When reading Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe or other great poets, the words jump at the reader. The language is sometimes so intense and unexpected, that it shocks the reader into deeper thought. The trance, obscurity and inclusion of poetry are what so many others and I am drawn to. The latest poet to draw society’s attention is a self proclaimed Vatican assassin, warlock, AND total bitchin’ rock star from Mars.
In modern society, media is inescapable for characters of stature. After Charlie Sheen’s hiatus from Two and a Half Men, followed by his outbreaks on news radio, Charlie was fired from his show on CBS. Charlie then went on an interviewing frenzy, claiming he had “tiger blood and Adonis DNA”. Sheen also said he was not bi-polar, but bi-winning instead. #Winning became Charlie’s catchphrase, and cultural phenomenon.
Right after being fired from CBS, Charlie had the entire country’s attention. The media was completely infatuated with Sheen, and so was America. Charlie’s word play, extreme language and uncensored attacks on former bosses and other trolls were fiercer than an F-18 (which he claimed to be). His imagery, and rhythm was… poetic.
Isn’t all poetry refined, beautiful and romantic? No. If we could hear sound bites of Walt Whitman reciting parts of Leaves of Grass where it seems like he is somewhere in outer space on late-night television, you may think that he is a under-medicated lunatic just like Charlie. Some of Charlie’s language on paper leads me to believe that maybe Charlie has more to offer than strained laughter.
Sheen has published work that has gone essentially unnoticed until his recent popularity explosion. In 1989, a film based on Sheen’s poetry titled “Tale of Two Sisters”, Sheen recites some of his poetry. Here is an excerpt from Menstrual Moods:
Gandhi’s back teeth pudding
When offered gum she replied:
No thanks, when I chew gum… I think I chew gum…
Korean hair and coconut frozen juice bars
Oversized man fell overboard, splash
Yester less, she smokes
Dogtooth necklace worn by a cat
The tension mounts
Vaginal riots in the Middle East
Do I have a choice? Do I have an option?
Mommy… I love you
Boogie momma, disco queen, midnight whore.
Peas and onions (of course)…. Peas and onions…
Images like, “Dog tooth necklace worn by a cat” are just what we would expect from Charlie Sheen. This selection may just seem like a jumble of random ideas. I certainly cannot make sense of it out of context, but the imagery is spectacular. Hearing this excerpt recited or ranted on TV would leave me laughing at its insanity, but not appreciative of its beauty. Seeing such a muddle on paper leaves me wanting answers, trying to form conclusions, and letting my imagination grow.
In 1999, Sheen published his book, “A Piece of My Mind.” Sheen’s collection of poetry covered everything from politics to spiritual questions. In “I.D. Blues”, Sheen ends the poem; “all eyes held in stare, all mouths locked open in shock, as he pulled off the latex Charlie Sheen mask from his head, revealing the rotted skull of President Lincoln.” America loves exotic, attention grabbing lines like this. After Sheen’s recent media binge, his books were selling like crazy on amazon.com. The last hardcover copy sold for five thousand dollars, and one paperback copy remains for $89.99. What is most surprising however, are the reviews of his book on Amazon. Charlie Sheen’s amateur book of poetry has the same star rating as Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe’s most popular books!
By no means am I insinuating that Charlie Sheen is close to the level of Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman or other classic poets. I am not even suggesting that his poetry is great. But I do enjoy Charlie’s use of language, and maybe he has more to contribute to society than a few pity-laughs. Poets like Whitman had a purpose— to create a unified brotherhood— and his poetry worked towards that goal. We still do not know where Sheen is heading, but we should not stop listening now. Charlie Sheen may be a strange character and theorized by the media as crazy or sick, but his grip on American culture is undeniable. Sheen’s control over the media is proof enough of his intelligence. He needs to be viewed through a different lens. He is not only a reality character, but an artist as well. So if you ever happen to get your hands on some of Charlie Sheen’s poetry, pretend you are reading from an enlightening poetry collection. And as you keep reading, you may realize you are not pretending anymore.
