Thomas that is. Sorry Michelle Pfeiffer. Random question: was saying Bob Dylan was your favorite poet edgy in the 90s? 60s yes, 90s? ...I think not. But I digress.
I have gathered quite the collection of poetry readings on my Spotify account. During my sometimes long commutes to south Seattle in rush hour traffic, this is usually the first playlist I opt to listen to. I take after my father, and perhaps my sister, with my love of poetry. Modern in particular. And my easy obsession with actors no doubt feeds into this. Kenneth Branagh reading Shakespeare? Put that in the playlist, please. Julie Harris and the works of Emily Dickinson? Say no more. I have no doubt there are not nearly enough of the dulcet tones of British actors reciting verse in the world. But even with Alan Rickman, Alec Guinness, and Alan Bates; Richard Burton, Ralph Fiennes, and Robert Newton; all the actors whose voices could give you goosebumps and no one comes close to Dylan Thomas. Strange isn't it, that a poet could beat out all of those great actors. But listening to him read Yeats is like listening to music. Try not to get the refrain from "The Three Bushes" stuck in your head like the chorus repeated on the radio. Ah I can hear you say "well he's a poet, he should know best how to read poetry." I beg to differ. Love as I do my favorite poet, T.S. Eliot, what I wouldn't give to have a recording of someone like Leo Genn reciting "The Wasteland" for 25 minutes. Luckily for me, this quality of Thomas' was recognized and recorded. Quite a bit. So take a minute to enjoy my favorite Dylan song:
And I could listen to that one on repeat.
I have gathered quite the collection of poetry readings on my Spotify account. During my sometimes long commutes to south Seattle in rush hour traffic, this is usually the first playlist I opt to listen to. I take after my father, and perhaps my sister, with my love of poetry. Modern in particular. And my easy obsession with actors no doubt feeds into this. Kenneth Branagh reading Shakespeare? Put that in the playlist, please. Julie Harris and the works of Emily Dickinson? Say no more. I have no doubt there are not nearly enough of the dulcet tones of British actors reciting verse in the world. But even with Alan Rickman, Alec Guinness, and Alan Bates; Richard Burton, Ralph Fiennes, and Robert Newton; all the actors whose voices could give you goosebumps and no one comes close to Dylan Thomas. Strange isn't it, that a poet could beat out all of those great actors. But listening to him read Yeats is like listening to music. Try not to get the refrain from "The Three Bushes" stuck in your head like the chorus repeated on the radio. Ah I can hear you say "well he's a poet, he should know best how to read poetry." I beg to differ. Love as I do my favorite poet, T.S. Eliot, what I wouldn't give to have a recording of someone like Leo Genn reciting "The Wasteland" for 25 minutes. Luckily for me, this quality of Thomas' was recognized and recorded. Quite a bit. So take a minute to enjoy my favorite Dylan song:
And I could listen to that one on repeat.
