Dec 04 2009
Joseph O’Connor, The Irish Rapper
Listening to Joseph O’Connor read his poem “Tower” is like listening to a rapper. Before meeting him, his rich vocabulary and difficult to understand (due to all the references he make to people and works that I’ve never heard mentioned) readings were intimidating to me. All the time during the reading, I was intrigued by his Irish accent, as it reminds me of Professor O‘Malley. The combination of O’Connor’s powerful voice and the romantic letter excerpt that he read was somewhat eccentric. However, after I’ve heard his poem “Tower” dedicated to Baruch College, (in addition to being impressed by his creativity of putting the “towers” on paper) I realized that poems, when read aloud, can move people emotionally. By the way, where and when can we get the poem?
I disagree Angela. My impression of him didn’t change after seeing him in person. When I read his work I thought “here is a smart man, with an incredible writing style,” and that idea was merely reinforced after hearing him speak.
Our first impressions were based on his writing, so it was a shock when we first heard him rap. But, it was a pleasant surprise.
first of all, i really like your title.
secondly, yes, his rapping skills showed his humanity i think, as well as his ability to relate to the generation he is speaking to (and will be teaching), and makes him very interesting. he understands us young adults and us new yorkers, and honestly, nothing is more appealing. i loved him.
Like everyone else, I was also extremely surprised when he started to rap all of a sudden, especially after listening to his sophisticated poems.
I was not particularly fascinated by his accent as it was not the authentic, heavy, Irish accent I have frequently heard in the past.
He was a great orator nonetheless.