COFFEEHOUSE:

Atlanta's Underground Poets "

"Welcome to Theater of the Unconscious!" A young woman calls from a stage, smoke from her cigarette silhouetted by a single light down on her. "Every Thurday here in Purgatory, nine o' clock or somewhere there abouts...". You are suddenly in the world of dark clubs where poets practice their art.

CUT TO: a close up of the same woman getting her eyebrow pierced. "Sharne said 'If you have someting to say, it is your duty, your responsibility to the world, to SPEAK OUT!" A drop of blood tears down her face for one second.

CUT BACK TO: The woman on the stage calls to the audiance: "Your're free to do what you want here! Please take advantage of that. I'd apreciate it".

Cut from there to a series of Atlanta's Poets (including Kerry Thornly) giving their thoughts on things from what makes poetry good to Deacon Lunchbox discussing his performing for Lalapolooza.

The film continues to cut from poets reading in clubs and poets sharing their thought in quieter moments.

The film's format is straight documentary style except that there is no voice-over narration. The Poets themselves discuss poetry, Altanta's scene (or lack there of).

Georgia King reads "It's a dick thing." and shares the story of how it was inspired.

Deadbeat Burt discusses the early formings of the current poetry circuit and reads his "Ode to Little Five Points."

Alexa Simmons discusses her first Impressions of The Masqurade where much of the shooting for "Coffeehouse" was done. "I hated the fuckin' place. I hated the fuckin' security...It was always, always ID ,ID, ID ,what ya drinkin'?', and at that time is was always beer, because I hadn't graduated yet."

Ed Brammlette recites his "Bob Dylan and other theives."

Rev. Wyrdsli performs "The Legend of the Holy Grail"

Kerry Thornley reads "1988 Spring Offensive" 'Free dope and fucking in the streets'

Atlanta local Mikel K (Your 15 Minutes are Up) reads "I read half of 'Howl' "And I don't see the big fuckin' deal" he reports.

And then, the late Deacon Lunchbox is again speaking from the backstage of the Clermont Lounge. He tells us of the night he went to Friolero's and saw the Chowder Shouters. And then one night someone came up to him and said 'You oughta be a Poet!' Drumroll, and we now see the stage and someone annouces: "Ladies and Gentlemen-Deacon Lunchbox"

"Weeeeeeeeeelllllll" The 6'2'' burly bear of a man bellows, he then plays the spoons while he sings:

"I'm just an old Redneck Hippie Living at the end of this dirt road I ain't exactly totally crazy But I am a few bricks short of a load"

The majority of the second half of the film switches between footage of Deacon Lunchbox on stage, and off.

On what makes poetry good- plenty of obscenity." I don't believe in imagry or simile or any of those things, I don't even know what they mean. but a good obsenty well used is entertainment."

But for the finale, we again see the woman from the beginning of the film. Her name is Alexa Simmons. She read a poem written from the point of view of a black woman who's son has just been found dead on the streets. "No one cares which nigger crossed which nigger off on your historic, renovated Auburn Avenue. Here on your joke. Yeah, Martin had a dream. Your razor cut that dream in bloody lumps like three month coat-hanger abortions." She calls this poem "The Truth"

"Coffeehouse..." runs aproximately an hour.

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