The sweet falsetto behind The Tears of a Clown is staging his first poetry show in Los Angeles this weekend and we’re hoping if enough people fawn over the prospect of seeing Smokey Robinson as a performance poet we could a) be in for a very magic surreal experience if it tours internationally or b) be witnessing the beginning of a new trend in autobiography: the sell out one man show as opposed to the hard back Christmas present. It is being described as a “spoken-word programme built around several long-form poems”
The 72-year-old is not new to poetry. “I have been [writing poems] all of my life,” he told the LA Sentinel. “A song has to have some uniformity. Something that familiarises people with it because you’re trying to sell it … but poetry is freedom and you can write however and whatever you want.” This weekend’s show will be directed by Robinson’s wife, Linda Cevallos-Smith. He is apparently considering taking the production on tour, and may release a DVD. “[Smokey] talks about growing up in Detroit, his musical background, his love for women, his love for God, his love for humanity,” French explained. “He sings a little bit, a cappella, and takes people on a walk through his history.” (The Guardian)
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