NOTE: The following is a mini-essay around the idea of “The Enchanted Organ,” the opera burlesque by Gordon Beeferman for which I wrote the libretto. It adresses the, ahem, mating of porn and opera and originally appeared in abridged form on the website http://enchantedorgan.com

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Sooo… Why a Porn Opera? Or alternatively, why a Porn Opera? And what is a Porn Opera anyway?

As the creators of a work called “The Enchanted Organ: A Porn Opera,” Gordon Beeferman and I get asked this question a lot. Our rough-and-ready answer is that it’s not a “porn opera” at all: it’s a burlesque opera that satirizes both the porn industry and four hundred years of the operatic tradition. The plot, which features a naïve Midwestern lad who arrives in the City of Pornopolis with dreams of XXX superstardom, frames a humorous and critical look at the “adult” world through musical and erotic spectacle. “The Enchanted Organ” juxtaposes “high” and “low” culture, celebrates a wide spectrum of musical styles and sexual preferences, and touches on serious topics such as addiction and exploitation. But there’s no full-frontal nudity, no live sex show, no lap dances in the orchestra pit… well, not until we tour Europe, at least! For after all, burlesque is the art of the tease.

So much for the what; but the question remains, why a porn opera? Simply put, we knew we had to write it before someone else did. The first glimmer arrived in 2006, during a brainstorming session for our first opera, The Rat Land, a family drama that was dark and perverse but hardly pornographic. It was a “Eureka!” moment, like a naked, flyblown, red light bulb just popping on over my head with an ominous buzz. Gordon swiftly grasped the potential for wicked parody, musical and societal: porno flicks and their soundtracks have always held up a funhouse mirror to mainstream culture. Given the sheer ubiquity of hardcore content in this digital age, an X-rated opera assumed the force of inevitability. With its invisible, taboo force of gravity, internet Porn is bending our culture–from childhood sex ed to adult relationships, from adverts to art– like a black hole bends space-time.

Indeed, Culture with a capital C seems to be rapidly triangulating in upon the idea. Throughout the ‘naughties, a Bay Area ensemble called the PornOrchestra performed symphonic accompaniments for porn film screenings. In 2007  we saw John Eaton’s chamber opera “Pumped Fiction,” set in the seamy world of penis enlargement and featuring the god Eros as a mythological porn star, at Symphony Space in Manhattan. The following year witnessed a rock opera based on the life of “Deep Throat” star Linda Lovelace. Last year, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Richard Thomas’s opera “Anna Nicole” premiered at the Royal Opera House in London, becoming a surprise hit. A full-fledged porn opera is the obvious evolution of this no-longer-backdoor affair between various forms of high art and low.

And let’s face it… opera is all (mostly?) about sex anyway. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, “Opera is when a tenor and a soprano want to make love, but are prevented by a baritone.” Or in our case, “A tenor and a soprano and several baritones and a mezzo all want to make love, but are prevented by a bass who wants to make love to himself.” Ninety percent of the time, the action in grand opera involves a love affair—often forbidden or star-crossed—or alternatively, a seducer/seductress threatening to violate the pure hero or heroine. As allure or as danger, the power of desire to disrupt human affairs takes central stage.

Ultimately, opera as an art form is simply… hot. Regardless of the storyline, there’s something unabashedly erotic about human voices sublimating passion into song, wantonly exhibiting their beauty and flexibility, or weaving an illusion of intimacy between performer and the masses in a darkened theater. The sublime and the carnal fuse in the heaving bosoms, pulsating throats, vibrating tongues, quavering uvulas, and parted lips of vocalists throwing themselves bodily into the music. In opera as in porn, the plot often serves as flimsy or downright ludicrous excuse– for singing on the one hand, screwing on the other; likewise, both types of production are burdened by clichés that invite Bugs Bunny-style sendups, even as our primitive selves shamelessly respond to them. Hey, the fat lady with the horns makes our hearts beat faster—and that pizza guy has the “extra sausage” we crave under all the grease and polyester. Given the best screenplay or libretto on earth, the physical and emotional tension still inevitably builds to the point where words alone cannot suffice. Opera lingo references this erotic release in the double entendre “money note”; what is a high C but the “money shot” of opera?

Violetta, heroine of Verdi’s La Traviata, was a courtesan; Cio-Cio San, or Madame Butterfly, was a kept woman. From the garret dwellers of La Bohême to the motley crowd of Berg’s Lulu, opera often unfolds within the demimonde—the underground culture at once frowned upon and patronized by “respectable” elites. Arguably, Venusberg in Tannhäuser and the Queen of the Night’s kingdom in The Magic Flute serve as allegorical demimondes: parallel universes of pleasure and corruption. The porn industry is our twenty-first century demimonde. Actresses, starving artists, and the mistresses of famous men no longer raise our collective eyebrows, but porn stars still scandalize polite society, while the Masters of the Universe furtively watch on their iPhones…

While exploring this conceit, Gordon actually uncovered a historical link between grand opera and contemporary pornography. Their shared history begins with the opera burlesques of Victorian London. Today we associate “burlesque” with Vaudeville-era striptease, but historically it referred to any “low” imitation of “high” art for comic effect. Grand Opera was very popular in 19th-century London, and whenever a serious production opened in the West End, a burlesque takeoff would open across town to capitalize on its vogue. These shows used parody, pastiche, and absurdity to poke good-humored fun at their models. Enjoyed by audiences from all social classes, they departed from the original storylines, mingled song with spoken dialogue, and incorporated topical references and cultural or political commentary. And of course, they featured shapely women who wore revealing costumes and performed saucy dance routines.

The English performer Lydia Thompson and her troupe of showgirls popularized burlesque in New York in 1868. Witty and risqué, Thompson’s productions subverted classical drama, showcased the female physique and depicted women as sexual aggressors. Musically, they borrowed operatic arias and popular songs for their own dramatic ends, this introducing them to a wider audience. The ensuing craze led to a thriving nation-wide circuit of burlesque venues that would thrive for over fifty years.
By the early 1900s, certain performers were upping the scandalous elements, shedding garters and “forgetting” panties, but most revues still relied more upon double entendre than actual skin. However, the 1920s saw the form decline, as tastes changed. Producers such as the Minsky Brothers increasingly resorted to striptease to attract a crowd, and “bump and grind” gradually muscled out the remaining elements of parody and social commentary. After a decade of Giuliani-style harassment, Mayor LaGuardia finally banned burlesque in 1937. The scene, now literally “stripped” of its theatrical elements, went underground, where it intersected with a burgeoning “blue movie” industry. Low-budget films of solo burlesque performances prefigured the avalanche of porn movies that followed.

With the New Burlesque revival now taking place, it’s time to bring this journey full circle. Burlesque traveled a long way from Covent Garden to Times Square, losing Opera by the roadside. We’d like to take it on a reverse Odyssey, a sort of homecoming. The original opera-burlesques poked fun at the status quo, presented challenging new visions of sexuality, and brought “high art” to a diverse audience. With “The Enchanted Organ: A Porn Opera,” we aspire to do the same.

The post Sooo… Why a Porn Opera, Anyway? appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

Photo: Kodomut (Flickr)

I.
The saddest words
well, one’s a number):
Comments: 0
-
The runner-up:
Followers: 1.
At least it’s not my boyfriend!
Nor a relative neither!
Hmm, perhaps that’s sadder still?


II.
People You May Know:
Nope. Actually: I Don’t.
-
O, Lonely of Lonelies:
I “liked” my own link.
-
I’m chasing my own Long Tail.

III.
Why, oh why, must my namesake be
a minor celebrity?
Why must the topmost search
auto-complete “Charlotte Jackson–Hot”?
Her CL(EEEEEE)|(AAAAAA)VAGE is on Goooooooogle.
i
am on Page Four.
Bitch
is messing up my S.E.O.!
-
(BTW, Bounce Rate
Sounds like something cheery.
But it’s not.)

IV.
Facebook suggests
Mennonite Senior Living
will appeal;
Gmail wants to know
if I have a dirty toilet bowl.
-
There is no one I have not “friended”
that I still want to “friend.”

V.
Now I think I’ll just log off and read a book
That is, if the library
hasn’t thrown them all away.

The post Social Media Blues appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

Yuval Sharon is a long-time champion of The Rat Land: he presided over the 2007 and 2009 “sneak-preview” performances at New York City Opera’s annual VOX showcase in his capacity as music director. Now he has founded his own company, which aims to fuse performance, art, film, and multimedia into groundbreaking 21st century opera. Needless to say, Gordon Beeferman and I are thrilled to be a part of this grand experiment. I’ll post more updates as the details are worked out. In the meantime, check out the Industry’s website at http://www.theindustryla.org/

For more on “The Rat Land” check out the page from composer Gordon Beeferman’s website: http://www.gordonbeeferman.com/Rat%20Land.html

The post “The Rat Land” to be produced in Fall of 2012! appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

Subject: ALL LOVE ENHANCERS ON ONE PORTAL!

TO: Mr. Gordon Beeferman

Re: Hello, Mr. Smallest Weenie in the World!
Your instrument should be thicker…
Ladies will know what means long item.
Re: Damn! You ejaculatte in five minutes.
No wonder she is so angry…

Re: Is safest and most modern way to not cover with shame.
It will help you to shoot more and more.

Re: Your detail is too small to give much pleasure?
Make it bigger.
Start enlarging your size now
with the Super Cure that we discover.

Re: Hoist your darling sexuality!
with assistance splendid meds.
Awesome bonus for every visitor!
Wholesome effect ensure.

Re: With your big horse you can insert him, even into the Statue of Liberty.
Your proud friend down there
will be invited to perform on the red carpet.

Click at the moment…

Re: Pump in your lady stronger obstructionist retailer
Want to see her happy tears?
What if every nigth (sic) could be that splendid?
You can’t influence your manhood’s firmness.
But we know the thing that can!

Re: Your big blessing will be sent from somewhere above.
How to get good results with women?
Here it is!
We are waiting for you!

(No wonder she is so angry…)

The post SPAM POEM XY appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

I am a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. My work includes personal essays and vignettes, non-fiction novellas, original opera librettos, and miscellaneous belles lettres. For fun I dabble in “urban haiku,” found or overheard poems, and other improvised poetic forms.

BIO: I was born in England and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and Ann Arbor, Michigan. I studied fiction, poetry, and literary non-fiction at Interlochen Arts Academy and continued writing at Bennington College. I ultimately graduated from Bard College, where I studied with renowned novelist Norman Manea and completed an essay collection under the tutelage of Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Frank. I earned an MFA in creative non-fiction from Columbia in 2002, at the height of the so-called memoir craze. (Luckily, problems with attention span confined me to mildly lurid confessional essays, a smattering of which are included on this site to cater to your schadenfreude.) After ten years as a freelance writer/editor and small-time landlady (the kind from Dostoevsky novels who’s always banging on the delinquent student’s door, weeping, and begging for the rent,) I’m getting my Master’s of Library Science in hopes of becoming an archivist and digital curator.

PAST WORK: Highlights from my work include the libretto for “The Rat Land,” a contemporary chamber opera by composer Gordon Beeferman that will be performed at the Industry center for new opera in Fall 2012. http://www.theindustryla.org Past prose includes “The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet,” a trilogy of “non-fiction novellas” on the power and perils of imagination, and the personal essay collection “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman.” Currently I’m working on the libretto for “The Enchanted Organ,” an operatic burlesque satirizing the porn industry throughout its history. I also will be regularly contributing to the “Snapshots” section of the City of Strangers blog at http://cityofstrangers.net and publishing regular pieces to this web site.

The post About appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

SUBJECT: FROM FBI!

TO: Grotty Lotty

Re: Please to open attach Massage for more detaila!

Paxil Victims given Millions $$$$;
Get your pajama jeans today!

Re: Enjoy the perfection that is Iced Gevalia!
(Not available in stores!)

Find love at Spark.com;
Everyone deserves a free cell phone.
HARVEST LUSH, GIANT BLUEBERRIES FROM HOME!

Dearest Grottylotty,
Have you taken Darvocet?
Are your children Christian?
–Then you really need to see this…
Knock Knock! Free grocery coupons are here.

Bid winter adieu with colorful favorites!
Find Friends with Benefits
(and be Naughty!)
A Professional Agent is here to assist…

Xanax online store!
No more banks—Get gold shipped directly to your door!

Your new career as a nursing assistant awaits.
Silk springs eternal whether lion or lamb!

Almighty Bible for Kids:
A better Bible for today’s children;
(Won’t you help us end the tyranny
of male incontinence?)

I am married but lonely.
Why wait to have an affair with me?

Please, don’t let those who count on you down…
Become a certified nursing assistant today!

The post SPAM POEM (XX) appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

Laurie Rubin as Karen

THE RAT LAND: A CHAMBER OPERA

Composer Gordon Beeferman has created this web page for our contemporary chamber opera, “The Rat Land,” for which I am the librettist (and sometime costume and props mistress.) Individual acts from the four act opera have been performed at the Improvised and Otherwise Festival and at New York City Opera’s VOX showcase for new opera. It will be performed in its entirety in Fall 2012 at The Industry in L.A..

Set in the fin-de-Cold War American Midwest, “The Rat Land” chronicles the disintegration of a troubled and eccentric family through the eyes of their adolescent daughter. The precocious Karen deals with the poisonous atmosphere in the home by retreating ever further into an elaborate fantasy world, where her pet rats are deities and human beings are vermin–and she is the heir to the throne.

Visit this page for:

• Plot synopsis and Cast of Characters
• Photos from Act I  (2006 Improvised and Otherwise Festival in Brooklyn)
• Audio clips
• The NY Times review of New York City Opera’s 2007 VOX performance
• And more…

The Family Dinner Table: Martha Sullivan and Michael Douglas Jones

The post “THE RAT LAND”: visit the web page! appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

The post Another Urban Haiku appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

**************

A warm snow angel
In the sheets where I just lay;
Outside tin cans clank.

***************

Guano spatters stone;
Fourteen storeys above the street
Mountaintops get snow

The post Urban Haiku, #1 appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.

Photo: Frames-of-Mind http://www.flickr.com/photos/framesofmind/

Small, ungrateful parts of oneself,
like rejected great-aunt gifts, never once worn;

Small, punctilious parts of oneself–
the broken watch hoarded faithfully.

The parts that rejected love:
amulets of cast-off exes–
the parts that didn’t know love’s worth;
the reminders of loves
it would have slowly killed you
to keep.

"In this drawer be bones" by Rex Roof http://www.flickr.com/photos/rexroof/

A lock of your dead mother’s hair
now matted like cat fur;
The doilies of generations
yellowing, turning to dust…

When did they pass over
while we weren’t looking
from heirloom
to junk
that we could never bring ourselves
to throw away?

"Desolate Drawer" by Orin Zebest http://www.flickr.com/photos/orinrobertjohn/1659206513/

–Charlotte Jackson

The post Dresser/Tomb appeared first on Charlotte T. Jackson.