An Interview With Poet Sage Sweetwater and Musician Finnur Bjarki

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About Poetry, Song, Icelanders and Native Americans

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THE INTERVIEW

PLT (To FINNUR BJARKI):
Hi Finnur.  We hear one of your recent projects is to transcribe part of Sage Sweetwater's poetry –published in her website at Authors Den— to song to record. So our first question will be geared toward general information: what steps do you usually take in the process of transcribing written poetry, or lyrics, to melody and song?

FINNUR BJARKI: First of all I just read the poem or lyric over, sometimes I get an instant feeling for the content and the music is there, sometimes I have my guitar and improvise. I was very young when I began playing with poems like this.The rhythm and the content usually takes me there but some text needs more adjustment and time. That´s it basically, how the melodies come to me.
From a very young I have been blessed with very rich imagination. I was encouraged by my father and my grandfather to read poetry and they gave me books by their favorite poets. A good poem with a nice melody makes the world whole again.

PLT :
You're the owner of Porterhouse, in Reykjavik, Iceland, and your many activities include creating movie soundtracks, for scripts based on fiction such as Sage Sweetwater's Western novel "From the Convent to the Rawhide: The Saga of Sadie Cade and VI Montana". What kind of relations exist between other Iceland-based sound engineers/musicians and US contemporary poets? Or is this the first project where both countries are involved?

FINNUR B.: I know of relationships with composers and lyricists between the two countries. But I'm not aware of relations regarding poetry like I have with Sage Sweetwater. The Internet is so magnificent for collaborating with other artists, so you never know! My relationship with Sage Sweetwater has evolved from songwriting to friendship and then on to creating a soundtrack for a movie being made from one of her books. Now I'm suddenly also working with Lauren Lynley, CEO of  Lynley Entertainment Group. And more talented artists involved in this project.

PLT :
Sage, could you tell readers what your inspiration was for writing these poems? In relation to this, but more generally, do you think the poetry of other lesbian writers has had any influence on your development as a lesbian poet in the US –both in terms of actually writing and of marketing?

SAGE SWEETWATER: Finnur Bjarki and I have more than one project in progress.  Finnur is transcribing my Native American poetry also for NativeAmerica, Finnur Bjarki's website he has built for this special project.  It has no relation to this soundtrack or project.  It will be packaged as a CD as its own and marketed. Please visit NativeAmerica: http://www.myspace.com/lavadust

I will talk about the inspiration for the poems I specifically wrote for the soundtrack for my novel FROM THE CONVENT TO THE RAWHIDE: THE SAGA OF SADIE CADE AND VI MONTANA, which is being adapted to screen by LA (California, USA) lesbian television producer Lauren Lynley:

http://www.myspace.com/lmlynley
http://www.nextcat.com/lmlynley

The soundtrack songs will also be written by others involved in this project.  The poem, "Winter Foal of Shivers Gulch" I wrote is inspired and written from autobiographical episodes, an equine metaphor for my personal life, and also portrays the physical and emotional condition of the outlaw wild mustang in my novel FROM THE CONVENT TO THE RAWHIDE: THE SAGA OF SADIE CADE AND VI MONTANA.

Another poem I wrote "Wildhorses" was written with a specific scene in mind for the film.

I wrote the poem "The Ballad of the Highway Girl" specifically for one of the characters in the film.  It is a highly emotional poem-to-song for me.  It chronicles land-locked fences and locked gates that were once holding me back in life.

I wrote "John Ringo You Damn Fool" especially for the Sister Pish character in the film.  It has a religion devil-may-care attitude when this character has a bout with the devil - the dark dungeons of Hell of what we call Alzheimer's.

Women outlaws are nothing new.  We exist in every century, traveling with copyright as our companion.  Sage Sweetwater acknowledges lesbianism of the Old West in much of her poetry to promote her writing in a dramatic increase of curious sales with the acceptance given to romantic friendships between women who are telling their stories and printing their books.  The Internet is a viable "stagecoach" in which Sage Sweetwater may travel with sizzling page turners in her satchel that Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hikcock may have just took out in trade for pistols and whiskey.  Sage Sweetwater says it's a fair trade, a story for a Colt and firewater.
Sage Sweetwater hopes her name will surface as one of a notable woman in women's history.

In relation, another lesbian writer has had an influence on me as a U.S. lesbian poet, in both terms of writing and marketing.  The lesbian writer of which I speak is Rita Mae Brown, lesbian author of many best-selling novels.  Her most popular novel is Rubyfruit Jungle.  She has also written poetry, "The Hand That Cradles The Rock" and "Songs To A Handsome Woman".  She has written many screenplays and teleplays which have been televised.

For marketing purposes, my poetry is much more explicit and erotic.  I have tapped into various audiences and blended my wide range of poetry subjects to suit many different audiences - from fringed buckskins to astral travel.  My readers have caught on!   

PLT:
In your last interview with PL& Times (published by Sara Russell in February 2006) you stated:

"My ambitions for the future is for the lesbian pulp fiction of Sage Sweetwater to be adapted for an explosion on big screen! My next novel due out here in February or soon thereafter, From the Convent to the Rawhide: The Saga of Sadie Cade and Vi Montana is the female equivalent cowgirl love story to Brokeback Mountain, the newly released popular gay-themed film which just earned seven globes nomination. I'm already a household word, so I'm half way there, Sara. Also, I am ambitious in creating a spin-off pottery line for my third novel out, Blue Corn Woman. The pottery Stonewash Blue is mentioned in this novel and I have designed a tarot card to honor Stonewash Blue in my 28-card Tarot deck."

Your words prompt at least two questions:
a) Has Tarot symbolism influenced your poetic work at all?

SAGE SWEETWATER: Yes, the arcane process of Tarot symbolism has influenced my poetic work along with Jung and Thoth.  I use inner imagery and selective memory.  I've studied Tarot for years, perhaps for centuries in my past life. On a spiritual journey of a four-year process of illustrating scenes in my third lesbian novel BLUE CORN WOMAN to be released soon, I designed my own 28-card Tarot deck. Two of the cards I've designed are based on the "divining" of old-day practices. "The Witcher" has meditation on forked-stick water witching and "The Desert Fox Grid" in its powerful meditation is based on the Dogon of Mali's grids drawn in the sand to lure animals for signs and objects such as the oracle bones.  TAROT BY SAGE can be viewed here (click on title).

PLT:
b) The blending of a pottery line and a novel seems powerful. Has it anything to do with your Native American's background and culture? Do you follow any traditions in this field?

SAGE SWEETWATER: Yes, the blending of a pottery line named Stonewash Blue written into my upcoming novel BLUE CORN WOMAN has to do with my Native American culture.  I am following the tradition of pottery-making of the Anasazi Indians in my area of Colorado, USA who lived around Mesa Verde near the Four Corners area and Durango, Colorado. The Anasazi culture flourished about 1100 AD. The Anasazi used the coiling-and-scraping technique in making their pottery. Only  ruins and artifacts remain as silent clues of the Anasazi culture. Purchase link to my novel BLUE CORN WOMAN is here.


PLT :
Dear Finnur, which would you mention as your major influences or personal inspirations as an artist, along your career?

FINNUR BJARKI: I take influences everywhere and admire people that are deft to negativity and face up to adversity.
Songwriters/Musicians who have created good memories for me are to many to mention. I almost quit my songwriting because of work load few years ago. Everything changed when my father had a serious spinal cord injury in April 2006, his fighting spirit and that accident, woke me up!

We tend to take time for granted, expecting life to be the same tomorrow! Considering my fathers situation, his vinyl collection and books. I would say he has been a very strong influence on me.   

PLT:
How did you choose the right performers for each piece, in the case of Sage S.water's poetry?

FINNUR BJARKI: This very moment it's still ongoing project. Sage asked me to take on the role of music director and write music to four of her poems for the Soundtrack to FROM THE CONVENT TO THE RAWHIDE: THE SAGA OF SADIE CADE AND VI MONTANA. 

I have been recording songs with Shay Dillon, Paul Kraushaar and some very good Musicians in L.A. For another project.
So I sent one of those songs to Sage and Lauren Lynley, who is working on this soundtrack as well. And simply the voice of Shay Dillon got to them, she is really a fantastic vocal artist.

I asked Shay and her husband Paul Kraushaar producer and owner of Para-Sight Studio to join the team for this soundtrack. Most instrumentation and arrangements will be done by us as a team. Everything tells me that we will have great fun with it. 
I will be writing music to more of Sages poems they offer so much to work with.

My approach to them will be with variety of singers and musicians. I want to create modern pop-rock music with some storytelling and heavy influences from the great Native American people.

PLT:
Finnur and Sage Sweetwater, thank you so much for your collaboration and look forward to your works!

Sage Sweetwater: I want to thank you Poetry Life & Times, Robin and Amparo, for inviting me and Finnur Bjarki for the Cover Interview December 2007 issue of PL&T.  It has been most enjoyable. Blessed Be.

* Sage Sweetwater Sage Sweetwater is the name of Colorado firebrand lesbian novelist, storyteller, poet, and songwriter. Sage Sweetwater is the lesbian equivalent to Louis L'Amour, master storyteller of the American frontier.   Sage Sweetwater has published two lesbian pulp fiction dime-store novels with AuthorHouse, THE BUCKSKIN SKIRT OAR TRAVELER and FROM THE CONVENT TO THE RAWHIDE: THE SAGA OF SADIE CADE AND VI MONTANA.  Sage will release her third title BLUE CORN WOMAN coming in fall 2007.  Her FOUR CORNERS SERIES stories are the flagship of STONE CREEK WOMAN, a medicine camp in Colorado's Western frontier. Stone Creek Woman leads other women across Colorado's western frontier to get themselves back into the primal element of life in an undiluted, natural environment.   Sage Sweetwater stories are intentionally written for the movies, making sure her characters and plots are visual and translate well on screen. Sage Sweetwater Creative Properties are represented in Hollywood by a screen agent for screen adaptation.   Sage Sweetwater is a celebrity featured lesbian novelist on Authors Den.  Also bringing you the upper tier in lesbian erotica. http://www.authorsden.com/sagesweetwater   Sage Sweetwater lesbian songwriter has been inducted into Porterhouse Music, co-writer with Iceland composer/songwriter Finnur Bjarki.  Sage Sweetwater's poetry is being transcribed to song, geared for the recording studio to accomodate movie scores.  Porterhouse is located in Reykjavik, Iceland

Index of poems: Animas River Woman of Durango Norwegian Wood: Woman of Medano Creek Absaroka: Nez Perce Appaloosas Animas River Woman of Durango © Sage Sweetwater, 2006 I awoke to a cold ground blizzard, the chill factor well below zero, the traders had made trips to the woodpile, the warmth of the crackling fire thawed my eyelids, I saw her on traders row in the San Juan, kokanee salmon lying on her table, Jim Bridger, the first white man to set eyes on her, stopped his wagon filled with gunpowder, balls, flints, bear traps, and whiskey, asks Kit Carson, who she is.  Bridger takes off his beaver hat, turns it up, throws inside it a bottle of whiskey and sets it on her table, "Raise a little Cain, Animas River Woman of Durango," he said, picked up one of her kokanee salmon and walked off to his wagon for a cast-iron skillet and cooked his fish trade over the crackling fire, The buckskin tipis weaved through the vertical trunks of the tightly-packed dog-hair lodgepole, the sounds are intimate, the grunts and snorts of the elk where rut has come, the ground near the Animas river muddy with elk prints, the big bull tearing up the sod with his antlers, I make my way to Animas River Woman of Durango before the men get to her in rut season, I set my bubbling cauldron of homemade soup and a special flint on her table, and picked up one of her kokanee salmon, "Raise a little Cain, Animas River Woman of Durango," I say, Jim Bridger I laid eyes on her first, you see, it's all how you do your trading and your priorities, the errant tomahawk sliced my trade fish I am holding, Kit Carson's throw way off course in the men's competition trader's row games, black powder shooting, bow and arrow, trap setting, skillet throwing, and the like, "bring the whiskey, Animas River Woman of Durango," I motion her to my tipi not about to find myself empty handed after months of isolation and hardship, I demonstrate my primitive fire starting technique, our rendezvous hot, the flint scintillating our naked flesh, Mesa Verde cliffdwellers arrive with their pots, a very welcome sight on trader's row, Jim Bridger offers Animas River Woman of Durango and I, Sweetwater, a hand in taking down our tipis and took us off in his wagon journeying on to the The Four Corners through Ignacio, Cortez, and Mesa Verde where we met Stone Creek Woman who pointed up to a bird in the sky and said, "It is up to the pinon jay where to fly next, but there is no reason not to observe its flight." _____________________________ Back to top Norwegian Wood: Woman of Medano Creek © Sage Sweetwater 2006 the wind uncovered the Indian fire rings...Sloane met Woman of Medano Creek, apple, Beatles white on the inside, Rita Coolidge red on the outside, two soft females grating their sex into the night like two ponderosa pines rubbing together, Woman of Medano Creek and Sloane, their curvy silhouettes falling onto the fabric of my tent, Norwegian Wood, I rubbed my ruged knob, the raven's distant cry only heightened the sense of climax, Shawnee women have their own notions of prosperity and sexual freedom, Woman of Medano Creek and Sloane exemplified me to a challenge, I kind of like that because the voyeur surfaced in me and their currents of lovemaking allowed me to pull myself off at the pace of a museum stroll, stimulating me, tempting my exertion, coming hard, knowledge to me is the Rocky Mountain's greatest gift, oblivious, I stepped from my tent, the mirage teasing me with lustful visions, I tipped my jerrican and doused myself with cold water, the Indian fire rings now circled with charcoal and bones, in reality, there is no reason not to believe I, Sloane, did not fuck Woman of Medano Creek last eve, remnants of her tent stakes daring me to find my way down into the canyon, I, Sloane, put my canoe into the water and joined the Colorado at the confluence, Norwegian Wood, paddled into late afternoon, a woman's shadow lengthened, the canyon rim flared red, then lavender, a woman motioning to me from atop Temptation Stone guided my heat, standing at the foot of her bedroll, her tent stakes daring me to find my way down, I kissed her ruged knob jumping flames from her charcoal softness below her navel fire ring, Woman of Medano Creek said, "the ore ran out at the turn of the century, I saved you a nugget, Sloane..." Back to top Absaroka: Nez Perce Appaloosas © Sage Sweetwater, 2007 Absaroka, cutthroats swim in hordes, firebrand crosses the trout stream to Cody, her saddle shifts and creaks, rancid air of buffalo slaughter reeks - vision soars over the mountain peaks, sabotaged wagon wheel with a weak linch pin flies with the eagle, she spurs the horse, gold dust paints Jeremiah Johnson's mirage, no remorse, something's about to go down, meanwhile, bullets rip in the Rivers Saloon, outlaws - goldminers - the firebrand's woman lover fires off her Colt, baptizes the brass spittoon, good, bad, "talk about my woman ugly, spill blood on her quill - I'll haunt you in your cold grave - pussy is a great scene in the buffalo era, you put her head in a hangman's noose in the gallows, you'd best make that rope strong enough to hold back the Nez Perce Appaloosas" - firebrand rides through the Cavalry cemetery, warhoops and scalps, she lopes through the mesquite-patch sage, takes her name from it, whiskey cost two-bits a pint, peach nipple brandy even less, saloons line the streets, buzzards looking for something to die, swearing soiled doves shout for bed customers from the brothel doorways, plains rifles and .56 calibers, the firebrand's woman lover just two inches above her navel, fall upon each other in hard times, fucking, "I've heard about it plenty," says the firebrand, "lured you with gold dust, paints Jeremiah Johnson's mirage, no remorse, something's about to go down, the hat-waving vigilantes and hoboes, admiring onlookers, "we wanna buy her" - lugging her tired saddle, the firebrand rests, that's the way the vision went - anyway... 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Pandora Box 2007~2008