Jason Mckenzie is a junior writing major, Copy Editor for PSC Poets and Writers bi-annual publication Centripetal, and a familiar face at Beiderman’s Open Mic. His smooth poetic ability wields the microphone with rhythm and emotion, establishing a strong presence within Plymouth’s literary circle. Jason shows appreciation for all forms of expression, but first and foremost his focus remains poetry.
The Clock: What’s the most important thing you do and why is it so important?
Jason Mckenzie: The most important thing I do? Heh heh. Breathe.
Clock: What are some other things you do and how do you get interested?
JM: What are some other things I do?
Clock: Yeah, besides breathe…
JM: I’m really into music, following a lot of bands and stuff. I like rhythm. I like painting too, I think its really cool. I would like to be a painter but I just don’t know how. I took some photo classes and made some cool stuff, but you have to have a darkroom to get into that stuff.
Clock: Would you consider yourself an artist? Why?
JM: Sometimes, yah know? Everybody’s an artist sometimes. I don’t think anyone is an artist all the time. Sometimes I have creative moments. Sometimes I make cool stuff…
Clock: Well certainly you make good poetry.
JM: Sometimes. Sometimes it’s alright, sometimes it’s not very good, and sometimes it’s great.
Clock: Can you give an example of when it would not be good and when it would be good?
JM: A lot of it has to do with when people hear you perform a piece. For performance poetry a huge part of it is theatrical. If you memorize the poem first of all, that’s a huge step above anyone else’s pulling out a piece of paper. If you put emotion into it, you have it completely memorized so you’re not worried about stumbling over the words, you know the feeling to put into every word. The beat. The rhythm. You have it all worked out in your head before you do it, it will come out and everybody will be like no matter what you said. You could have said ‘blah blah blah blah’ but at the right rhythm and at the right time people will still be impressed.
Clock: If you could make any dream involving your work come true, what would it be?
JM: I like to think about that all the time. Sometimes I dream I’m a rock star. Sometimes I dream I tour the country doing open mics and slams everywhere. Maybe writing books. I just want books… my name attached to something after I’m dead. I don’t know what else I’m gonna do. I like to help though, doin’ all sorts of stuff.
Clock: Like?
JM: Joint ventures, like people work together. Stuff like that’s very cool. When everybody works together towards some sort of creative goal.
Clock: Where do you see yourself artistically ten years from now?
JM: Ha ha! Starving… (though I hope not).
Clock: Is there anyone who inspires you? What about their work generates your interest?
JM: I’m star struck by certain people, like Jimi [Hendrix], he’s real beautiful. Rory Gallagher, he’s unbelievable, unbelievable dude. Probably one of the best guitarists ever. He’s from Ireland and nobody knows about him, it’s sad. He was just as good as Jimi an nobody knew about him.
Clock: Name an album…
JM: Irish Tour. Everybody should listen to it. Everybody should listen to it. Back to inspirations; its not just musicians. Picasso… For words I love Usef Komunyakaa. He won the Pulitzer in 1994 for poetry. He’s a great poet…kind of like a painter. He paints these incredible images in my head.
Clock: What’s your favorite poem of his?
JM: I don’t have favorites.
Clock: Is there anyone you consider a huge support?
JM: My circle of friends, my girlfriend, and sweet, sweet Mary Jane.
Clock: How has Plymouth State College helped you?
JM: It didn’t help me get out of town I’ll tell ya that. I’m from this area, went to Plymouth High for three years. Plymouth has helped me meet other people that do what I do, which is cool. Nothing makes you better than competition. You’re out there with people and you can dig their work. You go like ‘I can do better, I can do better’ and it pushes me.
Clock: So the literary community has been pretty influential for you?
JM: Yeah. I really dig the open mic scene. I like all those people…
Clock: Is there anything coming up that you’re involved in? What? When? Where?
JM: I’m gonna try to start a slam team from New Hampshire because there isn’t one. In the past I’ve gone down to the Pantab Lounge where you can compete to become on the Boston Slam Team. The thing that eats me about that place is that that’s for them. We don’t have our own. I know there are great poets around here that can stand with anybody, so I just want to have our own team. Around this community of Plymouth there are great writers and great poets. I think I know something about performance poetry that I could share with everybody else, to make people who normally wouldn’t go out there and really shine when they’re reading it, so you can associate their face with it. I’d like to teach that to people, but then they’d be better than me.
Clock: That’s a conundrum. You don’t want to be beaten, but you want to share your gift?
JM: I know. I know. I’ll share it anyway. I don’t care. For this slam team I think it’s a good thing for me to do…help a lot of people become a lot better.