America’s most dangerous poet Mike Tyler is set to bring his distinctive style over to Britain with his second album Erection. Quirky with an amazing talent and passion for words Tyler is certainly a guy to keep an eye out for as he continues to do what he loves.
He’s certainly had an exciting career so far, breaking his arm during a poetry reading and having his words stencilled by Banksy beside Paddington station.
First of all, I have to ask, why did you decide to call your latest album Erection?
There are two reasons. Both, so diametrically opposite (can you ever say “diametrically the same?”) that this gives some good insight into my character – after all my last book was called Dog is Cat.
One, Clearly I still have more than a trace of a teenage boy’s sense of humour.
Two, though there has been some good changes in my lifetime, I have lived much of it, at least the language part of it, in other words the overall general tenor of what we understand it is “to be”, in a conservative world. I’m sick of it. Part of the response to this, and this is a mode of fightback leading all the way to the 19th Century Romantic Poets, has been a kindof fetishizing of giving-up — only assholes are erect. No. I want the doubtful, the hopeful, the hopeless … the smart, to, well, put it in.
What is it that triggers your ideas for songs?
Strong Drink. Hard Candy.
Do you approach song writing the same way you approach your poetry or is there a difference between the two?
I started writing songs because I was broken. What had broken me? I wasn’t broken. I knew what I was doing – too well. I needed to do something that I didn’t know how to do.
Stuttering Song II sounds quite different from your previous stuff, is there a reason you’ve decided to explore new sounds?
May I just mention here, that these are really good questions. Ok, sucking-up done. I am so self-conscious sometimes I’m like a scrapbook of a life, of a scrapbook of a life. I wanted to make the acoustic first record, then the rockin’ second one. The innovative third one has already been written too (I hope I can remember it).
I read somewhere that your poetry readings are quite physical, is this something you want to bring to your music too?
You can’t see me but I am so excited about saying “yes!” to this that I’m jumping up and down and … I just pulled my hamstring (see pic).
What do you want to achieve with your new album?
Bliss and Blisters.
You’re known for your way with words as a poet, would you say you’re a perfectionist when it comes to lyrics?
Um, ah, er, ah, mmm, um, um, er, ah, sss, mee, ah, er, um, …
You’re known as America’s most dangerous poet because you broke your arm during a reading once, how did that occur?
Guilt kills you. Also being on top of a fence reading a poem and jumping off and not landing right.
Some people have said you’re a controversial poet, is that the way you want to be seen?
Some people are total dicks.
You’ve had such an impact that Banksy stencilled your words ‘only the ridiculous survive’ outside Paddington Station, how did you feel when that occurred?
Pretty ridiculous … ly happy.
Stuttering Song II was released last month and his latest album Erection is out 20th August.