interview by Jorge Perezchica
Jeremy M. Brownlowe, aka Typewriter Troubadour has been writing poetry in public spaces ever since March of 2015 when he set off on a road trip to “reclaim my self” and shake up the story of his life. After driving nearly 20k miles across the country, Jeremy M. Brownlowe ultimately aims to discover the purpose in how poetry can heal himself and the people he writes for along the way — busking from place to place with a vintage typewriter and a sign that reads: Custom Poems, Your subject, Your price.
Did you always want to be a writer or poet?
I have always loved to write in one way or the other. Creative writing opportunities have inspired me since I was a kid. My family moved across the country several times by car, giving me plenty of time to get inspired by the stories I was reading on the road. I started writing my own stories when I was about ten years old. Once, I wrote a fictional story about a chimpanzee who was fighting to save the rainforest that was being destroyed — a story that brought my fifth grade teacher to tears. It was my first inclination that words had the power to impact others. Entering adolescence, I journaled a lot to process my teenage angst, but was pretty private about all of it. I often ripped out and destroyed the pages — embarrassed by what was being exorcized from my soul. In my mid-teens, I was regularly performing my own songs at open mics in San Diego. I continued to write and perform in bands throughout my twenties. Immersed in my passion for music, I expanded my writing by doing music reviews and show previews for a Portland based weekly magazine, as well as conducting interviews with musicians I admired through my own self-published zines and online blogs. So yeah, I guess you could say I was blessed with the gift of getting the word out.
What’s currently on your bookshelf?
I definitely appreciate writers who put their vulnerabilities out there and stories that are adventurous or challenge the status-quo. Current books on my bookshelf that I would deem classics include “Another Country” by James Baldwin, “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed, and “Ham On Rye” by Charles Bukowski. I also love the ancient innate spiritual wisdom of Rumi as much as I like the bastardized art rebellion of the Beat Poets.
How would you describe your style of writing?
It’s interesting because I have two writing styles. The voice presented as Typewriter Troubadour is pretty different from what I do on my own. Though in both cases, I try to make sense of the world we are living in. As Typewriter Troubadour, I kinda go into a trance to find the words. In some ways, I consider it more of an intuitive art-form than poetry. When I am at my best it is total stream of consciousness, where a higher creative intelligence take over my hands upon the typewriter. Therefore, Typewriter Troubadour is more about connecting with the person in front of me energetically — reflecting their experience or helping to tap into their place within the collective existential truth. It’s more of a channelling — a philosophical, playful, or spiritual expression inspired by whatever topics curious pedestrians bring to the machine. Meanwhile, in my own writing, I deal with revealing my own traumas and personal dramas, documenting the adventures I experience in-between the poems I write for people on the streets. Therefore the voice of my personal work is very different. It’s way more raw and humanistic. It documents the struggle for self-realization rather than providing a channel for a spiritual ideal to reveal itself — a narrative attempting to make sense of the struggle of living in within the current state of Planet Earth. Such stories document the adventures I’ve experienced in my journey across America as a committed artistic nomad within a confessional prose format. I love to observe the people I meet. The people I fall in love with. Exploring psychological landscapes excavated from my own soul. Since I have integrated myself to living the life as a poet and a storyteller, I am always amused and enthralled by the stories that occur in life. I am constantly inspired by the characters I meet on the road, and the primal experiences of dealing with life on life’s terms and the dilemmas of the 3D world.
Describe the connection between poet and pedestrian.
There are definitely archetypes in the curiosity this type of street performance inspires. There’s people who just want to talk about the typewriter, but leave without a poem. There are those who I think want to collaborate — but they’re too shy to engage beyond a nostalgic smile or nod. Then there are those who go for it. That’s when all mayhem lets loose. I never really know what is going to happen, besides some social alchemy. Cause let’s face it — it’s awkward as fuck to talk to people in real life… That’s why the typewriter is such a good ice breaker. It symbolizes a time before the majority of social connections were digitized. Whether people are requesting a poem over seeking a serious inquiry in life or want a fun and unique memento to present to someone they love, there is a genuine exchange and communion that you won’t get by repressing your vulnerability and resisting to engage in some sort of human connection that exists outside of a screen.
You recently published a new book titled “Typewriter Troubadour Selected Poems 2015-2018” Can you tell us about that?
Absolutely. It’s my first anthology that took a couple of years of procrastination to manifest. I went through over 800 poems I had documented over the course of three years of my travels across America, and found 108 poems that I felt could resonate with a wide audience. I tried to make it pretty diverse in terms of the topics people wanted poems about. In curating the first anthology, I have found themes that could manifest in future editions ranging from poems written for other people’s lovers, to motivation and inspiration, to the random challenges and obscure topics people bring to the typewriter.
There is also a memoir-based novel detailing your personal journey to be released later this year. What can readers expect?
Typewriter Troubadour has been the vehicle of my spiritual and creative journey. The memoir I am currently finalizing depicts the existential crises I experienced that inspired me to hit the road and fully realize myself as a writer — a dream I had been repressing because of the pressures of traditional society. There are plenty of adventures on the open road featuring characters I couldn’t make up in my own imagination even if I tried, and serves as a timestamp of coming out as a transgender man during the dawn of the Trump era. It is a story of taking the necessary steps and risks it takes to become your true authentic self, to explore your desires, and the journey towards unconditional self-love. I am hoping it will inspire people on their own journey towards authenticity — no matter what their personal narrative entails.
How far have you traveled and where do you plan to go next?
After driving nearly 20K miles across the country in period of two years, as well as a few plane trips to New York, I am happy to base myself in the SoCal region. After a decade of living in rainy Portland, Oregon, I strive for prime weather at all times! But I do hope to explore some smaller towns in this region. I haven’t typed in the Mid-Western Cities yet, and I hope to explore more of the American South. In the years to come, I could see myself traveling to Japan because Typewriter Troubadour was featured on an episode of a Japanese travel show, and I am regularly spotted by Japanese tourists and locals, alike. I also have aspirations to go to Paris to write… but I want to wait until my hair is a little more gray for dramatic effect.
What do you want pedestrians to remember you by?
I hope that the interaction they have with me as the Typewriter Troubadour will remind them of the inner light they possess and inspire them to share their stories with others in order to embrace the value of connection, whether or not there is a typewriter — or a poet — involved.
What do you love most about poetry?
Poetry literally saves lives. Whether one is the writer or the recipient. I see it in the eyes of people I write for. Poetry connects us with the abstract feelings we aren’t taught to express directly. It gives us an opportunity to connect with ourselves and the world around us.
Define “Poets & Provocateurs” in your own words.
Poetry is provocative of the emotions that have long laid dormant. When we express our inner truth we are rebels against the society that wants to keep our voices contained. We will not be silenced when we speak the essence of our truth, and inspire others to do the same.
For more info visit, Typewriter Troubadour
Get the book: “Selected Poems 2015-2018″