41. Saul Williams + Lingo
Yes, that Saul Williams. And yes, I can barely contain myself.
Saul Williams is thusly described on Wikipedia: Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 film Slam and Holler If Ya Hear Me, a Broadway musical featuring music by Tupac Shakur.
And that’s accurate, he’s all those things, and really good at all of them. As Colm Keegan says, he kept making great art. As in, he’s not resting on his laurels, or just kicking back like a 90’s rap star. He’s still pushing the envelope, still challenging. And, he’s the coolest person I’ve ever met. He oozes coolness, intelligence (which is part of coolness) and just philosophical wonderment. His answers to questions are thought out, albeit instantly, and are dense and rewarding. I like Saul Williams a lot.
This interview took place in Fighting Words so there were loads of people there, and a group of kids and young poets listening to Saul. Some of them asked him questions and some read their poems for Saul, as you’ll hear on this podcast. Saul reads and recites some of his too, don’t worry. He also talks about hanging out and working with Nas. Being in the studio with Kanye West (it’s hilarious) and how he wrote and epic poem about Diadora sneakers.
The first part of this episode is a lovely chat with Erin Fornoff and Colm Keegan of Lingo Festival. They are both poets, writers, spoken word artists, and unlabelled (I don’t know what Colm wants me to call him). They talk about how they got into it, where Lingo came from and Erin tells us how she basically stalked Saul Williams until he agreed to come and headline Lingo Festival 2015.
This episode was sponsored by Bunsen.
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