Wednesday, September 24, 2003 vol. CXXXIX, no. 78

"Red hot, fire-bellied, feminismo-spewin' volcano" speaks at U.

by Gabriella Doob

Alix Olson, a spoken word artist and folk poet, was billed before her Tuesday performance in Salomon as "a red-hot, fire-bellied, feminismo-spewin' volcano."

But, as any audience member will tell you, that wasn't the half of it.

With tales of bumper sticker-initiated incidents on highways across the country ("the road to hell is paved with Republicans" apparently won her little support down South) and memories of her first encounters with feminism, Olson wove personal experience and political opinion into a textured fabric that was both strikingly simple and deeply nuanced.

Olson's poetry is strong and, as she will be the first to admit, anything but subtle. Several pieces saw her hunched over, clutching at her hips, turning red with the force of her words and emotions.

Her rage and indignation were apparent when she used a voice commonly associated with a supermarket salesperson ("Attention, shoppers!") to speak of an "America on sale" and "a full blue-light blowout of the U.S. of A." or to challenge traditional notions of the role of art and the artist and assert the role of art as the "root of rebellion."

While biting irony and eloquent fury were characteristic of several of Olson's pieces, she also injected humor into her work.

At one point, Olson donned an opaque pair of sunglasses emblazoned with American flags and staggered about calling, "Are there any other countries out there? I can't see!"

She also created a relaxed and conversational dynamic with the audience, telling stories about her experiences performing across the country, discussing her support for "romantic socialism" and wanting to know what people were studying or even "who considers herself a feminist?"

Olson was particularly amused at Brown's motto, "In God we hope."

There were also many poignant moments in Olson's performance, as when she spoke of the women who had taught her about "graceful rage" and encouraged audience members to shout out examples of those who had done the same for them.

From Sojourner Truth to "my mom," the vibrant crowd supported Olson's claim that the words of women who came before us are both a comfort and a challenge. As Olson's own mother once told her, "This is solidarity." In another piece, Olson imagined a conversation between personifications of "rage" and "kindness," stressing the need for both and presenting a reconciliation of the two figures in a mutual appreciation of the other's importance.

In her final piece, Olson read off sections of the "Patriot Act of 2003," accompanied by her talented fellow artist, Pamela Means, who sang and played "Every Breath You Take." As Olson stressed various phrases of the Act, including "without restriction" and "suspected terrorists," the words of the song, "you belong to me" took on a haunting meaning.

Olson joked that she was happy to find "a good conservative crowd" here at Brown, after her recent adventures performing in Utah.

And the crowd was certainly "conservative," a fact exemplified by one audience member advising Olson, who was readjusting her belt, that "If you're having trouble with your britches, just take them off."

Olson's performance was a daring mix of poetry, song and story, and it produced an energetic reaction from a responsive audience ready for such a bold and unapologetic voice.

The event was held by Women Students at Brown and co-sponsored by Brown Concert Agency, Sarah Doyle Women's Center and Queer Alliance.