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I actually liked his reading. There were points when the combination of rhythm and alliteration made echoes of rap, I thought, which seemed appropriate, though his actual poetry looks so far removed from any tradition on the page. Hearing the rhythm of the words and the alliteration/assonance made a lot more sense than just trying to wade through the vocabulary on the page. Also I find listening to poetry read aloud to be a catalyst for my own writing.
I'd agree that he's one of the poets whose poetry and poetics seem to match most closely. On some level he seems to be reworking the ideas of inspiration--as though poetic inspiration is tuning in to a "supra-consciousness", "supra-linguistic" frequency. Perhaps for him the sound of the words is as least as important as their meaning.
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I agree, Evelyn, that sounds are just as important as meaning in his work. It's one of the things I enjoyed most about hearing him read. It sounded great, like the jazz he loves. He's a maestro with words like Charlie Parker is with sounds.
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