GV7 Testimony of the Undying Power of the Spoken Word

Don't worry about poetry losing its place in the world; it has many avenues through which it conveys its message, and if all else fails, it can manifest itself in the form it has always used for centuries: the spoken word. This is the message director Bob Bryan conveys in his latest GV7 documentary entitled Random Urban Static: The Iridescent Equations of the Spoken Word.

The documentary presents a cross-section of Southern California Spoken Word artists who, in this two-hour presentation of diverse styles, show their determination to keep the word alive. Basically, these poets understand that there is so much static in the urban world, and the poet's role is to turn the static into words. Captured by expertly-selected words, this static turns into a message that can make our world a better place.

Here is a selection of poets who remain true to what they feel, to their sense of being, even in cases where they may have to use words to search for this humanity. And when they capture it, we capture and share it with them.

Watching this documentary, I came to know artists like Vejea Jennings, Eric Haber, Poetri, Nicholas Lopez, Natalie Patterson, GaKnew, Tim West and many others who remind us to cry if words dictate we do so, to talk about the problems of the world and listen to those whose views and ideals may differ from ours. Poetri, in particular, reminds us "to listen with the heart" and expresses his wish that everyone on earth was a poet; then the world would be a better place. Of course, everyone is a poet; it's the extent to which we are willing to explore the poetry within and without that makes a big difference. And the poets in this documentary have discovered the magic of the spoken word and are determined to keep it mending the ills of society.

One piece that stuck with me is "Letter to Hip hop" which joins the debate on the issue of hip-hop and social responsibility. The poet chants:

Back that thinking up
I'm not backing that thing up
...
Stop calling yourself nigga
and call yourself man

Eric Haber, who claims that he was "conceived in the summer of love and [was] born in the winter of regret" says that just the spoken word has the power even to say the weird. Somewhere in these words, as another poet, Sekou the Misfit,points out, there is a message that will help someone.

This documentary is a fine blend of interviews and performances which will leave you calling for more, an inspiring, thought-provoking rendition of both the familiar and the unfamiliar. Its artistry shows the commitment to the arts that director Bob Bryan continues to demonstrate.