PLAY: Warm Honey
snippet: “…that’s when things got complicated.”
time: 2:20; specs: 2.15 MB mp3
words and sounds by: Cecil Vortex
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They ask us to think of tomorrow. To take precautions. To invest our time. And we trust them because they have credentials. But what if tomorrow the task becomes the reward? What if that warm honeyed pain/pleasure grows legs and walks out the door? Will you follow? Will we all follow? -CV
PLAY: I, Baby Robot
snippet: “Red 7, is the Baby Robot in place?”
time: 3:04; specs: 2.8 MB mp3
written by: Cecil Vortex; starring: Jeff Green, Heather Gottschalk, Christian Crumlish, EB, Hans van Boetzelaerlaan, M. Smith, and Cecil Vortex
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Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? Baby Robot knows. And now Pete, Reggie, and the whole gang are about to find out. What Baby Robot knows. About what lurks.
PLAY: The Phone Call, Part I
snippet: “”I was a done deal. Yesterday’s news. And yet…”
time: 5:06; specs: 4.8 MB mp3
written by: Bill Cassel, with Cecil Vortex; produced by: Tony Jonick; starring: Benson Hurst, Bee Nisbet, M. Smith, Tony Jonick, and Spencer Watkins
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Who is the mysterious Bunsen? Why does he refuse to answer his phone? Do the two thugs at his door want to kill him, beat him up, or take him to lunch? And what meat product does his secretary resemble?
One of these questions will be answered in Part 1 of the long-awaited Monkey Vortex epic “The Phone Call.”
PLAY: Quiet and Comfortable
snippet: “…David was different. He was unusual. And when no one else was around, he’d sit very still…and prove it.”
time: 1:25; specs: 1.3 MB mp3
words and music by: Cecil Vortex; starring: Robert Birnbach
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(Very) loosely following in the tradition of Clowney, here’s a short short story about a hep cat mathlete with unusual hobbies. And shoes. He also has shoes! Enjoy, and regardez the skies, -CV
PLAY: Holding On
snippet: “I cursed her too as she kissed away my frown.”
time: 2:14; specs: 2 MB mp3
written and produced by: Tony Jonick
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This is something unusual. Something you may have never encountered before. Disco poetry. And I think yes. The world needs more. Beautifully honest, carefully crafted, heartfelt disco poetry. I’ve been a big fan of this particular poem for a while now and asked local poet and MVRT stalwart Tony Jonick to record it for us. What he did with it in his studio was entirely unexpected. And that’s a great thing. Enjoy. And watch the skies, -CV
PLAY: Poem with Its Second Line by Nada Gordon
snippet: “…here is an opportunity to rest your head among the green blaze of mountains…”
time: 1:15; specs: 1.1 MB mp3
words by: Rodney K.; music by: Yaniv Soha
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After an extended, hard drive-induced hiatus, MVRT is back with our most rockin’-est transcontinental Poet Makes a House Call yet. Some say Soha and Koeneke are like the Scylla and Charybdis of our time. Me, I’m not even sure what that means. But I do know this: my four-year-old asked me to play this week’s number some twenty-odd times in a row. And you just can’t beat a review like that. Enjoy. And now more than ever: watch the dang skies, -CV
PLAY: Letters
time: 1:17; specs: 1.2 MB mp3
snippet: “From director Ridley Scott, and his albino brother Tony…”
script by: Cecil Vortex; voices: Eileen Dahl, Bleu Smith, K. Smith, and CV
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Some say pop culture is swiftly moving beyond parody. We say: those folks clearly haven’t seen the ads for CBS’ “Numbers.”
Enjoy. And watch the skies, -CV
PLAY: Bobba Bebba
time: 1:43; specs: 1.6 MB mp3
script by: Cecil Vortex; voices: Hans van Boetzelaerlaan and CV
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Today’s episode marks a return to our bread and butter: short pieces about empathetic aliens watching alternate-reality Earth-TV as they orbit dying suns. And may God have mercy on our souls.
Enjoy! -CV
PLAY: The Good Friend
snippet: “…I know, I know, what could be so bad, right? Well listen up: it’s all about the wine tasting.”
time: 2:58; specs: 2.7 MB mp3
script by: eb; voice and keys by: Cecil Vortex
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From the folks what brought you Clowney comes the story of Mike, a guy with a problem. Sure, he likes a glass of wine now and again. And yeah, ok: maybe he’s become a tad fancified of late. But really, that’s the least of it.
See, the late-night crickets are out in force, chirping along beneath bass and keys. And there’s Mike’s pal, down by the fence. He’s a bit concerned, and he’s feeling awful chatty. What’s his name? Oh, I don’t know. How ’bout we just call him: The Good Friend. Enjoy. And watch the skies, -CV
PLAY: Eerie Wampum
snippet: “…like Casper the Friendly Ghost, teamed up to solve the mystery of Camp Wampum with Richie Rich, the sad little rich boy…”
time: 1:42; specs: 1.6 MB mp3
words by: Rodney K.; music by: Yaniv Soha
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Regulars visitors to this site are already well versed in the the work of Rodney K. Suffice it to say, if Monkey Vortex had a Poet Laureate, Rodney K. would be the poet our Poet Laureate would plagiarize. He’s that good.
This week, Rodney teams up transcontinentally with Yaniv Soha. (Incidentally, Yaniv is frequently and incorrectly credited as the inventor of the light bulb. In fact, the inventor of the light bulb was Thomas Alva Edison.) Eerie Wampum is a powerful, evocative poem, set to swank, swinging guitar. In short, it’s just the sort of headphone-friendly sonic brain transfusion today’s hep cats demand.
But wait! As an extra special bonus this week, for you and just for you: a remix of a Rodney K. poem we originally posted last October. Inspired by Yaniv’s Egyptian Reggae, it’s the same great poem, now refortified with a tad more funkngroove. Et voila: Welcome to the City of Wetumpka, the Funknfortified Edition. Enjoy, and watch the skies, -CV