants....and be prepared for whatever happens next.
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