Last week Polly read a selection of Don Van Vliet's poems in celebration of the exhibition of his paintings “Standing on One Hand” at the Michael Werner Gallery in London:
Spoiler! :
Per the gallery's Instagram post, a recording of the reading should be available soon.
18th January: PJ Harvey performance at Michael Werner
All of a sudden, spittle found itself amidst an intimate and excitable crowd gathered at Michael Werner to listen to the inimitable PJ Harvey read poetry by Don Van Vliet – also known as Captain Beefheart – surrounded by the late artist-singer’s works (on view until Feb 17!). Listening to incredible lines like: ‘A monkey never had a guilty masturbation’; ‘You should know by the kindness of a dog how a human should be’ and ‘A monkey wouldn’t shit on another’s creation’ [...] ‘The mood of the enchanted, hallowed congregation was truly sacred as alt-rock doyenne PJ Harvey recited ten fantastical poems by the late great eccentric Captain Beefheart, whose paintings adorned Michael Werner gallery’s walls.
A memorable evening - PJ Harvey reading the marvellous poems of her friend the late Captain Beefheart aka Don Van Vliet amidst a show of his extraordinary paintings from the 80’s and 90’s @michaelwernergallery - so rare that great musicians also make good art …
The magical PJ Harvey reading the poems of Don Van Vliet at Michael Werner Gallery. Not a movement from the audience could be heard or felt - ENTHRALLED
PJ Harvey was recently invited to read a selection of Don Van Vliet's poetry at Michael Werner Gallery in London, as part of an exhibition of his paintings, Don Van Vliet: Standing on One Hand, from the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibition runs until February 17th 2024. More info here https://www.michaelwerner.com/
The artist, also known by the stage name Captain Beefheart, has had a significant impact on PJ Harvey's own music and art.
Polly says, "Thank you to the Michael Werner Gallery for inviting me to read Don's poems. It was a privilege to be able to give life to his words whilst standing amongst his paintings. Thanks also to Jan Van Vliet who helped me prepare for the reading, and for sending me a poem Don had written for me in 2001, called 'Man Can't Anticipate Cat', which I read at the end of the night."