In a literary world overflowing with pretentious academic poets and laughable Bukowski wannabes, poet-songwriter-musician A. J. Kaufmann is the real thing we’ve been waiting for: an honest, untamed, visionary, and completely original voice. Growing strong in the rich soil of Beat poetry and psychedelia, Kaufmann’s writing has been gaining speed and momentum on its own lost highway, and in his first two poetry chapbooks, SIVA IN RAGS and EAST-WEST TRAIN, he has mixed fresh experimentation and street-level cheap-wine wisdom better than anyone has since the glory days of Ted Berrigan and David Meltzer.
INSANE IN ROME collects Kaufmann’s song lyrics and shows an exciting new side to his work. It’s a wild ride on the Kaballah Freight Train, fueled by the Seed Of The Serpent, Always Searching For Beauty, Sleeping in Maria’s Coffin, Drinking In Budapest, and winding up Insane In Rome. It’s where you need to be!
For more information on Kaufmann and his activities, check out his website: http://ajkaufmann.pl/
(Bill Shute)
Excerpt
THE SKULL & THE ROSE
January 2007
You swore that you will love me
Under dark specific skies
So pour your waters down & let me love or die
A candle must be burning
Cause there’s a light upon my head
Shattered by the fading voices of the dead
The magic lamp has shattered
And a vision came on those
Who weren’t afraid to connect a skull with a rose
Once I told you a story
About the lovers from the past
And how they died and how their love could last
They both made a promise
A promise sure to keep
“Blood & tears will guide us into the big sleep”
And when the reaper came
He came right on harvest time
They drowned themselves in a glass of poisoned wine
