The Hollywood Catechism Poems Paul Fericano 9780692384459 Books
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In The Hollywood Catechism, his latest collection of poems, Paul Fericano shines a bright searchlight on our addiction to pop culture, our fixation on celebrity worship, and our suspicion of religious ideas. Each poem is a small lens flipped to reveal an alternate universe into which the reader enters bravely with no exit sign in sight. Fericano’s unique perspective is marked by a skill and talent that blends socio-political satire with suffering and sentiment. In the process, he manages to acknowledge our shenanigans and celebrate our humanity.
Elizabeth Taylor, Jesus, and Joe DiMaggio join hands with Freud, The Three Stooges, and Ann Landers, as Burt Lancaster, Charles Bukowski, and Johnny Unitas break bread with Wallace Stevens, Dean Martin, and Dinah Shore. And as U2’s Bono and Tyrone Power’s Zorro haunt each other’s dreams, the Marx Brothers discuss opera with Oprah. From the wickedly satirical “Sinatra, Sinatra” and its use of the crooner’s name in vain, to the irreverent appeal of “The Actor’s Creed,” “The Halle Berry” and “Prayer of the Talking Head,” Fericano’s lampoons are equally deft. The book’s empathetic “Howl of Lon Chaney, Jr.” is not only a luminous parody of Allen Ginsberg’s epic poem “Howl,” but a stunning work that stands on its own merits.
American/British poet and critic, Robert Peake, captured it best when he wrote “Paul’s poetry is a distinct turn of mind—able to sweep up humor, irony, and deep feeling in a winning trifecta. It is precisely in the moment I am laughing in a Paul Fericano poem that my guard is down. It is then when Paul slips in a modicum of pathos, reminding me of how complex it is to be human, how, as Virginia Woolf puts it in Mrs. Dalloway, ‘dangerous it is to live even just one day.’ These are poems that read like the messages in a bottle that might be written by the last sane man on Earth, when everyone else has gone mad.”
The Hollywood Catechism Poems Paul Fericano 9780692384459 Books
The Hollywood Catechism is a glorious weaving of slapstick, deadpan, Kafka, Nathaniel West, and--behind the curtain, like The Wizard-- Paul Fericano pulling the strings. There are subtle, almost hidden pockets on these poems which will call the attentive reader back to make sure ofof a facet or a revelation, pure enjoyment had almost carried them past. You will never see Frank Sinatra, Elvis, The Three Stooges, or The Marx Brothers in quite the same way. When I first read these poems, I thought, "Who is this guy?" I'm still not sure, but these poems keep
coming back to me and keep calling me back to them for a closer look. They resonate.
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Tags : The Hollywood Catechism: Poems [Paul Fericano] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In The Hollywood Catechism, </i> his latest collection of poems, <b>Paul Fericano</b> shines a bright searchlight on our addiction to pop culture,Paul Fericano,The Hollywood Catechism: Poems,Silver Birch Press,0692384456,American - General,Poetry,Poetry American General,Poetry by individual poets
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The Hollywood Catechism Poems Paul Fericano 9780692384459 Books Reviews
"The Hollywood Catechsim" does it better than most when combating our self-congratulatory selves by using various weapons of social and political mockery, tomfoolery, and pasquinade in the service of a brave and foolish new poetry ; unfortunately, smug, bored, and uniformed readers (which are legion)--nurtured on sexting and situation comedies--will undoubtedly miss most, if not all, of what Fericano is attempting to ignite and set fire to here, since, in the zombie world of trumpism, it's becoming increasingly difficult to satirize satire.
My focus is really on spiritual books. But I would have to admit that Paul Fericano's poetry is pretty much a religion in itself. If you're looking for poetry that is accessible, a little edgy, and always entertaining, give this book a try.
The Hollywood Catechism brings together many generations of pop culture and current events to challenge your wit and bring out a good giggle. I’ve enjoyed rereading many of the poems and looking for some of the more hidden double meanings. Being born in the 90’s, a couple of the names and phrases went over my head and after a quick Google search and Wikipedia skim, I not only learned some new pop culture references, but got a huge kick out of how every name and every phrase was so well placed. I highly recommend this collection of poems for anyone who wants to unlock the many messages Paul Fericano has left for us.
Fericano’s latest foray is a delight. A serious exploration of his signature genre, “Stoogism”. As in “God Commands Kate Smith to Stop Singing That Song”
...I hear that song one more time
and I swear I start sending plagues.
God Bless America my ass.
What the hell is wrong with you people.
Or when Larry, Curly and Moe find themselves at a party at John Wayne’s house where “Randolph Scott, Stuart Whitman, and Glenn Campbell...all drop acid” and begin beating up their host, “just for the hell of it”. When “John Wayne looks to the Stooges for help”, he finds they’re “too busy melting down his Oscar.”
This isn’t to say that all is merry. Joe Dimaggio Explains Where He Has Gone is a three page, five part lament on lost youth and lost love, a silken read for all its length. In the penultimate section, Joe Di Maggio tells us
...it feels like grief
not mine but someone else's
an infield pop up
hitting into a double play
a slow dribbler down the first base line
a strikeout looking
in my final at bat.
I kick the dirt back to the dugout...
But in the last section, he remembers
...I take the field a fortunate man
her simple desire to be held
her lucky embrace
the only play that matters
the only call that has a chance
of going my way...
...what does it matter
where I have gone?
Isn’t it enough that I am here?
Still, whenever things get heavy, the little Hollywood “prayers” bring us back
Halle Berry
fool of none
the Oscar is with thee.
Blessed art thou among catwomen
and blessed is the fruit
of thy loom, Jockey...
All in all, a great read. Not least. for those of us of a certain age, whose childhood Catholic education was as full of smacks as any Three Stooges movie.
Original, thought provoking, timely, and very funny.
the best of the best. a groundbreaking volume in poetry. the modern idiom of medium and message told through our icons. Mr Fericano has compiled a great collection of his work here.
Suggested title of the review
"A smart tumble down the rabbit hole"
Every poem in this seriously funny collection is part of a greater theme, a bigger idea, that challenges our beliefs and encourages us to laugh at our obsessions. Pre-conceived notions that poetry is unapproachable or irrelevant are quickly laid to rest with the very first poem, a clever parody titled "The Actor's Creed." After that, it's a smart tumble down the rabbit hole where everything is fair game in a lost-and-found world. If you read only one book of poetry this year, "The Hollywood Catechism" should be it.
The Hollywood Catechism is a glorious weaving of slapstick, deadpan, Kafka, Nathaniel West, and--behind the curtain, like The Wizard-- Paul Fericano pulling the strings. There are subtle, almost hidden pockets on these poems which will call the attentive reader back to make sure of
of a facet or a revelation, pure enjoyment had almost carried them past. You will never see Frank Sinatra, Elvis, The Three Stooges, or The Marx Brothers in quite the same way. When I first read these poems, I thought, "Who is this guy?" I'm still not sure, but these poems keep
coming back to me and keep calling me back to them for a closer look. They resonate.
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