TEMPE TEAM - RADIO INTERVIEW

[bobdapoet]

"But with you and Bob both being slam masters for soooo long, nobody's talking about how you guys both lied to us and told that we HAD to have 'one final slam off ' or we can't compete. (when that's a blatant lie that was continously told to us by people who KNOW the rules).  So either 1. You guys lied or 2. You guys were also ignorant of the rules, which is what you're accusing US of being....but US are just 'poets'. YOU GUYS are 'slam masters'. "


Now, I am calling bullshit.

I am done with all this crap, this Apollo back handed pure crap. I asked you Apollo to call me, so that we could meet and you would have a talk face to face, and you have chosen to both ignore me and slander me without talking to me.

You tell me on what F*&^king date I said anything to you about having to have one slamoff- because I didn't, and you know it, and are taking my silence as permission to speak ill about me, and that is wrong... What date? when did I see you outside of the Free Trade Cafe Thursday before we left, and I asked you why you were considering not reading- and what did I tell you? Go ahead, tell everyone what I told you- That you would not be percieved as cheaters by the community and that YOU SHOULD READ IF YOU GOT LET IN. I've never said anything to anyone about slamoff and I EVEN QUOTED THE RULE IN LIVEJOURNAL TO KEEP EVERYONE HONEST. Check it.

I WANT THAT VIDEO, AND I WANT IT AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE

I will watch the entire set, and I will record each and every instance that Terran (and at least I am respectful enough to spell his name correctly) explains to the audience that the process he is using for selecting his team is based on the poets that win the most weekly... Which is Contrary to what Aaron Johnson was told by Terran, which that there was a slamoff on March 17th, 2007. Which he conveniently erased from Livejournal.

I STAYED OUT OF THE PROTEST, I TOLD YOU I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD READ IF TEMPE WERE ALLOWED INTO THE TOURNAMENT, AND I WALKED THE DISTANCE FROM THE HOTEL TO THE VENUE TO SUPPORT YOUR TEAM- TO SUPPORT YOU.

I will not be part of your publicity stunt, and I will not be slandered. You want to talk ill of me, do it to me like an adult, to my face.

This is crap.

Try again.

[AmyD]

Last year, a semi-final bout was decided by a tiebreaker rule that a lot of people did not like.  A member of the losing team showed up at the slam family meeting and complained about it.  Everyone listened.  The rule has since been changed.  I can't even remember what team it was that lost or won, because it was discussed by the appropriate people in an appropriate forum, without personal attacks, and the community healed rather quickly.

This year, a problem was taken to LJ, myspace, and some radio station.  A new rule was created to require that selection processes be posted here.  In the meantime, however, teams were dragged through the mud, and everyone will remember next year exactly who was involved.  In fact, many others who were not involved (i.e. my own team) have had to defend themselves as well.

See the difference?  Nobody is asking you not to complain.  We are just asking that it be done constructively, and the example I cite proves it is entirely possible.

[dbodinem]

The team the tiebreaker effected last year was Slam Charlotte.

The new national champions.

Apollo,

I'll give you straight answers.  I've given Myrlin my card, so he knows how to contact me.

Peace,

[apollopoetry]

Ok Bob...tHE SAME WAY THAT I'm categorized as part of 'tEMPE'.  YOU- MESA. ARE the same thing to me.  Terren told us that you and mesa protested that we didn't have a slam-off and that we needed to.

So you're telling me that you and your team DIDNT post all over live journal that we didn't have a slam-off and that we HAD to have a slam-off??? You're telling me that you DIDN'T file a protest against us just a few days before the competition on purpose? You're telling me you DIDN'T post talking shit about us and saying 'Tempe's not going to make it far anyway'Huh You're telling me you HAVEN'T disrespected visiting poets? That your slam NEVER made any racist comments? That you never had a problem with Ragan Fox? That you NEVER had a problem with Corbet Dean?? You and your organization has caused more drama within Arizona over the past 10 years, than any other organization in the country has to their own homestate.  What have you guys done for our community?.  You could NEVER be to Arizona what people like Christopher Lane are....You'll always be looked at as that bitter-angry old guy who continously causes problems with EVERY body every year.
 Welcome to your legacy Bob. You'll be remembered with honor

[The_Klute]

This:

'Tempe's not going to make it far anyway'

is refering to this (exact quotes):

Chesko: I love all the people that are on said team, and, more than likely, if they had a real slamoff, they would have been the team anyways...

Me: This is what I don't get. When I was talking to people about this, my comment was "I doubt the team would have changed substantially". And if it was a fear of competition not making everything work out OK, well, they're going to get killed at Nationals. As the old slogan used to say "Anything Can Happen In 3 Minutes".

Did I say: "Tempe's not going to make it far because they suck?" or "Tempe's full of shitty poets and will get booted early"?

No, what I was commenting on was the fact that there was a lack of a competition and what I felt was the cause of that - a fear that the team wouldn't break out exactly the way MD or whomever wanted it. 

You made it to semis, proving me wrong, great, wouldn't be the first time.  But don't try to play the martyr of the Mesa - we weren't talking about you as poets (in fact, in that post, it's pretty clear I thought you were "team" material"), we were discussing your apparently lack of process, and who was unaware, complicit or willfully ignorant. 

[apollopoetry]

No...those arent the quotes I'm reffering to. It was a live journal post before the nationals even started

[The_Klute]

Link. 

Because if I said anything like that, I'll apologize publicly and loudly here and on LJ, because that's a shitty thing to do (if it wasn't in the context of a good-natured rib).

[apollopoetry]

If my memory serves me correctly, i think it was bob who said it. I went through 100's of LJ posts this week, and I dont wanna go through it again to find it.  But even that comment you made..there were tons of comments like that..NOBODY thought that we were going to go far in this competition .....which i dont understand why

[bobdapoet]

"Ok Bob...tHE SAME WAY THAT I'm categorized as part of 'tEMPE'.  YOU- MESA. ARE the same thing to me.  Terren told us that you and mesa protested that we didn't have a slam-off and that we needed to."

Guess what, Terran Lied, and if you don't believe me, ask Corbet Dean if HE talked to Terran about picking the team, then accuse CORBET of lying...

"So you're telling me that you and your team DIDNT post all over live journal that we didn't have a slam-off and that we HAD to have a slam-off???"

I did not- Kelsey did post a protest, supported by Arrian Wissel. Are you saying that Kelsey cannot be a part of the Tempe Community? That poets have to be mutually exclusive?

"You're telling me that you DIDN'T file a protest against us just a few days before the competition on purpose? You're telling me you DIDN'T post talking shit about us and saying 'Tempe's not going to make it far anyway' "

-I did not.

"You're telling me you HAVEN'T disrespected visiting poets?""

So, this is what this is reduced to? You finding anyway possible to be mean spirited? Is this who you are, Apollo? Is this the way you act, the way that you face adversity? I've done this for 14 years, sir, of coarse I have made mistakes in relationships with other people- but you know what, I'm not too proud to own them, and I'm not too proud to admit when I am wrong, and I have in the past.


-That your slam NEVER made any racist comments? If I'm being accused of being human, well, boy, you got me here. That I have had to answer for the actions of my community, yes, I have, and I will continue to work to create positive change in the community I live in, in the community I run a slam in. I will always work to remain open to anyone telling me they have issue- but Apollo- they need to talk to me, not hide in forums and post staged radio shows. What about you, Apollo? Are you so proud and perfect that you aren't a human being?

-That you never had a problem with Ragan Fox? Ragan Fox is one of the most awesome performers on the planet. Have we disagreed? Absolutely. Did I thank him for his performances at Famecast Final Five? Yes.

-That you NEVER had a problem with Corbet Dean?? Corbet Dean and I have known each other for many years, and in case you had not noticed, we spend a considerable time talking at The Fair Trade Cafe, and we went to dinner on Wednesday when he arrived in Austin. He is one of the closest people to me in the slam community, and yes, we disagree on things, sometimes strongly (as Steve Marsh will attest to). It was the fact that a 2am phone call from the EC interrupted our celebration of his Famecast Success that led me to angrily storm past everyone in the hall during the protest. You know NOTHING about the dynamic of our relationship, and your arrogant assumptioins to the contrary are uninformed. Neither Corbet or myself have anything to prove to anyone except each other.

-You and your organization has caused more drama within Arizona over the past 10 years. I'm not exactly sure how to answer that, except to say it's been 14 years.

-You could NEVER be to Arizona what people like Christopher Lane are.... Christopher Lane IS a tremendous organizer and person.

You'll always be looked at as that bitter-angry old guy who continously causes problems with EVERY body every year. Apollo, You'll always view me as the angry old guy, until you yourself are one day old.

[The_Klute]

I don't believe for a microsecond Bob said anything about the quality of the poets or poetry on the team.   And I doubt you can prove that.  And if it was in comments, we'll see "Deleted Post" if he tries to cover his tracks, won't we (not counting all of Aaron Johnson's deleted posts)?

And the reason why I said that, and still feel, is if you can't compete in open environment at your home venue and win, why should I expect that person to be able to compete at Nationals and win?  But like I said, you proved me wrong. Congrats.

[bobdapoet]

If my memory serves me correctly, i think it was bob who said it. I went through 100's of LJ posts this week, and I dont wanna go through it again to find it.  But even that comment you made..there were tons of comments like that..NOBODY thought that we were going to go far in this competition .....which i dont understand why

Your memory does not serve you correctly, and when can I get that Video?

[bobdapoet]

I said received a call from the  EC, I meant Protest Chairperson...

[The_Klute]

Hey, Bob! Way to use text formatting HTML ninja! HA!

[apollopoetry]

Have you even spoken to corbet after this happened? I flew back with him, so trust me. I'm 'up to date'

[apollopoetry]

And I wasn't asking for an explanation or if you feel bad about what happened ...I was just asking DID YOU:

And you openly admitted that you did to most of those things, regardless of you being 'human' or not.  You DID do all those things, so what makes you think you're in a position to criticize what I do