Saul Williams is so freaking cool

I hadn’t heard of Saul Williams until Venus Zine’s Web features editor Sheba White pitched a review his show in Chicago (this coming Friday). I checked him out online and he seemed pretty sweet, but didn’t realize how well known he is. And then I found out that the LGBT alliance and the Black Student Alliance were bringing him to perform at MSU’s Fairchild Theatre, free for students! So tonight I went to see him and it was fantastic.

I sat in the second row of the half-filled theater (if that), which was close enough to see his spit, since he opted to stand in front of the stairs going up to the stage rather than on the actual stage. In the two hours he was there, he only recited probably six poems and the rest was Q&A, but even that was so interesting because the man is brilliant. He talked about everything from writers and musicians who influence him, to working with Trent Reznor on his recent album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, and everything he said was so interesting. I definitely will be getting my hands on some of his work!

The show in Chicago is more for his music rather than straight poetry, so I can’t wait to hear how that goes because I’m sure it will be waaay different.