the rain has a slap and a curve (1997) for computer-generated tape is based upon excerpts from Robert Gregory's poem rain, convenience store, hungry cats. The majority of the sonic material is derived from a recording of the poet reading the following three lines of the poem:
the rain has a slap and a curve
the path it falls on curves also
even after the rain you can hear a whisper of rain
The composition is divided into three main sections that explore the sonic possibilities of the source material.
Click the link below to download an audio excerpt
For performance materials contact jon.nelson@unt.edu
Rain, Convenience Store, Hungry Cats
The rain has a slap and a curve
(the path it falls on curves also)
the girl it falls on
tiny girl in plastic poncho (red)
does a sudden tiny dance
and makes a noise, then shivers
(ecstasy looks just like a chill)
long day will be gone at last
and under the bed, the ghosts
they’ve given up and got lonely
and gone to sleep
now, two small serious girls
wait outside in a junker
their mother’s inside
calculating what will fill them up
under the lights the packages are blazing and clean
a dream is not all what’s going on
even after the rain,
you can still hear a whisper of rain
and after the rain, a one-armed lady goes around
feeds the wide-eyed cats hiding in doorways
by Robert Gregory, 1997
unpublished, reprinted by permission of the author