Koyczan a master at unravelling poetic puzzle

Shane Koyczan, the spoken word poet who wowed at the Olympic opening ceremony last month, wants to make one thing very clear � he�s no one-trick pony.

�I�ve been doing spoken word for about 10 years, so I�ve had a career that�s spanned that much,� he said, adding he will not perform �We Are More�, his much-celebrated Canadian ode, at either of the two upcoming shows he has at The Cultch this week.

�In terms of doing that poem over and over again, I have to show people what else I�m capable of. It�s been a very long career and I need to step up from the shadow of that one thing I did.�

That shouldn�t be too much of a problem considering Koyczan has an extensive body of work. He recently published a book, Visiting Hours, and has another, Stickboy, set for release soon.

And for someone whose mind is constantly revved up, there�s no shortage of works yet to come.

�I like to think [my mind�s at rest] sometimes in sleep, but I do keep a notepad by my bed and every now and then, I�ll wake up and write something down,� he said, chuckling.

As a result his writing material can vary, depending on where he is and when an idea hits him.

�Notepads, napkins, computers � just about anything I can get my hands on,� he said. �Sometimes I�ll write stuff on my arm.�

And where exactly does Koyczan find his inspiration?

�A lot of it comes from people. People that I see down the street. I�m kind of a gentle stalker,� he laughed, admitting he often stops to eavesdrop on conversations. �People are funny. They�re wonderful and they�re endearing in a lot of ways especially when they don�t know that they�re being observed.�

�A lot of what I write comes from my own personal experience. But there are certain instances where people will say things that are completely poetic that you just couldn�t invent.�

And when it comes to sharing his own experiences, Koyczan pushes himself not to hold back. His poems have touched upon everything from his mother�s death to his experiences as a bullied child at school.

�Sometimes I�ll write something that I don�t necessarily want to share with other people,� he said. �But it�s important for me to recognize within myself � you have to show a certain level of emotional nudity. An audience is there to either embrace that or scorn it.�

Koyczan chalks this �emotional nudity� up as one of the many reasons he regularly suffers stage fright before each performance. He states the success and sudden fame he�s achieved hasn�t diminished that fear.

�It�s so important for a performer to get stage fright, at least for me anyways,� he said. �You can�t walk out into an audience expecting respect or expecting them to be quiet or expecting them to enjoy you. You have to earn it. The audience isn�t there to make your life easier. You�re there to enlighten them. It�s a lot of pressure.�

The enlightenment Koyczan hopes to instill within his audiences? A subject he�s personally passionate about � social cohesion.

�It�s so hard to walk around town and see people not interact with each other,� Koyczan said. �It�s so disheartening and it�s so damaging as a society to see that. When people come to my show, what I like them to leave with is a sense of connectivity, not just to other people, but to themselves as well. Be in touch with your emotions. Be in touch with yourself. You�ll be in a much better position to tackle life.�

After all, the outreach of support received since he�s embarked on his poetic career has certainly done much for Koyczan personally.

�What I�m trying to say to my fans is for someone who�s constantly lonely, you�ve never really let me be alone, which is beautiful,� he said. �I think that�s a large part [of why I love to perform]. It�s rewarded me in a way I never really thought possible. The fact that people connect to it, it just makes for a really beautiful life.�

Koyczan performs today Friday at The Cultch.