WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:11.679 Join us on the Poetic Odyssey, a celebration of voices, cultures, and. 2 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.960 The power of words. I'm Amanda Ecking. 3 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:20.679 Welcome to the poet Speaks, where every syllable ignites inspiration 4 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:27.640 for get you involved with what stories are on these tracks? 5 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:30.719 This idea of the bronx. Now, boogie down Bronx. That's 6 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:37.200 what people say, right. Don't become someone's subway story. 7 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:40.640 Medicate me with a lick of the like. 8 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:45.320 I am not afraid to love you. 9 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:46.679 All of us have a story. 10 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.000 Microphone magnifying, notick. 11 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.280 No one want to listen. So I think that's what 12 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:56.640 made me write. In writing the writing Disco. 13 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:07.359 You ready, amazing poetry O. It's hello everyone, Welcome back 14 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.040 to the poet Speaks podcast. Now our next guest is 15 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:14.519 a dynamic professional spoken word artists who performs powerful pieces 16 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.519 of poetry with an urgent intent to highlight the need 17 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:20.640 for social change. He's also the writer, producer, and director 18 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.799 of several spoken word musical stage plays which center on 19 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:28.040 love and the unpredictability of relationships. As founder and CEO 20 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:31.719 of the entertainment and outreach organization Creative Love Network, he 21 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:35.079 believes that poetry, music, and the arts can both entertain 22 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:36.959 and positively impact lives. 23 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:37.640 Everyone. 24 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.519 Welcome to the Poet Speaks podcast. Larry Love, Larry, how 25 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:40.760 are you? 26 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:43.439 I am good today? How are you? 27 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:46.959 I'm doing pretty good myself, Doing pretty good myself. 28 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:47.920 Now. 29 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:50.000 I feel like there's no way that you couldn't be 30 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:51.480 good with the name like Larry Love. 31 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:54.719 Right, that's what they say. 32 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.319 Yeah, I want to get straight into it. How did 33 00:01:57.359 --> 00:01:59.760 you get the pen name Larry Love. I think everyone's 34 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:00.799 going to just be curious. 35 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:03.239 Okay, I'm gonna give you two different versions, if that's 36 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:06.879 all right. First, we have the Hollywood version, okay, And 37 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:09.199 that's where I would like to say that I took 38 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:13.639 the name Malcolm X and noticed that X was replacing 39 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:17.560 the last name, So instead of Larry and my given name, 40 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.120 I put Love there to represent my love for my 41 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:22.199 people and for my art and the passion that I 42 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:26.240 have for poetry. That's the Hollywood version. Now, the actual 43 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:28.840 version is back some time ago, there was a song 44 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:31.159 by the name of Larry Love, and they used to 45 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:34.520 play on the radio, and my brother tagged me with 46 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:36.680 that name, and my friends picked up on it, and 47 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:39.319 I've been Larry Love ever since, and just to keep 48 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:41.599 it one hundred. Of course, as a teenager, once you 49 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:44.840 get a couple of young ladies to say Hi, Larry Love, 50 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:46.879 of course you're not going to ever change that name. 51 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:49.479 So it stuck with me and that's where it came from. 52 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.080 So those are the two versions. 53 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.120 All right, that's the love. Then we go, there we go? 54 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.439 All right? Well, speak of speaking of childhood memories, I mean, 55 00:02:57.479 --> 00:02:59.840 tell us a little bit about where did you grow up? 56 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:03.080 How did how did your childhood affect the writing and 57 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:06.039 the process to become a poet as you are today, 58 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:09.120 And tell us a bit did poetry find you in 59 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:11.879 childhood or did it find you elsewhere in life? 60 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:15.680 Okay? I grew up in sunny southern California, born and 61 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:19.199 raised in south central Los Angeles. I was born a 62 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:21.879 couple of months after the Watch Revolt, if you know 63 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.280 anything about that. So I like to tell people that 64 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:27.479 I was born breathing the air of revolution. My parents 65 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.680 were both revolutionaries involved in the Black power movement, So 66 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:36.560 always around us was reminders of how important we are 67 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:40.319 as individuals and as a people. Black is beautiful. Always 68 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:42.520 have pride in who you are and where you come from. 69 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:47.199 Surrounded by heroes and kings, and queens of African heritage. 70 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.599 So those things were around me and instilled in me. 71 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:54.479 So of course that bled into my writing and the 72 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:57.479 way that I see the world. As far as poetry 73 00:03:57.599 --> 00:03:59.840 finding me, I would say I was more of a writer, 74 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:04.039 been a poet at an early age, and later in 75 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:07.520 life I developed a love for spoken word. But I've 76 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:10.560 always written from a very young and early age. 77 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:13.800 Wow wow wow, So kind of taking that back that 78 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:16.680 is amazing. So you were born right before you said, 79 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.839 right before the rights or during the rights in Los. 80 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:22.879 Angeles, right after the riot, so two months after that. 81 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:26.120 Wh wow, my goodness, So tell us kind of tell 82 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:28.560 us a bit of any anecdotes you have. I mean, 83 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:31.839 that is such a prolific time in history, and you 84 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:34.639 know history does repeat itself. You know, we see those 85 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.560 same and you know what the future holds some of 86 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:40.480 those same movements, those same problems. A lot of our 87 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:44.000 community communities all over we're still facing those same issues now. 88 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:47.079 I mean, do you remember that time period growing up 89 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:51.079 in La South Central? During that time, your parents were, 90 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:55.360 like you said, they were revolutionaries themselves. What was that like? 91 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:58.040 I think a lot of people don't even realize how 92 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:02.879 intense those riots intense South. You know Los Angeles was 93 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:05.759 during that time. Tell us a bit about what growing 94 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:07.199 up in that was like. 95 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.360 Nah, it definitely was a unique experience. For sure. The 96 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:15.639 fallout from that we're still feeling today, and of course 97 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:18.160 history peaced itself. I was here also for the ninety 98 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:20.959 two riots in Los Angeles after the Rodney King incident, 99 00:05:21.879 --> 00:05:24.600 so I got to really live it through that particular one. 100 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.480 The first one. I was very very young, but still, 101 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.160 like I said, being emerged and growing up in that environment, 102 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:33.519 with my parents, family and friends of the family being 103 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:36.839 involved in that movement, it influenced me a lot. So 104 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:41.480 it was a period of change, of transformation, empowerment. So 105 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.399 you would see a lot of demonstrations. You would see 106 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:47.519 people standing up more for themselves as opposed to what 107 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:51.079 we used to see in films. I mean, my father's 108 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:54.519 generation was one that wasn't really about the turning the 109 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:58.279 other cheek and couldn't understand why the water holes being 110 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:02.800 turned on individuals and the dogs released didn't didn't inspire 111 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:06.519 them to physically fight back. Of course, we understand that 112 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:09.720 things were different at that time and you can't really 113 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:12.920 equate one to the other, but the climate in which 114 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:15.680 I grew up was more forward. I mean, we would 115 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:18.079 say they would say more what they felt and just 116 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:22.720 really be more I would say aggressive in pursuing liberty, justice, freedom. 117 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.160 But it was definitely a different time. It was a 118 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:29.160 time where blacks were coming into their own so caught 119 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:31.360 up in the music of that time, which I feel 120 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:34.199 was the golden era of music. It had messages, it 121 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:36.639 had meaning. I fell in love with R and B 122 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:39.959 of that time, and that still resonates with my writing 123 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:41.639 and the way that I create today. 124 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:47.879 Absolutely absolutely. It's so interesting because it's now. So I 125 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:51.160 grew up in Sacramento, California, you know, now I live 126 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.759 on the East Coast in New York. It's interesting comparing 127 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:58.839 the two. You know, people you know hip hop originated 128 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:00.600 here in the Bronx. You know, you talk about the 129 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:03.560 messages in the music, but we know obviously hip hop 130 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:06.600 transverse from the Bronx all the way to Cali, right, 131 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:09.839 and a lot of those messages were so prelevant in 132 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:14.000 the music in California, telling the struggles of people in Compton, right. 133 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:17.399 We have so many different forms. I'm curious, you know, 134 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:21.600 it's interesting. I feel like I can only compare now 135 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:23.519 when I'm in New York, you know, people they're very 136 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:27.279 proud of being from the city Harlem, the different boroughs, right, 137 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:31.439 the Bronx, you know, and did same thing with California 138 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:36.600 more specifically, LA people are very proud to be native born, 139 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:41.639 bred Los Angeles people, right if they're stomping grounds. I'm 140 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:44.800 curious for you. I mean, what is the change you've 141 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:48.240 seen in LA from then versus now? Is there a 142 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:52.120 difference you've seen greatly in the community, not just writing 143 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.879 and you know, poetry, but also just in the grand 144 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:57.240 scheme of things. How was LA changed? 145 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:04.519 Yeah, I've actually seen quite a few transformations, one being demographically, 146 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:08.560 of course, going from a block that was predominantly African 147 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:13.360 American to it being not so much right now. So 148 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:15.879 I'm seeing a lot of that. Gentrification is big in 149 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:19.480 LA right now. So a lot of historical sites and 150 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:24.120 landmarks you're seeing undergo a change and a transformation. As 151 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:26.800 far as growing up in it, when you were immersed 152 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:31.160 in it, you just adapt and make way for the change. 153 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:34.559 You try to hold on to old values and old 154 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:37.600 stories and old history as well, because that's very very 155 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:40.639 important and we consistently fight with that. A good brother 156 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:44.039 of mine and his organization of which I'm also a 157 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:47.320 part of, has worked to turn Crenchhall Boulevard, which you 158 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:49.799 may have heard of, to turn a portion of that 159 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.200 into Malcolm X Boulevard. So that's been an ongoing fight 160 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:56.639 and it's been pretty successful. So we should be seeing 161 00:08:56.679 --> 00:09:01.799 that come about pretty soon. Yes, it's been a lot 162 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:03.919 of changes, and I've seen quite a bit growing up 163 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:05.919 in LA but I wouldn't trade it in for anything 164 00:09:05.960 --> 00:09:10.440 in the world. Like you said, we are proud Los Angelinos. 165 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:14.480 Here, absolutely absolutely. So let's kind of circle back a 166 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:17.159 little bit to your writing. I mean, tell us a bit. 167 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:21.120 That's such a colorful platform to come from from so 168 00:09:21.320 --> 00:09:24.639 much history, right through your parents, through the city that 169 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:27.960 you're living in. Tell us how that then developed you 170 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:30.879 as a writer and kind of take us through when 171 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:34.679 that kind of professional now making those moves towards becoming 172 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:39.120 a professional poet, you know, obviously working with different aspects 173 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:42.759 of spoken word from the stage plays. Tell us how 174 00:09:42.759 --> 00:09:45.679 that kind of that transition happened for you where you thought, hey, 175 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:48.840 I can actually do this as a job as a profession. 176 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:53.360 Okay, Well, the writing started early, like any of us, 177 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.440 we look for validation, particularly from our parents. First there 178 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:00.159 are our first heroes. So fortunately I was alive how 179 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:04.679 to use my imagination that was never stifled. So I 180 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:08.639 always liked to write. And getting that positive feedback and 181 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:12.440 hearing people say, oh, you're a great writer. That instilled 182 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:15.919 in me a desire to want to improve in it. 183 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:18.000 Never set out to do anything as far as poetry. 184 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:20.039 In fact, I was thinking poetry, Yeah, who he wants 185 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:22.440 to do that? So I was involved in hip hop 186 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:25.399 earlier on, during the Golden years of hip hop, did 187 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:27.159 a lot of that. Worked on a project called We're 188 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.519 All in the Same Gang, which is a West Coast 189 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:33.039 version of an anti gang project. So I was involved 190 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:35.360 with that project along with some of the other legends 191 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.399 on the West Coast as far as hip hop goes, 192 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:41.720 later it transformed into spoken word poetry. Friend of Mine 193 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:44.480 drug me into an open mic and bam, I fell 194 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.240 in love there. I could say what I needed to 195 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:49.200 say without having to worry about being constrained by the 196 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.320 measures of a beat or having to have a beat 197 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:53.399 behind me. I can just go ahead and do what 198 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.679 I needed to do. So that opened up a whole 199 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:00.440 new round for me. And as far as doing it personally, 200 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:03.080 I've always had a belief that you should be compensated 201 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:06.399 for your art, for your talents and your abilities, and 202 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:08.879 so I set out to find ways that you could 203 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:12.799 monetize that, and in turn starting my company, the Creative 204 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:16.240 Love Network, I've extended that to other poets in the community, 205 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:20.039 teaching them and providing platforms for them to also showcase 206 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:23.159 their work and be compensated for it. So that's kind 207 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:25.480 of the progression of me as a writer and going 208 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:26.399 into poetry. 209 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:30.600 Absolutely, absolutely, what was your inspiration for writing back then 210 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:33.879 versus now at the stage you're at now, What are 211 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:36.720 the two differences in inspiration or do you still feel 212 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.840 inspired by the same, by the same mysteries and you know, 213 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:41.360 curiosities in your life. 214 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:47.120 Absolutely, the fire runs through both both back then at now. 215 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:51.360 That hasn't changed the passion for writing and communicating getting 216 00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:56.559 a message out. I enjoy evoking emotion from individuals, being 217 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:59.399 able to have someone on the verge of setting a 218 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:02.399 tear or are ready to jump up in protest, or 219 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:07.120 really feeling what I'm writing, And the gift of spoken 220 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:11.159 word poetry performance poetry has allowed me to really merge 221 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:13.440 both of those worlds where I can write and also 222 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:17.200 deliver it, and I have a gift for delivering the 223 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:19.480 words that I write in a way that impacts people, 224 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:24.000 that really makes it powerful. So it was a great 225 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:26.679 thing to find spoken word and that might and then 226 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:30.200 just from there taking it to different levels, in different stages, 227 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:34.480 to the professional around where I can incorporate that into 228 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:39.799 things like campaigns for Corporate America, sending out messages with 229 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:44.720 various companies and organizations, or on the lesser level where 230 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:46.960 I'm in the street, in the community, just getting things 231 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:49.919 across to students and things like that. Poetry is a 232 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:52.840 powerful form of communication and if you use correctly, you 233 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:56.519 can absolutely impact and change lives. Yeah. 234 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:59.759 Absolutely, It definitely seems as if you've taken you know, 235 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:03.720 your work as a poet as an active service, right, 236 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:06.600 I kind of want to draw back. You said something 237 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:09.679 really interesting there. You create that album attendedity of people, 238 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:11.799 the gun violence off the Street remind me the name 239 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:13.960 of the album that you had mentioned with some West 240 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:15.000 Coast rappers as well. 241 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:18.559 Okay, the project and the album itself was called We're 242 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:22.440 All in the Same Gang and it was a joint 243 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:26.279 work between Warner Brothers Records back then and a good 244 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:28.639 brother who was one of the founding members of the 245 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:32.960 Crypts brother named Michael Conception. So he put that whole 246 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.200 concept together, got the artist together, and I was brought 247 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:39.039 in to assist with writing and being a part of 248 00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:40.200 that project. 249 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:44.279 Well, I mean that sounds beyond phenomenal. I mean, you know, 250 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:47.240 I think so much of gang culture, especially in rap 251 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:50.519 I think it's completely romanticized. I think not many people 252 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.200 really know the history of cribs and bloods, et cetera, 253 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:57.759 et cetera. Compton, South Central, whatever may have you for you. 254 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:00.200 I mean, you know, when you look back on that 255 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:02.759 work that you did, I mean, do you look at 256 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.360 that now? Like that was so important to do and 257 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:07.879 even now even more important today. A lot of young 258 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:10.159 folks still need to hear that, a lot of old 259 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:14.279 folks still need to hear that that message of peace 260 00:14:14.679 --> 00:14:17.360 right within our community street life. 261 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:20.799 Absolutely and to that effect, I'm in the schools multiple 262 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.840 times a week. I'm a mentor for young black men 263 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.360 high school and middle school age. So I go in 264 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:30.799 and I take that message in along with my brothers 265 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:33.279 who are also a part of the organization. The program 266 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:35.120 is called see a Man Be a Man. So the 267 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:37.519 idea is to show them what a real man looks 268 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:41.320 like and to show them different outlets and different pathways 269 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:44.759 outside of the gang, drugs and the typical things that 270 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:49.799 we are shown as on by media. You know. It's 271 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:54.240 to dispel those rumors in those stereotypes, so absolutely important 272 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:56.799 and I'm constantly doing that work as well. And it's 273 00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:00.360 also about providing them alternatives. You know, in poetry. One, 274 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.480 if I find a young man or even a young 275 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:05.639 lady who's interested in writing or doing some sort of poetry, 276 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:08.240 even if it's something outside of the yards, it's up 277 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:10.399 to us to give them that guidance, show them how 278 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:12.440 they could do it, open their eyes, their eyes in 279 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.240 their minds to other alternatives. So yes, it is still 280 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.279 relevant today. And I'm not sure how long you're in 281 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:23.559 New York, but there was a record called Self Destruction 282 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.360 that was an East Coast version of that same thing. 283 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:29.159 In fact, that came out first, and then we're all 284 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:32.279 in the same game. Was it a reaction, not a reaction, 285 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.639 but a way for us to also do that same 286 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:37.799 type of project and spread that message on the West coast. 287 00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:42.360 So absolutely absolutely, I'll definitely check out for that. Now 288 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:46.000 that's a Yeah, it's such a it's such a message 289 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:49.840 that is just still so needed today. You still see 290 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:54.080 that that lifestyle is still it's still prelevant with a 291 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:56.279 lot of folks in our community, especially a lot of 292 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:59.519 young people. So shouts to y'all for still holding that 293 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.519 work to the fire and you know, putting that out there. 294 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:03.159 Now. 295 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:06.039 I do want to talk about kind of shifting gears 296 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:08.960 here a bit, you know, so I found it fascinating, 297 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:11.039 you know you so you you've kind of lived a 298 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:13.240 lot of different lives as a poet, you know, with 299 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:16.279 the rap spoken word now you do now you have 300 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:20.360 you also have a mixture of musical stage in poetry, right, 301 00:16:20.440 --> 00:16:23.759 you know you directed several spoken word musical stage play 302 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:27.639 which center on love and the unpredictability of relationships. Tell us, 303 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:28.639 how does how? 304 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:28.919 How? 305 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.080 How do you? How did you fall into this this 306 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:35.639 new schema honestly of Larry Love, this new interpretation of yourself, 307 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:38.759 so many iterations of who you are in your art, right, 308 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:41.039 tell us how you fell into stage plays and musical 309 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:41.840 stage plays. 310 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:46.480 Okay, Being in the creative community, you find a lot 311 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:50.600 of individuals with varying skill levels and talents. So I 312 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:52.960 would find myself I've always been an observer, so I 313 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:55.799 would sit and watch and just marveled at some of 314 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:58.519 the talent that people around me had. So I had 315 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:00.399 an idea of, like, wow, it would be good to 316 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:02.960 bring all of this talent together outside of just a 317 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:05.720 typical open mic where you come up and performance it out. 318 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.079 So how can we put together some sort of production 319 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.119 that's on a bigger scale than just this and provide 320 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:15.200 a platform for those particular artists. So again, to me, 321 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:19.759 music and poetry are very much intertwined. I look at 322 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:23.880 music as a form of instrumental poetry and poetry as 323 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:26.359 a form of lyrical music, so it all goes together. 324 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:30.319 The key is to be able to fuse that in 325 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:33.799 a way that the audience understands that they're receiving both, 326 00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:37.079 but they don't see any interruption, right, it's just a 327 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:40.200 smooth process. And then taking these puzzle pieces and putting 328 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:43.400 them together and making everyone in that play feel like 329 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.240 they're a star in their own right, so there's no 330 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:49.039 supporting actors. Everyone is a star in my plays. So 331 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:52.279 writing and I've always had the ability to come up 332 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:55.200 with scripts that are realistic no matter who I'm writing for. 333 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.720 It really brings out the character. So doing the work 334 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:02.359 to write it, getting people together, having the ability to 335 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.400 manage people because we're talking about multiple people that will 336 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:09.279 be acting, multiple people that will be doing poetry, singers 337 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:11.559 and musicians, all of this going on at one time, 338 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:15.039 and having the foresight to see how all that would fit. 339 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:18.799 So that's how that came about. And then after doing 340 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:22.400 the first one, the success of that just opened up 341 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:25.519 the floodgates, and now you know, it's something that's a 342 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:28.240 staple in what I do and what our company does. 343 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.240 Yeah, tell us a bit. I mean, how does a 344 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:34.119 production like that, Like you said, no one is supporting, 345 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:38.200 everyone's there the main character. How do you even begin 346 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:43.920 to contemplate the scale financially but also production wise, and 347 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:46.960 where do y'all kind of hold your plays? What's that 348 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:50.160 look like in La Okay? 349 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:52.319 Well, one thing I've learned a long time ago that 350 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:54.799 it's hard to do anything by yourself, at least to 351 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:57.519 the level of excellence that you expect. So it's about 352 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:00.799 having a team. I have a phenomenal team behind me, 353 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:04.440 my business partner first and foremost, my queen is Diane, 354 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:08.400 and then we have Miss Andrea Lee, who is driving 355 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:11.079 force and making sure the company's name is ringing bells 356 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:14.799 out there concantly and making things happen. Our newest edition 357 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.599 Anthony the Boogeyman Rutger, he's one of the most phenomenal 358 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.000 poets to have a touch of microphone. So in combination 359 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:24.640 with that, along with the behind the scenes people that 360 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:26.880 I have, we have a number of professionals that are 361 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:30.960 not into poetry per se. They are movers and sakers 362 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.319 and can make things happen as far as what goes 363 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:37.519 on behind the scenes. So a team is very, very important. 364 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:39.839 You have to have that in order to really push 365 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:42.240 anything for it on the level that you want to 366 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:44.680 do it. From there, it just takes foresight and I 367 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:49.799 have an uncannyability to manage people per se, to make 368 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:54.400 people feel connected and important in all aspects and to 369 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:58.319 find their greatest gifts. And that's what you want to 370 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:01.440 pull out and highlight that part and when you put 371 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:04.799 them in those positions to succeed, and then you place 372 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.319 all those parts side by size in a cohesive way. 373 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:08.839 And that's where the writer comes in because you have 374 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:10.400 to be able to write it in a way that 375 00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:13.920 it makes sense and it flows. That's a little more 376 00:20:13.960 --> 00:20:16.119 difficult for most people, but I enjoy that. I'm a 377 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:18.640 chess player at heart, so I like making those moves 378 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:21.759 and making so everything works out the right way. So yeah, 379 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:24.640 it's a big undertaking and I am exhausted usually by 380 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:27.960 the end of the production, but it's a very rewarding 381 00:20:28.599 --> 00:20:30.960 feeling once you have this vision in your head and 382 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.160 then you see it play out in real life before you. 383 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:36.559 As far as the venues, we played at various venues 384 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:40.119 throughout the LA area, and that changes based on our need. 385 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:43.200 Sometimes we need more lighting, bigger stages, smaller stages, so 386 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:46.799 just depending on what we need. So yeah, that's pretty 387 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:48.440 much the gist of it. 388 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:51.480 Yeah, tell us a bit about what one of those 389 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:55.400 plays look like. Like I said, it plays center on 390 00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:59.559 love and unpredictability of relationships. What's the inspiration look like 391 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:01.480 for that? Give us one of the names of one 392 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:02.720 of the plays that y'all have done. 393 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:06.799 Okay, what is a series called to Love or to Leave? 394 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:10.000 And so in that case, we take a couple or 395 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:13.200 a couple of different couples and put them on stage 396 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:16.880 and they're acting out the dynamics of their relationship. So 397 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:21.079 one of them that we wrote was an issue with alcoholism. 398 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:24.440 So the husband I played that role, Michael, and that 399 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:28.799 particular play had a problem with alcohol and also a 400 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:31.079 little bit of domestic abuse in this. So we always 401 00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:33.720