Videopoem dedicated to Edward Abby: Resist Much, Obey Little

I have been reading Edward Abby’s “The Monkey Wrench Gang” and was influenced by it to produce this latest Videopoem. The title comes from the book’s dedication and it is from Walt Whitman. The book expresses a deep admiration and love of nature. This Videopoem showcases Patti Smith’s tribute to Allan Ginsberg who was heavily influenced by Walt Whitman. Accompanied by Phillip Glass and her daughter Jessie, Patti recited poems by Ginsberg, Whitman, William Blake and her own original material. A common theme running through the poetry is the transcendental belief that we as individuals find our true self’s in nature hence the dedication to Edward Abby who decades stood up against the corporate world’s unquenchable thirst for market exploitation and the the horrible destruction of our natural resources for personal gain.

Patti along with Phillip and Jessie delivers a powerful performance. For year snow Patti has been firmly placing herself in the mythopoetic canon as established by John Milton, William Blake, Walt Whitman, and Allan Ginsberg. When not performing with her rock band, Patti periodically does these poetic performances around Manhattan such as the Metropolitan House and the Morgan Library. These performances underline the visionary nature of her work and the role of the imagination in the creative process. Reading from Walt Whitman’s “Manhattan,” a work which could have been written today, Patti evokes for us a world of spirituality infused by the power of the imagination. Edward Abby inhabited a similar space. Resist much, obey little was his dictum to the individual to resist the dehumanizing power of the corporation and to find themselves in nature.

Videopoem: Resist Much, obey little… from robert dene on Vimeo.