Andy Jackson on Poetry Puppetry & Solitude as Kryptonite

Melbourne Poet and blogger Andy Jackson (Among the Regulars, 2010)was there when Overload Poetry Festival all began. He'll be poeticising with many of the Melbourne Spoken Word old guard in Class of '99 on Wednesday evening as well as appearing in Tuesday night's Notes On Sound. Slam Up Overloaded caught up with Andy to talk telephone booths, poetry puppets and solitude as a poet's Kryptonite:

You're a poetry superhero. Is being a poet your Clark Kent life or your Superman life, and why?

A massive, arguably unfounded assumption. But... assuming that I am a poetry superhero, I would have to say being a poet is my Superman life (although I often have trouble finding a telephone booth, so I turn up the reading looking pretty much exactly like Clark Kent).

Who or what is your biggest arch nemesis?
Superman; ie. the Poetic Me. Poetry is Catch 22; gloriously self-defeating.
Your trusty sidekick?
He has no name, but he's about a foot tall and looks exactly like me (in the 2009 Overload Poetry Festival I performed a puppetry-poetry collaboration with Rachael Guy, who made an amazing portrait puppet of me). He probably won't turn up at Overload this year, but you never know...
Your Kryptonite?
Solitude - it's the substance of the place of my birth, but too much of it can be fatal...

What kind of undies do you wear over your suit?
They're really hard to find, but union-labour, fair-trade, organic boxer-shorts. Of course.

Your superpower?
To give the impression of being wise.
You're on stage at your event at Overload Poetry Festival, and it becomes clear the event is under threat from evil Drunken Hecklers from the far away planet of No Respect for Poetry. You can persevere with your set, or expose your secret identity in order to defeat them. Which path do you choose, and why?
They already know my not-so-secret identity (see 1.) - which leaves only "persevere". Which is what I always do, anyway. Drunken heckling happens off the stage too. No point trying to defeat them; eventually they fall over or asleep.

Why would a poetry superhero even need a secret identity?
I've never wanted one - it was thrust upon me...

Are these vox pop questions stark raving mad?
Neither stark, nor raving, but with a hint of madness, which is in itself very poetic.

Where and when can we come and see you at Overload 2011?
Tuesday 13th September 7pm at "Notes on Sound" at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Brunswick - with Sean M Whelan, Rebecca Clare Page, Jessica Alice & a roomfull of amazing musicians we'll be teaming up with.

Also, Wednesday 14th September 7.30pm at "Class of 99" at Palookaville, Fitzroy - with Angela Costi, Lish, Luis Gonzales Serrano, Melissa Petrakis, Matt Hetherington, Maurice McNamara & Steve Smart - yes, we survived the millenium bug!