Unstressed

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A weblog from the editors of Linebreak

The regulars

Ash Bowen's poetry has appeared in Crab Orchard Review, Blackbird, and Black Warrior Review, among other publications. He lives and works in Texarkana, AR.

Jennifer Jabaily's poetry has appeared in Mannequin Envy and Fickle Muses. She's a second-year MFA student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Ashley Anna McHugh is a third-year MFA student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Measure, DIAGRAM and Memorious as well as other publications.

Johnathon Williams's poetry has appeared in Best New Poets 2009, the Pebble Lake Review, and Unsplendid. He lives in Fayetteville, AR, with his wife and daughters.

Le mixtape est mort! Vive le mixtape!

By Jennifer on Jan 22, 2009

I’ve been a fan of Carla Bruni since a classmate at UMass-Amherst put a few tracks of hers on a mixtape– fine, fine, it was a mix-CD.  If Mme. Bruni’s name sounds oddly familiar, that’s probably because she’s the first lady of France as well as an international pop-star/former model.  That’s got to be one hell of a resume.

Before you wonder where the poetry is in all of this, the lyrics on her 2007 album “No Promises” are credited to the venerable W.B. Yeats, Christina Rossetti, Walter de la Mare,W.H. Auden, Dorothy Parker, and Emily Dickinson.

Does it always work?

Well, what do you think?  The chosen texts are undeniably rhythmic, if not inherently musical.  Bruni’s voice itself has all the fidelity of an old record (which is actually quite cool, considering how clear and worked so many songs come off these days), and part of the allure of the whole collection is that someone visible on the international/political stage has written a sloppy love letter to verse.  In any case, it was a cool find.  Hope you enjoy it.

0 comments // carla bruni, mix tapes, music

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