 |
 Slam poet Shane Koyczan gets his inspiration from life's endearing puzzles. (AMELIA SUTJIADI PHOTO ILLUSTRATION) |
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.