CHRISTIAN ALVAREZ

July 26, 2015
by

CHRISTIAN ALVAREZ
KINDS OF BLACK

interview and photography JORGE PEREZCHICA 

 

So, tell us about yourself and your new book of poetry.

I’m from the Bay Area and was raised in Arizona. I performed music most of my life and writing really took hold when I discovered the beat writers and slam/def poet scene. I was fortunate enough to hit the road with Saul Williams as his drummer and met heroes of mine that were MCs and poets and gave me a hope that you can make your way doing what you consider a dream. The title is a riff on Miles Davis’ “Kinds of Blue.” When I listen to certain music or read certain authors work a certain feeling, a wash of emotion sets a mood and hopefully this is something readers can do with my work. This is the latest of 11 books and it is my favorite currently. Probably because it’s the baby, but it is a big collection — maybe 60 poems.

Who is the woman on the cover?

That was a romantic goofy selfie taken at the Rumor Hotel in Las Vegas back a few years ago with an old flame… I’m a huge fan of the Blue Note record covers and being able to have covers on the books and artwork takes me back to reading liner notes and staring at the album covers with headphones on. I want to record versions of my work with music and this summer when I have reading dates in L.A., Phoenix, and clear up to Seattle, I hope to bring along the aspect of live art, a DJ, and various forms of live music.

When you moved to the Coachella Valley — did your writing style change?

It was a side thing for me when I got here. I had just gotten off tour and when I landed here in Palm Springs. I was in a few musical projects mostly in the studio or up in Twenty-Nine Palms with guys I’ve made music with for years in that lush scene, but writing took over. The valley has a certain vibe that no where else can match. The desert is magical and mysterious and beautiful. It is a perfect place to get away or be on the pulse of everything.

From your experience, what have been some of the most difficult things to express in your poetry?

I wanted to tell stories and true stories bare-bone, but I didn’t want to get in trouble or name names and really felt uncomfortable, so I thought about a painting and how a moment was expressed fully in a still. This led me to believe I could use metaphors and words to express the feelings behind the scene giving the reader all the tools needed to not only try to figure out what I was talking about but how those unspoken feelings were easily related to. Some of the most difficult things in life are only able to be expressed through art and poetry. To me it is a perfect way to tell the ins and outs of a scenario and leave that mark for others to see.

What are your currently working on?

I’m currently writing a web series with Anthony D’Juan out of Sacramento. I’m also working on a one-man play with him to be performed over a two-night live filming this year. The other project is a dinner theater play involving a couple and a waiter. But mostly for now DailyOne poems on my Facebook and photo posts on my Instagram.

INSTAGRAM: @CHRISTIANALVAREZ
WEB: BEATPOETFLASH.COM

((Why I Sleep))

why I sleep

picture me taking my suitcase

from the bent track closet

a logo’d pill

a bag of tricks

long enough to live on

incase the morning late

if this night

to utter cut

tonight in dreams the smiling boy

knows that smooth means time

and wrinkles mean soft

that fur needs to be petted

eyes need to be fed

and that if he wears a bird suit

with flippers

a squirrel tail

and a fireman’s hat

he could climb a high tree

leap into the sky

fly inside the clouds

plunge into the sea

channeling the puissant swell

to douse the dancing flames obeisant

tonight the smiling boy

knows only that if’s mean yes

that maybe’s are just pauses before serenity

and no’s

is a thing that allows you to breathe in the scent

of mothers hair

and rain

and tiny pieces of light