Neema at the West End Cultural Centre, July 6 2010

– text by eugene osudar/photos by Vimala Jeffrey-Howe

the glamorous life
oh, you amorous life
really is
is really

the un,
glamourous
life

so you wanna be a rock n
roll star
you wanna be Bob Dylan
you wanna be
a diva
a queen
a poet
a dreamer
perhaps,
a screamer

you wanna be
Joni
or Prince
or LL Cool J
Public Enemy
Chuck D and Flavor Flav(e)
Sarah M

get yourself
a name

the publicists
and labels
can work
with

Elton John
Bon Jovi
David Bowie
and
find

your 15
minutes of
Andy Warhol
superstar
fame

or with
clarity
of
Vision

a breathing time
machine

be
a whole

life
long

legend

Dylan
L Cohen
Neil Young

that’s Only
with Vision
and clarity

here’s the reality

Neema began her day
of interviews
interview after interview
at 1 PM

it’s 4:18
as i’m looking at my watch
watching Neema
re/schedule
and juggle
the interviews

oh, it’s 18 minutes
after
our scheduled
interview

oh and
her tour bus
broke down

her guitar
on the bus
her make
up
too

make up and guitar
in same sentence

she had to shop
at Shopper’s
(does guttersnipe get
$ for mentioning a major
chain?) for make
up
cuz she’s being
interviewed
for

TV

ah! The Interviews…

see, guitars and make up
are of the same
importance!

and there’s
radio
print
internet
(that’s me)

papers
names
times

r
u
n
n
i
n
g

a little behind,

people come
people go
people hum
people flow

TV camera guy
leaves
(called away)

the glamorous
life

she’s tired

the same questions
over and over

i mention to her,
“i hate interviews.”

(do you think
she loves them?)

and i’m waiting

i Love The Wait
i’m unconventional
non/professional

i’m a writer
a roller
a eugene
fully
immersed
in

the

n
o
w

that’s the beauty
of poetry

Leonard Cohen
and Neema

(i’m happy to report
the guitar
has arrived
and make
up too)

we agree
to do the interview
after her set
tonight at The WECC
in Winnipeg

where she’ll play
to 50 people

she assures
me
every,
where’s
been sell
outs

oh My
Winnipeg
oh Vancouver
oh Anywhere,
North America

L Cohen
L Cohen
L Cohen

c’mon
take a chance

and see why
Leonard
Cohen
finds
Neema

e
n
c
h
a
n
t
i
n
g

i see her
grace
her
angles
her
big eyes
love crumbs
(ee cummings)
her lips

oh, you poets

writers
dreamers

go see
come see
why L Cohen
chose
to
produce
(in association
with)
her new CD

“have you had a chance to breathe?”
i ask,
or maybe i just
imagined
i asked,

it’s in my journal

that’s me.

it’s all about
breathing
in the now

i mention
two great places
to eat
near the WECC

(just down the block)

one Vietnamese
the other Indo

(just ask me
and i’ll tell you
their names)

i talk about punk
rock
and world music
the folk festival

and Andru
from CJUM
shows up
and he mentions

“eugene’;s
a dancer”

and i am

and then i see

The Smile

Her Smile
Her Light

a shining
moment
of ease

of breath
and
breathing

perhaps
we’ll talk
after the show

(perhaps not

i’m ecstatic
with this

these poetics
it’s how
i write)

the 20 minutes after
the last song
and signing CDs

and she and her
band
and crew
will be at The WECC
until

2 AM.

1 PM to 2 AM.

that’s the reality
of The Glamourous
Life.

Do you want it?

Neema does.

Neema
WECC
July 6
before the show.