Poetic tribute regales

Courtesy of Jewel Heart Michael Stipe, of R.E.M., will make a rare solo appearance at Hill Auditorium tonight.

By Steve Gertz
Daily Arts Writer

Ann Arbor has some good karma on the way tonight as three enormous entities in the music industry - Philip Glass, Patti Smith, and R.E.M. leader Michael Stipe - assemble at Hill Auditorium to pay musical and spiritual homage to the late legendary poet Allen Ginsberg and raise money for local Tibetan Buddhist organization Jewel Heart.

Jewel Heart, headed by the world-renowned Buddhist leader Gelek Rinpoche is, in the words of one of its representatives, "a spiritual, cultural, and humanitarian organization that translates the ancient wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism into everyday life."

Founded in the late '80s and located in downtown Ann Arbor, the organization is one of the nations' most prominent Buddhist groups. Along with offering and funding spiritual and educational services for followers of the religion, it strives to raise money to help assuage the plight of the Tibetan natives who have been under societal and governmental oppression from the communist Chinese since 1959.

In being such a significant institution, Jewel Heart has accumulated a large assemblage of members and friends nationwide, several of whom are key figures in the artistic community. Tonight's performers Glass, Stipe and Smith are all affiliated with the group. Moreover, Glass and the late Ginsberg were not only founding members of Jewel Heart, but, according to a Heart representative, were "great friends with and students of Gelek Rinpoche and Jewel Heart."

In addition to being so closely related to Jewel Heart, Ginsberg was fond of Ann Arbor and spent more time here during the final years of his life - he died in early 1997 - than in any other place, except for his native New York City. Ginsberg also spent much time with Rinpoche, as well as the many other friends that he had in the University community.

Ginsberg's jazz-fueled, free-verse poetry was crystallized in his most renowned works, the lengthy "Howl" and "Kaddish." It was, in fact, at Hill Auditorium during two readings, one in 1994 and one in 1995, that Ginsberg gave his final readings of these poems.

Ginsberg was also largely responsible for conjuring the anti-establishment, free-living aura that was to become the widespread "hippie" movement of the '60s. Striking up friendships with like-minded souls such as Bob Dylan and Ken Kesey, Ginsberg helped usher in the "tune in, turn on, drop out" era, during which one of its thriving hotbeds was found in the city of Ann Arbor.

Fellow Jewel Heart associates and performers in tonight's festivities, Philip Glass and Patti Smith were two of Ginsberg's closest friends and had collaborated with him on various projects. Both of these personalities, aside from their association with Ginsberg, are equally potent forces in the music industry.

Patti Smith, the original high priestess of punk, emerged from the same mid-'70s East Coast art rock scene that spawned the likes of The Ramones, Television and The Talking Heads. The jagged Velvet Underground-isms of her and her contemporaries' early records have influenced several generations of subsequent bands, such as Nirvana, and has sealed her a place in rock history.

But unlike many other rock lyricists, Smith's wordcraft can be appreciated on an equal, or even higher, level than her music. She is a longtime student and author of poetry and has garnered just as much critical acclaim for her published collections, like "Babel" and "Woolgathering," as she has for her records.

Appearing alongside Smith and Glass tonight is R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, a man of no small artistic achievement himself.

In the past 10 years, R.E.M. has become one of rock's most popular acts and has managed to set set high standards for the entire music world by continuously experimenting with its sound. And, while selling out stadium tours and producing multi-platinum records, R.E.M and Stipe have emerged with their integrity intact, performing for and speaking out on a variety of social and political causes including Tibetan oppression. In addition, Stipe has also published a book, "Two Times Intro: On the Road With Patti Smith," a visual and verbal chronology of his two-week stint behind the scenes of Smith's 1995 tour with Bob Dylan. While R.E.M has sold out hundreds of stadiums in the past several years, it is extraordinarily rare for Stipe to make a solo appearance.

Ann Arbor has always been host to some surprisingly remarkable events, not the least of which is today's tribute. The benefit at Hill Auditorium is an excellent opportunity to see the unlikely pairing of some of the century's brightest musical talents pay homage one of the century's greatest poets. United under the theme of Tibetan Buddhism and the honorable causes of the Jewel Heart organization, tonight's performers will surely indulge in a splendid mix of words and harmony that will compel the senses and stimulate the intellect.

10-02-98